The GOT Book Club

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Just finished reading The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Great novel depicting life in the Inland Northwest of the US (Spokane, Montana) in the early 20th century. Details the organized labor movement, private police firms, robber barons, etc. Well-crafted. One of the better works of contemporary fiction that I have read.

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished reading The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Great novel depicting life in the Inland Northwest of the US (Spokane, Montana) in the early 20th century. Details the organized labor movement, private police firms, robber barons, etc. Well-crafted. One of the better works of contemporary fiction that I have read.
View attachment 114547

Sounds right up my street, how would you describe his writing style, American Noir, Cormac Mc Carthy etc ?

 

[wm02]

Sounds right up my street, how would you describe his writing style, American Noir, Cormac Mc Carthy etc ?

Similar but not quite as gritty as Cormac.
And he uses commas and apostrophes!
He’s got a little in his writing that reminds me of Wallace Stegner (in a good way as well)- depiction of the American West
Highly recommend it—waited for ages to get a copy from the library. Now I’m reserving some of his earlier novels

 

[COYBL25]

Similar but not quite as gritty as Cormac.
And he uses commas and apostrophes!
He’s got a little in his writing that reminds me of Wallace Stegner (in a good way as well)- depiction of the American West
Highly recommend it—waited for ages to get a copy from the library. Know I’m reserving some of his other novels

Cheers, on my reading list.

I`m just finishing the Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell, which is very good.

Described, as " Creole Noir " - tales of Detectives, Councilmen and Criminals in the Deep South

 

[random]

Ed McBain 87th precinct, I have always spotted this authors' books in various shops over the years, not surprising really as there are over 50 in the series and they sold by the boatload

When a series is that long and popular then there must be something about it that appeals to book reading public, so I got hold of Cop Hater which is #1 in the series




Got through this in a day. It seems like a lot of books nowadays (and films for that matter) need to have either some sort of shock value, or a hero that beds every woman he sees and never loses a fight, not to mention leaps of logic that Mr Spock would be proud of, all in order to engage the reader.

This book was quite different, and it's interesting that the author has no qualms in having characters killed off, that you would have expected to feature in a lot more books in the series.

In the authors notes at the beginning of the book, he said he spent way too much time in police precincts, speaking to cops and watching the procedures in solving (or not solving) cases and it shows in this book.

It's an easy read and the characters frustration combined with chasing leads that don't pan out, are a feature of the book.

I am speaking of it in the present tense, but I am well aware it was written in 1956 so it will come across as dated for a lot of readers, if you like a book that is 'solid' without being one you would return to in 10 years for another read then its worth getting hold of a copy.

I will definitely be getting book #2 at some point, purely because I liked the lack of 'flash' in book one.

 

[random]

another day, another book done. This time its.....



It's the authors first book and it's decent attempt, story is quite original as well and reflects on modern times. A couple of plot holes and story leaps detracted from my overall enjoyment of it.

All favours come with a cost, and after using what little favours he has in the Newark PD to get his private investigators license, former crime reporter Russell Avery finds himself paying. He spends his days reluctantly keeping sideways cops out of the crosshairs of the Internal Affairs department.

I think it's a bit expensive though, at just over a fiver for the kindle version when there are so many more books available on kindle unlimited which is a lot better value for avid book readers.

Reasonable effort but pricey for what it is.

 

[Davidoff]

started it in 2013.. think I finished it in 2016 or so (plus minus a year here or there)... wouldn’t start another book until it was done but after 3 months of reading I was still nowhere... so put it down.. picked it up again ... over 3 years or so .. at least raced through the final few hundred pages to get it done...

was a marathon clearly and proud to have got through it ... not sure I would do it again! It was a challenge to myself to read after googling the top 10 books of all time. Was deciding between it and Ulysses...

if you want a readable challenge then “Atlas Shrugged” is very worthwhile. Has inspired a fair amount of how I view the world and government meddling..

Edit: just realised I replied to a post from 2014.. grief.. ever finish it though?

We The Living and The Fountainhead are much better reads from Ayn Rand than the relentless marathon against any form of socialism that is Atlas Shrugged.

The Fountainhead was made into a movie - Gary Cooper was woefully miscast as the lead, but Patricia Neal was quite something to behold as Dominique

 

[Caolam]

I have nearly finished Neville Southall’s book. It is a good insight into the man. Would recommend it.

 

[leslad]

Currently reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. Certainly not read anything like it before. Seems to be about a man named @navidson

 

[navidson]

Currently reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. Certainly not read anything like it before. Seems to be about a man named @navidson

It certainly is!

