Brian.
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Bit undecided what to read next, here is a short list of what I'm looking at. Anyone wish to offer any input as to what I should go for?
The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Age of Reason - Jean Paul Sartre
Snow - Orhan Pamuk
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Slave Girl - Sarah Forsyth
It's So Easy - Duff McKagan
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The Hacienda, How Not to Run a Club by Peter Hook
Synopsis
Peter Hook, as co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, has been shaping the course of popular music for thirty years. He provided the propulsive bass guitar melodies of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and the bestselling 12-inch single ever, 'Blue Monday' among many other songs. As co-owner of Manchester's Hacienda club, Hook propelled the rise of acid house in the late 1980s, then suffered through its violent fall in the 1990s as gangs, drugs, greed and a hostile police force destroyed everything he and his friends had created. This is his memory of that era and 'it's far sadder, funnier, scarier and stranger' than anyone has imagined. As young and naive musicians, the members of New Order were thrilled when their record label Factory opened a club. Yet as their career escalated, they toured the world and had top ten hits, their royalties were being ploughed into the Hacienda and they were only being paid GBP20 per week. Peter Hook looked back at that exciting and hilarious time to write HACIENDA. All the main characters appear - Tony Wilson, Barney, Shaun Ryder - and Hook tells it like it was - a rollercoaster of success, money, confusion and true faith. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I decided this afternoon that after the slightly laborious 'On The Road' that I needed something lighter to read and plucked this off the shelf. It had been recommended to me by a couple of my friends, one who was into the club scene at the time and a few who werent.
On starting it I was glad that Peter Hook doesnt spend any time talking about his life as a kid or anything prior to Joy Division. I bought the book to read about the Hacienda and have been disappointed about with tedious details about childhood in previous biographies. Joy Division is only briefly covered and there isnt a huge amount of detail about New Order, so its probably best to go elswhere if you want more about this.
The book is broken up into chapters for each year of the Hacienda with some details about the accounts for that year and meeting minutes at the end of each one. In the middle of the book there are 8 pages of glossy pictures. The one thing that is really striking throughout the story is the mind staggering amount of money that was wasted during the time of the Hacienda. Its a surprise that it wasnt closed much earlier than it was.
There is the inevitable drug and alcohol use throughout the story and towards the end, the violence that paid a huge part in the downfall of the club. I found myself not really feeling too much sympathy with anyone from the story except for Ang Matthews who was an assistant manager from 1989. She is cast as a bit of an unsung hero of the club. She stuck through with it until the end standing to gain not a great deal but exposing herself to a myraid of dangers.
I would say this book is worth a read to anyone who is interested in the Hacienda, I got through it in no time at all.
7/10
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Started reading 'The Hacienda, How Not To Run A Club' by Peter Hook.
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I am an Aircraft Engineer, I maintain, repair and modify aircraft so they can keep flying throughout the year. Its pretty much all I've done since leaving college and most of the time I really enjoy it. At times, working outside in the cold and rain throughout the night gets irritating but at least it keeps things interesting. In the beginning I didnt think I would ever qualify but it made all the studying (5 years) worth it in the end.
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Finished reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac. At one point I thought I was going to abandon it but eventually I got caught up in it. Still hard reading in places due to his way of writing but it also helps add life to some of the passages.
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On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Synopsis
On The Road, the most famous of Jack Kerouac's works, is not only the soul of the Beat movement and literature, but one of the most important novels of the century. Like nearly all of Kerouac's writing, On The Road is thinly fictionalised autobiography, filled with a cast made of Kerouac's real life friends, lovers and fellow travellers. Narrated by Sal Paradise, one of Kerouac's alter-egos, this cross-country bohemian odyssey not only influenced writing in the years since its 1957 publication but penetrated into the deepest levels of American thought and culture.
On the Road swings to the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, generosity, chill dawns and drugs, with Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty, traveller and mystic, the living epitome of Beat. Now recognized as a modern classic, its American Dream is nearer that of Walt Whitman than Scott Fitzgerald, and it goes racing towards the sunset with unforgettable exuberance, poignancy and autobiographical passion. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I've had this sitting on my shelf for a little while now and pushed on by my enjoyment of Junky by Burroughs I decided it was time to give it a go. I actually also have 'The Dharma Bums' on my shelf but decided to go for this as its longer and also Kerouac's most famous work. As usual with the Penguin Modern Classics series there is an intro about the author and the book itself. This section of the book adds some interesting background to the story, especially the fact that he wrote it all in a 3 week burst on a single roll of paper.
