The much recommended KIll Your Friends by John Niven. The tale of a right c***, the sort of bloke who thinks Boris Johson is a laugh. But despite hating him, somehow I ended up rooting for him at the end. It is a good read, as long as the person reading it doesn't see the (anti)hero as a role model...
Stelfox is as strong an anti-hero as any I have ever read. He is irredeemable, senior, racist, sizeist, an abominable snob with huge addiction issues but I love him.
Honestly how many laugh out loud moments did you hit?
The much recommended KIll Your Friends by John Niven. The tale of a right c***, the sort of bloke who thinks Boris Johson is a laugh. But despite hating him, somehow I ended up rooting for him at the end. It is a good read, as long as the person reading it doesn't see the (anti)hero as a role model...
Stelfox is as strong an anti-hero as any I have ever read. He is irredeemable, senior, racist, sizeist, an abominable snob with huge addiction issues but I love him.
Honestly how many laugh out loud moments did you hit?
About three. Quite a few wry smiles though, Carts...
Just finished O Brother. John Nivens latest. His first non fiction novel. It’s an amazing book. Not my favourite of his because he’s such a great fiction author. But reading it you see so many motivations and history he used in various novels. I love him.
it’s weird in that he was born in the same year as me and his brother in the same year as my brother and the way they grew up and the references really hit home. Couple that with we seem to have had parallel lives in a lot of respects and it moved me no end. I think I’m going to write to him in a massive fan boy way.
Just finished O Brother. John Nivens latest. His first non fiction novel. It’s an amazing book. Not my favourite of his because he’s such a great fiction author. But reading it you see so many motivations and history he used in various novels. I love him.
it’s weird in that he was born in the same year as me and his brother in the same year as my brother and the way they grew up and the references really hit home. Couple that with we seem to have had parallel lives in a lot of respects and it moved me no end. I think I’m going to write to him in a massive fan boy way.
I had a lot of similarities too, family dynamic especially between me and my siblings was very familiar. By the last sentence I was a broken man but so fulfilled by the rawness, descriptive prose, the love, the humour and the imagery. I'm in my (very) early forties so miles apart in age but the behaviour between John and Gary in certain situations was like reading a tale I'd written.
Lee, in the Amateurs is clearly Gary, wee shades and I think that book also beautifully captures and channels Johns feelings of loss for his dad, I've probably already said enough about that book but I agree wholeheartedly with your post
I've been reading War & Peace again....the first hundred pages are turgid, but then you get pulled in...
I've been dipping in and out of The Count of Monte Cristo for about a year and I'm still just under halfway through.
War and Peace is a good 20-25% longer I think, would take me about a decade!!
Yeh you do have to be prepared to sit and read for an hour or so at a time or it just drags. If you can do 25-30 pages a day minimum with occasional longer sessions it has a nice momentum.
The internet and media streaming is the enemy of reading. Like Chunes I read W&P when I was in India for a few months before the days of mobile wifi.
Just finished Count of Monte Cristo on Audible. Struggled to keep up with the many characters relationships with each other but that's my feeble brain. Agree there is a lot of padding that doesn't progress the plot very far, but its so well written and really enjoyed it overall.
Bloody hell I sound really up myself in that post.
Reading "This thing of darkness" (charity shop job) reviews are amazing. Very Patrick O' Brian, not as gripping as "The Terror" which has similar themes: 19th century ship-based post enlightenment clash of religion, science, exploration and being very cold.
For some reason I'd never read a Val McDermid but picked one off the shelf in a holiday cottage a couple of weeks ago and got halfway through before we came back. I've since bought it and am close to finishing. Fever of the Bone it's called, and I've found it an easy but well-written book.
Wycliffe's Wild Goose Chase by W. J. Burley. Not a bad book, but a bit old fashioned, considering it was "only" written in 1982, though the author was already 68 by the time he penned it. Put me in mind of P.D. James earler novels, though she did update her style in later life. Still quite an interesting plot, in a slightly plodding way and it is quite short. Would not be my first choice in the future, but I would read another if someone gave it to me.
“The Ice Limit” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Best book I’ve read in ages, gripping from start to dinish
It tells the story of a four thousand tonne meteorite which crashed into an island off the coast of Chile millions of years ago and its attempted removal to a museum in New York. The Ice Limit is where the freezing waters of Antarctica meet the warmer northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific and is known for inpenetrable dogs and dangerous ice.
