The OFFICIAL NPR Book Thread
- clydecloggie
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Currently reading Janey Godley's autobiographical Handstands in the Dark. Growing up in the roughest and poorest parts of Glasgow in the 60's-70's. There's very little light relief for a book written by a stand-up comedian but it's a very gripping story.
Johnny Marr's autobiography.
When you read these rock bios its interesting to discover the organic nature of their development with bands forming, breaking up, band members auditioned, kicked out, its all very sporadic and accidental.
Based on what Marr writes The Smiths was his thing, he just added the pieces. Morrisey was added based on a recommendation and Marr just turned up at his house unannounced with a mutual friend. Andy Rourke was originally a school friend working with Marr then left because he was using heroin then rejoined when Marr could not find a decent bassist.
Looks wise and in terms of character and outlook Marr reminds me a lot of Pat Nevin. The similarities extend to the fact that Marr was a half decent winger in his youth and actually had trials with Man City.
When you read these rock bios its interesting to discover the organic nature of their development with bands forming, breaking up, band members auditioned, kicked out, its all very sporadic and accidental.
Based on what Marr writes The Smiths was his thing, he just added the pieces. Morrisey was added based on a recommendation and Marr just turned up at his house unannounced with a mutual friend. Andy Rourke was originally a school friend working with Marr then left because he was using heroin then rejoined when Marr could not find a decent bassist.
Looks wise and in terms of character and outlook Marr reminds me a lot of Pat Nevin. The similarities extend to the fact that Marr was a half decent winger in his youth and actually had trials with Man City.
Done with the Marr book, seriously impressive bloke. Did not know that he ended up a fitness fanatic these past few years running every day, did the NYC marathon in under 4 hours.
I wish he had gone into more detail about the nature of his relationship with Morrissey. He mentions the fact that the Smiths would never have lasted that long due to the personality differences that existed between the two of them, but glosses over the acrimony and doesn't touch on any specific event that led to the breakup of the band. He clearly held him in high esteem and developed a very close relationship with him despite the fact that they had no history prior to the formation of the Smiths. He says that he became a vegetarian not only because he saw the cruelty of how animals are treated but also in support of Morriseys vegetarianism which I thought was an interesting thing to mention.
Marr is a down to earth bloke who has lived a pretty ethical life on his own terms, made a lot of people happy and is very highly respected by his peers in the music industry. As far as celebrities go I think he got the balance all right.
I wish he had gone into more detail about the nature of his relationship with Morrissey. He mentions the fact that the Smiths would never have lasted that long due to the personality differences that existed between the two of them, but glosses over the acrimony and doesn't touch on any specific event that led to the breakup of the band. He clearly held him in high esteem and developed a very close relationship with him despite the fact that they had no history prior to the formation of the Smiths. He says that he became a vegetarian not only because he saw the cruelty of how animals are treated but also in support of Morriseys vegetarianism which I thought was an interesting thing to mention.
Marr is a down to earth bloke who has lived a pretty ethical life on his own terms, made a lot of people happy and is very highly respected by his peers in the music industry. As far as celebrities go I think he got the balance all right.
I'm reading Palestine not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter this weekend.
Unfortunately there is a blatant lie in there - he states that Ezer Weizman came to the United States of his own accord during his re-election campaign of 1980 to try and persuade Jewish voters to support Carter. The truth is that Weizman was a guest of Carter's and he travelled in Air Force One.
Unfortunately there is a blatant lie in there - he states that Ezer Weizman came to the United States of his own accord during his re-election campaign of 1980 to try and persuade Jewish voters to support Carter. The truth is that Weizman was a guest of Carter's and he travelled in Air Force One.
Just finished Goldfinder, by Keith Jessop.
The story of how he became a diver, going from recovering scrap metal from shipwrecks around the coast of Britain, working on North Sea oil platforms, and how he found the wreck, and salvaged 45 million quids worth of gold which went down with HMS Edinburgh in WW2.
Very good descriptions of the technical aspects, and hazards of deep diving 800 feet down in the ocean off Murmansk.
