Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler

And I raise you a 🤣

Kurben

Reading The Etruscan Net by Michael Gilbert (aka Family Tomb in US). Gilbert was an author hard to classify. He started with his hero Chief Inspector Hazlerigg in rather very good mysteries but then abandoned him after about 6 novels. He never stuck to a character long. He wrote spy stories, thriller stories, courtroom stories and much else. Rather unlike most author that he wrote in his commute to the city where he worked as a lawyer, wrote in his commute back home which he devoted to family. Still he managed 30 novels and about 150 short stories. He debuted after the war, at best in the 50,s to middle 70,s but kept writing til his death in the 90,s. Very good storyteller that never lets a story go on to long. most of his books are about 200 to 250 pages long. Even if he never reached the plot excellency of Christie or the character deepness of Sayers. This is in the thriller genre where a totally unwilling expert on Etruscan finds gets drawn in in a thriller plot. Reminds me a little of some of Helen MacInnes work but Gilbert is probably the better writer. (It was a while since i read MacInnes). I like it.

Kurben

The Gilbert book is part of my heritage from my parents. When they died i had to decide which books to keep and which to let go in my fathers enormous library. I'm sure i kept too many which all the bookshelves at home are witness too but it was painful to have to let the majority of the books go. About 20 Gilbert books made the cut and i havent read all of them so this a first time for me. Father always had a high opinion on Gilbert and i understand why from the books i read.

Kurben

Starting Blood And Judgment by Michael Gilbert. This is not in the thriller line at all. This is more of a police procedural Like Ed McBain or Peter Robinson but it takes place in London and the police is on the hunt of a killer. It is a bit fascinating how he so often shift genre among the subgenres in the crime/thriller novel. Most authors here find a winning concept and stick to it with a few excursions to amuse themselves but with Gilbert you never know what to expect. There is a typical Sayers or Christie or Robinson or Lee Child but there is no typical Gilbert.

Hedda Gabler

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

....Thad was born with a parasitic twin, which was removed from him...leading to King IMO, allowing the CR to decide whether it became some sort of malevolent spirit or led to Thad manifesting an alternate personality...considering George is torn apart at the end of the novel, I go with demonic entity that had some sort of corporeal form...

Hedda Gabler

Okay. So, the new movie Malignant took this from king. 

Grant87

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

....Thad was born with a parasitic twin, which was removed from him...leading to King IMO, allowing the CR to decide whether it became some sort of malevolent spirit or led to Thad manifesting an alternate personality...considering George is torn apart at the end of the novel, I go with demonic entity that had some sort of corporeal form...

I agree with this. Very astute analysis, indeed.

GNTLGNT

Grant87 said:

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

....Thad was born with a parasitic twin, which was removed from him...leading to King IMO, allowing the CR to decide whether it became some sort of malevolent spirit or led to Thad manifesting an alternate personality...considering George is torn apart at the end of the novel, I go with demonic entity that had some sort of corporeal form...

I agree with this. Very astute analysis, indeed.

....thank you kindly...once in a while I come off sounding almost sensible.....the horror!!!...

Kurben

GNTLGNT said:

Grant87 said:

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

....Thad was born with a parasitic twin, which was removed from him...leading to King IMO, allowing the CR to decide whether it became some sort of malevolent spirit or led to Thad manifesting an alternate personality...considering George is torn apart at the end of the novel, I go with demonic entity that had some sort of corporeal form...

I agree with this. Very astute analysis, indeed.

....thank you kindly...once in a while I come off sounding almost sensible.....the horror!!!...

Once in a while.....

GNTLGNT

Kurben said:

GNTLGNT said:

Grant87 said:

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I have never read the dark half. I thought i had seen the movie, but i’m thinking now i’ve only seen clips. 

I thought thad was doing all the killings— is it not him? I’m confused. How is he talking on the phone with george — numerous times and different places —  and there are witnesses that are giving him the calls? Listening to the calls?

Go ahead and spoil for me. I don’t care. What is going on?

....Thad was born with a parasitic twin, which was removed from him...leading to King IMO, allowing the CR to decide whether it became some sort of malevolent spirit or led to Thad manifesting an alternate personality...considering George is torn apart at the end of the novel, I go with demonic entity that had some sort of corporeal form...

I agree with this. Very astute analysis, indeed.

....thank you kindly...once in a while I come off sounding almost sensible.....the horror!!!...

