Nice Guy Eddie's reading list from now

[Philip Stein]

Yes, I agree, it was like a companion piece to Dead Famous, wasn't it? My only problem with Chart Throb was that it went on for far too long, so that it really did feel like a 16-week series of The X Factor! Maybe that was the point, but I could have done with 100 pages knocked off. The lack of a secondary plot, which Dead Famous had with the murder mystery to keep things bubbling, was the problem I think.

 

I was interested in reading Blind Faith, as I thought from the blurb it was about, well, faith - a subject interesting to me - but Eddie's lukewarm comments kind of put me off.

[NiceguyEddie]

Dead Famous was good, but I suppose the thing that I found annoying about Blind Faith was that he was attacking the same things, but with a slant. The language of the survivors of the big flood was very much Big Brother language. "Bigging up" & that sort of thing. It was just a bit predictable.

 

I liked The First Casualty & the Friends Reunited one (also full of the same targets btw). The First Casualty was interesting in that it was a departure from his usual genre.

 

I agree with Phillip about Stark which was why I qualified my answer about which was his best. I wonder how it would stack up now? Especially as I'm sick of the "green" subject. I think from memory that once I got over the surprise of the hero of Gridlock having cerebral palsy, I enjoyed Gridlock more than Stark.

[NiceguyEddie]

I should add that I've just finished listening to an unabridged Angels in the Gloom by Anne Perry. In the house I have an early Harlan Coben on the go (Fade away I think) and in the car I'm listening to The Hobbit. Both unabridged.

[NiceguyEddie]

Sadly I've finished Dissolution. I feel I may be a bit of a C J Sansom bore so I won't dwell on it other that to say that I still have one to read; Dark Fire. I honestly can't recommend the series enough. They are so, so good.

 

I'm not sure what to read next. I'll have a look a bit later.

[NiceguyEddie]

I started When We Were Orphans last night. This is the third Ishiguro(sp?) I've read and each one has been told in the first person.

[Philip Stein]

Just like the other three! - Ishiguro specialises in first person narrators, usually of the less-than-reliable variety. Christopher Banks in When We Were Orphans is probably the least reliable of them all. Will be interested to know what you make of it, Eddie; it's one of Ishiguro's stranger books, along with The Unconsoled. One friend of mine absolutely hated it but when discussing it with him, I felt he was coming at it from the wrong angle.

[NiceguyEddie]

Just like the other three! - Ishiguro specialises in first person narrators, usually of the less-than-reliable variety. Christopher Banks in When We Were Orphans is probably the least reliable of them all. Will be interested to know what you make of it, Eddie; it's one of Ishiguro's stranger books, along with The Unconsoled. One friend of mine absolutely hated it but when discussing it with him, I felt he was coming at it from the wrong angle.

 

So far I like it. One of the things I like about Ishiguro is the way he never lays anything out for. Facts just emerge. You're never told Banks is a detective, but instead something like "my last case was an easy one". His last novel was the same. It's almost assumed that the reader knows.

[Philip Stein]

You're never told Banks is a detective, but instead something like "my last case was an easy one".

 

Ah, but is he?

[NiceguyEddie]

Ah, but is he?

 

You're worse than me. I'm always plot spoiling my wife's current book if I've already read it.

[Philip Stein]

Sorry, didn't mean to!

[NiceguyEddie]

Ah, but is he?

 

Philip, you are such a tease.

 

I really enjoyed it. It was a little strange in places, such as when Banks is taken back to his childhood home. He's an odd fellow generally - pompous mostly. But I thought it was very good.

 

Brothers Karamazov next. See you in a couple of weeks.

[NiceguyEddie]

It seems to have taken forever, but I finally finished The Brothers Karamazov last night. In places I thought it was great, for example the dealing with Illyusha's (sp?) illness & a couple of speeches from Ivan. But overall I felt it was too long and overly melodramatic. I really enjoyed Crime & Punishment so was a bit disappointed that I didn't think the same of this one. There were some interesting things in it, but hmmm, it was hard work.

 

To contrast, I've gone for an easy & funny read - Driving Big Davie by Colin Bateman. The latest I think in the Dan Starkey series. The first of which I read many moons ago; Divorcing Jack.

[NiceguyEddie]

I've recently read Driving Big Davie & the new Inspector Banks. I've just started Call Me the Breeze by Patrick McCabe.

[NiceguyEddie]

Hello all. Been on a sabbatical.

 

I've been doing lots of reading & listening. I've just finished on audio Case of Exploding Mangoes which I'm reviewing for http://www.soundcommentary.com/

 

I've just finished reading Monstrous Regiment and have finally started the new P. D. James.