Book roundup

 
I feel I'm forgetting some books I've finished, but here's what I got in memory.

Shadows of Carcosa

A very solid anthology of very weird tales from Poe and Bierce through to Machen, Blackwood and Lovecraft. I confess I could not make my way through the ponderous prose of Henry James "The Jolly Corner".

Hollywood, by Gore Vidal

Despite the name, the book centers quite a bit more on Washington DC in the halls of power from the mid 19-teens to 20s. A large cast of memorable characters, both historic and fictional, going about their political infighting and founding a movie industry. I didn't realize it is part of a larger 'Narratives of Empire' series by Vidal, but it stands alone well, if not having a very conclusive conclusion. Vidal's depiction of Hearst (and some of the book's themes) ring familiar these days. Fortunately, Hearst doesn't appear all that much. All in all, enjoyable.

The Chief's mind was a wondrous kaleidoscope, unshielded by any sort of consciousness. Like a child, whatever suddenly bubbled up in his brain, he said. There was no screening process...

Like so many inventors of the news, Hearst himself was capable of believing anything.



Pines, by Blake Crouch

FBI agent wakes up in a strange town. Shenanigans are afoot. Crouch pulls the rug out from under the reader about eight times, and it starts to wear on you, but it's action-y enough that it moves along quickly.