Wednesday, May 16, 2018
My Summer Reading List
By Tim Smith
It’s time to compile that annual list of summer beach
reads, the books you didn’t get around to reading when you were snowbound over
the winter-without-end. The books you promised yourself you’d read, including
the ones you received as Christmas or birthday gifts. Then there are the
freebies from fellow writers, the ones you reluctantly agreed to read then post
an online review.
The reading table next to my favorite chair has a
continually revolving stack of books with bookmarks throughout. I have to be in
a certain mood to read a book, mainly because of what I do all day. I’m the
editor of a weekly newspaper, and I spend my days reading and editing the work
of freelancers. I also have to write the occasional feature when someone bails
on an assignment. This has caused me to not only ignore my own creative writing
when I get home, but I usually don’t read anything longer than a newspaper or
magazine article. This year, I’ve decided to get through some of the books that
piqued my interest, while revisiting a few old favorites. Here goes, in no
particular order.
“Dead Last” by James W. Hall. Hall is one of my
favorite thriller writers, and I gravitated to him originally because we share
a common theme in our writing. He lives in southern Florida and sets his
stories in The Keys, like I do. His characters are well-drawn and his plots are
suspenseful. No matter what his anti-hero, a former soldier of fortune named
Thorn (no first name) gets into, it will grab my interest and hold it until the
last paragraph.
“Dirty Money” by Donald E. Westlake, writing as
Richard Stark. Westlake’s “hero,” a professional thief with a moral code named
Parker (again, no first name) appeared in a dozen or so novels. Westlake/Stark
had a way of depicting the action with a sparsity of words, and you actually
find yourself rooting for the bad guy. In each installment, Parker is usually
after someone from the gang who ripped him off after the robbery, and all he
wants is his cut. His code of ethics is what sets him apart from other criminal
characters, as in his assertion “You never kill someone unless they deserve
it.” And in Westlake’s universe, someone always does.
“The Garner Files” by James Garner. I’ve enjoyed the
late James Garner’s memoir since it was first published in 2011 and I still dig
it out once in a while. Garner is one of my all-time favorite actors, and the
backstage tales of his film and TV work, from “Maverick” to “The Great Escape”
and “The Rockford Files” portray an average guy who never took himself or his
work all that seriously. This is the only autobiography I’ve read where the
main character gives all the credit to his co-stars. According to Garner, he
never gave a good performance in his life and couldn’t understand what all the
fuss was about. I think his fans would disagree.
Selected books by Raymond Chandler. From “The Big
Sleep” to “The Long Goodbye,” Chandler gave us an iconic private eye, Phillip
Marlowe. Marlowe wasn’t your typical gumshoe. He was middle-aged, world-weary,
cynical about the human race, and distrusting of just about everyone he met
until he got to know them better over a drink. He had a code he lived by, but
he wasn’t above breaking the rules to crack a case. Marlowe’s personal credo
when dealing with the opposition? “My favorite weapon isn’t a gun or a knife.
It’s a twenty-dollar bill. Sometimes you can get more with that than you can
with a gun.”
“His Guilt,” by Shelley Shepard Gray. This one showed
up at my office one day, sent by a publicist hoping for a review. The book is
labeled as an Amish romantic thriller, which caught my interest since I’ve
never read one of those before. I skimmed the first few pages and was intrigued
enough to give the whole thing a try. I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve
read it.
“A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway. Only because
it’s part of a set of first edition Hemingway’s I inherited, and I’ve never
read it, but I think I should.
“Hurricane Punch” by Tim Dorsey. This is one of those
favors I mentioned earlier. I met Dorsey during an author gathering in Key
Largo a few years ago, he autographed his book for me, I signed one of mine for
him, and we promised each other we’d read them. If he’s read my book, I have
yet to hear about it. I know how to keep a promise, though, even if it is overdue.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have SO many books on my TBR list... Good think ebooks don't take up space, though there are still teetering piles of physical books in almost every room!
ReplyDeleteI've read very little Hemingway. I know I "should". When you get to be my age though, you start questioning all those shoulds!
Anyway, sounds as though you'll have an enjoyable summer.
I've enjoyed many Westlake books in audio format from the library--they're great for entertainment on long road trips. The Garner Files sounds great; I may see if I can get an audio copy. Hemingway I've dabbled in--mostly his short work--but like you, more from a sense of duty than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI don't like Hemingway's style...too sparse and choppy. Short sentences. Supposed to be deep. To me, it's insulting to men, to insinuate that they're only capable of reading/writing like that. Teachers are supposed to teach that he's like an iceberg, with only a bit above the surface, and the rest underneath. I don't think there's anything under, other than an outdated, macho, misogynistic view of life. So I'll pass.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have massive piles of books everywhere. Husband used to regularly make me give away books, to used book sales, like at our library. Funny thing is, whenever there are sales, he likes to go and check out what's there. Then we end up carrying home more books than we gave away!
I must agree with the Hemingway assessments, even though I do have a photo of me sitting at his writing desk with typewriter aboard his fishing boat the Pilar (it's on display at a huge sports fishing place in Islamorada, FL and I couldn't resist). Yes, his prose was lean and his heroes were macho and politically incorrect in today's world, but that's the way men were portrayed in his era. No further defense will be forthcoming.
ReplyDeleteThe other authors on my list, however, are a little more timeless. I'm surprised that no one commented on Chandler's Phillip Marlowe, a lone wolf if ever there was one. What saved Marlowe from being classified as a pig was that he did enjoy the occasional female relationship, and always said "thank you" the next morning. That and Chandler's way with words keep the stories fresh and interesting.
If you'd like to continue this debate theme, I'll weigh in on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. On the other hand, let's not.
Hemingway has at least one redeeming quality -- he loved cats.
DeleteI love his book as well
ReplyDeleteThis looks like quite a substantial list. Re Raymond Chandler, Kathleen Bradean (formerly of this list) was very familiar with him, since he lived and wrote on her home turf. Years ago, when we all wrote imitations/parodies of the work of more famous writers, she did a passage of Raymond Chandler that had me spitting coffee on the keyboard.
ReplyDelete