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JAMESBJOHNSON

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Patrick O'Brian wrote lovely prose but I'll never buy the arcane tutorials he disguised as dialogue. People do not casually discuss how ships are rigged for sails. Time to move on.

John D. MacDonald failed the test, too. I don't wanna read about ordinary people and their puissant lives.

One of my readers says I remind her of a writer named Bukowski, KING OF THE LOWLIFE. Never heard of him but agree with his thinking.
 
Bukowski was an alcoholic mailman-poet from LA in the 50's-60's who liked to hang out in sleazy bars. He was one of the sources for the Beat Generation poets who followed him. His stuff is raw and powerful and very good.

Just what aspect of Bukowski you remind them of, I can't say.

Patrick O'Brian is the one author i'd take with me to a desert island without thinking twice. I've read every one of his Aubry-Maturin novels at least 3 times, and always with enjoyment and fresh astonishment at what he's done and how he does it. He's certainly not for everyone, and you're right that there are passages on the rigging of a Napoleonic-era frigate that make one's eyes glaze over, but at the same time, anyone who can make the Napoleonic empire's monetary policy towards the eastern Mediterranean interesting gets nothing but respect from me.

His descriptions of life at sea are simply the best ever written; much better than anything ever put on film. The world he recreates is powerful, accurate, and enveloping. And he doesn't cut you any slack. He's a brilliant writer and a brilliant man, and he demands his readers' intelligence. (He was also apparently a pretty horrid human being, having abandoned his wife and child to invent a new identity for himself.)

O'Brian is a nine-course formal dinner in an age of fast food. If you've got the time and the palate, there's no one like him.
 
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O'Brian is a treat, when you're in the right mood. That said, there's a special sort of hell that is an office full of people attempting to imitate the characters because they've all decided to read the series at the same time: "Damn me sir, you'll accept my bid instantly or I'll put a stopper over your capers..." etc.
 
dr_mabeuse said:
Bukowski was an alcoholic mailman-poet from LA in the 50's-60's who liked to hang out in sleazy bars. He was one of the sources for the Beat Generation poets who followed him. His stuff is raw and powerful and very good.

Just what aspect of Bukowski you remind them of, I can't say.

Patrick O'Brian is the one author i'd take with me to a desert island without thinking twice. I've read every one of his Aubry-Maturin novels at least 3 times, and always with enjoyment and fresh astonishment at what he's done and how he does it. He's certainly not for everyone, and you're right that there are passages on the rigging of a Napoleonic-era frigate that make one's eyes glaze over, but at the same time, anyone who can make the Napoleonic empire's monetary policy towards the eastern Mediterranean interesting gets nothing but respect from me.

His descriptions of life at sea are simply the best ever written; much better than anything ever put on film. The world he recreates is powerful, accurate, and enveloping. And he doesn't cut you any slack. He's a brilliant writer and a brilliant man, and he demands his readers' intelligence. (He was also apparently a pretty horrid human being, having abandoned his wife and child to invent a new identity for himself.)

O'Brian is a nine-course formal dinner in an age of fast food. If you've got the time and the palate, there's no one like him.
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Youre right, his prose is glorious! But I cant endure pages of details of how a brig is rigged for sails, and all you ever wanted to know about its hardware.

Oh! I'm accused, all the time, of being an alcoholic, and I don't drink at all. It started when I was like 16. I never used my alcohol ration card the 4 years I was in the military. Alcohol puts me to sleep after like one beer. I must have a lil still for a heart.

Or maybe my reader was referring to my fondness for niggaz and trailer trash.
 
Read up on finger-printing, to confirm its use at the time of my new tale. My PC is an assassin cop who sets others up to take the fall for the murders.

For a while I've been contemplating the minds of killers, sorting them out. A book titled, LET THE AXE FALL, gave me some useful clues. Its a longitudinal (long time) study of killers at a federal pen. There are the Norman Bates, fantasy killers; Special Ops, hunters; Stalin, paranoids; and Orkin Man, exterminators. My guy is an Orkin Man killer.
 
My PC needs an antagonist so I created one. My PC is the sheriffs fair-haired boy, and the antagonist will be a numnutz who kisses ass better than kicking ass.
 
With Fathers Day close at hand I made an Amazon Order of 12 books and DVDz. With 4 kids I oughta make-out OK, like I usually do. I do my share with all the birthdays and graduations ( 2 birthdays, 1 college grad, and one high school grad this month), though.

The DVDz are THE RITE with Anthony Hopkins, and THE OTHERS with Nicole Kidman. Horror flix.

Ordered another Patrick O'Brian book, plus several noir short story collections.
 
Love Patrick O’Brian. Been a while since i read him ... or any novel for that matter. Thanks for the reminder.
 
driphoney said:
Love Patrick O’Brian. Been a while since i read him ... or any novel for that matter. Thanks for the reminder.
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You've been scarce.

