Monday, December 21, 2020

Well, I Did It! I Reached My 2020 Goal Of Having Read 100 Books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                       It happened last night, at 9PM, when I finished "Psycho," by Robert Bloch.  An oldie, but a goodie!  To be sure, I will continue reading, to see what I total out at, once the year ends.  My record,  so far,  is 115, but I do not think  I will make  it  this year.


                                         Regarding "Psycho," it was such fun to re-visit the Bates Motel!  If you only know the  Hitchock film,  there are a few  minor surprises, the only revealed  here not being spoilers.


                                           For  starters,  the Janet Leigh character is named "Mary Crane," not "Marion," as she was in the movie.   Much of Jospeh Stefano's witty repartee  dialogue  is missing.  And Norman Bates  is  conceived  as someone  whom  Victor Buono--or that type--  should have played.  Except, the former  works great on the printed page,  but on screen Anthony Perkins was much more  creepy.   Ironically, Vince Vaughn was Norman as Bloch conceived him,  in  Gus Van Sant's 1998 redo, but the less said about THAT the better.  Mother Bates should have gone after him  and  the negatives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                             Oh, the movie is set in Phoenix and thereabouts, whereas the novel  is within  Texas.  And there are no  Christmas street overlights, as Marion drives away, like  there are in the novel.


                                               Otherwise, "Psycho" pretty much plays out as what is seen on screen.


                                                But savoring it slowly, in  print, can be as delicious fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                               By the way, that was 100 books over 354 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations!
    You did it again!!🥳

    ReplyDelete

  2. Victoria,

    Thanks so much. As I
    began the year with the
    1750 pageer, "Anniversaries," I
    was not sure I would make it!

    ReplyDelete