Dorothy B Hughes - The Blackbirder - The Feminist Press/City Univ of New York -- 2004
In the `Femmes Fatales - Women Write Pulp` series
Modern reprint of book first published in 1943.
Some time has passed since I read this, so I can`t really provide a review as such.
This book was first published during World War Two and at that time would have been quite contemporary. The author was not writing for an academic audience, probably not writing for posterity, and disliked the term `woman writer`.
I`m guessing she would not have been chuffed to be published by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York, or to have been included in a series of highlighting women writers of pulp.
However unchuffed she might have been, I for one am glad this title has been reprinted.
It is not what I would call a spy story, but is an absorbing read in the `noir` style.
I recall there were quite a few printing errors and it was not always clear when she was using dated terminology and when the text had simply been wrongly transcribed. One instance that I was recall is when her central character refers to her location as a "definitely 9 o`clock town". Was that a phrase people used in the `40s, or was it included in error ? I am not sure.
I found the story absorbing and Ms Hughes` writing style distinctive. I enjoyed reading it and will almost certainly read it again.
Reggae on the Rocks - Arnot Hill Park (Arnold Park) - Nottingham - 16 June 2019
This is the third time I`ve seen this talented group of local lads live, and hopefully not the last time.
Their set began with The Harder They Come and ended with Too Experienced so as you can tell there was plenty there for the lover of vintage reggae.
At one time it would have seemed odd the idea of a reggae covers band as all the emphasis was on original material, but these days I quite like hearing a few old favourites played live. Perhaps I`m getting old !
The band are proficient and versatile, playing an hour-long set that is designed to appeal to a wider audience but still have something to offer for the seasoned reggae fan.
Some will say that they are something of a reggae variety act - whether that`s a criticism or a recommendation is very much a matter of personal taste.
Inevitably, there were a couple of songs I personally could have done without, a couple which they sometimes play that I would have liked to hear but that they missed out on this occasion.
Overall though it was a good hour of live quality reggae and I was happy with that.
The Trollenberg Terror (US Title The Crawling Eye) 1958
Just seen this on the UK`s Talking Pictures channel.
Independently made in the UK, this was the last film to come out of Southall Studios and was based loosely on a 1956 British TV series of the same name.
I would say that it is well-acted and for the most part relies heavily on suspense rather than special effects. Although it is a science fiction film, it is noticeably influenced by the horror genre in places.
Towards the end it is marred to a degree by low-budget special effects but speaking personally that didn`t really spoil my enjoyment overall.
Would recommend to anyone who`s prepared to enter into the spirit of the thing and not really worry about whether it`s the last word in film making. At the end of the day it was an enjoyable and effective film and that`s all I care about.
