The Roaches Have No King - Daniel Evan Weiss. Read this before, but it's just as good the second or third time around. About a bunch of cockroaches who live in a guy's apartment and the drama that plays out between them during the trials and tribulations of the guy's relationship.
Reading this on your recommendation. About a third of the way through and think it is brilliant. Cocking a snook at humans through the compound eyes of cockroaches.
I read JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith's follow up to The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm. I really liked it, a proper page turner.
Although short The 39 Steps took bloody ages but I can't complain too much as it's a free download as part of Amazon's classics.
Now on Cormac McCarthy's Suttree. I love delving into his worlds of darkness and depravity. He has a somewhat blunt, minimal way of writing yet always creates a vivid, engulfing environment. He’s definitely my favourite modern author, I will be gutted if Blood Meridian is ruined when made a film.
I am reading Alex Ferguson's autobiography. I can't make up my mind whether I like the fact that, due to him apparently writing it himself, it is a bit "all over the place", but comes across as honest; or whether it would have been better and more coherent if he had employed a ghost writer. It is, as one would expect, quite self aggrandising and very much pro Manchester Utd, whatever they get up to...
The Roaches Have No King - Daniel Evan Weiss. Read this before, but it's just as good the second or third time around. About a bunch of cockroaches who live in a guy's apartment and the drama that plays out between them during the trials and tribulations of the guy's relationship.
Reading this on your recommendation. About a third of the way through and think it is brilliant. Cocking a snook at humans through the compound eyes of cockroaches.
I have just downloaded this due to your comments....
Lifers might enjoy this extract from 'Out of the Shelter' by David Lodge, 1970. He was born in Brockley in 1935, and this account is autobiographical. Lodge went on to write 'Changing Places', and the Booker-shortlisted 'Small World' and 'Nice Work':
In the afternoon he and Jonesy and Blinker went to watch Charlton Athletic, or Charlton Reserves if the first team were playing away, and he asked for no greater happiness than to watch Charlton win. He hadn't, of course, been able to watch their greatest victory, against Burnley in the Cup Final of 1947. He listened to the radio commentary in an agony of suspense as the game went into extra time with no score. Then Duffy, the little bald-headed left-winger, scored a fantastic goal right out of the blue, taking a cross from the right wing on the volley, and with his right foot too. Duffy ran the length of the pitch to embrace Sam Bartram, Charlton's goalkeeper, the commentator said. Charlton never rose to such heights again, but they were always an interesting team to watch, fickle and unpredictable, but capable of heartwarming flashes of brilliance. More than once he and his friends had left the Valley a few minutes before the end of the game, dispirited by their team's poor performance, only to hear, as they passed through the quiet, car-lined streets, a huge explosive roar filling the air behind them, indicating that Charlton had scored a last-minute goal and snatched a point.
Coming home on the smoke-filled top deck of a swaying tram, he would dispute the critical points of the game with Jonesy and Blinker. Usually, instead of changing trams at New Cross, they would get off at Deptford High Street, and walk the rest of the way home through the back streets, kicking an old tennis ball between them, for watching a good game produced a kind of ache in the legs, a longing to kick and dribble, that had to be satisfied. They would play in the street until dark, and then, tingling from the exercise in the cold, damp air, he went in for his tea, baked beans on toast with a rasher of bacon, usually, on Saturdays. After tea he would take down the football results from the wireless and helped his father check his pools coupons. In the evening he would meet Jonesy and Blinker again - they went to each other's houses in turn - and play cards or Monopoly.
Kill Your Friends by John Niven. A&R man Steven Stelfox goes to great lengths to be successful at a record company during the rise of the britpop scene. Very funny and a bit grim at times.
Kill Your Friends by John Niven. A&R man Steven Stelfox goes to great lengths to be successful at a record company during the rise of the britpop scene. Very funny and a bit grim at times.
One of the most memorable books I have ever read. The two from John Niven that follow. The amateurs and the second coming are very good and hilarious in parts but never quite reach the heights or plumb the depths depending on how you look at it of kill your friends.
Single white male is ok but cherish kill your friends
'Mr Mercedes' a masterpiece from the absolute master who is back on top form
Oooh, haven't read that one, Lincs.
Have a note in my diary for "Revival" which is due out tomorrow....
Out of interest, what are your 3 favourite SK novels ?
