Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee - source
Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis - source
Lady That's My Skull by Carl Shannon - source
Just Another Sucker by James Hadley Chase - source
Something Nasty in the Woodshed by Anthony Gilbert - source
The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee - source
Dumb As They Come by Mark Corrigan - source
Lady, the Guy is Dead by Edward Ronns - source
This is by way of being an interim post since again I'm not feeling well and I'm taking a few days off. Will return just as soon as I'm back to what passes for normal around these parts. See you.
Thank you Yvette, and take care of yourself. Now you can really kick back and read and watch TV and Netflix.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't attracted to books with these covers when I was younger. I never liked to see women as victims on book covers, nor scary scenes.
But for those who are intrigued, go right ahead. There is a "campy" quality about these books.
I was going more for the hilarious titles, Kathy. But if you don't like the artwork, that's okay. Nobody can like everything. :) Spent the day resting and doodling about.
DeleteYvette, I've read Sally's in the Alley. It is definitely a good one--you should try to get your hands on it.
ReplyDeleteOh then I definitely will, Bev. Thanks.
DeleteSeconding what Bev said, Yvette. It features Doan and Carstairs - Doan, a private eye, and Carstairs, an enormous Great Dane dog. Both Carstairs and Doan know that the dog is really the better detective...
DeleteGet well soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks. All of a sudden I'm feeling much livelier tonight. Go figure. Let's see what tomorrow brings. I wish I could get this thing nailed down.
DeleteYvette,
ReplyDeleteI suspect the title, "Something Nasty in the Woodshed," is stolen from Stella Gibbons' great comic novel, _Cold Comfort Farm_.
Below is a quotation from the wiki article on the book:
"Following the death of her parents, the book's heroine, Flora Poste, finds she is possessed "of every art and grace save that of earning her own living." She decides to take advantage of the fact that "no limits are set, either by society or one's own conscience, to the amount one may impose on one's relatives", and settles on visiting her distant relatives at the isolated Cold Comfort Farm in the fictional village of Howling in Sussex. The inhabitants of the farm—Aunt Ada Doom, the Starkadders, and their extended family and workers—feel obliged to take her in to atone for an unspecified wrong once done to her father. As is typical in a certain genre of romantic 19th-century and early 20th-century literature, each of the farm's inhabitants has some long-festering emotional problem caused by ignorance, hatred, or fear, and the farm is badly run. Flora, being a level-headed, urban woman, determines that she must apply modern common sense to their problems and help them adapt to the 20th century."
BBC's Masterpiece Theatre did an excellent adaptation of it also.
I am very familiar with COLD COMFORT FARM, Fred. It's one of my favorite books and also one of my favorite movies. SO funny. So weird. Just the kind of thing I love. So when I saw the title of this mystery, I had to laugh.
DeleteFirst of all, I hope you're feeling better very, very soon.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I could have sworn I'd read or had one of the Gypsy Rose Lee mysteries, but I don't have a 3 x 5 card in my file for either of them and they're not on my bookshelves.
Third, I did my first blog post on Planet Joan. (http://planetjoan.blogspot.com) It's just a 'hello, this is me' post. I hope to get on to more interesting subjects one of these days.
Again, I hope you're well soon and I hope you're well enough to enjoy reading.
Thanks, Joan. I expect tomorrow will tell the tale. :)
DeleteMaybe you've seen the film based on the Gypsy Rose Lee book, LADY OF BURLESQUE based on The G-String Murders. That stars Barbara Stanwyck in a very a-typical role.
I'll check out your blog post on the morrow, Joan. I am just so gosh-darned fatigued all the time, it's hard to know what I'll be feeling like at any given moment. GAK!
Lady, That's My Skull is unintentionally ludicrous. A real "alternative mystery."
ReplyDeleteI think you would like the Norbert Davis books (Sally's in the Alley is the 2nd book in the short series), Yvette. A good lead detective in Doan who is accompanied by his Great Dane named Carstairs.
I've always wanted to read that Anthony GIlbert book only because of the title taken from Ada Doom's oft repeated line in Cold Comfort Farm.