The story of how he became a diver, going from recovering scrap metal from shipwrecks around the coast of Britain, working on North Sea oil platforms, and how he found the wreck, and salvaged 45 million quids worth of gold which went down with HMS Edinburgh in WW2.
Very good descriptions of the technical aspects, and hazards of deep diving 800 feet down in the ocean off Murmansk.
- mat the expat
- Posts: 1456
- Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2020 11:12 pm
Great book!obelixtim wrote: ↑Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:54 am Just finished Goldfinder, by Keith Jessop.
The story of how he became a diver, going from recovering scrap metal from shipwrecks around the coast of Britain, working on North Sea oil platforms, and how he found the wreck, and salvaged 45 million quids worth of gold which went down with HMS Edinburgh in WW2.
Very good descriptions of the technical aspects, and hazards of deep diving 800 feet down in the ocean off Murmansk.
Thanks for the recommendation Fangle, I looked that up and was interesting to read about Carter believing Kennedy sabotaged his healthcare bill due to ego.
I've got to say Carter paints a very unflattering picture of the conduct of Israeli authorities in this book, he details a meeting with desperate Christian leaders in Palestine in 1990 that has led me to conduct further research.
Just finished Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.
I’ve bought a couple of his books in charity shops since moving to Edinburgh, and live a stones throw from his statue, so with a bit of trepidation opened it.
Despite his 200 year old language and his interpretation of 12th century language it is actually pretty easy to read once you are into it. Anyway, had no idea what to expect but he is a brilliant storyteller and I really enjoyed it, will try a couple more.
I’ve bought a couple of his books in charity shops since moving to Edinburgh, and live a stones throw from his statue, so with a bit of trepidation opened it.
Despite his 200 year old language and his interpretation of 12th century language it is actually pretty easy to read once you are into it. Anyway, had no idea what to expect but he is a brilliant storyteller and I really enjoyed it, will try a couple more.
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
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Almost done with Evil Roots a collection of 19th and early 20th century horror shorts about fauna. None of them are particularly scary, but as a horror aficionado it's an interesting window into what used to be deemed frightful and a specific sub-genre previously unknown to me. Some of the tales are a bit more lo-fi sci-fi if anything, with killer plants being the product of human botanical intervention.
Reading a book by Michelle Obama's brother called "A game of character". He was an accomplished basketball player and coach at the college level.
He talks a lot about the sacrifices made by his parents, he had offers to play at a couple of universities with a scholarship whereas Princeton being an Ivy league university don't offer them. He wanted go to Princeton but was worried about his parents getting into debt but his Dad said, "don't worry about that son, go where you want to go". He ended up going to Princeton and found out years later that his parents had paid his way though university by putting all the fees on credit cards.
Really great message in there about sacrificing your lives to allow your kids to get ahead.
He talks a lot about the sacrifices made by his parents, he had offers to play at a couple of universities with a scholarship whereas Princeton being an Ivy league university don't offer them. He wanted go to Princeton but was worried about his parents getting into debt but his Dad said, "don't worry about that son, go where you want to go". He ended up going to Princeton and found out years later that his parents had paid his way though university by putting all the fees on credit cards.
Really great message in there about sacrificing your lives to allow your kids to get ahead.
Finished this, yeah it is safe to say Carter does not care for Israel.Hugo wrote: ↑Sun Nov 01, 2020 3:55 pmThanks for the recommendation Fangle, I looked that up and was interesting to read about Carter believing Kennedy sabotaged his healthcare bill due to ego.
I've got to say Carter paints a very unflattering picture of the conduct of Israeli authorities in this book, he details a meeting with desperate Christian leaders in Palestine in 1990 that has led me to conduct further research.
He recounts a story of one morning on a trip to Jerusalem (post Presidency) he gets up early to go on a run with his secret service security guy. The Israeli's insist that they also send one of their guys along. So, they are halfway around their run and the Israeli security guy sees a group of elderly Arabs on a wall sitting reading their morning newspapers, he runs up to them and knocks all the newspapers out of their hands, cue Carter coming up behind, embarrassed. He helps pick up all the newspapers, apologises to the old guys and then the Israeli security guy says "you can never be too careful, you don't know what they might be hiding behind those newspapers".
