The Hollywood Book of Death by Robert Parrish is pretty good too. Lots to read in that one!
The Hollywood Book of Death by Robert Parrish is pretty good too. Lots to read in that one!
That was a good one!
Another nice one is "Cut! Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies"
under the banner of heaven a story of violent faith~ the warren jeffs trial really got me into reading about the flds~ some strange ways these people live, marrying cousins, polygamy & such~ this book is about 2 brothers who murdered their 3rd brothers wife & baby, because she was outspoken~
i am going to say "undying love" about a man who fell inl ove with young woamn hwo had tuberculosis and he tried to save her. back in those days people died from tb. her whole family died from it later on. but anyhow when she died he kidnapped her body and kept it and tried to make her live. when he was found with the body it was taken away and put on display. she was finally buried with him not knowing where she was put. but years later in the 70's it came out he was having sex with her dead body. they knew when they found her body he had been sexually active with her because he inserted a tube and semen was found but the family was never told of this. like i said the whole family died from tb. so i assume they were all gone by the 1970's. the book is crazy. the man claimed to have a real doctor but he was not and had a wife and kids whom he left.
Helter Skelter is probably my fave. And I also liked Catherine Crier's book about Scott Peterson. It was a really detailed account of the case.
I just started reading " The Family" by Ed Sanders this morning. So far so good! Of course I love all Manson related stuff.
The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers.
Marc...about Marc Bolan of TRex...great book...some Death Hag relevance...lots about his strange death.
Righteous Carnage about John List
Under The BAnner Of Heaven is excellent.
I just finished The Sins Of The Fathers by Gay Talese. Older book, a bit dated, but still a good Mob story.
I'm currently reading Helen Of Troy by Margaret George, a ficitonal account of the Trojan War and it's kind of a snoozefest since I'm not really into Greek mythology.
I just finished - Tearing down the wall of sound - The rise and fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown. Very interesting stuff - he so killed her!
Just started The Hollywood Book of Death by Robert Parrish
Dead Famous - Deaths of the famous and famous deaths......
As much as I love reading the book (I have a first edition hardback coming to me soon, to replace the one that my psychobitch former friend "kept" this summer)? Sometimes it's really hard to read. It's a very, well, psychedelic writing style.
I used to have the anniversary, updated edition. I'll have to reorder that one, too.....it met with a fate worse than death when it accidentally got dropped in the toilet. No, the toilet was NOT empty, either.....we won't get into that.
Oo, my reading list is growing. Thank you for this thread, some great titles I haven't known about or are reminded of.
Not directly death-related, but I belong to a the local library's Mystery Book Club, so I'm reading Dorothy L. Sayers' classic _Strong Poison_. I'm also a culinary student, as well as a Victoriana buff, so I'm also reading _Death Warmed Over: Funeral Food, Rituals and Customs from Around the World_ by Lisa Rogak and a little pamphlet-like book: _The Victorian Undertaker_ by Trevor May, both bought from the Museum of Funeral Customs.
http://www.funeralmuseum.org/index-2.html
Cheers,
Amy
OMG!! I read all the time...I go to amazon.com and get the older books on celebs and true crime. It's cheap and I usually will put in the name of the celeb I'm interested in and then you can usually read a bit about the book.I have found many books I never knew existed this way. I know you were looking for titles, but I've found some great books this way. Happy Hunting!
I just started reading Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule, about Debora Green, who killed her kids by setting fire to her own house. So far, so good.
Patricia Cornwell used to be my favorite and I believe since she had such easy access to the FBI, most of her books were based on facts. However, since she and the female FBI agent embarrassed the FBI, Quantico has withdrawn all of Cornwell's privileges and her books, IMO, are now not worth buying.
Ann Rule is the Queen!!!! John Grisham appears to be "phoning" it in now. His books are a disappointment. Edna Buchannan wrote stories based on her experience as a police reporter while working for a Miami newspaper. Stephanie Plum is pure fun and I always enjoy the problem situations that she and Lula experience.
I love to read also, true crime, forensics, body farm, who dunnits, genealogy, gardening, cooking mags, oh, and the Highlander series. Anything I can get my hands on!
Of course Helter Skelter is a classic...I also like Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders by greg king, it's hard to find now. It's listed on amazon for $150! Also the Giant Book of True Crime and 2 by Dr. Bill Bass, Death's Acre and Beyond the Body Farm, they tell stories of how Dr. Bass used his research on corpses to solve crimes and help prosecutors as an expert witness...very interesting real forensic stuff.
note to self... read the whole thread before posting... lol
We get a scootch of the Old Hollywood lore here on FAD, and I'm loving all the sordid goings-on I'm getting a glimpse of - anyone have some they've loved? Biographies, whatnot - any and all. I thank you eternally for
suggestions!!!!!![/quote]
Did you read "The dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon" It was good.
