Poll

Ill be reading Black Wings regardless of the group consensus.

William wrote: "Regardless of the vote, I cannot but impress my strongest wish that you all read Black Wings Has My Angel. The single best noir ever."

I think I'll take your advice and get this one read very soon. It's been on my to read list for way too long. Maybe I'll read it first and then try reading Thieves Like Us.

It is nice, though, that Thieves Like Us is just $0.99 on Kindle.

My Review

I believe I included "Black Wings" in at least four monthly polls in the past, and it always came up second or so. Really unlucky. We can read it anyway and open a separate discussion thread.

I’m happy to keep trying for the focus of the whole group

😊

Algernon wrote: "I believe I included "Black Wings" in at least four monthly polls in the past, and it always came up second or so. Really unlucky. We can read it anyway and open a separate discussion thread."

So, there will be three different books discussions for the month of March? We've gone to uncharted territory :) ..The more, the merrier, I say.

I have BLACK WINGS on order. Sufficient testimony has been made here as to the excellence of the book that I intend to read it with or without a sanctioned group.

We could always declare the runner up the official book for April.

How do people feel about Chris's suggestion, above?

Tom wrote: "To keep banging on about Black Wings, Stark House do a rather brilliant double header with Bruce Elliott’s “One is a Lonely Number”, which is also a brilliant read. Worth bearing in mind for anyone..."

Thank you!

If Black Wings Has My Angel doesn't make the cut in this group, it is on the ballot over at the On the Southern Literary Trail group. You're welcome to join the group and cast your ballot.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Watching the results of this month's poll has been even more exciting than watching curling.

Tom wrote: "If Black Wings Has My Angel doesn't make the cut in this group, it is on the ballot over at the On the Southern Literary Trail group. You're welcome to join the group and cast your b..."

How does one join another group?

ALLEN wrote: "Tom wrote: "If Black Wings Has My Angel doesn't make the cut in this group, it is on the ballot over at the On the Southern Literary Trail group. You're welcome to join the group and ..."

Well, Allen, in this case there's a big "join group" button at the top of the page. Click on Tom's second link in post 65.

Thanks, Chris.
I wonder if Bryan knows that The Movie-Goer is in contention in one of those polls?

I am reminded that "The Violent Bear It Away," which seems to have been in contention for several months over at the Southern Literary Trail group, was misprinted in one local church bulletin as "The Violent Bear Is Away."

"The Violent Bear Is Away, but I could take a message."

Melki wrote: "Watching the results of this month's poll has been even more exciting than watching curling."

Hey! Don't go dissing my guilty pleasure.

Christopher wrote: "We could always declare the runner up the official book for April."

I'm good for this option, also

Algernon wrote: "Christopher wrote: "We could always declare the runner up the official book for April."

I'm good for this option, also"

To clarify, if Asphalt Jungle and Thieves Like Us remain tied, we read both this month, then the runner-up (Black Wings Has My Angel) next month? I'm good with that.

Great idea!

Perhaps, since the first two novels total only about 400 pages, and BLACK WINGS HAS MY ANGEL about 220, someone could think of a "basic" noir novella to pair with BLACK WINGS during its month?

I for one cannot tackle two books in what's left of February, but I could read them both during March, with BLACK WINGS (+ pehaps something else) during May.

I think the point is that Thieves Like Us is an 'alternate' for those who can't get the o-o-p Asphalt Jungle.

Personally, I had no problem reading both books this month, but they were both books I already wanted to read (and already had on Kindle).

Same goes for A.J. and TLU.

Melki wrote: "Watching the results of this month's poll has been even more exciting than watching curling."

Come on now, some of us TiVo this stuff. Not saying I do but my friends do........

Tom wrote: "If Black Wings Has My Angel doesn't make the cut in this group, it is on the ballot over at the On the Southern Literary Trail group. You're welcome to join the group and cast your b..."

Wow, talk about 2 for 1. I didn't even know we had this book going for the next poll over there. Very nice. I'm starting to read it anyhow, so this is great.

It look as though Flannery O'Connor's novella "The Violent Bear It Away" has made the poll several months running over at Southern Literary Trail, but without being chosen.

ALLEN wrote: "It look as though Flannery O'Connor's novella "The Violent Bear It Away" has made the poll several months running over at Southern Literary Trail, but without being chosen."

It's in the lead now but there are only three votes separating first place and the cellar.

Holy crap! So much chatter here, and I have received absolutely NO NOTIFICATIONS about it.

So . . . if I'm reading the room correctly, we want to read both Thieves and Jungle in March, and Black Wings and maybe a second book in April.

Looking back over past polls, I see there was a very close race in June of 2016, with The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes losing out by one point.

Do you just want to go with that one as the second read, or should we have a poll to determine the other book?

Melki wrote: "Do you just want to go with that one as the second read, or should we have a poll to determine the other book? "

Let's have a poll.

Randy wrote: "Melki wrote: "Do you just want to go with that one as the second read, or should we have a poll to determine the other book? "

Let's have a poll."

You got some suggestions for books there, buddy?

How about something by Cornell Woolrich?

Yeah. The Olympics will be over, but a down-to-the-wire Pulp Fiction poll will feed our popcorn addiction.

