Books

[astfgyl]

There are certainly similarities in the sort of waking nightmare style they both have, and the leaving open to several interpretations with no real sense of resolution. I wonder if Lynch takes any inspiration from Kafka. It seems plausible enough that he would.

[Scáthach]

Agreed for sure, there's a shared sense of that in their works but with each having their own flavours.
While we're at it, I hate the phrase Kafka-esque, almost as annoying as Dickensian. Wrong thread maybe, but lazy critic shorthand gets my goat.

[Eoin McLove]

Finished Carmilla by J.T. Sheridan la Fanu earlier, which was most enjoyable. 

Starting into Middlemarch by George Eliot now which looks like a brick I'll be hauling about for a few months to come.

[Born of Fire]

How'd you get on with that Cre na Cille book? Quite like the sound of the premise. Hopefully have more time in the winter to get back into reading.

[Eoin McLove]

It's been sidelined at the minute for The Count. A bit of a trudge so far, to be honest, but I'll go back to it after and see.

[Don Gately]

Postwar - Tony Judth

[Scáthach]

I finally finished Robert Graves' The White Goddess yesterday, and unfortunately I cannot recommend it. The central idea, that there is evidence in myth, art and archaeology of an ancient cult of a triple Goddess, is sound enough. However, his so called proofs are nonsense and deliberate mangling of myth and philology to fit his narrative is really grating. It veers very close to the 'alternative history' guff of charlatanism. His sources are wholly unreliable in support of his 'facts', and where widely accepted readings of myth don't fit his narrative, he dismisses them as corrupt.

Even worse, he comes across as conceited and self aggrandising for much of the book, especially in the postscript and addendum.

The parts I did enjoy were the ancient Irish and Welsh bardic poetry that is included, like Hanes Taliesin, Llew Llaw Gyffes, Mad Sweeney and the Song of Amergin. The last one being familiar to fans of Primordial. The White Goddess also seems to have been a big influence on some of the best Sláine (2000AD) stories, like The Horned God, The Book of Invasions and the Robin Goodfellow stuff.

[Pedrito]

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, what a great novel. As opposed to a rollercoaster style of writing, all thrills and spills, Williams' style is like venturing off in a kayak on an unknown river. Beauty and nature surround you and pass you by without need to overcontemplate things. Sometimes you'll hit some rapids, maybe you'll turn over and need to swim to shore. You're not quite sure where you'll end up and yet you never feel the need to wonder. An unusual writer and yet very familiar. Just wish he'd written more books.

[Eoin McLove]

Nice description. I'll have to check out his work.

[Don Gately]

Glad you enjoyed it Pedrito.  I love it and have read it twice.  Stoner is great too but completely different.

[Eoin McLove]

Ah yeah, I read Stoner. I can never remember the dude's name though.

[Don Gately]

Butcher's Crossing is a good Western tale, for fans of Deadwood and Cormac Mccarthy.

[Pedrito]

Glad you enjoyed it Pedrito.  I love it and have read it twice.  Stoner is great too but completely different.

Cheets for the tip..was excellent!

[astfgyl]

Picked up Blindboy's book yesterday for 30 cent. Couple of stories in and it seems like a slightly poorer relation of Limmy's Daft Wee Stories.

[Carnage]

You were robbed.