Only one book a month as the reading slump continued. This is the least I’ve read in a long time. I think I finally broke through as I started reading some Sherlock Holmes stories. On to the two books.
Psycho by Robert Bloch (The Overlook Press, 2010. First published in 1959)
I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and a few of his other films years and years ago. A few months ago I started watching his films from the beginning. I’m taking a break from them now but wanted to read Bloch’s original book before re-watching Psycho. The book really gets into the head of Norman Bates. Parts of it are a little dated but it was a suspenseful read, even with knowing the major plot points from watching Hitchcock’s film adaptation.
The Carter of La Providence by Georges Simenon (Penguin Classics, 2014. First published in 1931)
This is the second book in the long running Inspector Maigret series. In this one Maigret investigates after a body is found by a canal in the French countryside. The story is okay but where it really shines is with the atmosphere as Maigret traipses through the gloomy countryside in the pouring rain. As it’s an early book in the series, Simenon is still getting a handle on the character. Will be reading more.
September Reading Plans
Besides continuing with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, I’m planning on reading some Conan pastiche for a reading event called Cimmerian September. I have plenty of books on the shelf to choose from and I’ll post some pics. We’ll see what happens though as I never do well with reading events.
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