HardBoiledCrime

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James M. Cain once said in an interview “If your writing doesn‘t keep you up at night, it won‘t keep anyone else up either.” Written in 1943, the book is an archetype of #hardboiledcrime novels, where lust, greed, & murder are the downfall of a man. The story of an insurance salesman lured into a fraud scheme, it‘s dark & suspenseful, & the writing/dialogue is razor sharp..kept me glued to the pages. It‘s mean and brilliant. 👍

#jennyis30

jenniferw88

mabell What a terrific review!! (And I know this would 100% not be for me 🤣) 4y

BarbaraBB I really want to read this one too. Great review! 4y

rabbitprincess Hahaha I love that Murder Mystery Monthly logo! Also loved Double Indemnity! Definitely my favourite Cain. 4y

batsy Nice review! Definitely have to read this 💀 4y

LeahBergen I read this years ago and thought it was great. 👍🏻 4y

57 likes5 comments

BookwormAHN

Knife: A New Harry Hole Novel | Jo Nesbo

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I've really enjoyed the Harry Hole books and this one is the 12th in the series. In this one Harry's estranged wife Rakel is murdered and Harry takes it upon himself to find her killer 🖤
#BBRC #YeahBaby #BookInTranslation @LibrarianRyan @Sarahreadstoomuch
#JennyIs30 #HardBoiledCrime @jenniferw88
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#ReadNosedReindeer @StayCurious

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y

Sarahreadstoomuch Nice!! 4y

54 likes1 stack add2 comments

squirrelbrain

The Maltese Falcon: The Thin Man ; Red Harvest | Dashiell Hammett

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Whilst I enjoyed this book, it‘s very much ‘of it‘s time‘ - by which I mean rather sexist!

I didn‘t love the writing style - very short staccato sentences, but some of the descriptive passages were lovely.

Having said that, it did make me keep reading, desperate to find out what happened at the end.

#jennyis30
#hardboiledcrime

Only 3 more to go now.... feminism, fantasy and 18th century.

jenniferw88

73 likes

squirrelbrain

The 7th Function of Language | Laurent Binet

so-so

Well, that was an odd one. Based on the real-life death of literary theorist Barthes, who was run over by a laundry van, this novel posits that it was in fact murder.

There‘s a (very violent) secret society, some sex (it is a French novel after all!) and a lot of politics.

It was a rather weird mix of a Pink Panther / Insp. Clouseau movie and a university lecture on linguistic theory.

#bookspin
#jennyis30 #literary
#mandmchallenge2020 #mashup

BarbaraTheBibliophage, jenniferw88, TheAromaofBooks

squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB - it started off OK but I (quite literally!) lost the plot about 3/4 of the way through and started to skim read. You might like it though if you can concentrate better than me - speedreading is a bad habit of mine.... 5y

squirrelbrain Actually Jenny @jenniferw88 - I‘m wondering if this would fit #hardboiledcrime instead? What‘s the definition of that? 5y

BarbaraBB Great review but I think I‘ll skip it for now 😀 5y

See All 11 Comments

squirrelbrain Yes, I‘d skip it too @BarbaraBB , knowing what I know now! It was a bit intense.... 😘 5y

jenniferw88 @squirrelbrain here's the definition, but I think you'll decide to stick with literary. It's obviously up to you: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardboiled 5y

TheAromaofBooks haha great review - sounds like a complicated book! 5y

squirrelbrain Yeah, @jenniferw88 - it fits some of the themes, but it‘s set in the 80s so wrong era. I‘ll stick with literary for now! 😘 5y

Smrloomis Ugh 😅 that sounds awful to me! 😂 5y

charl08 Nice penguins! 5y

squirrelbrain I have two shelves of them @charl08 ❤️ 🐧 5y

BarbaraTheBibliophage Sure does sound like a mash up!! Great job. 📚♥️👊🏻 5y

72 likes11 comments

Cinfhen

Double Indemnity | James M. Cain

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Special thanks to @jenniferw88 because if it wasn‘t for her #JennyIs30 challenge I might not have read this brilliant #HardBoiledCrime classic 🤓 Walter Huff, an insurance agent quickly becomes seduced by a femme fatale in a plot to murder her husband and receive the double Indemnity payout clause for an accidental death. As with most schemes, things never go exactly as planned. With limited pages this book shocked me!!! Tight & solid.

LeahBergen I read this years ago (and can hardly remember it, of course 😆). 5y

wanderinglynn The movie adaptation is excellent. 5y

jenniferw88 Glad you're finding some new favourites! 😊😘 5y

See All 7 Comments

erzascarletbookgasm I think I‘ve watched the movie, sounds familiar! 5y

Cinfhen I‘ve heard the film is even better than the book @erzascarletbookgasm @wanderinglynn @LeahBergen @jenniferw88 but apparently the film has a different ending ~ maybe I‘ll watch this weekend if I can find it 🍿 5y

Lizpixie #stacked! How are you my #SisterFromAnotherMister💃🏻 5y

Cinfhen Hey!!! #GreenEyedPixie I‘m ok 🙂 how are you????? It‘s almost your birthday month!!! How are we celebrating @Lizpixie ????? (edited) 5y