I run hot and cold with O'Brian. I hit a patch of great writing today, and put his 2nd book on my next order. But tomorrow Jack and the others could go back to reading the phonebook to each other.
 
JAMESBJOHNSON said:
With Fathers Day close at hand I made an Amazon Order of 12 books and DVDz. With 4 kids I oughta make-out OK, like I usually do. I do my share with all the birthdays and graduations ( 2 birthdays, 1 college grad, and one high school grad this month), though.

The DVDz are THE RITE with Anthony Hopkins, and THE OTHERS with Nicole Kidman. Horror flix.

Ordered another Patrick O'Brian book, plus several noir short story collections.
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The Others is a pretty damned good film. Nice choice. I'm not going to spoil anything if you haven't watched it (I'm guessing you haven't), but I will say the story, the characters, the mood and the overall look of the film are all pretty damn near perfect. I always like Kidman when she's playing an everywoman role, and this is one of her best.

Enjoy.
 
slyc_willie said:
The Others is a pretty damned good film. Nice choice. I'm not going to spoil anything if you haven't watched it (I'm guessing you haven't), but I will say the story, the characters, the mood and the overall look of the film are all pretty damn near perfect. I always like Kidman when she's playing an everywoman role, and this is one of her best.

Enjoy.
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She did a few horror flicks, I see. THE OTHERS was mentioned as one of her better efforts, so I ordered it.
 
So I got an 8000 word tale with no sex or romance in it, and nary a clue as to where to add any to it. Beats the shit outta me. Mostly its a BLOOD MERIDIAN style necklace of weird scenes culminating with a detailed hanging.

The other tale I'm thinking I wanna serialize. The PC is an assassin and classic sociopath. I intended to fry him in the electric chair but now wanna let him do his thang for a while, and corrupt a few virgins.
 
JAMESBJOHNSON said:
So I got an 8000 word tale with no sex or romance in it, and nary a clue as to where to add any to it. Beats the shit outta me. Mostly its a BLOOD MERIDIAN style necklace of weird scenes culminating with a detailed hanging.

The other tale I'm thinking I wanna serialize. The PC is an assassin and classic sociopath. I intended to fry him in the electric chair but now wanna let him do his thang for a while, and corrupt a few virgins.
Click to expand...

That's what non erotic is for.
 
So I got to thinking bout it, and think I might serialize all the local crime history I collected over the years. Lotsa organized crime and feuds and revenge killings hereabouts. I figger I can do several installments of attacks on lawmen, and paybacks, and assassinations, and illicit luv. Shit! One of my kinsmen used a shotgum on his family and his wifes family.
 
JAMESBJOHNSON said:
She did a few horror flicks, I see. THE OTHERS was mentioned as one of her better efforts, so I ordered it.
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There was one a while back, co-starring Alec Baldwin, called Malice. It was one of those movies which was obviously adapted from a book. I got the impression that certain scenes were supposed to have more impact than they did.

Still, it's worth it just for the scene in which Kidman says, "Take me upstairs and fuck me."
 
If you want to do a Kidman marathon, check out Birthday Girl...she was very good in that one and I remember it as an underrated sleeper.

And if you haven't seen Dead Calm, add it to the list...she has to deal with a psychopath, right up your alley.

She was also very good in To Die For.

You can skip Eyes Wide Shut.
 
slyc_willie said:
There was one a while back, co-starring Alec Baldwin, called Malice. It was one of those movies which was obviously adapted from a book. I got the impression that certain scenes were supposed to have more impact than they did.

Still, it's worth it just for the scene in which Kidman says, "Take me upstairs and fuck me."
Click to expand...

You gotta wonder what Tom Cruise's problem is.
 
I'm making an Amazon order:

2 Elmore Leonard short story collections
3 Pete Dexter books
2 or 3 Cornell Woolrich short story collections
2 Patrick O'Brian books
2 Cormac McCarthy books
 
slyc_willie said:
The Others is a pretty damned good film. Nice choice. I'm not going to spoil anything if you haven't watched it (I'm guessing you haven't), but I will say the story, the characters, the mood and the overall look of the film are all pretty damn near perfect. I always like Kidman when she's playing an everywoman role, and this is one of her best.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

Yes great story with a good sixth sense like ending. And you're right about the mood. Nothing really scary happens, but it has you waiting for it the whole way through.

This is one of those movies that when someone says "I figured it out a few minutes in" you roll your eyes and want to smack them.
 
I downloaded THE KING IN YELLOW, a book ur pal Lovecraft admired.
 
LC, edit your post about the ending so he can enjoy the movie for what it is.

ETA: Too late.
 
I haven't seen it yet but read the reviews, and its given me an idea for a kewl horror story that's the reverse of THE OTHERS and 6th SENSE.
 
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