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    Shakespeare's Local is very readable. Especially as I do pop in there if I'm in the area.

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      Sorry, it's not a book. Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments were a late 60s rock band. Clearly not the same guy.

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        Originally posted by gt3 View Post
        Shakespeare's Local is very readable. Especially as I do pop in there if I'm in the area.
        To Pete Brown credit he did make it a pub you would definitely want to visit. If ever in locale.

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          Finished Mexican Gothic last night, and would highly recommend it to anyone who fancies a good bit of unsettling horror.

          I've now started Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott. From what I've heard about it (it was recommended by a listener to Rex Factor in one of their Patreon special episodes, I think) it's set in a village somewhere in England that was sort of ... expelled from the rest of the country by Elizabeth I and has remained frozen in time, or something. I've only read the prologue so far, so I'm not sure how accurately I'm remembering the recommendation. Lots of online reviews say it's fascinating and rather odd, so I shall report back.

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            Ironically I am not bingeing on 'Binge' by Douglas Coupland which is a collection of very short vignettes. (It would be a stretch to call them stories.)

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              On a similar note, I'm currently reading Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson (and Other Very Short Stories) by Jack Remiel Cottrell, which is mostly in the form of flash fiction – which we might once have called vignettes. All the stories are under 300 words, and a lot read more like prosey poems than actual stories. I kind of like it, I think...

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                Finished Rotherweird on Friday night. Very enjoyable. Part alternative history, part fantasy and part mystery. Will certainly read the sequel at some point, though I think some of the praise discussing just how strange and out there it is must be coming from people who normally only read Very Serious Books.

                Tonight I'm going to start Around India in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh.

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                  Anne Tyler-French Braid. Another recommended novel from an author who is consistently excellent at the art of understatement. Familial thread but far removed from a generational saga novel.

                  Graham Joyce-Some Kind Of Fairy Tale. Intriguing idea from an author not familiar with. 15 year old teenage girl goes missing and returns some 20 years later. Though in the land of the fairies-or are they?-she is only aware of being away 6 months. Works well throughout until very end.

                  John Darnielle-Devil House. As above an intriguing idea. Best selling true crime writer takes on commission to write another non-fiction book based on real life events. Uneven though in parts-when it concentrates on the matter in hand its good but when it doesnt its not. Contrarily unlike above the ending satisfies.

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                    I've acquired a three book at a time habit. Currently I'm still working my way through the The Modern Library version of Tales From A Thousand and One Nights. It is remarkable on so many levels. Should really be a set book for grades 11-12, if only to watch the god bothering heads explode across North America. It is a brilliant 1000+ pages on how hiding truth from power can be so subversive. Rich men can do whatever they want to anyone, but are gob-smackingly stupid and can be easily outwitted by. A) all women, who are way smarter and more cunning than any man, though they're excellent at pretending not to be. B) black men (usually slaves who somehow never, ever, get punished for the most flagrant behavior. C) All poor people, especially if they're young and good-looking.

                    I'm juggling A.S. Byatt's Possession at the same time. A book I missed when it was winning accolades (30 years ago... eek!) I find her ability to write as a Victorian/Edwardian with a late 20th Century perspective very clever (not always a good thing) but one I gravitate toward for some reason. (I have my suspicions but won't go into them here.) The central chapters of the book, an extensive written correspondence between two Victorian poets falling in love with each other is a miniature masterpiece on its own.

                    My present 'bed-time' book is Lamb: The Gospel According Biff Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. The premise is both simple and entertaining. The gospels say nothing about Christ from his birth until he's about thirty, this fills in the gap. Biff decides to write the fifth gospel. But to do so he has to come back to earth. He's supervised by Raziel an angel. They stay together in a medium priced hotel in New York where Raziel watches soap operas and wrestling all day — he's not too bright, angels look impressive but really they're just messengers who don't have to think for themselves too much. He can't understand how the TV Guide knows what's going to happen in Days Of Our Lives before it's been broadcast. It's surely a miracle! Most of the gospel tells of Christ and Biff's expedition through Asia to find the Three Wise Men and ask them why they showed up for the nativity. It's fun, slightly gormless but written with wit and intelligence

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                      I am also a three at a time reader. To prevent repetition or confusion I always attempt to juggle subject matters. So will always be mix of fiction & non-fiction. And mix of genre within that parameter. And mix of male/female author. And mix of geographical location.

                      So at moment-

                      Bee Wilson-The Way We Eat Now. Thought provoking read about how recently & quickly global attitudes to food and diets are changing.

                      Meg Wolitzer-The Position. Intriguing premise regarding affects on a family following the publication of a sex manual starring the two parents.

                      Aaron Rogan-Punters. How Paddy Power Bet Billions & Changed Gambling Forever. Just recently started but early impression is will be as described on the tin.

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                        Finished Around India in 80 Trains last night, and very good it is too. At some point today I'll start How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones.

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                          Am rather ambitiously attempting Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume 1 stuck to the knitting and brought us up from Trajan to Constantine, but Volume 2 became bogged down in the intricacies of the early Christian Church, so Volume 3 must do far better!

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                            Currently reading Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club, a recent birthday gift, which it seems I'm about the last in the country to get round to. It's actually really good – a bit daft, very funny at times, but also very poignant in its depictions of old age in the more serious moments. Not sure I'll bother with the sequels (far too many other things higher up the priority reading list), but fair play I have very much enjoyed this one.

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                              I make it a point to steer clear of novels with long titles and the word 'club' at the end of some hilariously unlikely institution. Fuck off, marketing department.

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                                Sarah Hall-Burntcoat. Very much a niche name in fiction these days is Sarah. Think Walters & Moss. Have been wanting to catch up with Hall for a while & it stands comparisons with her namesakes. Deliberately set against Covid pandemic it explores family and love connections very well. There a further background as to importance of art which is not so engrossing but that probably says more about me than author.