A very, very difficult choice Ms Fanny .. He went through a very bad time and wrote a lot of rubbish in the 80s and 90s .. the usual 'artistic vices' did for him .. cocaine, meth and booze as well as being run over and seriously injured whilst out walking .. it took along time for him to recover. I like his short stories as well as his novels, many are much better than the novels in my estimation .. Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption was a 'long short story' .. Hearts in Atlantis is a good connected story collection as are Four Past Midnight and Night Shift .. But his early stuff is simply fantastic .. The Shining, The Stand, Misery, Thinner (originally written under a nom de plume, Richard Bachman)
top 3 novels ?: mmmm , as I wrote above, very difficult.. 1) The Shining, 2) The Stand, and I am gonna say .. 3) Mr Mercedes, it's different .. Lord King does sometimes have a propensity to be rather long winded, Mr Mercedes is a 'detective story' and is always to the point. He gives credit to his wife and sons who are probably helping out now that Steve is an aging genius .. it came out in either late 2013 or earlier this year so is available at all good book shops as well as Tesco and Asda. Also well worth a look is On Writing, an autobiography/ writer's manual/tips/guide. And .. it seems as though Lord King is not the only long winded one ((:>)
PS .. I forgot 'The Green Mile' .. and probably a few others as well
'Waterloo' by Bernard Cornwell .. history superbly written by a renowned novelist who turns what could be a dry subject into a compelling page turner .. a well designed and presented book, glossy paper and lots of vivid reproductions of portraits and battle scenes .. It was a VERY bloody battle
'Mr Mercedes' a masterpiece from the absolute master who is back on top form
Oooh, haven't read that one, Lincs.
Have a note in my diary for "Revival" which is due out tomorrow....
Out of interest, what are your 3 favourite SK novels ?
A very, very difficult choice Ms Fanny .. He went through a very bad time and wrote a lot of rubbish in the 80s and 90s .. the usual 'artistic vices' did for him .. cocaine, meth and booze as well as being run over and seriously injured whilst out walking .. it took along time for him to recover. I like his short stories as well as his novels, many are much better than the novels in my estimation .. Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption was a 'long short story' .. Hearts in Atlantis is a good connected story collection as are Four Past Midnight and Night Shift .. But his early stuff is simply fantastic .. The Shining, The Stand, Misery, Thinner (originally written under a nom de plume, Richard Bachman)
top 3 novels ?: mmmm , as I wrote above, very difficult.. 1) The Shining, 2) The Stand, and I am gonna say .. 3) Mr Mercedes, it's different .. Lord King does sometimes have a propensity to be rather long winded, Mr Mercedes is a 'detective story' and is always to the point. He gives credit to his wife and sons who are probably helping out now that Steve is an aging genius .. it came out in either late 2013 or earlier this year so is available at all good book shops as well as Tesco and Asda. Also well worth a look is On Writing, an autobiography/ writer's manual/tips/guide. And .. it seems as though Lord King is not the only long winded one ((:>)
PS .. I forgot 'The Green Mile' .. and probably a few others as well
For me his best novel is The Stand. And then the short story compilations, all excellent.
'Mr Mercedes' a masterpiece from the absolute master who is back on top form
Oooh, haven't read that one, Lincs.
Have a note in my diary for "Revival" which is due out tomorrow....
Out of interest, what are your 3 favourite SK novels ?
A very, very difficult choice Ms Fanny .. He went through a very bad time and wrote a lot of rubbish in the 80s and 90s .. the usual 'artistic vices' did for him .. cocaine, meth and booze as well as being run over and seriously injured whilst out walking .. it took along time for him to recover. I like his short stories as well as his novels, many are much better than the novels in my estimation .. Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption was a 'long short story' .. Hearts in Atlantis is a good connected story collection as are Four Past Midnight and Night Shift .. But his early stuff is simply fantastic .. The Shining, The Stand, Misery, Thinner (originally written under a nom de plume, Richard Bachman)
top 3 novels ?: mmmm , as I wrote above, very difficult.. 1) The Shining, 2) The Stand, and I am gonna say .. 3) Mr Mercedes, it's different .. Lord King does sometimes have a propensity to be rather long winded, Mr Mercedes is a 'detective story' and is always to the point. He gives credit to his wife and sons who are probably helping out now that Steve is an aging genius .. it came out in either late 2013 or earlier this year so is available at all good book shops as well as Tesco and Asda. Also well worth a look is On Writing, an autobiography/ writer's manual/tips/guide. And .. it seems as though Lord King is not the only long winded one ((:>)
PS .. I forgot 'The Green Mile' .. and probably a few others as well
For me his best novel is The Stand. And then the short story compilations, all excellent.
Have to admit that The Stand is my favourite too, stonemuse
Anyone read The Talisman which he wrote together with Peter Straub ?
'Mr Mercedes' a masterpiece from the absolute master who is back on top form
Oooh, haven't read that one, Lincs.
Have a note in my diary for "Revival" which is due out tomorrow....
Out of interest, what are your 3 favourite SK novels ?
