Reading Robert Parker and Book Sharing
May 30, 2025
Episode Notes
Hey, good morning there, sir.
Good morning.
Hey, what are you doing?
Just reading a book.
This is our morning pickup time.
How you doing?
I'm doing pretty good. How about you?
I'm doing just fine. It's a beautiful, beautiful day. Sky is blue. Sun is shining. It's spring. It's not too hot. It's not too cold. It's just right. and you took the words out of my mouth.
What was that you were reading?
Uh, this is a historical non-fiction uh about Irish immigrants to America.
Okay. Are you Irish?
I am not.
So, why are you reading this book?
Uh, because this is my favorite author in the whole world, Robert B. Parker. Okay. And uh he's got a couple what Japanese people call hardboiled mystery, hard-boiled mystery novels, detective novels.
Yes.
Um he's got three main series. And the main main most popular series, the main character's name is Spencer.
Yes.
Um and I really really love his books and I've read all of them multiple times, but this is one of the rare ones. that's uh not in a series and it's just standalone historical non-fiction and it's fascinating.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah.
Can you compare him to any other authors?
Um he is most often compared to uh oh
it's going to draw a blank. The character's name is Philip Marlo. It's the origin of uh what's called noir.
Okay.
Which like like Dick Tracy like uh detective sitting in his office and a woman in distress walks in. Oh, detective I need your help. Um and so that's where he he grew up with that and loved that. And the writer of the Philip Marlo series is um help me out here. Uh
okay,
hang on. I'm Philip and Raymond Chandler.
Raymond Chandler. Thank you. Raymond Chandler was the the creator of the noir style.
Yes.
And uh Robert B. Parker loved Raymond Chandler and wanted to write a similar genre.
Yes.
And actually uh Robert B. Parker finished Raymond Chandler's last book which was unfinished at his when he passed.
Okay. Yeah.
And so he finished that and then um Robert B. Parker passed away about 15 years ago.
Wow.
And so continuing on similar legacy, there's a guy named Robert Cray, oddly having the same first name, Robert.
Okay. Yes.
And the main difference is that Spencer and these books are all in Boston.
Yeah.
And Robert Cra's books are all in Los Angeles.
Quite a bit different.
East coast versus West Coast.
I understand. Yes.
So, the the East Coast guys are all in uh trench coats and and uh
sunglasses.
Sunglasses. Every everyone's got sunglasses. No, East Coast guys, no sunglasses. Boston is rainy and cloudy and But then the the LA guys, they're in like flowery shirts and shorts and cargo shorts and much more casual and sunny California style. with of course glasses,
right?
Glasses.
Yeah.
But uh yeah, they're just um they're light, they're fast, they're fun, and it's got that uh the banter, this quick banter between the characters, which is what uh hard-boiled novels are known for. So, they're they're fun.
Okay. Do you buy your books?
Do I buy my books?
Yeah.
No, I I steal them. What do you mean do I buy them? I mean, maybe there's a a book uh sharing organization over in Kyoto. I don't know. I'm just
uh No, I grew up with with naturally booksharing. So, my parents both read. My grandparents read. So, typically one of them would read a good book and then when they were finished, they'd pass it to another one. So, my my grandfather would read a book, he'd enjoy it, he'd pass it to my mother.
My mother would read that she enjoyed, she'd pass it to my father.
Right.
Then when they'd all finished it, there'd be a neighbor or a friend. And so the books all got passed around.
Right. Right.
It's rare that I buy books new.
Okay. Uh typically I find them used in used bookstores or exchange with friends. Even here in Japan, I have a lot of friends who read and we exchange books. Uh or I go to Book Off or other used bookstores and find them or the library.
Now, can you get English books in the library
where I live, Otsu City Library, Shimin Toshokan, is quite small, but has a good section of English, but the prefectural library, Kenditsu Toshokan, they have a huge English section and other languages.
Huge.
Tons of books. And you can request books and they'll just buy them.
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, they have a a pretty excellent collection. Um, you can also donate books. which I've done. Donated books to the the prefectural library.
That's a good idea. Well,
yeah,
lots of options. How about you? What do you read?
I don't.
All right, see you later.
Okay, I got to go. I got to get back to work.
No, that's it. If you don't read, I'm sorry. I think our friendship is is over and that's it. Sorry. Terrible, terrible news. But if I'd known that about you earlier.
Yep. I don't consume, I produce. Well put. See you next week.
Okay. Take care.