The Colby Ridge bag on the left looks like Trix.

How about something by Cornell Woolrich, Allen repeated.

The Black Angel, if you want to confuse things a little.

There's also (note: No preceding "The," unlike the Bobby Vee song of the early Sixties).

And of course:

(NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES; THE BRIDE WORE BLACK)

Melki wrote: "You got some suggestions for books there, buddy?"

I've ALWAYS got suggestions! How about:

Books by Old Favorites:
- The Getaway or A Hell of a Woman or Savage Night by Jim Thompson
- The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald
- Pick-Up by Charles Willeford
- Out of Sight or Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
- Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

Can’t Believe We Haven’t Read This Author
- A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
- Reflex or Nerve by Dick Francis
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
- A Drink Before the War or Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
- Gone, But Not Forgotten by Phillip Margolin
- I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane
- Savages or The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow

Spy/Action/War
- Fail-Safe by Eugene Burdick
- March Violets by Philip Kerr
- The Company by Robert Littell
- Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
- The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
- Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean
- The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian

Newer Stuff
- A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
- Clockers by Richard Price
- Relic by Douglas Preston
- The General's Daughter or The Charm School by Nelson DeMille

Science Fiction
- The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
- The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz
- Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper
- Wasp by Eric Frank Russell
- Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

I like the Woolrich suggestions above also.

Spillane? I like the way you think. Some folks may object, though.

Randy wrote: "Melki wrote: "You got some suggestions for books there, buddy?"

I've ALWAYS got suggestions! How about:

Books by Old Favorites:
- The Getaway or A Hell of a Woman..."

Challenge ably met, sir! I'm filing your lists away for future use. And, I really like the idea of a vintage sci-fi read.

If anyone else has poll ideas, please send them to me. Note: there doesn't have to be a theme; we can always list them as Member Favorites.


But seriously, do you all really want to keep doing two reads per month?

ALLEN wrote: "Spillane? I like the way you think. Some folks may object, though."

Well, this IS the Pulp Fiction group. And, really, does it get any pulpier than Spillane? Other than Tracer Bullet in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, that is...

Mike Hammer is homophobic, misogynistic, and shockingly violent.
I've made my peace with all that, but sometimes newcomers are offended.

Maybe we should append a "black box" type of warning for a Spillane novel? Because they certainly have their great points, but sensitive audiences and all that.

Melki wrote: "And, I really like the idea of a vintage sci-fi read."

A lot of SF writers got their start in the pulp magazines. Many classic SF novels were serialized in the mags before they were published as paperbacks. Lovecraft is one I forgot to mention above and his work was published almost exclusively in pulps. Same for H. Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard and many others.

Melki wrote: "But seriously, do you all really want to keep doing two reads per month?"

I think that might be hard, but when they're thin it's ok. When we read some 500+ page tome like Leviathan Wakes we should probably stick with just one.

EDIT: you know, there are a lot of free short stories out there. Another group I am involved with (shameless plug => The Evolution of Science Fiction) reads a short story every month in addition to the novel read. The stories are free online so everyone can jump in. That might be something we could do for fun.

ALLEN wrote: "Mike Hammer is homophobic, misogynistic, and shockingly violent.
I've made my peace with all that, but sometimes newcomers are offended.

Maybe we should append a "black box" type of warning for ..."

I hear you. And I agree. But if we were teaching a survey class about Pulp Fiction, Spillane would almost certainly be included because he was such an influence on the detective fiction genre. That's why I would include him at least as a potential selection. Of course, if he never gets picked by the group then so be it.

I think the original source material in many of the pulp books and stories contains material that would be offensive to a modern reader but it also gives us a glimpse into the roots of the books we enjoy today. A reader new to the genre might enjoy Queenpin by Megan Abbott but a deeper understanding is available to those who read the original pulp gangster stories that Abbott tweaked in her novel.

My Spillane "starter" would be I, THE JURY.
What's yours?

ALLEN wrote: "My Spillane "starter" would be I, THE JURY.
What's yours?"

Agree. That's the one I listed above.

What a great list! Thank you!

For my money, the very best Chandler is
The Lady in the Lake (my review)

(note: skip the movie)

Warnings for slaughter/gore are nice.

I always want warnings for child abuse/peril. Please.

• An estimated 20% of girls and 8% of boys experience sexual abuse before they are 18 years old. Far more do experience other horrific abuse.

No wonder we've screwed the planet.

William wrote: "What a great list! Thank you!

For my money, the very best Chandler is
The Lady in the Lake (my review)

(note: skip the movie)"

Oh, man, The Lady in the Lake with Robert Montgomery?

Proof that not every old movie is a classic.

Christopher wrote: "Oh, man, The Lady in the Lake with Robert Montgomery? Proof that not every old movie is a classic.."

There was the first-person view movie that just didn’t work.

If not for the musicians' strike, it would have been a well-regarded movie.

I might be in the minority, but I’m hoping you keep it to one book a month (poll ties not withstanding). Speaking of which, looks like a second month in a row of that...

I think there should be a poll:

In future polls, should the runner up become the month's "alternate selection"? Yes or no.

It would be awesome if that poll tied.