I have a rule where any book I pick up gets 100 pages to draw me in and gain my interest. If it fails to do this I tend to hand it away to anyone who wants it. So far this rule has served me well, I have only given up on a couple of books. Initially I thought that this book was going to be a disaster, I just couldn't get into it. I found the prose hard to follow in places, in particular because of Kerouac's tendency to insanely long sentences. I couldn't wait to hit page 100 knowing that I could put the book aside but at the same time feeling sad that a modern classic had passed me by without effect.
Eventually though this changed and I started to find myself being drawn in and wanting to read on. The prose was still a pain to navigate at times but it has an energy to it. There is some real zeal to the writing especially in places where Moriarty is in a frenzied state of excitement. This is very evident when he is caught up in a new exciting place such as New Orleans or when they are watching Jazz musicians perform. During these parts I saw a glimmer or what caught the imagination of people when the book was first published. I could feel the excitement that the book would have created for young men wanting to travel carefree across America and beyond.
I really liked Sal Paradise (Kerouac) although found his looking up to Dean Moriarty (Cassady) a bit bewildering. Moriarty didnt appeal to me, I understand being carefree and wanting to live the simple life but criminality stretches it too far for me. As the book progresses you can feel Moriarty starting to lose grip mentally. He starts off as a bit of a likeable pain and slowly becomes an asshole (excuse my language).
Overall I liked the book, I found some of the prose great and some of it really self indulgent drivel. I had hoped it would be more like Burroughs in Junky and it was quite different. I don't think its a book I will return to, I think I may have come to it too late in life to full appreciate it's gift. I am however very glad I stuck with it, its not a book that I will instantly forget. I suspect I will read 'The Dharma Bums', just not for a while. I am more likely to read more Burroughs next time I am in a 'Beat' mood than Kerouac.
6/10
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Lustrum by Robert Harris
Synopsis
A historical novel that cannily utilises elements of the thriller but attempts something far more challenging than most proponents of that genre. Harris’s continuing theme is the battle for power, and this Rome-set narrative deals with the years around 63BC when Cicero was Consul of Rome, building to the unstoppable accession to power of the canny and ruthless Caesar. Rome, in the process of consolidating its massive empire, resounds to the sounds of a no-holds-barred struggle for influence. The protagonists here are the canny consul Cicero, the equally Machiavellian Caesar, the Republic's eminent general Pompey and the hyper-rich Crassus. These real historical figures (and others, including the psychopathic Catilina) are stirred into a very heady brew by Robert Harris, beginning when the body of a child, grotesquely mutilated, is discovered. The trial and execution that follows plunges the city of Rome into a ferment as destabilising as anything it has faced. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
A word of warning to start with, this book is known as Conspirata in some countries and this has caught some people out. Harris has intended for there to be a trilogy in this series of books. The first one is 'Imperium' and this (Lustrum/Conspirata) is the second. The third is on the way, I wish he would hurry up but I understand that Harris' research takes a long time and he has just finished 'The Fear Index'. I would recommend reading 'Imperium' first although it is not required, in fact there has been a considerable time between my reading 'Imperium' and 'Lustrum'.
So onto the book, it continues the tale of Cicero a Roman politician and his struggle for power in a very unstable time in Roman history. Cicero is an instantly likeable character in no small part to the fact that the story is told by his secretary and chief note-taker Tiro. The use of Tiro to tell the story is a very good move in my opinion because he is a humble narrator with little in the way of an agenda. One of the other instantly likeable aspects of the story is that unlike the first book, Cicero makes mistakes and is prone to mental meltdown and mood swings. He also gets carried away with his own power, in some respects turning into what he dislikes most about Roman society. To me this indicates the severity of the struggle he faces in comparison to the first book.
I am not expert on Roman history but by using real people like Caesar it helps cut down the time and pages spent going over a back story. Even with this fact a knowledge of Roman times and customs is not required as everything just seems to fit and makes sense. Due to the deviousness of his enemies there is always something going on in the background. As the story went on I found myself wondering who was responsible for what and what plans were being thought of next. I read through the 450 pages of this book in 2 days, something I very rarely manage to do and I simply couldn't really put it down. Plot twists come thick and fast and there is always something going on. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I can't wait for the last one to come along.
9/10
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That shop looks like a real gem of a store, its a shame that the independent bookshops are becoming more and more scarce.
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I've now got to around halfway through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - and it's still a bit slow! I had been warned it takes a while to get into so I'm still hopeful.
