Reading the 20th Century discussion

Every month we discuss a book on a specific era or a theme. This book will be the winner of a group poll.


Our January 2019 theme is early Hollywood

If you feel inspired, please nominate a book set in, or about, early Hollywood that you would like to read and discuss.

It can be either fiction or non-fiction.

Please supply the title, author, a brief synopsis, and anything else you'd like to mention about the book, and why you think it might make a good book to discuss.

If your nomination wins then please be willing to fully participate in the subsequent discussion.

Happy nominating.

Lynaia wrote: "What years do you consider Early Hollywood?"


I'd say about 1910 into the early 1950s - but it's not a strict definition and we can be flexible. That way we could also include McCarthyism for anyone that wants to include that period too.

Roman Clodia is currently away however she has told us that she'd like to nominate....

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy is the first book in his LA Quartet

On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia—and so begins the greatest manhunt in California history. Caught up in the investigation are Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard: Warrants Squad cops, friends, and rivals in love with the same woman. But both are obsessed with the Dahlia—driven by dark needs to know everything about her past, to capture her killer, to possess the woman even in death. Their quest will take them on a hellish journey through the underbelly of postwar Hollywood, to the core of the dead girl's twisted life, past the extremes of their own psyches—into a region of total madness.



NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum



With Lon Cheney and Boris Karloff among its characters, this sweeping and stylish love letter to the golden age of horror cinema tells the wonderful, tragic story of Maddy Ulm. It takes readers through her rise from the complicated shadows of Berlin’s first experiments with expressionist cinema to the glamorous deserts of Hollywood. For Maddy has a secret. A secret that has given her incredible insight into the soul of horror. A secret that has a terrible price as well.

Thanks Jamie


NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood. Still unsolved is the murder of director William Desmond Taylor.

Thanks Jan


NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann



Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann

A bit more info about Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood.....

The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry

By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America’s new favorite pastime, and one of the nation’s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies—including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.

In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him—including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime—a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.

A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers—and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.

They all look good and there are two I really want to read, so I don't think I will nominate this month.

Like you Susan, I already feel spoilt for choice and will probably just mull over what other members nominate this time round.

Who else is considering nominating a book for our January 2019 group read?


Our January 2019 theme is early Hollywood

If you feel inspired, please nominate a book set in, or about, early Hollywood that you would like to read and discuss.

I am considering nominating, but haven't had a chance to decide what to nominate yet - it might take me a day or two. :)

Plenty of time Judy - and indeed anyone else mulling over a potential nomination

Loving the photographs so far too, Nigeyb! Also, the book covers are brilliant.

Thank Susan


I wasn't going to nominate anything but given how much I am enjoying my most recent book by P.G. Wodehouse and, as I knew the great man had written some very well received novels and stories about Hollywood (collected in The Hollywood Omnibus), I thought I'd investigate what was both highly rated and readily available.

After assiduous research, I have concluded that Laughing Gas (1936) ticks all our boxes and a few more besides.

Laughing Gas is set in 1930s Hollywood.

Here's the synopsis....

Joey Cooley is a golden-curled child film star, the idol of American motherhood.

Reginald, Third Earl of Havershot, is a boxing blue on a mission to save his wayward cousin from the fleshpots of Hollywood.

Both are under anaesthetic at the dentists when something strange happens - and their identities are swapped in the ether.

Suddenly Joey can use his six-foot frame to get his own back on his Hollywood persecutors. But Reggie has to endure everything Joey had to put up with in the horrible life of a child star - including kidnap.

Laughing Gas is P.G. Wodehouse's brilliantly funny take on the 'If I were you' theme - a wry look at the dangers of getting what you wish for in the movie business and beyond.

It's available on Kindle, audiobook and paperback. Cheap second hand copies abound.

