Sea of Images 2021
November 12, 2021 at 3:22 am (Artists and Writers, Books, Dearest Mum, Family, Holidays, Movies, Pianos, Places, Plays, Recommended, Weather, Women Writers)
Tags: art, biographies, Cal Shakes, COVID Reading, environment, Ethel Rosenberg, exhibits, favorites, Golden Gate Park, Grimdark, Halloween, history, Judy Chicago, Literary Magazines, memories, murals, museums, mysteries, noir, Palo Alto, Pembroke Magazine, photo challenge, Pismo Beach, porch, reading lists, road trip, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, short story, Stanford, summer, Thomas Perry
Backstory: Best When Introduced Slowly
October 31, 2021 at 2:58 am (Books, Recommended, Relatives)
Tags: COVID Reading, Iraq, mysteries, noir, novel, PTSD, reading lists
Here it comes in Chapter 3 of The Killing Hills:
- Before gathering walnuts, his grandfather raked through the brush with a long stick to frighten away the snakes. Most bites were on the hand and foot. It was the same with people, Papaw had said. Mick didn’t understand this until clearing rooms in Iraq and three comrades were shot in the hand by the enemy.
Razorblade Tears, Staying True to the Genre
September 4, 2021 at 4:22 am (Books, Conversations)
Tags: COVID Reading, Fridays, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists
There is so much over-the-top violence in this book, it even outdoes Eddie’s Boy in that department (and if you have read Eddie’s Boy, you know that is saying a lot). Anyhoo, self doesn’t really mind, because it stays true to its genre. Not only that, the plot is something else.
Her favorite character is Buddy Lee.
“And we gonna need guns. Lots of guns,” Ike said. Buddy Lee sucked his teeth.
“I think we can kill both them birds with one stone. But we gotta go talk to some folks. What we gonna do with him?” Buddy Lee asked.
“We’ll chain him to the sink in the bathroom,” Ike said.
“You came up with that quick,” Buddy Lee said.
“This ain’t my first rodeo.”
“I know, mine neither. You got a talent for it, though,” Buddy Lee said.
“Unfortunately,” Ike said.
Razorblade Tears, p. 290
Her next book (which she is quite itching to get to) is called The End of Men, and it’s about a dystopian future world where men are an endangered gender. Unfortunately, we still need them to reproduce. In light of Texas bounty hunter/abortion law which the Supreme Court of the United States allowed to let stand (despite the law’s utter stupidity; self is a woman, she is allowed to say such things), she will have a lot of fun reading about a future world where men are scarce.
Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
2nd Noir of the Day, 2 September 2021
September 3, 2021 at 12:59 am (Books, Conversations)
Tags: COVID Reading, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists
“What the hell is going on out here?” Randy yelled. He had the self-assurance of most mediocre men.
Razorblade Tears, p. 157
There is much violence in this book. In fact, the two main characters can’t seem to hold a normal conversation, unless it’s with each other. With others, each conversation begins with a threat and ends with violence. That’s a lot of violence because, this being noir, there’s also a lot of conversation.
Nevertheless.
You will be vested in the characters.
Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
Noir of the Day
September 2, 2021 at 3:51 am (Books, Conversations)
Tags: COVID Reading, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists
Remember that scene in Pulp Fiction where Bruce Willis has to …
Never mind. Read on.
“I can just tell ’em you ain’t here,” Jazzy said.
“No, that’s okay. Let’s see what they want,” Ike said. He walked around his cubicle and headed for the lobby. As he was on his way he grabbed a machete off the wall.
Five men in leather vests and various degrees of hirsuteness were standing in the lobby. A couple of them were reading the avertisements on the wall. Two more were standing near the door. A big blond man with a wicked scar on his cheek that cut through his beard was leaning against the soda machine with his heavily tattooed arms crossed.
Ike placed the machete on the counter.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Razorblade Tears, p. 105
1st of September: RAZORBLADE TEARS Quote of the Day
September 1, 2021 at 1:06 pm (Books, Recommended)
Tags: COVID Reading, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists
When he hit the ground, the big pistol jumped out of his hand like the Gingerbread Man making a break for it.
Razorblade Tears, p. 79
Razorblade Tears Quote of the Day
August 31, 2021 at 8:40 pm (Books, Lists, Recommended)
Tags: COVID Reading, humor, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists, summer
Three narrow-looking white kids sat behind a glass display case that served as the sales counter. A bearded guy, a clean-shaven guy who was sporting a monocle, and a girl who looked like she had just stopped wearing light-up shoes a week ago.
Razorblade Tears, p. 51
Noir Sentence of the Day
August 30, 2021 at 7:09 pm (Books, Recommended)
Tags: COVID Reading, Mondays, mysteries, noir, novel, praise, reading lists, summer
His blonde hair was slicked back with so much product a fly would break its neck trying to land on it.
Razorblade Tears, p. 35
Now THAT’S noir.
Razorblade Tears: Noir with a Capital ‘N’
August 30, 2021 at 1:58 pm (Books, Recommended)
Tags: Black writers, COVID Reading, Mondays, mysteries, noir, novel, reading lists
Back to reading noir!
And Razorblade Tears is a most excellent example of the genre.
Self will not summarize, as it will be ever so much more fun if dear blog readers begin this book without having a clue.
Buddy Lee had it all wrong. Ike wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He wasn’t afraid to spill blood. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop.
Razorblade Tears, by S. A. Cosby, p. 29
Noir-ish 2
July 25, 2020 at 2:32 am (Food and Drink, Lists, Salon.com, short story collections, television)
Tags: adaptations, COVID Reading, Fridays, Justified, memories, noir, reading lists, short story, summer, Timothy Olyphant
Reading Elmore Leonard’s Chickasaw Charlie Hoke.
There is a “big redhead” named Vernice, looking “like a strawberry sundae in her La-Z-Boy.”
There is “bourbon over crushed ice.”
There are mentions of “a pit boss at Bally’s,” a waitress at the Isle of Capri coffee shop.
There is an “RV in a trailer park on the outskirts of Tunica, Mississippi.”
Very fun reading Elmore Leonard. It brings back all the FEELZ about Justified, the F/X series that ran for six seasons and had Timothy Olyphant! Timothy Olyphant! Who Salon’s TV reviewer described as “one tall, cool drink of water”!
Stay safe, dear blog readers. Stay safe.
Kanlaon 