Books

[Eoin McLove]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Begby is one of the most terrifying villains I've ever read. What a character.

[Caomhaoin]

I've read almost everything of his. Filth is just amazing, so vulgar and hilarious at the same time.

I sent my auld lad (a bit prudish) a copy from book depository anonymously, a la Sick Boy sending the gay porn to Begbie in prison. I've been fishing for info on calls home to the mother, she isn't letting on though....

[Eoin McLove]

I finally put the final nail in the coffin of Apeirogon by Colum McCann and I must admit, I found it a slog. The two central stories are great and of he'd focused entirely on those, thus cutting the book down by approximately two thirds, it would have been massively moving to read. As it is, bulked to the shitter with unnecessary fluff, padding and, I don't know, artistry maybe (?), it's just a lumpen trudge. No doubt a prize winner in the making for being so 'ambitious', but I found much of it tedious and irrelevant.

Up next,  The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter.  This one looks more promising to my simple brain.

[Pedrito]

John Williams: Stoner. You know you're reading greatness when you're not counting the pages to the end of the book and it creeps up on you without any stress or anxiety to finish it.

Some writers are great at telling an oul yarn, a story. If I want a story I can hear plenty down the pub. With great literature, the story is merely a tool within which to explore the majesty of language, going beyond the mere beginning, middle and an end with a couple of twists in between. Another book that has left its mark on me..a joy to read.

Butcher's Crossing just arrived in the post..eager to start reading it.

[Airneanach]

Started the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Loving it so far. Good, dirty, character driven fantasy.

Porno's a good read, alright. A bit long, but I don't mind spending time in the company of those characters. I think of Trainspotting as Welsh's EastEnders. Skagboys is probably the most moving of the bunch, actually. Anyone who likes Trainspotting should give it a read.

Did ye bring the cairds?

[Thorn]

Same here! Bought the trilogy after someone on here mentioned it just at a time when I was looking to check out an author I'd never read before.
Just finishing up book 2 now. It's enjoyable alright though highly derivative of LOTR  at times, I even have Glokta pictured as Sean Bean and Major West as Viggo Mortensen in my head. Ferro though has morphed into  a young ,spiky haired Anna Friel somehow 

[Giggles]

Yess lads I'm glad ye are enjoying the First Law. Glokta was my favourite character overall. Highly intelligent and always drawing up his own conclusions inside his head - usually for the worst. I'm not sure about the LOTR comparison, but I have never read those books so I dunno. Well technically I didn't read The First Law either, I listened to it, but I don't think I ever thought about LOTR once during it. Ferro is a fucking badass, albeit somewhat moody and obsessed with revenge. Logan is an all round nice guy, The Bloody Nine is merciless!

Skagboys is a quality read too as is Glue, I must get around to some of the others. Begby is a fucking monster alright, I'd love to have heard him sing that time, apparently he has the voice of an angel 

I slogged to the end of the second book of the Mars Trilogy and I don't think I'll bother with the third. It's an admirable piece of work really, but it doesn't really grip me. I'll get the gist of it off a mate of mine who's near the end of the third book and that's good enough for me.

Today I finished listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, having read the previous books some 20 years ago. Not ashamed to admit that I cried like a little bitch when a particular death occured 

I'm currently reading The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. I saw the film back in 2017 and it was so shit that I've forgotten everything about it, so there should be no surprises. I've read almost the entire Harry Hole series, but I have read them all in a completely random order. He's a good lad is our Harry, has an alright taste of music too.

[Thorn]

Fuppin' hell,I have all the Hole books on the shelves too though could never quite mentally separate the character from Kenneth Brannagh's Wallander.
No shaven (headed) Hole for me.

[Thorn]

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[Thorn]

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[mugz]

Fuppin' hell,I have all the Hole books on the shelves too though could never quite mentally separate the character from Kenneth Brannagh's Wallander.
No shaven (headed) Hole for me.

The Branagh Wallanders were disappointing. Krister Henriksson made that role his own.

[StoutAndAle]

Read Eddie Izzard and Amy Poehler's autobiographies over the past few weeks. Neither fantastic. Nor that funny either, Izzard's book not at all.

Just about to finish Ronan Farrow's "Catch & Kill" - excellent , it reads like a thriller. Great writing and reporting.

I've had "Berlin" and "Stalingrad" on my to-read shelf for while now. Might chance one of those next.

[mugz]

Read Eddie Izzard and Amy Poehler's autobiographies over the past few weeks. Neither fantastic. Nor that funny either, Izzard's book not at all.

Just about to finish Ronan Farrow's "Catch & Kill" - excellent , it reads like a thriller. Great writing and reporting.

I've had "Berlin" and "Stalingrad" on my to-read shelf for while now. Might chance one of those next.

when you're young a lot of comedians seem pretty interesting and witty and edgy, and you get older and it's just shocking you were ever into them. I had this with Izzard about 10 years ago, Bill Bailey 5 years ago, Bill Hicks, Billy Connolly, Stewart Lee.

also related- comedians themselves as people are often not funny at all, whereas non comedians often write incredibly funny books, just something I've noticed over the years.

[Scáthach]

I finished Porno last weekend and really enjoyed it. Funny and disgusting in equal turns. I then went on to The Blade Artist and finished it yesterday. It really split my opinion, on the one hand it's a hard boiled crime story that clips along nicely. But on the other its completely humourless, with a lot of the prose feeling a bit lazy and out of place with the characters.
It's written from a third person perspective, unlike Trainspotting, Porno and Skagboys' more personal narrative form. It was a bit annoying to see the plot twist coming from a mile off as well.
In saying that, it's worth reading to follow up on Begby and I do think I'll read the last book of those characters, Dead Men's Trousers.

I started Filth last night and am enjoying it so far. Also reading Hostia and The Sinister Tradition by The Order of Nine Angles. Mental stuff indeed.

[Airneanach]

Read Eddie Izzard and Amy Poehler's autobiographies over the past few weeks. Neither fantastic. Nor that funny either, Izzard's book not at all.

Just about to finish Ronan Farrow's "Catch & Kill" - excellent , it reads like a thriller. Great writing and reporting.

I've had "Berlin" and "Stalingrad" on my to-read shelf for while now. Might chance one of those next.

when you're young a lot of comedians seem pretty interesting and witty and edgy, and you get older and it's just shocking you were ever into them. I had this with Izzard about 10 years ago, Bill Bailey 5 years ago, Bill Hicks, Billy Connolly, Stewart Lee.

also related- comedians themselves as people are often not funny at all, whereas non comedians often write incredibly funny books, just something I've noticed over the years.

Oh hell yes.

Bill Bailey's the big one for me. His stand up has aged horrendously, but when I was an 18 year old stoner I thought him doing the BBC News theme on the synth was the pinnacle of comedy. Hicks and Connolly I still love, but more because I just enjoy listening to them. I don't laugh out loud at Hick's stuff at all, really. Stewart Lee's more interesting when he's writing about other things. His Guardian, thinking man's comedy shtick is fucking awful. "Russell Brand. Bit shite, in't he?"

Bill Burr and Doug Stanhope are the two guys who still genuinely make me laugh out loud.

And aye, Scáthach, I'd move on to Dead Men's Trousers if you like being in the company of those characters. Maybe the weakest of the books, but an entertaining read you'd manage in a sitting or two. I quite liked T2, actually. Thought it was brilliant how they used the fact that it was playing on nostalgia and would never be as good as the original as a sort of overriding plot device.