May 2021 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Happy May, everyone! NOW it seems that we've finally escaped winter. Of course, we're still going to get rain, but I'd prefer that right now.

I've been reading science fiction lately, having acquired a deep taste for it, but I've already recommended the specific books I'm working on. However, I have something that I've been sitting on for a while, so I'm not totally unarmed. It's a classic in both print and film that I hope you all enjoy.

Reading: The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1970) by George V. Higgins

A landmark of crime fiction, this novel - the debut by former attorney Higgins - is an unglamorous portrayal of the Boston Irish mob, its central character being an aging small-time gun-runner who faces a prison sentence and subsequently weighs whether to turn snitch on his "friends" - a small group of crooks who have been pulling off a string of robberies at the local banks. The man draw of the novel is its dialogue, presented in a realistic style for which Higgins became well known for; the grittiness and unsentimental nature has been noted to contrast with more glamorous works such as the contemporary bestseller The Godfather. Its a quick yet rewarding read that I recommend to both crime fans and readers who appreciate style and cadence even with little action.

Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Novel/dp/031242969X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1619894994&sr=8-1
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Novel-ebook/dp/B003H4I54E/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1619894994&sr=8-1



Viewing: The Friends of Eddie Coyle (Peter Yates, 1973)

Three years after the release of the book, it was adapted into an acclaimed film by Peter Yates, director of the Steve McQueen classic Bulitt, and starring the venerable "tough guy" leading man Robert Mitchum (The Night of the Hunter, Out of the Past) as the weary Eddie Coyle. Released between the popular Godfather films, the movie is an underrated 70's masterpiece, told with all the grittiness of its source material mixed with a wonderful cast and a brisk pace that forgoes action for character studies. It definitely comes recommended for anyone who loves the changing New Hollywood landscape of the decade.

Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Blu-ray/dp/B00SC8KU4S/ref=tmm_mfc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1619894994&sr=8-3
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Robert-Mitchum/dp/B000IBUP6A/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+friends+of+eddie+coyle&qid=1619894994&sr=8-2

That's it for the May recommendations. I apologize in advance if anyone was hoping for more speculative works. Hopefully I'll have something along those lines next time. Until then, enjoy the spring!