Well okay then, since Bev okayed this and so do you, I'll definitely look for a copy when I get a chance. SALLY'S IN THE ALLEY, that is. If I find the Anthony Gilbert, I'll read that too. :)
DeleteSorry to hear that you are under the weather. My blogging abilities have slowed down lately due to a mix of too much to do and stress.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good collection of weird titles and covers. I would definitely go for the one with a skull, since I collect covers with a skull (or skeleton) on them.
Thanks Tracy, I feel like I'm slowing to a stop these days. If you like skull stuff, then get your hands on Aaron Elkins' books about 'the skeleton doctor' Gideon Oliver. You'll love then. There's usually a fine skeleton on the covers. :)
DeleteI do have a lot of Elkins Gideon Oliver books, just for the skulls and skeleton covers. I have read two of the books and plan to continue on the series. My son read 6 or 7 of them and liked them a lot.
DeleteGet better soon Yvette!
ReplyDeleteG-STRING is good fun and I just have to read that one with the skull!
All the best chum
Thanks, Sergio. Let's see what happens tomorrow and the next couple of days. Doing my best. These titles all made me laugh - which is just what I needed.
DeleteYvette, I hope you feel better soon. "A few days off" sounds like a wonderful tonic. I must try it some time. Thanks for sharing these book covers with their unusual titles. The Chase is the only one I'm familiar with.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Prashant. Doing my best. :)
DeleteYvette, are you OK? I'm starting to worrry.
ReplyDeletePS: "Lady, the Guy is Dead" gets my vote for best title.
Thanks for your concern, but not to worry. I'm still not a hundred percent but maybe that's the way it's always going to be at my age. :)
DeleteDear Yvette,
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better.
Growing old, and they call it the "Golden years."
Every day is a blessing, looking at the glass half full.
yvonne
You are so right, Yvonne. Every day is a blessing at my age. Now if only I can learn to remember this on a day to day basis. :)
DeleteYvette, all of us here here at Team Bartilucci HQ are sorry to hear you're unwell, and we hope you'll feel 100% perky and well ASAP! Nevertheless, I'm loving these delightfully macabre book titles! I've actually read THE G-STRING MURDERS a while back, and the titles cracked me up, especially LADY, THAT'S MY SKULL! :-) Get well ASAP, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dorian. I'm better now and feeling, if not decidedly perky, at least human. Ha.
DeleteI reviewed "Mother Finds a Body" a while back, Yvette - it's funny and quite well done. Gypsy Rose Lee was a pretty amazing character.
ReplyDeleteDidn't she use a ghost writer for this series Les? I thought I read that someplace. But I'm going to try and get my hands on some copies. They do sound like fun.
DeleteNo. There were reports that Craig Rice had actually written the books - denied by both Rice and Lee, and I believe there's later research proving that, in fact, Lee did write them.
DeleteOh, I stand corrected then. Thanks, Les.
DeleteHi. My name is Gloria. Thank you for this wonderful blog which is as full of eye-candy as it is of great book and movie leads. I read both the Gypsy Rose Lee books years ago, enjoyed them thoroughly and would be happy to read them again. The recent biography AMERICAN ROSE: A NATION LAID BARE by Karen Abbott (2012) tells an almost unbelievable story of family dysfunction and survival. It's compulsively readable, thoroughly researched and addresses the ghost-writing rumors. More sedate in style is the delightful FEBRUARY HOUSE: THE STORY OF W. H. AUDEN, CARSON MCCULLERS, JANE AND PAUL BOWLES, BENJAMIN BRITTEN, AND GYPSY ROSE LEE, UNDER ONE ROOF IN BROOKLYN by Sherill Tippins (2004) Both these books present Lee as a woman of formidable talent and drive in every area of her life.
ReplyDeleteHi Gloria, thanks for dropping by. :) And thanks for the book titles. I will definitely be checking into that second title. The first one, I'm not sure about. Have to think.
DeleteI'm a little late getting here, Yvette so by now you are hopefully feeling good now! I loved looking at these great covers!
ReplyDeleteFeeling much better, Peggy Ann. Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the post. :)
Delete