Part One: Book Discussion

The Mercantile Library and The Mini Microcinema are teaming up to offer a new book club/movie discussion group exploring films and the books that inspired them. The two-part program will challenge the question, "was the book better than the movie?" by looking at the relationship between the separate works, and examining the ways they conflict with and complement one another. The first meeting will take place at The Mercantile and focus on discussing the text, while the second meeting will be a screening of the film at The Mini followed by a discussion.

This series will look at the crime thriller, In A Lonely Place, penned by mystery author Dorothy B. Hughes. Lauded as a groundbreaking crime novel with a feminist slant by contemporaries and modern-day critics alike, the story follows tortured veteran Dix Steele, as he traverses the seedy underside of 1940s post-war L.A. He's soon joined by LAPD officer Brub -- an old friend from the war who's been pursuing a serial strangler for months, with no solid leads. That is until Brub's wife, Sylvia, and the glamorous screen star Laurel Gray get involved, and begin to realize the killer is closer than they think. We will then screen the 1950 John Huston-directed Film Noir masterpiece. The film, starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Graham has earned a spot on many "Top 100" lists over years, and in some ways, has overshadowed the original work on which it was based.

Discussions facilitated by Mini volunteers Lillian Currens and Michael Sweeny.

Cost: $5 members / $10 non-members (May be purchased in advance at mercantilelibrary.com or at the door)