Book Shopping

It was a good afternoon for a lunchtime walk today, so I headed over to Barnes and Noble in Bethesda when this caught my eye:

This is a collection of stories around various parts of Washington DC. George Pelecanos edited this book (and writes the lead story).This is not a political thriller.

I'm become a big fan of George Pelecanos work, thanks to my friend Dave, who mentioned him during a Recent Books Read discussion that is now almost three years old at Big Soccer


Previews of D.C. Noir from The Washington Post
Book World 1/29/06

Book World 1/15/06

More about George Pelecanos

An excerpt of the Introduction:

So don't expect all the locals to get misty-eyed over monuments, inauguration balls, or care about society sightings inside Style. What might get them emotional is the sight of someone who shares their memories. The ones who remember Riggo breaking that tackle in '83, Len Bias's jersey number, Phil Chenier's baseline jumper, Frank Howard's swing or Doug Williams throwing the ball downfield like God was talking in his ear. The ones who saw Aretha as a child performing with her father onstage at Howard, or Sinatra at the Watergate barge, or Trouble Funk at the old 9:30, or Hendrix at the Ambassador, or Bruce at the Childe Harold. The ones who play Frankie Beverly or EWF at Sunday picnics in Rock Creek Park. The ones who have Backyard Band, Minor Threat, Chuck Brown, William DeVaughn, Shirley Horn and Bad Brains in their record collections. The ones who knew that Elgin Baylor came out of Spingarn, ot that Adrian Dantley and Brian Westbrook were DeMatha Stags. The ones who hear the voice of Bobby "The Mighty Burner" Bennett on the radio and can't help but grin. The ones who bleed Burgundy and Gold. The ones who will claim that they know your distant cousin, or tell you they like the looks of your car, or if it needs to be replaced, mention that it's a hooptie. Or the woman at the Safeway who hands you your receipt and tells you to "have a blessed day." Or the matriarch on your street with the prunish, beautiful face who raised six sons and now lords over a house holding many of their children. It's about the collective memories of the locals, and also about the voices. If you close your eyes and listen to the people of this city, you will hear the many different voices, and if you've lived here long enough, the cadences and rhythms, the familiarity of it, the feeling that you are home, will make you smile.