All right. Bye.
Yeah.
Good morning.
Hey, what are you doing?
Just reading a book.
This is our morning pickup time.
How you doing?
I'm doing pretty good. How about you?
I'm doing just fine. It's a beautiful, beautiful day. Sky is blue. Sun is shining. It's spring. It's not too hot. It's not too cold. It's just right. and you took the words out of my mouth.
What was that you were reading?
Uh, this is a historical non-fiction uh about Irish immigrants to America.
Okay. Are you Irish?
I am not.
So, why are you reading this book?
Uh, because this is my favorite author in the whole world, Robert B. Parker. Okay. And uh he's got a couple what Japanese people call hardboiled mystery, hard-boiled mystery novels, detective novels.
Yes.
Um he's got three main series. And the main main most popular series, the main character's name is Spencer.
Yes.
Um and I really really love his books and I've read all of them multiple times, but this is one of the rare ones. that's uh not in a series and it's just standalone historical non-fiction and it's fascinating.
Wow. Wow.
Yeah.
Can you compare him to any other authors?
Um he is most often compared to uh oh
it's going to draw a blank. The character's name is Philip Marlo. It's the origin of uh what's called noir.
Okay.
Which like like Dick Tracy like uh detective sitting in his office and a woman in distress walks in. Oh, detective I need your help. Um and so that's where he he grew up with that and loved that. And the writer of the Philip Marlo series is um help me out here. Uh
okay,
hang on. I'm Philip and Raymond Chandler.
Raymond Chandler. Thank you. Raymond Chandler was the the creator of the noir style.
Yes.
And uh Robert B. Parker loved Raymond Chandler and wanted to write a similar genre.
Yes.
And actually uh Robert B. Parker finished Raymond Chandler's last book which was unfinished at his when he passed.
Okay. Yeah.
And so he finished that and then um Robert B. Parker passed away about 15 years ago.
Wow.
And so continuing on similar legacy, there's a guy named Robert Cray, oddly having the same first name, Robert.
Okay. Yes.
And the main difference is that Spencer and these books are all in Boston.
Yeah.
And Robert Cra's books are all in Los Angeles.
Quite a bit different.
East coast versus West Coast.
I understand. Yes.
So, the the East Coast guys are all in uh trench coats and and uh
sunglasses.
Sunglasses. Every everyone's got sunglasses. No, East Coast guys, no sunglasses. Boston is rainy and cloudy and But then the the LA guys, they're in like flowery shirts and shorts and cargo shorts and much more casual and sunny California style. with of course glasses,
right?
Glasses.
Yeah.
But uh yeah, they're just um they're light, they're fast, they're fun, and it's got that uh the banter, this quick banter between the characters, which is what uh hard-boiled novels are known for. So, they're they're fun.
Okay. Do you buy your books?
Do I buy my books?
Yeah.
No, I I steal them. What do you mean do I buy them? I mean, maybe there's a a book uh sharing organization over in Kyoto. I don't know. I'm just
uh No, I grew up with with naturally booksharing. So, my parents both read. My grandparents read. So, typically one of them would read a good book and then when they were finished, they'd pass it to another one. So, my my grandfather would read a book, he'd enjoy it, he'd pass it to my mother.
My mother would read that she enjoyed, she'd pass it to my father.
Right.
Then when they'd all finished it, there'd be a neighbor or a friend. And so the books all got passed around.
Right. Right.
It's rare that I buy books new.
Okay. Uh typically I find them used in used bookstores or exchange with friends. Even here in Japan, I have a lot of friends who read and we exchange books. Uh or I go to Book Off or other used bookstores and find them or the library.
Now, can you get English books in the library
where I live, Otsu City Library, Shimin Toshokan, is quite small, but has a good section of English, but the prefectural library, Kenditsu Toshokan, they have a huge English section and other languages.
Huge.
Tons of books. And you can request books and they'll just buy them.
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, they have a a pretty excellent collection. Um, you can also donate books. which I've done. Donated books to the the prefectural library.
That's a good idea. Well,
yeah,
lots of options. How about you? What do you read?
I don't.
All right, see you later.
Okay, I got to go. I got to get back to work.
No, that's it. If you don't read, I'm sorry. I think our friendship is is over and that's it. Sorry. Terrible, terrible news. But if I'd known that about you earlier.
Yep. I don't consume, I produce. Well put. See you next week.
Okay. Take care.
All right. Bye.
Yeah.