The Enchanters by James Ellroy
Read as part of CBR15Bingo: hold steady. James Ellroy is a favorite author of mine; I return to his work often. This is the second in his Freddy Otash series. And it features a “protagonist” in a lot of trouble. I only found out less than a month ago that James Ellroy was coming out with a new book. I keep my ear close to the ground as far as Ellroy is concerned so I’m not sure why the delayed announcement here. But I put […]
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob by Gianni Russo
Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier by Mark Frost
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
American Tabloid by James Ellroy
Hot Springs by Stephen Hunter
Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
Dead Soon Enough by Steph Cha
Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka
Here are the books I read in May 2022 that I didn’t get to give a full review for whatever reason. I read a lot of authors of AAPI descent; their books were all wonderful in their own respective ways… Sea of Tranquility **** Unquestionably a metacommentary on the author’s Station Eleven success in the shadow of Covid-19, it’s a beautifully written reflection on finding peace and contentment in the uncertainties of life. I don’t know that I enjoyed it as much as others did given […]
Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Journey to the End of the Night – 4/5 Stars This one is a bitter pill. Not for me, but for the writer and character. I don’t know how much of this is a roman a clef, a veiled memoir, or a persona allowing the writer to hide within the text. But the novel itself is drenched in sarcasm, irony, cynicism, and disgust. We begin with our narrator finding his way into the army right near the beginning of WWI. This of course is not […]
Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
Times Square Red, Times Square Blue by Samuel R. Delany
Queer: A Graphic History by Meg John-Barker, Julia Scheele (illustration)
Widespread Panic by James Ellroy
Quarry's Cut by Max Allan Collins
Read a variety of books close to and over the weekend. Let’s check it out… Bleeding Edge **** This is a 2021 reread and it’s better than I remember. The ending disappoints but it’s still an entertaining, prescient novel. Pynchon warned us about Too Online culture and yet, here we are. Times Square Red, Times Square Blue **** I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t this. And I liked it! Mostly. This is like a tale of two books. It’s two essays […]
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
This is a confusing one to review. I can’t call Ellroy’s Black Dahlia entertaining because the story is so brutal, misogynist, racist, and disturbing. It is, however, compelling. Just like the characters in the book, I couldn’t leave the mystery alone. Who was the Black Dahlia? Who killed her? Why? The book is unsettling, and necessarily so. I wouldn’t recommend reading it if the topics of rape or other forms of brutality are topics best not brought up for you at this time. While this […]
Corruption City by Horace McCoy
Blood on the Moon by James Ellroy
L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
I don’t necessarily agree with the title, which comes from the famous exchange from season one of the TV show True Detective. But since it’s thematic of the three books I read recently, I decided to go with it. I hate coming up with titles. Corruption City ***** A fun crime tale that should have been better. McCoy lays out a good story but halfway through, it’s like an editor reminded him it’s a pulp novel so he has to take shortcuts. Still an entertaining tale. McCoy might […]