Hope you enjoy it - it's an incredible book

 

[bluebrotha77]

I have nearly finished Neville Southall’s book. It is a good insight into the man. Would recommend it.

i had it at home for a long time and it took me awhile to get around to reading it because i was thinking he didn't even drink so sure what stories could he have but it turned out to be a very enjoyable book.

 

[davmaher]

Ed McBain 87th precinct, I have always spotted this authors' books in various shops over the years, not surprising really as there are over 50 in the series and they sold by the boatload

When a series is that long and popular then there must be something about it that appeals to book reading public, so I got hold of Cop Hater which is #1 in the series


View attachment 114567

Got through this in a day. It seems like a lot of books nowadays (and films for that matter) need to have either some sort of shock value, or a hero that beds every woman he sees and never loses a fight, not to mention leaps of logic that Mr Spock would be proud of, all in order to engage the reader.

This book was quite different, and it's interesting that the author has no qualms in having characters killed off, that you would have expected to feature in a lot more books in the series.

In the authors notes at the beginning of the book, he said he spent way too much time in police precincts, speaking to cops and watching the procedures in solving (or not solving) cases and it shows in this book.

It's an easy read and the characters frustration combined with chasing leads that don't pan out, are a feature of the book.

I am speaking of it in the present tense, but I am well aware it was written in 1956 so it will come across as dated for a lot of readers, if you like a book that is 'solid' without being one you would return to in 10 years for another read then its worth getting hold of a copy.

I will definitely be getting book #2 at some point, purely because I liked the lack of 'flash' in book one.

I read loads of Ed McBain back in the seventies and absolutely loved them. I checked a few years back and they were pretty much out of print. I'll have to get a couple and see what I think now. Any with the Deaf Man as the main protagonist were very good from memory.

 

[verreauxi]

Just finished reading The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Great novel depicting life in the Inland Northwest of the US (Spokane, Montana) in the early 20th century. Details the organized labor movement, private police firms, robber barons, etc. Well-crafted. One of the better works of contemporary fiction that I have read.
View attachment 114547

Picked this up on kindle and started it a few nights ago. Good stuff, thanks!

 

[random]

Not often I don't finish a book, but after 40% completion and absolutely nothing happening to hold my attention, this one gets binned off



Couldn't understand, gets loads of 5* reviews on Goodreads, I had to go back and see what I was missing. What I was missing was the demographic of the 5* reviewers, something I need to be a bit more mindful of in future.

The book obviously appeals to a certain section of the population, and I am not in that section obviously

Slow book that thinks its building up into something, if it did then I am not interested in what it was. Good luck if you reach the end, you have more boredom resistance than I.

its crap

 

[BigMick]

The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam.

Published in 1972 this remains essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how the USA became enmeshed in the quagmire of Vietnam. It's a huge book but don't be daunted by its size - it reads like a great novel, and for that reason I'd recommend it to anyone with only a passing interest in history, let alone those interested in politics, the US or the Vietnam war.

The book is the story of the generation who gathered in Washington in 1960 with the advent of the Kennedy administration, the so called best and the brightest of their time. It describes how these men, for all their brilliance and idealism, led the country into the most disastrous war in its history. Halberstam concentrates on the characters and personalities of those involved as much as the policies and decisions they took, and there are colourful portraits of all the characters involved, from JFK to Robert Kennedy, LBJ, Robet McNamara, Dean Rusk, Maxwell Taylor and the Bundy brothers, to name just a few.

As an example of his writing, here, in one sentence, he sums up Robert McNamara and the attitude of the whole Kennedy White House:

"He was a man of force, moving, pushing, getting things done, Bob got things done, the can-do man in the can-do society, in the can-do era."

With the exception of Vice-President LBJ, fatally kept out of huge chunks of the decision making, this was the Kennedy dream team, a group who combined academic credentials with elite social backgrounds. They also held a similar view of recent history. The lesson from Munich onward was basic, they decided: one had to stand up, to be stern, to be tough.

Halberstam was a journalist who spent time in Vietnam and he has a reporter's eye for the little detail which transforms a story and makes it come alive. He brilliantly weaves together the various strands - the events, the people, the policy debates - into a captivating narrative which is not only entertaining but teaches many lessons, foremost of which for me is that even those who appear to be highly qualified to hold power can carry out policies of monumental stupidity.

There are more complete books about Vietnam - this one was published too early to cover the Nixon years - but none as enthralling or enlightening as this.