"It's dangerous to use the word genius to describe a writer, but I'll risk it with him" (John Humphrys)

"For as long as I'm immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one where happy endings are the order of the day" (Marian Keyes)

"P.G. Wodehouse always lifts your spirits, no matter how high they happen to be already" (Lynne Truss)

"The incomparable and timeless genius - perfect for readers of all ages, shapes and sizes!" (Kate Mosse)

"Not only the funniest English novelist who ever wrote but one of our finest stylists" (Susan Hill)




Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse


NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse

Wow, I didn't realise that Wodehouse had written a "body swap" story! Sounds very intriguing.

Yes, I thought so too Judy. I wonder who was the first writer to write about the idea?

I think it was Anstey with Vice Versa, wasn't it? But I will see what I can find out ...

Nigeyb wrote: "Thank Susan


I wasn't going to nominate anything but given how much I am enjoying my most recent book by P.G. Wodehouse and, as I knew the great man had written some very well receiv..."

Not on kindle in the US, but availabe for $12 in paperback, probably less at the used dealers.

Abebooks have used copies for $3.64-$3.99 with free postage

NOMINATIONS SO FAR...


Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse

Nigeyb wrote: "Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse"


Just realised Laughing Gas was published in the same year, 1936, that P.G. Wodehouse won the Mark Twain Medal for "having made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world".

Was an award ever more deserved?

I'll nominate one of the books by Sheridan Morley which has been reprinted on Kindle by Dean Street Press, The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies

The same book has also been published with the title Tales From The Hollywood Raj: The British Film Colony On Screen and Off

As the son of Robert Morley and grandson of Gladys Cooper, as well as being a well-known critic and director in his own right, the author was clearly able to get many people to talk to him!

Here is the Goodreads blurb - I don't know who the quote at the start comes from.

'Hollywood is a chain gang and we lose the will to escape; the links of our chain are forged not of cruelties but of luxuries: we are pelted with orchids and roses; we are overpaid and underworked.'

First there was Charles Chaplin. Then came Stan Laurel, and subsequently a host of well-loved British actors and characters whose lives, loves, lavish parties and bitter rivalries constitute the sceptred isle's last empire builders.

This unique and comprehensive history of the dream factory starts at the very beginning of cinema history with Eadweard Muybridge, the inventor of moving pictures, and the founder of RADA Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who starred in a version of Macbeth filmed in a studio before the area was even called Hollywood.

The book looks at the golden age of the 1930s, when expat life under the Californian sun revolved around cricket clubs and food parcels sent by family members left behind, before absorbing the impact of McCarthyism. Morley discusses the paradox of establishing oneself as a Beverly Hills player without losing one's roots, the numerous successes, disasters, murders, suicides, Oscars and scandals that epitomise the British experience in the place where dreams are made.

'Darling, ' Robert Coote once called across to Gladys Cooper in tones of some disapproval during a weekly gathering: 'there seems to be an American on your lawn.'

For someone who is not that fond of film, I find myself spoilt for choice. I've never clicked with Wodehouse (sorry, Nigeyb!), but some excellent nominations this month.

Yes, you've mentioned that before Susan. I seem to recall it's not just Wodehouse, but many other humorous writers too, who fail to cause mirth to break out when you read their work.

Have I remembered correctly?


Thanks for your nomination Judy - another enticing choice for us to consider. It's going to be a tricky decision once again.


NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse
Judy: The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies by Sheridan Morley (aka Tales From The Hollywood Raj: The British Film Colony On Screen and Off)

Perhaps I am just hard to please (or possibly, amuse). I realise this is fully my failing.

Perhaps so Susan. Although I feel sure that, in person, you laugh, chuckle and guffaw readily enough.

Nigeyb wrote: "Abebooks have used copies for $3.64-$3.99 with free postage"

Just bought a copy. Regardless of whether it wins the poll or not, I want to read it. Cannot wait to see how Wodehouse handles this scenario.

Bravo Lynaia - that's the spirit


NOMINATIONS SO FAR...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse
Judy: The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies by Sheridan Morley (aka Tales From The Hollywood Raj: The British Film Colony On Screen and Off)

I picked up The Hollywood Raj for $3.99 on kindle.

That’s been on my wishlist for quite a while as well. I’m going to have a really difficult time choosing a book to vote for this time. They all look so good!

