Tag Archive for: #fridayreads

#FridayReads, Jan 3– Julian Symons’ “The Color of Murder”

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The Color of Murder#FridayReads The Color of Murder, a 1957 chiller by Julian Symons, a great scholar of the genre & a terrific crime writer. This one is narrated largely through use of a statement that the suspect of the murder ostensibly makes to a court-mandated psychiatrist in his case. Symons (1912-94) was the younger brother of biographer A.J.A. Symons, author of The Quest for Corvo: An Experiment in Biography, an intoxicating book on the mysterious and eccentric Frederick Rolfe (the self-styled Baron Corvo who in the world of the book becomes the first English Pope). The younger Symons also wrote Mortal Consequences, an excellent critical study of the mystery genre. I always pick up his books when I see them second-hand, as I did with this pulpy old edition I found on a table in Greenwich Village earlier this week. It’s in good shape, a very pleasing pick up.Color of Murder back cover

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A Basket Full of Holiday #FridayReads

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PT #FridayReads photoDelighted to have so much free time this week for this terrific collection of great recreational and work-related reading. Here’s a quick rundown on each book with the tweets I put out about them tonight.
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My fave books by suspense writer Michael Connelly are his Harry Bosch novels, but the ones involving defense attorney Mickey Haller are enjoyable too.


Dave Bidini, longtime member of The Rheostatics, is a triple threat–stellar musician, compelling writer, and all-around good guy. I love oral histories like this one: the memorable voices of many musicians are soldered together in to an alternately hilarious and heartbreaking narrative of stalwarts traveling and playing music across one of the largest countries on the planet.


I admire CUNY Graduate Center Professor William Helmreich’s civic enterprise–he walked on nearly street in the five boroughs, meeting and speaking with hundreds of New Yorkers to weave together a fascinating portrait of the 21st century city enriched by new immigrant groups.


I’m hopeful that Chicago writer Haas’s suspense novels will merit rediscovery and publication. I was delighted to be asked to look at them by Shirley Haas and old Chicago friend Kevin Riordan.

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#FridayReads, Nov 22–Patty Dann’s Novel “Starfish”

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Starfish

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#FridayReads, Nov 15–James Agee’s “Cotton Tenants: Three Families” & Patrick Watson’s “Alter Ego”

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Cotton Tenants

Cotton Tenants backAlter Ego backAlter Ego

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#FridayReads, Nov 8–Book Proposals & Manuscripts–Examining a Notorious Political Killing, Exploring the Paranormal, etc.

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#FridayReads, Nov 8–While I’m sure I’ll be reading a proper book or two this weekend, my reading this week has been dominated by work-related materials–nonfiction book proposals, fiction manuscripts and lots of promising queries on submission to me in my work as a literary agent, part of my publishing work. Here’s a rundown on some of what I’m looking at, only in generalities out of deference to the writers whose work I’m considering: 1) a proposal for a book that will explore the motive behind one of the most infamous consequential political crimes of the 20th century, while also one of its least examined; 2) a hardboiled crime novel about the theft of an election in a battleground midwestern state; 3) several works by a British scholar with a rigorous approach to unexplained phenomena involving the super- or even the paranormal; and 4) an original manuscript that includes the original heretofore unpublished memoir of Hollywood’s most idiosyncratic, even weird, movie-making mogul.

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Wrapping Up a Week of NY Celebrations & Great Reading

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It’s been a celebratory week in NYC and an active one on The Great Gray Bridge, so here is a summary of recent highlights for interested readers who may have missed any of them.

Ruth Gruber & Philip Turner1) Celebrating Photojournalist & Author Ruth Gruber’s 102nd Birthday With Her
2) Word of an Important New Book on Bob Dylan By a ’60s Confidant
3) Celebrating Valerie Plame’s “Blowback”&Recalling Tumultous Events of a Decade Ago
4) #FridayReads, Oct. 4–Katie Hafner’s Exquisite Memoir “Mother Daughter Me”

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