A very, very difficult choice Ms Fanny .. He went through a very bad time and wrote a lot of rubbish in the 80s and 90s .. the usual 'artistic vices' did for him .. cocaine, meth and booze as well as being run over and seriously injured whilst out walking .. it took along time for him to recover. I like his short stories as well as his novels, many are much better than the novels in my estimation .. Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption was a 'long short story' .. Hearts in Atlantis is a good connected story collection as are Four Past Midnight and Night Shift .. But his early stuff is simply fantastic .. The Shining, The Stand, Misery, Thinner (originally written under a nom de plume, Richard Bachman)
top 3 novels ?: mmmm , as I wrote above, very difficult.. 1) The Shining, 2) The Stand, and I am gonna say .. 3) Mr Mercedes, it's different .. Lord King does sometimes have a propensity to be rather long winded, Mr Mercedes is a 'detective story' and is always to the point. He gives credit to his wife and sons who are probably helping out now that Steve is an aging genius .. it came out in either late 2013 or earlier this year so is available at all good book shops as well as Tesco and Asda. Also well worth a look is On Writing, an autobiography/ writer's manual/tips/guide. And .. it seems as though Lord King is not the only long winded one ((:>)
PS .. I forgot 'The Green Mile' .. and probably a few others as well
For me his best novel is The Stand. And then the short story compilations, all excellent.
Have to admit that The Stand is my favourite too, stonemuse
Anyone read The Talisman which he wrote together with Peter Straub ?
didn't enjoy it .. written when King was very 'ill' .. probably in order to meet a 'one book a year' contract
'Waterloo' by Bernard Cornwell .. history superbly written by a renowned novelist who turns what could be a dry subject into a compelling page turner .. a well designed and presented book, glossy paper and lots of vivid reproductions of portraits and battle scenes .. It was a VERY bloody battle
Bernard Cornwall is my favourite historical fiction author. All of his books are very well written. Riveting, descriptive writing. You feel like you're there. I would recommend them to anyone. He has written about 30 or so books I think covering everything from the Saxon/Viking wars (based around Alfred the Great and the forming of England as we know it today), to the 100 years war with the French to the Wellington/Napoleon campaign leading up to Waterloo. He also ventured into America with the American War of Independence.
'Amongst Women' (John McGahern) - covering a period of around twenty years in the mid-20th century and set in rural Ireland, this tells the story of an ageing and bitter patriarch who dominates his wife and children. Very well written, although I grew to intensely dislike the tyrannical central character (which, I guess, was probably the idea).
'Troubles' (J.G.Farrell) - set in 1919 Ireland, a straight-laced but troubled English officer returns from the War and moves into a once grand, but now dilapidated, hotel, having apparently become engaged to the owner's daughter during an earlier period of leave in England. The hotel's crumbling edifice becomes a metaphor for mounting political unrest and upheaval, which led to the Irish War of Independence between 1919 and 1921.
Winner of the 'Lost Booker Prize' for 1970, this is a very good novel, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the classic 'Siege of Krishnapur'. I must get around sometime to reading the third book in the "Empire Trilogy', ' The Singapore Grip', which is set on the eve of the Second World War. As stonemuse said earlier in this thread, it is a tragedy that this outstanding author died so young.
Currently reading one of Colin Dexter's Morse books ('The Riddle of the Third Mile') - they're always an interesting and very easy read.
Just finished A Maiden's Grave by Jeffrey Deaver, didn't think I would like it to start with as its set around a siege, but turned into a real page turner.
Now on to A Taste for Death by P D James. Always very descriptive (sometimes too much so) but a murder mystery that keeps you intrigued.
Finished "Lamentation", the 6th book in the Shardlake series the other week and I've decided to reread the series. I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake - but this seems to have gone quiet. Shame. Also, as mentioned on the "The Charlton Men" thread, finished "The Charlton Men" recently - a bit different from my usual fare, but not a bad read.
'Troubles' (J.G.Farrell) - set in 1919 Ireland, a straight-laced but troubled English officer returns from the War and moves into a once grand, but now dilapidated, hotel, having apparently become engaged to the owner's daughter during an earlier period of leave in England. The hotel's crumbling edifice becomes a metaphor for mounting political unrest and upheaval, which led to the Irish War of Independence between 1919 and 1921.
Winner of the 'Lost Booker Prize' for 1970, this is a very good novel, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the classic 'Siege of Krishnapur'. I must get around sometime to reading the third book in the "Empire Trilogy', ' The Singapore Grip', which is set on the eve of the Second World War. As stonemuse said earlier in this thread, it is a tragedy that this outstanding author died so young.
Comments
Although short The 39 Steps took bloody ages but I can't complain too much as it's a free download as part of Amazon's classics.