The Black Dahlia is currently 99p on kindle in the UK, if anyone wants to read that.

Oooh. At that price it's worth snapping up in case it wins. I've read it before but would probably reread it if it wins. James Ellroy is one of my favourite writers.

So is anyone else thinking of nominating? If not, I'll get the poll up.

I often read books that don't win the vote. I also love Ellroy.

Great photos in this thread, Nigeyb. Who is the last one of though? I'm sure I should know. It's not Rita Hayworth in a blonde wig, is it?!

Judy wrote: "Great photos in this thread, Nigeyb. Who is the last one of though? I'm sure I should know. It's not Rita Hayworth in a blonde wig, is it?!"

That's the legendary Mae West

Nigeyb wrote: "Judy wrote: "Great photos in this thread, Nigeyb. Who is the last one of though? I'm sure I should know. It's not Rita Hayworth in a blonde wig, is it?!"

That's the legendary Mae West"

Oh, of course. And I've seen a couple of her films not that long ago, too!!

Last call for nominations


NOMINATIONS...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse
Judy: The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies by Sheridan Morley (aka Tales From The Hollywood Raj: The British Film Colony On Screen and Off)

The poll is up - vote now....


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


NOMINATIONS...

Roman Clodia: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Jamie: Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum
Jan: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
Nigeyb: Laughing Gas (1936) by P.G. Wodehouse
Judy: The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies by Sheridan Morley (aka Tales From The Hollywood Raj: The British Film Colony On Screen and Off)

Many thanks Susan and Nigeyb for putting forward my nomination while I was away - great selection, as always!

Absolute pleasure Roman Clodia - welcome back

It looks as though Laughing Gas is likely to win the vote....


Laughing Gas 7 votes, 41.2%
The Black Dahlia (L.A. Quartet, #1) 4 votes, 23.5%
The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies 4 votes, 23.5%
Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel 1 vote, 5.9%
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood 1 vote, 5.9%

However, with so many great nominations, and assuming the poll doesn't significantly change in the meantime, we are planning to also try to read the two books in joint second place:

The Black Dahlia
The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies

One will be the Moderator's choice for January 2019 and the other will be a buddy read in January 2019.

We hope that between these three popular choices we'll get a really good feel for early Hollywood and have plenty to discuss.

Some wonderful nominations and some really different kinds of book.

I had a really difficult time choosing this time especially between the 3 listed. Ultimately chose Wodehouse because I’ve agreed to help out my husband this tax season and figured I would like the comic relief.

Maybe this one is different but I usually find reading Wodehouse like crawling over gravel.

Hurrah for Hollywood February! It's Oscars month, isn't it?

Oscars are in Feb, 2019, yes, RC. I am looking forward to our Hollywood themed month. However, we will be reading this/these in Jan, so we will be a little ahead :)

Susan wrote: "I am looking forward to our Hollywood themed month"


Me too

Lynaia wrote: "Ultimately chose Wodehouse because I’ve agreed to help out my husband this tax season and figured I would like the comic relief."

That makes perfect sense Lynaia

Oops, January - even better!

If we'd thought of the Oscars, we should have used this theme for Feb, but we're not that organised :)

We have our winner. Thanks to everyone who nominated, discussed and voted in our Early Hollywood poll. We will be reading the books in January 2019.

Laughing Gas won the vote....

Laughing Gas 7 votes, 41.2%
The Black Dahlia (L.A. Quartet, #1) 4 votes, 23.5%
The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies 4 votes, 23.5%
Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel 1 vote, 5.9%
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood 1 vote, 5.9%

As already mentioned we will also to read the two books in joint second place:

The Black Dahlia
The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies

The Hollywood Raj: How Brits Reigned in the Golden Age of the Movies will be the Moderator's choice for January 2019

The Black Dahlia will be a buddy read in January 2019.

Between these three popular choices we should get a really good feel for early Hollywood and have plenty to discuss.

See you in January 2019

Hooray for Hollywood