Books

[Eoin McLove]

I picked up The Emergency by George Packer. I'm not familiar with his work. I think he's generally a writer of politics and this is a turn towards literature for him.

Finished this one just now and it was good. Sometimes it felt a bit heavy in its attempt to reimagine the culture war stuff and the final attack from the Yeomen came off as somewhat ludicrous and comical, rather than the threat to society it was supposed to represent, but overall the writing was strong and the story engaging. Worth a go if you have any interest in civilizational collapse/ dystopian themes.

Next up- To A God Unknown by John Steinbeck.

[open face surgery]

Don't know that. Good title and I love Steinbeck so will have a look.

[Don Gately]

I like Steinbeck , Grapes of wrath is a favourite.
Ive a 50 voucher from Easons , looking at Name of the Rose, reread
The Idiot , Dostoyevskey
Shogun , James Cl....something
Wind in thr willows to read with my daughter

[Carnage]

The Name Of The Rose and Shogun (Clavell 😉) are both great reads, I must read more of that Clavell series.

[Eoin McLove]

Don't know that. Good title and I love Steinbeck so will have a look.

Powerful stuff right from the start. His writing is just phenomenal.

[Eoin McLove]

I picked up a new book today by a new(ish) Australian writer,  Andrew Pippos. The book is called The Transformations. It's his second novel and I'm flying through it. It's always a pleasure to discover an exciting new writer.

I finished up To A  God Unknown which was really really good.

The Transformations was great too so I grabbed Pippos's debut,  Lucky's . It's slower to grab me, but I have a feeling I'll love it once it clicks.

[Necro Red]

Read A Man Named Doll by Jonathan Ames and have started the second one The Wheel OF Doll which im most enjoying. Great writer, flying through these now. I have the 3rd one lined up too as its a trilogy. Cool LA vibes from this series

[Maggot Colony]

Finished reading Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe - I think someone recommended it on this thread. A very effective ghost story that's more disturbing than I expected. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil anything.

[Carnage]

Currently reading:

Cured: A Tale Of Two Imaginary Boys - origunal Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst's memoir from his tenure with the band, built around his friendship with Robert Smith. Very enjoyable, flits between detailed recollections and general musings on the period. The timeline jumps around a bit at times and glosses over some stuff but it's a decent read. Just don't expect the level of detail Peter Hook goes into, for instance.

Mick Herron: Slow Horses - the first in the novel series that the Gary Oldman show is based on. Nabbed it for the Kindle on a whim yesterday and am flying through it, nice mix of bitterness and humour. I must get onto the TV programme, it has a great cast for a start.

[Eoin McLove]

I thought the Lol Tolhurst book was a bit middle of the road. It started going around in circles pretty quickly.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Stop the presses: Super Hans' autobiography 'Moreish' to be released in 2026!

[Emphyrio]

Finished reading Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe - I think someone recommended it on this thread. A very effective ghost story that's more disturbing than I expected. I'd say more but I don't want to spoil anything.

I must go back to those posts cos I'm sure I asked for other horror recs. Got sidetracked subsequently. Although not having much luck with a couple of fantasy series til I recently started the Divine Cities trilogy.

[Maggot Colony]

Started reading Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. Only a few chapters in but the writing is top quality.

[Don Gately]

Started reading Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. Only a few chapters in but the writing is top quality.

Read that last year, enjoyed it yeah. If you like this kind of thing try Hangover square by Patrick Hamilton.
Its a fantastic book and better thsn BR.
Currently midway through Lonesome Dove.after a slow build up this is rocking along nicely now. 450 pages in and loving it. It may well be one of my favourites if this keeps up .

[Carnage]

I thought the Lol Tolhurst book was a bit middle of the road. It started going around in circles pretty quickly.

There was a bit of that in it alright but I enjoyed it. A sort of potted history of The Cure, jumped about a bit but held my interest. The post-Cure section was pretty dull though, thankfully it was short enough.