The thriller is so well written and researched. I’d recommend it to anyone. The author’s note explains that the story is inspired by a real scientific expedition in 1906 to northern Greenland.
I did the audiobook of Ultra Processed People. Highly recommend. It's about ultra processed food (UPF), how it's designed to be addictive and to keep you hungry rather than fill you up. A great listen/read with some big 'wow' moments. Some of the experiments cited are mind-blowing.
I gave up UPF while reading it and two weeks later I am down a belt buckle and at my lowest weight in a year. That constant hungry/craving rubbish feeling has gone too.
Finished Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortiimor. It was OK but he's much funnier speaking then he is on paper. Pretty average really. But seems to be a big best seller. Also just finished the Innocent by Ian McEwan - very solid spy story. Not his best but very readable just the same although with a couple of particuallry gruesome chapters.
Just started "When the lights went out: Britain in the 1970s" by Andy Beckett and "Act of Oblivion" by Robert Harris.
Finished Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortiimor. It was OK but he's much funnier speaking then he is on paper. Pretty average really. But seems to be a big best seller. Also just finished the Innocent by Ian McEwan - very solid spy story. Not his best but very readable just the same although with a couple of particuallry gruesome chapters.
Just started "When the lights went out: Britain in the 1970s" by Andy Beckett and "Act of Oblivion" by Robert Harris.
Thought 'And Away....", his autobiography, was much better than The Satsuma Complex (which was fine but as you say, nothing amazing) - basically because the autobiography is just Bob being himself, and he's a very funny man.
Was off work with covid recently so got through Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, Free Love by Tessa Hadley and Shame by Annie Ernaux - all of which were excellent.
Now onto Graham Coxon’s autobiography Verse, Chorus, Monster!
Bought Stephen King's " Fairy Tale" and " The Running Grave" to keep me busy whole we're in Tenerife next week.
No doubt will finish both by the time we're home again & will give some feedback at some point.
If you've not read Pet Semetary by Stephen King I would recommend it... If you like horror that is.
Oh, I've read probably 70% of SK's books over the years, but TBH, Pet Semetary wasn't one of my favourites.
His earlier books held my interest & often threatened to spook me more than recent offerings. Salem's Lot, The Stand & It are possibly my top 3 titles.
I have to admit to reading 2 slimmer books on holiday but am now about halfway through Fairy Tale. And currently undecided as to where to pitch my overall opinion.
For those who have been fortunate to read The Talisman written by King & Peter Straub, there are parallels with Fairy Tale but so far, I'd give the former more marks for out & out horror. I remember that it was claimed Steven Spielberg had purchased the rights to make a film based on the book but this never materialised. I now read that the Duffer Brothers are involved in a current plan to bring such to Netflix....We can but hope.
However, opinions are usually diverse regarding how successful a film mirrors the written word and how our minds conjure pictures of the scenarios & characters involved. So, perhaps The Talisman is best left to its readers & their imaginations ?
Bought Stephen King's " Fairy Tale" and " The Running Grave" to keep me busy whole we're in Tenerife next week.
No doubt will finish both by the time we're home again & will give some feedback at some point.
If you've not read Pet Semetary by Stephen King I would recommend it... If you like horror that is.
Oh, I've read probably 70% of SK's books over the years, but TBH, Pet Semetary wasn't one of my favourites.
His earlier books held my interest & often threatened to spook me more than recent offerings. Salem's Lot, The Stand & It are possibly my top 3 titles.
I have to admit to reading 2 slimmer books on holiday but am now about halfway through Fairy Tale. And currently undecided as to where to pitch my overall opinion.
For those who have been fortunate to read The Talisman written by King & Peter Straub, there are parallels with Fairy Tale but so far, I'd give the former more marks for out & out horror. I remember that it was claimed Steven Spielberg had purchased the rights to make a film based on the book but this never materialised. I now read that the Duffer Brothers are involved in a current plan to bring such to Netflix....We can but hope.
However, opinions are usually diverse regarding how successful a film mirrors the written word and how our minds conjure pictures of the scenarios & characters involved. So, perhaps The Talisman is best left to its readers & their imaginations ?
as you know Fanny I also am a big fan of SK .. strangely I have never read Pet Sematary (American spelling) and probably never will .. recently read both 'Holly', which is terrific and before that 'Fairy Tale' which was as far from terrific as (i m o) anything he has ever written, sounds as though you might be of a similar opinion (hope this isn't a spoiler)
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. Second of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I don't know why it has taken me so long to get around to it. McCall Smith's love for Africa and his awareness of it's contradictions and transitions shine through. It is a very gentle type of detective fiction, not too taxing, but compelling nonetheless. The characters are wonderful warm creations, and the slightly formal, old fashioned dialogue fits the setting perfectly. I am not sure the style would suit everyone, but for me it made a nice change from the all action, edge-of-the-seat type detective fiction I normally read.