Now on Cormac McCarthy's Suttree. I love delving into his worlds of darkness and depravity. He has a somewhat blunt, minimal way of writing yet always creates a vivid, engulfing environment. He’s definitely my favourite modern author, I will be gutted if Blood Meridian is ruined when made a film.
Agree that the culture series fades away, althoguh Surface Detail is weirdly compelling.
In the afternoon he and Jonesy and Blinker went to watch Charlton Athletic, or Charlton Reserves if the first team were playing away, and he asked for no greater happiness than to watch Charlton win. He hadn't, of course, been able to watch their greatest victory, against Burnley in the Cup Final of 1947. He listened to the radio commentary in an agony of suspense as the game went into extra time with no score. Then Duffy, the little bald-headed left-winger, scored a fantastic goal right out of the blue, taking a cross from the right wing on the volley, and with his right foot too. Duffy ran the length of the pitch to embrace Sam Bartram, Charlton's goalkeeper, the commentator said. Charlton never rose to such heights again, but they were always an interesting team to watch, fickle and unpredictable, but capable of heartwarming flashes of brilliance. More than once he and his friends had left the Valley a few minutes before the end of the game, dispirited by their team's poor performance, only to hear, as they passed through the quiet, car-lined streets, a huge explosive roar filling the air behind them, indicating that Charlton had scored a last-minute goal and snatched a point.
Coming home on the smoke-filled top deck of a swaying tram, he would dispute the critical points of the game with Jonesy and Blinker. Usually, instead of changing trams at New Cross, they would get off at Deptford High Street, and walk the rest of the way home through the back streets, kicking an old tennis ball between them, for watching a good game produced a kind of ache in the legs, a longing to kick and dribble, that had to be satisfied. They would play in the street until dark, and then, tingling from the exercise in the cold, damp air, he went in for his tea, baked beans on toast with a rasher of bacon, usually, on Saturdays. After tea he would take down the football results from the wireless and helped his father check his pools coupons. In the evening he would meet Jonesy and Blinker again - they went to each other's houses in turn - and play cards or Monopoly.
Have a note in my diary for "Revival" which is due out tomorrow....
Out of interest, what are your 3 favourite SK novels ?
Single white male is ok but cherish kill your friends
I like his short stories as well as his novels, many are much better than the novels in my estimation .. Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption was a 'long short story' .. Hearts in Atlantis is a good connected story collection as are Four Past Midnight and Night Shift .. But his early stuff is simply fantastic .. The Shining, The Stand, Misery, Thinner (originally written under a nom de plume, Richard Bachman)
top 3 novels ?: mmmm , as I wrote above, very difficult.. 1) The Shining, 2) The Stand, and I am gonna say .. 3) Mr Mercedes, it's different .. Lord King does sometimes have a propensity to be rather long winded, Mr Mercedes is a 'detective story' and is always to the point. He gives credit to his wife and sons who are probably helping out now that Steve is an aging genius .. it came out in either late 2013 or earlier this year so is available at all good book shops as well as Tesco and Asda. Also well worth a look is On Writing, an autobiography/ writer's manual/tips/guide.
And .. it seems as though Lord King is not the only long winded one ((:>)
PS .. I forgot 'The Green Mile' .. and probably a few others as well
Now reading 1985 by Anthony Burgess.
Anyone read The Talisman which he wrote together with Peter Straub ?
'Troubles' (J.G.Farrell) - set in 1919 Ireland, a straight-laced but troubled English officer returns from the War and moves into a once grand, but now dilapidated, hotel, having apparently become engaged to the owner's daughter during an earlier period of leave in England. The hotel's crumbling edifice becomes a metaphor for mounting political unrest and upheaval, which led to the Irish War of Independence between 1919 and 1921.
Winner of the 'Lost Booker Prize' for 1970, this is a very good novel, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the classic 'Siege of Krishnapur'. I must get around sometime to reading the third book in the "Empire Trilogy', ' The Singapore Grip', which is set on the eve of the Second World War. As stonemuse said earlier in this thread, it is a tragedy that this outstanding author died so young.
Currently reading one of Colin Dexter's Morse books ('The Riddle of the Third Mile') - they're always an interesting and very easy read.
Was like someone's first attempt at a story. Very formulaic and predictable.
Now on to A Taste for Death by P D James. Always very descriptive (sometimes too much so) but a murder mystery that keeps you intrigued.
I just really love the way Sansom describes life in the 16th century while managing to keep a murder mystery both interesting and surprising. There were rumours, some 7 years ago, of the BBC commissioning a TV series - apparently with Ken Branagh as Shardlake - but this seems to have gone quiet. Shame.
Also, as mentioned on the "The Charlton Men" thread, finished "The Charlton Men" recently - a bit different from my usual fare, but not a bad read.