Books

[Eoin McLove]

It's so much darker and funnier than the film, which is great in its own right too.

I actually can't believe how good it is, every other line is amazing. It's so insightful. Might be just because I'm removed from back home for 10yrs that it's having extra impact on me, but holy shit I can't put it down. It's really capturing a kind of life and humour that just doesn't exist out here in the same way.

I think most of his books are of a high quality, the ones I've read at least.

[ochoill]

Finished reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession this evening, enjoyed it a lot, blasted through it.  Interesting story, without ruining it the general gist is a mountain just appears outside a small town and it goes through years of little interlocking stories of how it affects a group of people.

Got through a little book of Dostoyevsky short stories before that, some were good, some did nothing for me to the point I can't even recall them now.  The Meek One was decent and took up most of the book.

I've Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses queued up to start next.

[Eoin McLove]

Finished reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession this evening, enjoyed it a lot, blasted through it.  Interesting story, without ruining it the general gist is a mountain just appears outside a small town and it goes through years of little interlocking stories of how it affects a group of people.

Got through a little book of Dostoyevsky short stories before that, some were good, some did nothing for me to the point I can't even recall them now.  The Meek One was decent and took up most of the book.

I've Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses queued up to start next.

Ghost Mountain sounds interesting. I may pick it up.

[StoutAndAle]

Finished reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession

I'm a big fan of Hession's first two books, particularly "Leonard & Hungry Paul" but I haven't gotten around to "Ghost Mountain" yet. The cover painting (much like "Panenka") is striking.

[Eoin McLove]

Finished reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession

I'm a big fan of Hession's first two books, particularly "Leonard & Hungry Paul" but I haven't gotten around to "Ghost Mountain" yet. The cover painting (much like "Panenka") is striking.

Oh no, I didn't enjoy Leonard & Hungry Paul at all. I'll give this a miss 

[ochoill]

Finished reading Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession

I'm a big fan of Hession's first two books, particularly "Leonard & Hungry Paul" but I haven't gotten around to "Ghost Mountain" yet. The cover painting (much like "Panenka") is striking.

Never read his other books but will give them a go after this.  It was the cover and idea that grabbed me, turned out different than I expected but still very good.

Oh no, I didn't enjoy Leonard & Hungry Paul at all. I'll give this a miss 

A short lived curiousity I won't lie, the first few chapters I wasn't sure if it was grabbing me but suddenly I was most of the way through the book.  Enjoyed the style of it a lot.

[Don Gately]

I liked hungry paul alot is Panenka any good though we have that but wife didnt rate it.
Im currently reading Far from thr madding crowd by Thomas Hardy

[Eoin McLove]

Grabbed the new Ian McEwan, What We Can Know. Sceitimíní.

Edit. I just finished this. Superb. A slow start to it, much like his last one, Lessons, but once it gets going it's really good. Some really funny parts in it, some harrowing stuff and a little bit of dark brutality which calls back to some of his earlier writing. The man is getting on so who knows how many more novels we'll get from him, but I really hope there'll be more. He has such a distinctive voice but is so endlessly creative with it/ in it. 

[Carnage]

Kim Gordon: Girl In A Band - Don't bother. It was interesting when she talked about Sonic Youth (each album gets a chapter, though even that tails off toward the end) but otherwise she turns an early life that could have been interesting into a borefest, and extended sections on the New York art scene in the '80s are terminally dull. Unitentionally ironic snobbery is all over it. I'll give her credit for being quite restrained about the marriage breakup - aside from the opening chapter, which could have been called Thurston Is A Big Meanie And I Hate Him.

[Mooncat]

Kim Gordon: Girl In A Band - Don't bother. It was interesting when she talked about Sonic Youth (each album gets a chapter, though even that tails off toward the end) but otherwise she turns an early life that could have been interesting into a borefest, and extended sections on the New York art scene in the '80s are terminally dull. Unitentionally ironic snobbery is all over it. I'll give her credit for being quite restrained about the marriage breakup - aside from the opening chapter, which could have been called Thurston Is A Big Meanie And I Hate Him.

Like visual art? What was her involvement in that scene?

[Mooncat]

Miles Davis's bio

Such a fun read. He's so blunt with the way he talks that it's really engaging. The style is very informal, like he's just talking to you over a drink at a bar, and it's a refreshing read because it's so direct, including all the vulgarities of the ways you'd talk to your mates in private  Particularly given you'd rarely read a bio like this anymore since everyone is careful with what they say now. Full of good stories though and well worth a read if you're into jazz.

[Carnage]

Kim Gordon: Girl In A Band - Don't bother. It was interesting when she talked about Sonic Youth (each album gets a chapter, though even that tails off toward the end) but otherwise she turns an early life that could have been interesting into a borefest, and extended sections on the New York art scene in the '80s are terminally dull. Unitentionally ironic snobbery is all over it. I'll give her credit for being quite restrained about the marriage breakup - aside from the opening chapter, which could have been called Thurston Is A Big Meanie And I Hate Him.

Like visual art? What was her involvement in that scene?

Some of that, 'performance' stuff as well. She worked for people in the scene as an assistant too. She seems to regard herself primarily as a vusual artist, despite being exclusively known as a musician. I'd assume it's to distance herself from Moore and the band, she's quite dismissive of the others without being outright critical of them.

[StoutAndAle]

Miles Davis's bio

Such a fun read. He's so blunt with the way he talks that it's really engaging. The style is very informal, like he's just talking to you over a drink at a bar, and it's a refreshing read because it's so direct, including all the vulgarities of the ways you'd talk to your mates in private  Particularly given you'd rarely read a bio like this anymore since everyone is careful with what they say now. Full of good stories though and well worth a read if you're into jazz.

Two recommendations for you, Mooncat;

• "As Serious As Your Life" by Val Wilmer (not a typo) from the mid 1970s.

• "Three Shades Of Blue" by James Kaplan from last year.

[Eoin McLove]

I picked up the new Irvine Welsh, Men in Love, which is a direct follow up to Trainspotting. High hopes.

[John Kimble]

Kim Gordon: Girl In A Band - Don't bother. It was interesting when she talked about Sonic Youth (each album gets a chapter, though even that tails off toward the end) but otherwise she turns an early life that could have been interesting into a borefest, and extended sections on the New York art scene in the '80s are terminally dull. Unitentionally ironic snobbery is all over it. I'll give her credit for being quite restrained about the marriage breakup - aside from the opening chapter, which could have been called Thurston Is A Big Meanie And I Hate Him.

Yeah, felt the same about this. Was looking forward to reading it but gave up about half way through. Bit of a slog tbh.