I used to love SK when I was a teenager/early 20s but then stopped. I did try the Kennedy timetravel one a couple of years ago and didn't think much of it but wasn't sure whether it's my tastes that have changed or if it wasn't as good as his other work. I should try to re-read an old favourite to check
Also loved SK back in the 80s. So many great books. Recently read The Institute which I thought was back to his best. Also really liked Mr Mercedes and Dr Sleep. Always subjective of course. Some great books he has written over many years.
Just finished a Pynchon run where I read Inherent Vice which was very good, and Bleeding Edge which started out well but lost itself about halfway through and ended in disappointment. It sort of lacked the courage of its convictions in the end whereas Inherent Vice knows what it is and it's great for it.
Might do American Tabloid next, never read any James Elroy.
I'm listening to Chaos by Tom O'Neil again. Cannot recommend it highly enough. The first time I listened to it because I didn't know much about Manson or CHOAS I think some of it went over my head, especially because I was listening to it while doing other things and some things really need your attention. But it's a fantastic book, incredibly well written and researched.
Many Rivers to Cross - Peter Robinson. A DS Banks novel, with two stories running side by side, one involving the girlfriend of Banks's friend (and father of his colleague and former partner) who escaped from a life as a sex slave in eastern Europe, and is now looking for vengance on the men who abused her, the other a murder of a young immigrant on Banks's home patch. Both stories keep you gripped as the tale goes on, and the murder keeps you guessing until very close to the end.
Comments
Honestly how many laugh out loud moments did you hit?
Cults are a strong topic and it was well done, very tense in parts.
it’s weird in that he was born in the same year as me and his brother in the same year as my brother and the way they grew up and the references really hit home. Couple that with we seem to have had parallel lives in a lot of respects and it moved me no end. I think I’m going to write to him in a massive fan boy way.
Lee, in the Amateurs is clearly Gary, wee shades and I think that book also beautifully captures and channels Johns feelings of loss for his dad, I've probably already said enough about that book but I agree wholeheartedly with your post
No doubt will finish both by the time we're home again & will give some feedback at some point.
Best book I’ve read in ages, gripping from start to dinish
It tells the story of a four thousand tonne meteorite which crashed into an island off the coast of Chile millions of years ago and its attempted removal to a museum in New York. The Ice Limit is where the freezing waters of Antarctica meet the warmer northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific and is known for inpenetrable dogs and dangerous ice.
The thriller is so well written and researched. I’d recommend it to anyone. The author’s note explains that the story is inspired by a real scientific expedition in 1906 to northern Greenland.
I gave up UPF while reading it and two weeks later I am down a belt buckle and at my lowest weight in a year. That constant hungry/craving rubbish feeling has gone too.
Just started "When the lights went out: Britain in the 1970s" by Andy Beckett and "Act of Oblivion" by Robert Harris.
Now onto Graham Coxon’s autobiography Verse, Chorus, Monster!
His earlier books held my interest & often threatened to spook me more than recent offerings. Salem's Lot, The Stand & It are possibly my top 3 titles.
I have to admit to reading 2 slimmer books on holiday but am now about halfway through Fairy Tale. And currently undecided as to where to pitch my overall opinion.
For those who have been fortunate to read The Talisman written by King & Peter Straub, there are parallels with Fairy Tale but so far, I'd give the former more marks for out & out horror. I remember that it was claimed Steven Spielberg had purchased the rights to make a film based on the book but this never materialised. I now read that the Duffer Brothers are involved in a current plan to bring such to Netflix....We can but hope.
However, opinions are usually diverse regarding how successful a film mirrors the written word and how our minds conjure pictures of the scenarios & characters involved. So, perhaps The Talisman is best left to its readers & their imaginations ?
Might do American Tabloid next, never read any James Elroy.
I'm listening to Chaos by Tom O'Neil again. Cannot recommend it highly enough. The first time I listened to it because I didn't know much about Manson or CHOAS I think some of it went over my head, especially because I was listening to it while doing other things and some things really need your attention. But it's a fantastic book, incredibly well written and researched.