I found the same with all 3 of the books in the trilogy. Slow to get going but once they did I raced through the books in no time at all.
Blazed through the rest of Lustrum by Robert Harris today, fantastic book. I wish he would hurry up with the next one in the series.
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Making my way through Lustrum by Robert Harris, so far read about 100 pages today. Great book full of intrigue so far.
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2 more Robert Harris titles which may be worth considering. Imperium and Lustrum, both are based around Roman politics and are part of a trilogy (the 3rd is not published yet).
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That's just gone on my Christmas list. What I most remember is wondering if we'd get through the Reagan-Thatcher era without the Third (and what would definitely have been the last) World War!
In my very humble opinion you will really enjoy it. If for some reason you don't get it let me know, I'm willing to swap it.
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Cold War by Jeremy Isaacs & Taylor Downing
Synopsis
Cold War is the story of the half-century since the end of the Second World War - the story of our lives. Its framework is the confrontation, military and ideological, between two great powers that dominated the world during these years. It is a story of crises and conflict on a global scale: from the Berlin Blockade and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the tanks in the streets of Warsaw, Budapest and Prague, to spies, student riots and encounters in space. In Cold War, Jeremy Isaacs and Taylor Downing record epic history through the detail of individual human experience: the recollections not only of statesmen whose decisions led to these momentous events, but also of the ordinary men and women whose lives were bound up in these years of conflict. Cold War is the first comprehensive history for the general reader to benefit from the recent opening of Soviet, East European and Chinese archives as well as formerly classified American documents. In a driving narrative that it both gripping and informative, the true story of the Cold War can at last be told. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
This is a very readable account of the Cold War and as I found out after I had read it, tied in with a TV series. Books on this kind of subject can be pretty hard to get through, especially being politcally based rather than 'war based. This book however is very easy to get through if a little simplified and American centric at times. I really liked the way that its split into a roughly chronological order but with each section focusing on an event rather than a rigid time line.
I vaguely remember the wall coming down but my knowledge of the Cold War was limited to that prior to reading the book and I'm glad to say that my lack of knowledge didnt impede my reading of the book. Its a period of time I find fascinating so being able to flesh out the little bits I knew was great. I would have liked more photos in the book. There are a few black and white images printed throughout the book but no glossy colour photos in the middle like most non-fiction titles I read. Also throughout the book are notes detailing important people or events in a very succinct way. They werent really needed in my opinion but might prove useful for people who know nothing about the cold war.
A fascinating read.
8/10
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I didnt realise Bob Shepherd had written a novel. I've read his non-fiction title 'The Circuit' which is about working for private security firms in war zones around the world. Its a pretty good read so I might have to get a copy of 'Infidel'.
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Junky by William S. Burroughs
Synopsis
Burroughs’ first novel, a largely autobiographical account of the constant cycle of drug dependency, cures and relapses, remains the most unflinching, unsentimental account of addiction ever written. Through junk neighbourhoods in New York, New Orleans and Mexico City, through time spent kicking, time spent dealing and time rolling drunks for money, through junk sickness and a sanatorium, Junky is a field report (by a writer trained in anthropology at Harvard) from the American post-war drug underground. A cult classic, it has influenced generations of writers with its raw, sparse and unapologetic tone. This definitive edition painstakingly recreates the author’s original text word for word. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
This is another book I bought on the strength of it being in '1001 Book to Read Before You Die'. I've wanted to get into some of the works of the 'beat' writers of the time and this seemed to be a good way in. Plus I do love collecting the Penguin modern classics. Usually I don't think the foreword add a huge amount to these books but I found this to be the exception. I really enjoyed the description of how the different editions were published and it seemed fitting that initially it was printed as an Ace Double.
I really liked the tone taken by Burroughs in the text, somehow managing to sound autobiographical and not at the same time. His dry and straightforward observations fit perfectly with the subject matter. There is no pity asked or expected, everything is just laid out as is. The almost off hand way he deals with his homosexuality is striking, more so given the period of history it comes from.
Its difficult to say how true to the time this is but it would seem that certainly in the early parts of the story drug use was rife and almost accepted as a norm. As the Feds step up the locking up of junkies you can feel the change of attitude from Burroughs. In one hand he hates it but in the other he comes across almost relieved at being almost forced into rehab. The coverage of the time spent in the Sanatorium is in equal parts fascinating and horrifying.
I loved this book and really look forward to reading 'Queer' and other 'Beat' classics.