I think Carter's disdain for Israel stems partly from the way that they have treated Arab Christians him being a Baptist himself.
Also, with his work for the Carter centre he did lots of work on election monitoring. The way he tells it the Israeli security forces do lots of stuff to suppress Palestinian/Arab turnout at elections, intimidation tactics etc.
It must occur to him that it's somewhat analogous to what his party did and what the GOP does today to disenfranchise black voters.
It must occur to him that it's somewhat analogous to what his party did and what the GOP does today to disenfranchise black voters.
Started The Crimean War by Orlando Figes this weekend.
Really good so far, he's gone into the religious backstory behind the war in terms of the Russians having an interest in protecting the Orthodox Christians from persecution in the Ottoman Empire. Also talks about the rivalry that existed between the Russians and the French/Catholic church as to who were the true defenders of the faith. Both sides were concerned that the Ottoman Empire was going to collapse and wanted to ensure that they would be in a position to reap the spoils in the event of its partition.
A very interesting aspect that he talks about in Chapter 2 was the Russophobia that was prevalent in Britain in the 1840s, grounded in the threat that Russia posed to the British Empire, specifically to India. There was a prominent Russophobe in govt. circles, David Urquhart, who alleged that Palmerston was being bribed by Tsar Nicholas I. He generated a lot of support for this position in the press and Palmerston was impeached, albeit unsuccessfully in 1848. Karl Marx turns up in London around this time and ends up writing in a publication that Urquhart starts.
Really good so far, he's gone into the religious backstory behind the war in terms of the Russians having an interest in protecting the Orthodox Christians from persecution in the Ottoman Empire. Also talks about the rivalry that existed between the Russians and the French/Catholic church as to who were the true defenders of the faith. Both sides were concerned that the Ottoman Empire was going to collapse and wanted to ensure that they would be in a position to reap the spoils in the event of its partition.
A very interesting aspect that he talks about in Chapter 2 was the Russophobia that was prevalent in Britain in the 1840s, grounded in the threat that Russia posed to the British Empire, specifically to India. There was a prominent Russophobe in govt. circles, David Urquhart, who alleged that Palmerston was being bribed by Tsar Nicholas I. He generated a lot of support for this position in the press and Palmerston was impeached, albeit unsuccessfully in 1848. Karl Marx turns up in London around this time and ends up writing in a publication that Urquhart starts.
Just finished "Nobber" a first novel by a young Irish author, Oisin Fagan.
Fuck it's weird. The first couple of chapters were laugh out loud funny then it got relentlessly disturbing and odd. I couldn't put it down but I didn't know why.
It's based around a village in Ireland during the plague and a host of characters taking advantage of the situation.
The cover has quotes like "an author just doing what the hell he wants" which is true. Also, "an Irish cult novel in the making" - I'm not so sure, it's just too crazy.
I think I liked it.
Fuck it's weird. The first couple of chapters were laugh out loud funny then it got relentlessly disturbing and odd. I couldn't put it down but I didn't know why.
It's based around a village in Ireland during the plague and a host of characters taking advantage of the situation.
The cover has quotes like "an author just doing what the hell he wants" which is true. Also, "an Irish cult novel in the making" - I'm not so sure, it's just too crazy.
I think I liked it.
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
Dinosaur Lives - more educational than a great read, but written by John Horner who is a little full of himself...that being said learned a lot about their social structure, behavior, etc that made it worth the read
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, and the Birth of Hollywood - really enjoyed this one...kind of like Larsen's books where individual stories are intertwined...but with Burns and Darrow should have been the main focus minus DW Griffith (while interesting was not necessary)... It is a story about the LA Times bombing in 1910 and the hunt for the person/s responsible. Shows a lot of tension between Capitalists and Unionists. I would give it 4 out of 5.
