The Maltese Falcon–Best 100 Mysteries of All Time

The Maltese FalconDashiell Hammett–1930–in print

This book is such a given, I thought I’d already wrote my little piece on it–but no! Anyone who hasn’t heard of the book must be living in a sad place. If you’ve not read it, only heard of it, you are living in a grey place. If you’ve only seen the film, and not read the book, your world is overcast. Only if you’ve read the book can you claim to be of the living, IMHO. Ok, naturally that’s going a bit far. The Maltese Falcon is so pleasurable a read, and yet so influential in style, character, genre, that it’s taken for granted. I’ve reread it a couple of times, something unheard of for me, and each time is as satisfying as the last.

Read more

The Movie Was Better Than The Book

How many times can that be stated, I wonder? Naturally, it is assumed the opposite is true, that the book is sacred, and no cinematic representation can enhance it to the extent that the final result is more satisfying, or artistically superior than the original thoughts laid down on paper by the author. One of … Read more

The Best Books Of All Time

I asked myself, what does that mean? The best books of all time? Best fiction? Best nonfiction? Both? From what time frame–the beginning of time–do cave drawings count? Books–are plays included, how about poems, religious tomes, children’s books, what languages, the questions were endless, with no definitive answer. The lists I saw ranged from strict … Read more