9/10
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Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Synopsis
When good-time, fortysomething Molly Lane dies of an unspecified degenerative illness, her many friends and numerous lovers are led to think about their own mortality. Vernon Halliday, editor of the up-market newspaper The Judge, persuades his old friend Clive Linley, a self-indulgent composer of some reputation, to enter into a euthanasia pact with him. Should either of them succumb to such an illness, the other will effect his death. From this point onwards we are in little doubt as to the novel's outcome--it's only a matter of who will kill whom. In the meantime, compromising photographs of Molly's most distinguished lover, foreign secretary Julian Garmony, have found their way into the hands of the press, and as rumours circulate he teeters on the edge of disgrace. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
The best way I can describe my feeling towards this book is 'meh'. Its just as well its a short book as I think I would have discarded it before the end otherwise. I picked it up because of some of the reviews I had read and whilst it wont put me off McEwan's work I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't really engage with any of the characters and apart from being horrified that Clive stood by whilst a woman was attacked it didnt move me at all. The ending came as a little surprising but not enough to cause me to change my opinions on it.
I'm sure that this book isnt bad, its just not for me. If anyone wants this let me know, its up for grab.
4/10
Must post these more frequently.
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I hadnt noticed that, it certainly wasnt intentional. I'm thinking of doing the World Books challenge so Snow would help knock one off the list.
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Well despite promising myself that I wouldnt buy anymore books I just couldnt resist picking up a couple in Waterstones.
Money - Martin Amis
Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
Snow - Orhan Pamuk
Junky - William Burroughs
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I don't mind what condition they are in as long as they are readable especially if its something I've been wanting to read for a while. I've got so many books that its madness me keeping them just for the sake of keeping them as I very rarely re-read anything.
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Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein
Synopsis
From the only American journalist ever to have been admitted to the insular Tokyo Metropolitan Police press club: a unique, firsthand, revelatory look at Japanese culture from the underbelly up. At nineteen, Jake Adelstein went to Japan in search of peace and tranquility. What he got was a life of crime ...crime reporting, that is, at the prestigious Yomiuri Shinbun. For twelve years of eighty-hour workweeks, he covered the seedy side of Japan, where extortion, murder, human trafficking, and corruption are as familiar as ramen noodles and sake. But when his final scoop brought him face to face with Japan's most infamous yakuza boss - and the threat of death for him and his family - Adelstein decided to step down ...momentarily. Then, he fought back. In Tokyo Vice, Adelstein tells the riveting, often humorous tale of his journey from an inexperienced cub reporter - who made rookie mistakes like getting into a martial-arts battle with a senior editor - to a daring, investigative journalist with a price on his head. With its vivid, visceral descriptions of crime in Japan and an exploration of the world of modern-day yakuza that even few Japanese ever see, Tokyo Vice is a deeply thought-provoking book: equal parts cultural expose, true crime, and hard-boiled noir. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I picked this book up in my local Waterstones whilst browsing as it was marked up as a staff pick and I find true crime and Japanese Culture fascinating, the cover also caught my attention.
The book is an account of life as an outsider on the Tokyo police beat. As an outsider he has to work extra hard to make his mark and be taken seriously as a reporter. Initially this means being given everyday inane stories to report on while learning how the whole relationship between reporters and police works. In a nutshell, you strike up a relationship with a senior police officer with gifts for them and their family and over a drink an exchange of info may occur. This is seen as perfectly normal in Japan and the alcohol gives the police officer a way out should there every be an issue. Although quite a few of the police and his colleagues refuse to deal with him some take him under their wing, probably intrigued by this strange westerner. This means that Adelstein doesn't see himself or act as an American but at the same time the Japanese don't see him as one of them. This leaves him in a very strange middle ground.
The whole Yakuza situation is bizarre and almost beyond belief to someone alien to Japan. The Yakuza all dress the same as in the movies, movies they usually finance themselves. They are in organised clubs which at the time were perfectly legal and are involved in organised crime. At the same time as being involved in crime they are portrayed as not affecting the everyday man and even helping them out. Make no mistake though, they are not to be messed with.
Another bizarre aspect of the story takes place in and around the 'sex' industry in Tokyo. I use the term sex loosely as the laws regarding the sex industry are complex. Adelstein makes no bones about the fact that although he doesn't fully partake in the wares he doesn't shy away from them either. During this phase he also talks about the hostess clubs where Japanese business men can can hire western women for the evening. Although sex is not specifically on the menu the under current of it is always there. It's here he in involved, albeit on the edges of the Lucie Blackman story. He is less than complimentary about the way the investigation is handled by the Japanese police.