Once in a while.....

HollyGolightly

I loved The Dark Half.  Scared me so!

I have been on an Alice Hoffman spree. It's been pretty great.
I read West With Giraffes a few months ago - such a good read - not exquisite but sweet. I'm hoping Tim Burton gets wind of it and makes it a movie. That would be sublime.

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

....I am searching for an early Chizmar read called "The Vault" that isn't stupid expensive...yeah, I know-probably ain't going to happen, but I reached out through Chiz's website for some info and lo & behold-HE replied!....we had a  brief exchange of e-mails and I found out he's cooking away on a sequel to Boogeyman......unexpected personal touch that was quite nice....

Well, i am so thrilled you got such a nice response.  I did something  super time consuming for richard during his October Madness month.  Not a peep. 😔 i’m so sad because it was so cool. 

Hedda Gabler

@BevVincent

i need one thread with the names of the books you have stories in .  You have threads for individual stories, but i lose track of which books they are in to order them. 

I see voices of varuna is going to be at b & n — yay!!!!

BevVincent

www.bevvincent.com/fiction is the place to go for that!

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....I am searching for an early Chizmar read called "The Vault" that isn't stupid expensive...yeah, I know-probably ain't going to happen, but I reached out through Chiz's website for some info and lo & behold-HE replied!....we had a  brief exchange of e-mails and I found out he's cooking away on a sequel to Boogeyman......unexpected personal touch that was quite nice....

Well, i am so thrilled you got such a nice response.  I did something  super time consuming for richard during his October Madness month.  Not a peep. 😔 i’m so sad because it was so cool. 

....maybe I just lucked out, or possibly he was inundated with entries?....

Hedda Gabler

I bought myself Paul MCCartney’s Lyrics for my Xmas present this year. It’s in cellophane so i can’t cheat. I want to cheat. 

FlakeNoir

Hedda Gabler said:

I bought myself Paul MCCartney’s Lyrics for my Xmas present this year. It’s in cellophane so i can’t cheat. I want to cheat. 

Is your tree up girl? Or do you have to wait until after Thanksgiving? (Is that soon?)

Hedda Gabler

FlakeNoir said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I bought myself Paul MCCartney’s Lyrics for my Xmas present this year. It’s in cellophane so i can’t cheat. I want to cheat. 

Is your tree up girl? Or do you have to wait until after Thanksgiving? (Is that soon?)

No tree this year. I usually have it up by halloween. 

I do have a beautiful mini tree, the size of a xmas card set up by my pillow.

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I bought myself Paul MCCartney’s Lyrics for my Xmas present this year. It’s in cellophane so i can’t cheat. I want to cheat. 

FlakeNoir

Hedda Gabler said:

FlakeNoir said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I bought myself Paul MCCartney’s Lyrics for my Xmas present this year. It’s in cellophane so i can’t cheat. I want to cheat. 

Is your tree up girl? Or do you have to wait until after Thanksgiving? (Is that soon?)

No tree this year. I usually have it up by halloween. 

I do have a beautiful mini tree, the size of a xmas card set up by my pillow.

Oh we need to do two things here.

1) Back the truck waaaaay the f'k up.
2) Have a little talk about what's important, what's not. What we expend our energy on and what we do not at Christmas.[sic]

We do:

*PUT UP DANA JEAN'S BEAUTIFUL BOYFRIEND
*write and send out cards (if we so wish)
*listen to Christmas songs on our earbuds so as not to piss bah-humbuggers off
*watch Christmas time classic movies
*eat ridiculous amounts of crap that make us bloat and constantly need to visit the WC
*tolerate those that make us want to scream

We don't:

*Expend our limited amounts of remaining energy on those that do not deserve it
*More than tolerate those that do not deserve it 
* Forsake the one time of year that we are truly happy 

Ends.

HollyGolightly

Bravo @FlakeNoir

@Hedda Gabler This is not like you, sisterwife.  (I can't find your old clappers exactly).

Kurben

I've reading The Rise and Fall Of The Dinosaurs by Steve Brusette. He is one of the new generation of paleontologists. Its written in 2019 so its full of updates of what i already knew about the subject plus its written in the very enthusiastic style of a person in love with his work. That makes it very fun to read and more personal than other books i've read on the subject.

Also. Deejers, no tree?? WTH??? Have you had a forewarning of the extinction of the earth or whats going on???

Grant87

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.