Last Book You Read....

[Wee Bully]

Just re-read “A Gift from Nessus” by William McIllvanney.  Based in the late 60’s about a salesman whose life is falling apart.

I love all of his work, especially Docherty, but for some reason this is the one that never seems to be written about, and I think it some of his most compelling writing.  The man was a genius.

[RH33]

24 minutes ago, Wee Bully said:

Just re-read “A Gift from Nessus” by William McIllvanney.  Based in the late 60’s about a salesman whose life is falling apart.

I love all of his work, especially Docherty, but for some reason this is the one that never seems to be written about, and I think it some of his most compelling writing.  The man was a genius.

Never heard of this one, I'll need to get it.

[MSU]

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. I loved Station Eleven and quickly read up her back catalogue which I enjoyed to a greater or lesser degree but nothing was as good as Station Eleven. Her follow-up, The Glass Hotel, was a bit of a disappointment for me, mostly because despite the crisp, exact prose, the subject matter of a Ponzi scheme was just a bit dull. Sea of Tranquility is very much a return to form and is as good as, if not better, than Station Eleven. I pre-ordered this a month or two ago, it downloaded itself to my Kindle this morning, and I was done a few hours later. It's a novel about time, colonization, plague, love, fate, that spans a few centuries and a light-years but despite the scope, it's all pretty much about being human, and how while we suck as a species in a lot of ways, there's beauty in life no matter where it's found. A triumph!

[Craig fae the Vale]

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Gleefully bonkers. Some language that doesn't really hold up to modern times, but generally enjoyable if very very bizarre.

[Paul Kersey]

Tenement Kid - Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie's autobiography.

It's pretty interesting and he quite honest about his upbringing and his internal demons.

He does completely over egg the whole "working class Glaswegian" thing though. I suppose, you can take boy out of Glasgow, but you can't make him shut up about it.

 

 

[Detournement]

The Morning Star - Karl Ove Knausgaard. 

Two years after finishing My Struggle it was an absolute joy to get back into Knausgaard's world. This is a return to fiction but a lot of the themes and situations initially feel very familiar to the previous non fiction series. It involves 9 different Norwgian narrators living through increasing prominent supernatural events that they struggle to recognise due to the pressures of every day life. It's long at 600 odd pages but I tore through it and having looked into it he is talking about a five book series which should cover the rest of the decade. Karl Ove is anti George RR Martin in delivering what he promises. 

Star - Yukio Mishima. 

Just a wee novella after that monster that involves a teen heart throb actor having a secret affair with his ugly female assistant. A decent read but nothing special, other than the ugly girl fetish popping up again it's fairly tame by Mishima's standards. 

[Internet Citizen]

Tenement Kid - Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie's autobiography.
It's pretty interesting and he quite honest about his upbringing and his internal demons.
He does completely over egg the whole "working class Glaswegian" thing though. I suppose, you can take boy out of Glasgow, but you can't make him shut up about it.
 
 

On a similar note, I recently read The Accidental Footballer; Pat Nevin’s autobiography. It’s an interesting read too, and he doesn’t sugar coat the era and issues he and others encountered as a whole, but he doesn’t half lay it on thick that he wasn’t your ‘typical’ footballer. We get it Pat, you don’t need to tell us again in almost every chapter.

[House Bartender]

2 hours ago, Internet Citizen said:

On a similar note, I recently read The Accidental Footballer; Pat Nevin’s autobiography. It’s an interesting read too, and he doesn’t sugar coat the era and issues he and others encountered as a whole, but he doesn’t half lay it on thick that he wasn’t your ‘typical’ footballer. We get it Pat, you don’t need to tell us again in almost every chapter.

Agreed. I'm half way through - a bit too much ego in there. That said, his family dog was talented.

[Ross.]

Barely read a book in the last couple of years, after a long spell of going through two or three a week. Coincided with Covid changing my train to work to a car journey instead. On holiday this week and just finished Le Carre’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”. Absolutely masterful.

[Oystercatcher]

I'm 4 chapters in to the audiobook called prisoners of geography by Tim Marshall.

It's superb and the chapter about Russia and Ukraine, obviously written before the war is a real insight into the situation there.

On the back of it I've already downloaded his new book called the power of geography.

[JamesP_81]

11 hours ago, Oystercatcher said:

I'm 4 chapters in to the audiobook called prisoners of geography by Tim Marshall.

It's superb and the chapter about Russia and Ukraine, obviously written before the war is a real insight into the situation there.

On the back of it I've already downloaded his new book called the power of geography.

Got both of them , they're fascinating . Been meaning to go back and re-read the Russia chapter since the war broke out.  

[paul-r-cfc]

Really enjoyed the first one as well. Broke down a lot of fairly complex information into a more accessible form. Have the second one on my shelf still to read but I also enjoyed "Worth Dying For" which looked at world flags, being the total geek that I am.

[Richey Edwards]

18 hours ago, Ross. said:

Barely read a book in the last couple of years, after a long spell of going through two or three a week. Coincided with Covid changing my train to work to a car journey instead. On holiday this week and just finished Le Carre’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”. Absolutely masterful.

I read a load of his books a few years ago. They are brilliant. 

[Ross.]

4 hours ago, Richey Edwards said:

I read a load of his books a few years ago. They are brilliant. 

I’ve previously read a couple of his later books, always meant to try and pick up some of his early efforts. This one was on sale a few years ago when passing through the airport, picked it up and only now got round to reading it. Wish I had got round to it earlier!

[Wardy]

Just finished Stasiland by Anna Funder. Detailed accounts from both normal civilians and ex-stasi of what is was like in the GDR. A really good, if not quite shocking read. Bought a couple more books the other day one exclusively on the Stasi and the other on checkpoint Charlie. 

[paul-r-cfc]

Just finished Stasiland by Anna Funder. Detailed accounts from both normal civilians and ex-stasi of what is was like in the GDR. A really good, if not quite shocking read. Bought a couple more books the other day one exclusively on the Stasi and the other on checkpoint Charlie. 

Have you read "Stasi Child" by David Young? Historic fiction that follows a female Stasi detective Karen Muller. Interesting insight into their day to day workings and seems quite well researched. Think he's written six so far.

[Wardy]

2 hours ago, paul-r-cfc said:

Have you read "Stasi Child" by David Young? Historic fiction that follows a female Stasi detective Karen Muller. Interesting insight into their day to day workings and seems quite well researched. Think he's written six so far.

Heard of them yeah, but haven’t read any yet, but I’ll keep in mind. Cheers. 

[Craig fae the Vale]

4 minutes ago, Wardy said:

Heard of them yeah, but haven’t read any yet, but I’ll keep in mind. Cheers. 

They're pretty good, I've enjoyed all of them so far.

[Florentine_Pogen]

18 hours ago, Ross. said:

I’ve previously read a couple of his later books, always meant to try and pick up some of his early efforts. This one was on sale a few years ago when passing through the airport, picked it up and only now got round to reading it. Wish I had got round to it earlier!

If you get onto the Smiley v Karla trilogy, make sure to read in order.

'A Perfect Spy' is his best book in my humble opinion, semi-autobiographical stand-alone masterpiece.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Florentine_Pogen

[Richey Edwards]

16 hours ago, Wardy said:

Just finished Stasiland by Anna Funder. Detailed accounts from both normal civilians and ex-stasi of what is was like in the GDR. A really good, if not quite shocking read. Bought a couple more books the other day one exclusively on the Stasi and the other on checkpoint Charlie. 

Have you ever seen the film The Lives of Others?