...finishing up Philbreck's last book on Yorktown and just ordered the Moth and Mountain to read after hearing the History Extra podcast..interesting character
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, and the Birth of Hollywood - really enjoyed this one...kind of like Larsen's books where individual stories are intertwined...but with Burns and Darrow should have been the main focus minus DW Griffith (while interesting was not necessary)... It is a story about the LA Times bombing in 1910 and the hunt for the person/s responsible. Shows a lot of tension between Capitalists and Unionists. I would give it 4 out of 5.
...finishing up Philbreck's last book on Yorktown and just ordered the Moth and Mountain to read after hearing the History Extra podcast..interesting character
I'm reading Steve Jones (Sex Pistols guitarist) autobiography.
I'm really enjoying these rock biographies - Eric Clapton's aside which I gave up on because it was dull as ditch water. They are quick, easy reads and it's fascinating seeing all the different influences that these musicians cite. David Bowie seems to be a big common denominator. The incestuous nature of the rock n roll business is another fascinating part of the whole thing, so much overlap and acts and scenes blending into other avenues.
Think I'm gonna try and pick up a few more to read over the Xmas period, will try and track down books on the Clash and Slash/Guns n Roses.
I'm really enjoying these rock biographies - Eric Clapton's aside which I gave up on because it was dull as ditch water. They are quick, easy reads and it's fascinating seeing all the different influences that these musicians cite. David Bowie seems to be a big common denominator. The incestuous nature of the rock n roll business is another fascinating part of the whole thing, so much overlap and acts and scenes blending into other avenues.
Think I'm gonna try and pick up a few more to read over the Xmas period, will try and track down books on the Clash and Slash/Guns n Roses.
- Paddington Bear
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Reading The Cruel Sea, probably the classic fiction account of the Battle of the Atlantic. Lost a few hours to it yesterday, highly recommended.
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages, What feats he did that day
Have you read The Ruins? or indeed, seen the film?sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Tue Nov 03, 2020 3:42 pm Almost done with Evil Roots a collection of 19th and early 20th century horror shorts about fauna. None of them are particularly scary, but as a horror aficionado it's an interesting window into what used to be deemed frightful and a specific sub-genre previously unknown to me. Some of the tales are a bit more lo-fi sci-fi if anything, with killer plants being the product of human botanical intervention.
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It's a couple of books away in my to read pile, but I have seen the film and quite enjoyed it. By all accounts the book is better.Lobby wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:16 amHave you read The Ruins? or indeed, seen the film?sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Tue Nov 03, 2020 3:42 pm Almost done with Evil Roots a collection of 19th and early 20th century horror shorts about fauna. None of them are particularly scary, but as a horror aficionado it's an interesting window into what used to be deemed frightful and a specific sub-genre previously unknown to me. Some of the tales are a bit more lo-fi sci-fi if anything, with killer plants being the product of human botanical intervention.
- Jimmy Smallsteps
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- Location: Auckland
I read British radio DJ Chris Moyles' 2006 book 'The Story of a Man and his Mouth" during the weekend. The price was a respectable $1 in a local secondhand bookstore.
It was average.
It was average.
I'm halfway through Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is insanely good.
Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.
The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:
a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.
Any recommendations will be gladly received.
Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.
The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:
a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.
Any recommendations will be gladly received.
Finished Say Nothing, its one of those books you can't put down.
The book had a number of themes - the senselessness and seeming randomness of killings in war zones, the fallibility of the human memory, the need to come clean about your crimes in order to get closure. Closure not just for the victims and their families but for the perpetrators themselves.
The story of the troubles is told through the eyes of two members of the IRA - Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes and the children of Jean McConville. The trauma that they all experienced as accomplices in murder or as orphans who were abandoned by the community that took their mother from them was something that none of them could escape. The book showed how people are prisoners to geography, to history and to circumstances that are all out of their control.
The book had a number of themes - the senselessness and seeming randomness of killings in war zones, the fallibility of the human memory, the need to come clean about your crimes in order to get closure. Closure not just for the victims and their families but for the perpetrators themselves.
The story of the troubles is told through the eyes of two members of the IRA - Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes and the children of Jean McConville. The trauma that they all experienced as accomplices in murder or as orphans who were abandoned by the community that took their mother from them was something that none of them could escape. The book showed how people are prisoners to geography, to history and to circumstances that are all out of their control.
