Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
It’s been a while since my last book club post and in the interim, I hope that you enjoyed the Bonus Post on The Million Dollar Car Detective. It was fun to write.
One of the reasons it’s been a while since my last book club post is as I’m recovering from surgery I haven’t had time for more reading, While some people get to rest and read books in bed or on the sofa during recuperation, that has not been the case for me. Consequently, I am just now and slowly getting around to my TBR list. For today’s post, here are some random thoughts about some of the books I’m in the process of reading, books I’ve read and one that I gave up one, so let’s start with that one…
It’s Not Gorky Park
I typically love the Arkady Renko series of books written by Martin Cruz Smith, starting with his landmark novel Gorky Park. This book was made into a terrific 1983 film starring the late William Hurt and directed by Michel Apted.
Stephen King says he gives a book 50 pages before giving up on it; John Grisham is more charitable and gives it 100 pages. I didn’t make it to 50 pages before giving up on Hotel Ukraine: The Final Arkady Renko Novel. It’s the last novel in the series because of the author’s health problems. I have been on many journeys with Arkady Renko and am sad the series has come to an end and I wish Mr. Smith only the best as he battles Parkinson’s disease.
My problem with the book is a “Joe Problem,” which may not be a problem for you. My favorite mystery novels are those that have an external focus on the crime and the protagonist’s solution of the mystery. But after a time, some book series—and TV series too it seems—move the story’s focus internally onto the protagonist’s life and not as much on the mystery. That’s when I lose interest and that’s what increasingly has been happening with recent novels by Smith. So I gave up.
As a side note, I find in interesting that Smith had given his protagonist Renko Parkinson’s Disease and it may, just maybe, added some depth to the novels or maybe not. Similarly, the late Phillip Kerr gave his book’s protagonist Bernie Gunther cancer, which ultimately and sadly took the author’s life.
A Matter of Perspective
Two books I did manage to finish were by Rex Stout and are part of The Rex Stout Library series of paperbacks that feature introductions written by various mystery writers who talk about their affection for Nero Wolfe or offer their takes on the novel or novellas in the case of the two books I read.
Stout would often write collections of novellas that would feature the use of a number in their titles indicating how many stories were in the book. In this case, the two books were Three for the Chair and Three Witnesses, both of which contained three short stories or novellas.
In Three Witnesses the third story is called “Dead as a Dog” and the person writing the Introduction said she approached the story with trepidation because she thought it would involve the death of a dog—it doesn’t. Instead the dog is a wonderfully cheerful pup who plays a pivotal role in the story. But that didn’t stop this writer from spending the entire Intro discussing the dog. What she missed was the Big Picture that is present in in these stories. In each of the them, including the one with the pooch, Stout puts Wolfe in completely different situations than what you typically find in a typical Nero Wolfe mystery making these some of the most captivating and entertaining stories he wrote about his protagonist. So if you’re a dog lover, don’t be afraid to pick up this collection. It’s fantastic.
A Work in Progress
I seldom read one book before starting to read another but in the case of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers that’s what I have been doing. My interest in the book was sparked by the release of a four-disk set of The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers (1973) by the Criterion Collection. So far, I’ve watched The Three Musketeers 4K and plan to watch The Four Musketeers 4K sometime soon. Look for a video review of the two films and the “Musketeers” genre on my YouTube channel real soon now.
So far I’ve read half of the book, almost to where the 1973 The Three Musketeers film ends. There are more than 50 film versions of the book, including a 1921 silent version starring Douglas Fairbanks. The 592-page book is not a difficult read but it has been a slow one for me mainly because of how the writing style of a book written in 1844 differs from a modern one. For comparison, the original Sherlock Holmes books were written by Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1926 and I never had a problem with them. I intend to finish The Three Musketeers, “in the fullness of time.” If you like historical novels, especially swashbucklers, you should pick up a copy. The paperback version (linked) costs less than four bucks!
Postscript. I just started reading