tigersgogrrr wrote:

Bit of a weird one. This book is out in August but apparently is being sold in Indie bookstores this week as part of indie book store week or some such magical thing. If anyone happens to spot it, I'll kiss you if you buy me a copy (I'll obviously pay P&P and the cost and a few quid as a thanks).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Should-Read-Childrens-Books-Though-ebook/dp/B07P12Z3GF/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1560611294&sr=8-1

I really want a copy to give to my boss as a thank you before the end of the academic year.
x

How about this ?


https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/333231138816

Blood Meridian is going well. Just read end of chapter 4, gruesome. Also, 23-line sentence?! Gotta love it. I love McCarthy’s style.

Finished A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and moved on to This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay.  Former was good, loved the unexpected graph segment, latter has started well.  Nintey-seven hour weeks, Jesus.

It's been a while since my last update, got through some more Dick on holiday. His stuff is a real mind fuck, especially the two I've read about drugs, A Scanner Darkly and Palmer Eldritch. Mental.

I then moved on to Consider Phlebas, I don't know why but I thought it was going to be a tough read, turns out it's a bit of a page turner. I was expecting a harder sci-fi take but it's got a pleasant adventure feel about it. Love it, should get it finished over the weekend.

I tried to like it.  It’s well written, but I gave up halfway through Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself.  I guess this is what’s called grimdark fantasy?  It’s not my jam.  I like to give books a fair shot, but in this case reading it through to the end when there are two more books in the series felt a bit pointless.

I did finish Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer, which I thought was beautifully written and very evocative.  It’s not normally my thing, but it has a wonderful dreamlike quality that really appeals, so have already started The Claw of the Conciliator.

What wasn’t beautifully written was Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng.  It’s her debut novel and you sure can tell.  It’s about two Catholic missionaries who venture into fairyland to convert the heathen fea.  It sounded like just my kinda weird, but when you’re reading something and mentally correcting sentences as you go you know it’s not good.  The characters are poorly drawn and the dialogue is mostly atrocious.  Why I pushed through to the dull finale is beyond me.  It’s Strange the Dreamer all over again.  How are these people getting published?

Having a minor break to research for my own book, but after that I’m thinking of reading NOS 4R2 by Joe Hill.

I thought both were alright

I'm nearing the end of The Liar's Key. Been reading it for fucking ages.

davyK wrote:

The Flame by Leonard Cohen.

Jesus that guy was depressed.


The one piece of prose that describes happiness and enjoyment is a thank you note to his current anti-depressants.

Beautiful losers was uplifting, try that one.

It’s shite. Only Burroughs i’ve ever got with is Junky.

Finished Hunter S Thompson's Hells Angels last night.

Has some interesting stuff in there. And I guess is also the reason you see loads of "no show of colors" warnings at bars that are frequented by riders or at motorcycle events. Motorcycle culture is still strong here, so it was a good read to gain some insight in how it gained popularity after World War 2.

Now I don't know much about Thompson, I've seen Fear and Loathing but forgot all of it.
This animation was something that I enjoyed, and it just happens to be a quote at the end of the book:


He seems to be a guy with a lot of fans, was that because of his refreshing writing style? I'm curious how or why he was so popular. There's one chapter in the book that focuses on rape, and it made me feel uncomfortable enough to stop reading for a bit. I wasn't sure if he was trying to justify it himself, or if he was describing it from the Angels viewpoint.
It's of course written a while ago (1966 I think) and everything in the book was a controversial topic at the time I feel, but that chapter felt off compared to the others.

A work friend of mine wrote a sci-fi ting: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ted-We-Trust-other-stories/dp/1070135739/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=john+rowland+ted&qid=1562793304&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0

And turns out an ex colleague did too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Utopia-Five-Panopticon-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07QSW8W9J/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=anne+currie&qid=1562793346&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I've read the first book of the first of those, and it was kinda OK.

I'm on to The Wheel of Osheim

Scout wrote:

Just finished The Princess Bride. What a delight.

So good.

tigersgogrrr wrote:

Kind of giving up on The Gutter Prayer. I'm just not digging it. 35% or so in but I'm not finding the voice is drawing me in (3rd person present tense is often a bit weird).

Came back to it. Very good in the end. Probably the closest thing I've read to a new Bas Lag novel. I imagine this may get a look in on some award shortlists.

Brilliant world building.

davyK wrote:

The Secret Barrister. I'd make it my business to read this if I lived in England or Wales. I have no idea if the criminal justice system is as under pressure in N.Ireland. I have encountered the legal system here several times - jury service plus family members being involved in various happenings and I would say my experiences are positive. Much like popular exposes by doctors, this junior barrister has a parade of horror stories, linked back in the main, to consequences of cutbacks. The stories are comprehensively backed up with statistics and is heavily referenced throughout. It is also pretty up to date - referring to statistics from 2016. It isn't a dry as it sounds though. The sober style is punctuated with colourful language, in some cases amusingly so. But it isn't over done; it's used to get the message across effectively. It's a very human book at its core. It is very well written and logically set out - a quality one expects from a barrister I suppose. But it is refreshing to read a piece of non fiction that doesn't dance about too much. Recommended

Funnily enough, I'd read 'In Your Defence' by Sarah Langford not too long ago, which does something similar, but takes a different approach. Reading your description, I figured there might be some overlap between the two, and sure enough, the Spectator had a joint review of both books - https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/07/two-new-books-by-barristers-chronicle-the-perilous-state-of-our-justice-system/

In Your Defence was good. Very good, now that I actually recall it. Sarah took on some crazy cases in the book (she defended a pedo, a wife beater, and an ASBO... and that's just a fraction of the cases), and although it's not a huge book, each case is given quite a lot of detail.

It's expositional in style... Reads like a novel at times, but she succinctly covers a lot of ground... Case outcomes (specific and generalised examples), working conditions (which were a surprise), and the process of law are covered with some bias (she works/worked as a criminal defence and family lawyer), but none of it felt stretched.

In fact, she gives a fair account to all sides of the system. The criminals, the prosecutors, the police, the judges, and the victims.

And, of course, she laments the atrocious mismanagement and under-funding of the courts by the government, but is most effective in doing this, when she walks you through the story of her charges.

Well worth the time.

I may have to get round to The Secret Barrister too by the sound of it.

poprock wrote:

Hype train boarded. One way ticket to hypesville.

Innnnnnn day 1 on that.