89 likes2 stack adds7 comments

Cinfhen

Book Report: Publishing Strategies, Writing Tips, and 101 Literary Ideas for Aspiring Authors and Poets | Mark Shaw

#BookReport
#week19

After a little hiatus I‘m back with a small book report...
Completed 3 books over the past 14 days, I just couldn‘t pick up a book, my brain was already working on information overload 🥺As you can see I did LOTS of bailing 😬

I‘m on page 13 of Wolf Hall but i feel like my concentration is off, I think I need something light ( Any suggestions?!?)
Working on #HardBoiledCrime for #JennyIs30

jenniferw88

Hooked_on_books If you‘re up for light and banana pants bonkers, I‘d go with Tim Dorsey. His books are so nuts they usually snap me out of wherever my head is and they‘re funny. 5y

Freespirit Missed your input. Hope all well. I have patches where no book engages me too...i do a crime novel then..something juicy😳 5y

Kalalalatja I‘m keeping my eyes on this post for some light suggestions. I can‘t really concentrate either these days, so I feel you! 5y

See All 22 Comments

Megabooks Maybe it‘s time to get our severance?? I know we both picked it up, and I don‘t think you‘ve read it either?? It‘s supposed to be satire. Also, on the nonfiction side, dad and I started Mobituaries today and it‘s a funny audiobook.

Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving

MissAimz_55 When I need a book palette cleanser I usually go back to a favorite reread. I also tend to do YA or chick lit. I think anything by rainbow Rowell is good. 5y

erzascarletbookgasm I hope you‘ll find something that sticks. I‘m reading this, light and brilliant!

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Cinfhen Thanks for all the awesome suggestions @erzascarletbookgasm @MissAimz_55 @Freespirit @Hooked_on_books I‘m checking my shelves and my online resources to see if any of those options are available xx as an aside 2 library holds came in so I may start one of those 🤞🏽💓 5y

Cinfhen @Megabooks I‘ve heard Mobituaries is really funny, I think I may try that if it‘s available on Scribd. As for Severance I actually loaned it to my daughter 😬I‘m going back to NY in March and I‘ll have it then... totally forgot we were going to buddyread it, Meg. Sorry!!! 5y

Cinfhen I just started listening to a library hold @Kalalalatja and it‘s actually drawing me in

Chemistry

TrishB The reading mojo will come back! I always read crime novels when my concentration is bad. I think because they are so formulaic, person killed, find murderer.! 5y

Megabooks @Cinfhen I don‘t think we had specific plans. I think we just happened to buy it at the same time! I hope your daughter likes it. Steph, Emily, Lauren and I read Chemistry for the BOTM challenge. Apparently I gave it a pick, but I don‘t remember it well. I can‘t believe that was three years ago!! 🤪🤪 5y

KarenUK If you feel like switching, the Wolf hall audio is good too.... but for my favorite 🧠🍭 in print of last year was

The Flatshare: A Novel

(edited) 5y

AlaMich I just discovered Barbara Pym. She‘s definitely light and humorous! 5y

Scochrane26 I always end up reading a rom-com or funny book after too many serious reads. This last week I read Meg & Jo and then the MG Same Sun Here. Both were easy but good. 5y

Billypar I would check this out if you're not opposed to reading about lighthearted pranks. Very funny - I recommend the audio version. And if you get sick of it, you can quit whenever since there's no larger narrative.

Race Me in a Lobster Suit: Absurd Internet Ads and the Real Conversations That Followed

Crazeedi Wolf Hall didn't thrill me. I hope you find a good book to get back to your reading happy place. I'm kind of in a "can't concentrate " place too. I have 3 books I'm trying to read and they're fine but I'm just not in a flow...hang in there!! 5y

Reviewsbylola I‘m reading a pretty light one right now that may be a good choice.

Dear Mrs Bird

Reviewsbylola Also, I was feeling the same way when I was in the middle of Villette. Now that that‘s over, I‘m getting back in my groove. 5y

Cinfhen Wow!!! Can‘t believe that challenge was 3 years ago @Megabooks TIME FLIES ~ we were all such newbies then 😜I‘m enjoying Chemistry as an audio but I‘m not sure I would have liked it as much in print. The stream of consciousness is working because the narration is so on point. 5y

Cinfhen My reading MOJO is BAD, REAL BAD @TrishB I just don‘t want to engage with a book but I‘m enjoying all the recommendations and seeing what others are reading/ suggesting @AlaMich @KarenUK @Scochrane26 @Billypar @Crazeedi @Reviewsbylola 5y

TrishB Maybe a couple of magazines until you feel like 😘 5y

writerlibrarian Welcome back. Ditto on Barbara Pym or E.F. Benson Lucia series is also good. 5y

103 likes22 comments

TrishB

The Wrath of Angels: A Charlie Parker Thriller | John Connolly

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Another great one in the series- although these are marketed as a crime series these are becoming more and more supernatural/gothic. Love the stories and characters.
Used for #jennyis30 #hardboiledcrime
6/11 #murder2020

jenniferw88, Tove_Reads

Tove_Reads Haven‘t read any of his. Need to check if my library has them. 5y

TrishB @Tove_Reads one of my fave series 👍🏻 5y

95 likes2 comments

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