                                Matt Wesoloswski-Hydra. Second in his Six Stories chronology. Which naturally extends to six novels. Said in review of first one that had bought each under impression that it was an ongoing narrative covering whole of author output but realised each going to be a stand alone story. And having read second one this could be a problem. The virtues that made the debut story original and provoking already becoming repetitive. And there still 4 to go. To author credit not ready yet to pack it in.

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                                  Originally posted by imp View Post
                                  I make it a point to steer clear of novels with long titles and the word 'club' at the end of some hilariously unlikely institution. Fuck off, marketing department.
                                  I generally make it a point to steer clear of novels written by people who got famous being funny (or "funny") on TV. Even if, as in the case of Osman, I've never seen their TV material. On the whole TV comedians are good at TV comedy and authors are good at writing. There's no real reason to expect overlap.

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                                    I finally got around to reading The Judge's List by John Grisham this week, my wife having bought it for me for Christmas last year. I then followed it up by immediately reading The Partner for the second time yesterday and today.

                                    I'm a sucker for a John Grisham novel, they're easy to read and I like his style. I'll start Camino Winds tomorrow. I've had that since my birthday last year, but I'm funny with reading. I'll not read for months, then binge over a couple of weeks.

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                                      My first ever novel in Spanish was a John Grishman one - The Runaway Jury. If one is learning a language, airport novels translated from English is the way to go, at least initially. Nice and easy.

                                      "I generally make it a point to steer clear of novels written by people who got famous being funny (or "funny") on TV. Even if, as in the case of Osman, I've never seen their TV material. On the whole TV comedians are good at TV comedy and authors are good at writing. There's no real reason to expect overlap."

                                      I'd widen that to not just comedians but most celebrities. It seems especially predominant in children's literature. I'm guessing because celebs see writing children's fiction as the easy option. I often think that proper authors, who have spent an entire career writing novels, must get so irate when looking at a Sunday Times bestseller list.

                                      To his credit, in his interviews I have often heard Osman credit other crime writers and makes a lot of the fact that he has been accepted into their world.



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                                        I've heard that Osman has a bit of respect from crime writers in part because he actually really is the author of his book, which isn't the case for an awful lot of celebrity 'authors'. Most of them put their name to something knowing it'll sell and let a ghost writer do the rest. I believe another exception to this rule is David Walliams, whose children's books – or at least, so I have on good authority – are every bit as terrible as they are popular.

                                        I finished How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House last night, and it's yet another hearty recommendation from me. I've now started Shadow City by Taran Khan. She's an Indian journalist who spent a lot of time in Kabul between 2006 and 2013, and this book is a non-fiction book about the city, with the springboard for the stories being her frequent wandering walks through the city. I bought it some time back, so reading it in the light of what's happened there since will be interesting.

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                                          Originally posted by Sam View Post
                                          've heard that Osman has a bit of respect from crime writers in part because he actually really is the author of his book, which isn't the case for an awful lot of celebrity 'authors'. Most of them put their name to something knowing it'll sell and let a ghost writer do the rest. I believe another exception to this rule is David Walliams, whose children's books – or at least, so I have on good authority – are every bit as terrible as they are popular.


                                          He is the McDonalds food of children's literature. The books are really bad. I've never been able to finish one. And yet, as you say, incredibly popular. I've had kids in my class clamour for me to read them one. And yet, after a few chapters in, they are as bored as I am.

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                                            Originally posted by Simon G View Post
                                            I finally got around to reading The Judge's List by John Grisham this week, my wife having bought it for me for Christmas last year. I then followed it up by immediately reading The Partner for the second time yesterday and today.

                                            I'm a sucker for a John Grisham novel, they're easy to read and I like his style. I'll start Camino Winds tomorrow. I've had that since my birthday last year, but I'm funny with reading. I'll not read for months, then binge over a couple of weeks.
                                            I'll always remember ex-Palace player Aki Riihilahti when he used to write a weekly diary column (published in the Guardian, possibly?) once including in his weekly list of things he did NOT recommend: "Reading more than one book from John Grisham". I read The Runaway Jury and enjoyed it, but have since followed Aki's advice.

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                                              We used to listen to the audio versions of David Walliams books while on long car journeys and I have to say we really enjoyed them, including our then ten or so year old son.

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                                                Originally posted by Jobi1 View Post

                                                I'll always remember ex-Palace player Aki Riihilahti when he used to write a weekly diary column (published in the Guardian, possibly?) once including in his weekly list of things he did NOT recommend: "Reading more than one book from John Grisham". I read The Runaway Jury and enjoyed it, but have since followed Aki's advice.
                                                Funnily enough, I've never read The Runaway Jury. My favuorite is probably The Partner, although I still love A Time to Kill.

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                                                  Originally posted by Simon G View Post

                                                  Funnily enough, I've never read The Runaway Jury. My favuorite is probably The Partner, although I still love A Time to Kill.
                                                  Like Jobi, it was the only one I have ever read - and I think that was because the Spanish copy was given away free with El Pais, I think. It has probably dated somewhat as, if I remember correctly, it was about the all-powerful grip of the tobacco industry, trying to rig a civil tobacco trail.

                                                  The Rural Juror by John Grisham's brother, Kevin, is better, in my opinion:

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                                                    One Grisham book definitely worth a read is the non-fiction "The Innocent Man". A sort of beginner's guide to miscarriages of justice, in this case Oklahoma. As so often, the authorities quickly decide on their own verdict, and pushing back from that is a nightmare ordeal, where evidence to the contrary no longer matters.

                                                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_In...n_a_Small_Town

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