The finale of the story is his involvement with a threat from a very senior Yakuza boss. The threat is in keeping with the rest of the story, its odd. I would expect that when a crime boss decides to kill a reporter, especially a foreign one, they would just do so. In this case though, he is told to forget about his story otherwise face the consequences. I imagine that the Yakuza expected Adelstein to act like a local reporter would and heed his warning. In this case Adelstein bides his time and then hits back in the one way he knows how.
In summary, this is a very good book, especially if you have an interest in true crime and Japan. It's on my swap list for those interested in it.
7/10
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Synopsis
The title The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (or the curious incident of the dog in the night-time as it appears within the book) is an appropriate one for Mark Haddon's ingenious novel both because of its reference to that most obsessive and fact-obsessed of detectives, Sherlock Holmes, and because its lower-case letters indicate something important about its narrator.
Christopher is an intelligent youth who lives in the functional hinterland of autism--every day is an investigation for him because of all the aspects of human life that he does not quite get. When the dog next door is killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly persistent in his desire to find out what has happened and tugs away at the world around him until a lot of secrets unravel messily. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I've had this sitting on the TBR pile figuratively speaking since Christmas last year not knowing what it was about. I was after something that I could make short work of after 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest'. I read the blurb on the back and decided to give it a crack. For info, I have a family member who is Autistic so can relate to the main character although as many have stated he seems a bit forced at times. This isnt a big criticism as trying to write from the point of view of a disabled 15 year old must have been tricky to do.
It was certainly a quick read, I read it in the space of a few hours thanks to its simple plot. The wandering thoughts of Christopher are required most of the time but occasionally it feels as if they are just there to fill page space. I also found it a bit of a cliche that Christopher is a bit of a maths genius. His interest in wildlife documentaries is something that I've seen in a few Autistic kids though.
The story really gripped me emotionally, more so than I expected. It was difficult thinking his dad was a shhhhhhh but at the same time feeling really sympathetic with what he was dealing with at the time. The twist with the mother wasnt a huge surprise because her story early on in the book just didnt seem right. I don't know if that was intentional or not.
One thing I was happy about what the way the story ended. I always prefer realistic endings to pie in the sky happy one and Christopher's declaration about his future plans were in keeping with my experiences. Reading my thoughts it would seem as though I have a bit of a downer on the book but I don't. It really moved me emotionally.
If anyone wants the swap I'll be adding it to my swap list soon.
9/10
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The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Synopsis
A young girl lies in a hospital room, her tattooed body very close to death -- there is a bullet lodged in her brain. Several rooms away is the man who tried to kill her, his own body grievously wounded from axe blows inflicted by the girl he has tried to kill. She is Lisbeth Salander, computer hacker and investigator, and the man is her father, a murderous Russian gangster. If Salander recovers from her injuries, she is more than likely to be put on trial for three murders -- the authorities regard her as a dangerous individual. But she won't see the inside of a courtroom if her father manages to kill her first. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
So finally I managed to get round to reading the last book in the Millennium trilogy. For some reason I have a habit of reading books in series quite far apart from each other and its taken me a while to get to this one. Like the other books in the series it took me a while to get into this, about 200 pages in. Some of this is probably down the gap I've left between books and also down to the new characters being introduced. Initially I was unsure how the court drama aspect of the story would work out but as it turns out its not a huge part.
As with the other books once I got hooked in I couldn't stop reading, so much so that I was reading it at every opportunity. The action aspect as previously is a little daft at times but not distractingly so. One thing I've really liked about Larsson is the way he flicks between the sub-plots. I thought that he could have been a bit more ruthless with characters, a bonus death of one of the 'good guys' wouldnt have been a bad thing I think but I guess he wanted the book to have a happy ending.
When I finished the book I felt regret. Regret that I had reached the end of the line. It would be great to read another story about Salander, Blomkvist, Berger etc. A great trilogy, in fact each of the books have been borrowed off me by numerous friends and work mates.
8/10
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Finally managed to finish the Millenium trilogy by Steig Larsson. A bit sad that its all over now, I shall post up a review in the next few days. Unsure what to read next now though.
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Its not just me who has to read certain books in utter silence. Not a problem at home but a whole other matter at work.
Google Today
in General Chat
Posted
Today google is commemerating Mark Twain, it would be his birthday I believe. It warms the heart a little, I woke up and found that amongst the usual celeb rubbish Mark Twain was trending and has been all morning.