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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Teaser Tuesday: The Big Sleep

Happy Tuesday! I actually almost forgot it was Teaser Tuesday today, and thus am posting relatively late for my usual schedule. Today's book is a classic, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. I must confess, I know next to nothing about Chandler, other than that he's a big name in the foundations of the mystery genre and that his famous character is one Philip Marlowe. But the little bit of The Big Sleep I've read so far is very entertaining, and the quality of writing is great. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it. I have here an omnibus edition, because my library doesn't have a copy of The Big Sleep as a standalone. I'm actually finding this to be a significant problem with our classics - or the classics I want to read, anyway. Austen omnibuses, Shakespearean omnibuses, Theodore Sturgeon omnibuses, but few standalone novels.

From Four Complete Philip Marlowe Novels by Raymond Chandler, p51:

It was a good guess, but I wasn't going to let him know it. I lit a cigarette and blew the match out and flicked it at the glass eye of the totem pole.

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by Should Be Reading. It works as follows:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • Be careful not to include spoilers!
  • Include the title and author.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Chandler for his grit. Finding standalone nevels in libraries is hard, but if you want to buy them you'll usually have pretty good luck (especially at secondhand book shops).

My TT is less provocative, more introspective.

gautami tripathy said...

Long time I read a Chandler..

Teaser/Whereabouts Tuesdays: Tintin and Cigars of the Pharaoh by Hergé

Jennifer said...

Oh great tease! Mine is here: http://rundpinne.blogspot.com/2009/09/to-be-king-teaser-tuesdays.html

Book Bird Dog said...

Would like to re-read The Big Sleep one day. Here's my tease:
Tease

Cecelia said...

Love that teaser! It's just...great! Ha. I know that doesn't mean anything, really, but I got a picture in my mind immediately of an interrogation or interview, and how it isn't going well for someone, and there's the haze of smoke hanging over the scene...

Yeah, good choice!

And thanks for coming by my blog earlier!

Susan said...

Wow! That's quite a teaser :) I've not read any Chandler, but it is ceertainly on my list!

Unknown said...

Thank you everyone for stopping by!

dystake - my big problem is that i'm terribly short of shelf space, so i try not to buy too many books especially by authors i'm not yet familiar with; therefore, despite my annoyance, i tend to put up with the omnibus.

incidentally, is there a plural other than omnibuses? omnibi?

celi.a - you're welcome, of course! i also see a haze of smoke, and a very tense battle of wills happening (I haven't hit this part of the book yet, but I'm looking forward to it)

Lisa said...

Chandler is terrific! You are really going to enjoy these.

My teaser is here.

christine (booktumbling) said...

You just reminded me to add Raymond Chandler to my list of authors I have always wanted to read but keep forgetting about when I go to the bookstore!

Suko said...

This sounds like a graphic novel that I'd enjoy a lot.

I've had the same experience that you report--starting a book but then letting other books get in the way, and not finishing the initial book for a while. I don't know why this happens from time to time.