Or..."Redemtion Song: The ballad of Joe Strummer"
Or...There are a couple new ones I have been waiting for...
A new book by Patti Boyd, wife and lover to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton. She is also the muse behind "Layla" and "Something" and "Wonderful Tonight" Also, Clapton has a new book out. Dueling stories?
lol. I also saw a BTK book at the library, but I ran like hell, can't deal with
anything to do with him, after seeing him in court, speaking in a monotone about how he killed those people Oh, Nikki Sixx has a new one coming too, "The Heroin Diaries" .
Hope this helps
You can also get some tips from the thread
http://www.findadeath.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156 which people are discussing their fav true crime book?
PS - your avatar is hilarious!
1. Hollywood Book of Death
2. Too Young to Die
3. Fade to Black
4. Hollywood Babylon I & II
5. Rock & Roll Babylon
6. Palm Beach Babylon
7. The Portable Obituary
8. The Tombstone Tourist - Musicians
9. The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries
10. A Grim Reaper's Book of Days
Those are just a few off the top of my head. I have a HUGE collection of death hag books - but they are all packed away in storage right now since I'm "in between" homes for the time being.
I am not a big book person but I have read one in the last 4 years and that was Mommie Dearest.
blonde ambition - rita cosby. howard k. stern is a disgusting man and im not talking about the relationship with larry b.
I just read Cemetery Stories by Katharine Ragsland.
It's really interesting.
Aside from the aforementioned Death Hag related books...read anything good lately?
May I suggest:
The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: How My Mother Raised Ten Kids on 25 Words or Less. By Terry "Tuff" Ryan.
This is the book that was made into the movie with Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson.
By the way, Terry Ryan died May 19th of brain cancer. RIP Terry.
Last edited by joplinfrk; 10-21-2007 at 07:59 PM.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
I love the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books (the first one is called The Eyre Affair. I met Jasper Fforde in July and also won a contest for writing something called a "scribbler" (they gave us a starting line and finishing line and we had to fill in the in between bit in about 200 words, I believe) anyway, I was one of the top winners for that and won an autographed set of all of his Thursday Next books, so that was kind of cool. But yeah, anyway, love these, strongly suggest checking them out if you're already a book nerd...
Thanks for the tip, Katie!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
Maybe we can start a book/dvd "round robin" kind of thing..I have a bunch of Hollywood-esq books that I'm done with and are just sitting around collecting dust. Comments?
Last edited by joplinfrk; 10-24-2007 at 05:21 PM.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
I just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter fiction... about a doctor who delivers his twins in the 1960's and when he sees that one has downs syndrome, he sends her away to a sanitarium and tells his wife the baby was born dead...
A very good read... couldn't put it down!
Sus
The last one I read was Elmira: Death Camp of the North. It's all about the Civil War prison camp here in Elmira... it was also considered the Andersonville of the North. So many unnecessary deaths caused by retaliation and a stagnant pond on the camp grounds!
If you are at all into Civil War history, I recommend it! The site is now a neighborhood (not the nicest) and the only reminders are a small monument and three flag poles.
The Federalist Papers. I know, I'm a dork.
I loved the Jasper FForde books, I really liked the Nursery Crime Division ones (Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear). Also strongly recommend the John Sandford Prey series (I think there is like 15 - 20). OOOOOOh, also, really liked the Repairman Jack series (I think 12 of them) by F. Paul Wilson.
The survival of everyone on board depends on just one thing: finding someone on board who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner.
I'm also a big library fan - I hardly ever buy books unless I know I'll want to keep them forever! That's after moving so much that I've given away so many books over the years...however, I would still pass on some other books to you all if it weren't so expensive to ship books overseas! (That and the DVDs I could send probably wouldn't play on your players...) but I do think the book/DVD round robin idea is quite good otherwise! :P
currently reading "The Secret"... I'm not a big reader so I've been reading this book for almost a year now. I pick it up when I am proctoring 4 hour tests (which I do for side cash, boring but every little bit helps).
Reading:
"Alice Cooper, Golf monster" and "I'm Chevy Chase and your not"
I kind of read a little of both!!
I love biographys on people...yes even living ones!! LOL
Last edited by Danny62; 10-24-2007 at 03:44 PM.