Started "Where the bodies were buried" about Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. I watched all the stuff on youtube about him over the weekend so I've probably spoiled the experience of reading the book.
Incredible to see how he basically had the FBI feeding out the palm of his hand in Boston. He ran the city for a solid 20 year period and was untouchable because he was giving the Feds envelopes stuffed with cash.
Incredible to see how he basically had the FBI feeding out the palm of his hand in Boston. He ran the city for a solid 20 year period and was untouchable because he was giving the Feds envelopes stuffed with cash.
Finished Stuart Turton ... The Devil and the Dark Water.
Easy going with a few twists and turns.
Really quiet enjoyable and some light relief from the real world which is gratefully accepted at the moment.
On to Wilbur Smith's The Sunbird which is again proving a good distraction from the real world.
Easy going with a few twists and turns.
Really quiet enjoyable and some light relief from the real world which is gratefully accepted at the moment.
On to Wilbur Smith's The Sunbird which is again proving a good distraction from the real world.
Romans said ....Illegitimi non carborundum --- Today we say .. WTF
Hugo wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:18 am Started "Where the bodies were buried" about Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. I watched all the stuff on youtube about him over the weekend so I've probably spoiled the experience of reading the book.
Incredible to see how he basically had the FBI feeding out the palm of his hand in Boston. He ran the city for a solid 20 year period and was untouchable because he was giving the Feds envelopes stuffed with cash.
Two books if you like the "irish mafia" angle in the US...Black Mass which is about Whitey and others...the other is The Westies about the Irish in New York.
Thank you very much for the recommendation - I picked up the Westies book based on it. It's written by TJ English - the same author as the Whitey one I am currently reading and if its half as good it will be great!tcc_dc wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 3:52 pmHugo wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:18 am Started "Where the bodies were buried" about Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. I watched all the stuff on youtube about him over the weekend so I've probably spoiled the experience of reading the book.
Incredible to see how he basically had the FBI feeding out the palm of his hand in Boston. He ran the city for a solid 20 year period and was untouchable because he was giving the Feds envelopes stuffed with cash.
Two books if you like the "irish mafia" angle in the US...Black Mass which is about Whitey and others...the other is The Westies about the Irish in New York.
The missus got me "John" (by Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife) for X-mas.
Pretty heartbreaking read to he honest, I did not know that John essentially abandoned Julian after he divorced Cynthia and only saw him very sporadically in the last ten years of his life. In the foreword Julian says that he feels very conflicted when people say they love his Dad or his Dads work because he felt rejected by him and did not obviously consider him a great father or human being.
The last paragraph Cynthia says if she could do it all again she wouldn't, she is happy to have a son fron her marriage to John but the price she paid for being a part of the "Lennon legend" as she put it was too great.
I have read a lot on Lennon so a lot of this is not news to me but he was a very, very damaged human being. Being abandoned by his father, separated from his mother and raised by an uncompromising and unloving aunt took a huge toll on him. Then having his mother die in his teen years and becoming a Beatle - there's just no way you would not have demons.
Pretty heartbreaking read to he honest, I did not know that John essentially abandoned Julian after he divorced Cynthia and only saw him very sporadically in the last ten years of his life. In the foreword Julian says that he feels very conflicted when people say they love his Dad or his Dads work because he felt rejected by him and did not obviously consider him a great father or human being.
The last paragraph Cynthia says if she could do it all again she wouldn't, she is happy to have a son fron her marriage to John but the price she paid for being a part of the "Lennon legend" as she put it was too great.
I have read a lot on Lennon so a lot of this is not news to me but he was a very, very damaged human being. Being abandoned by his father, separated from his mother and raised by an uncompromising and unloving aunt took a huge toll on him. Then having his mother die in his teen years and becoming a Beatle - there's just no way you would not have demons.
- Uncle fester
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Going to go left field and suggest something from "the other side".Hugo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:15 pm I'm halfway through Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is insanely good.
Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.
The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:
a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.
Any recommendations will be gladly received.
Paisley bio by Ed Moloney. The loyalist point of view is not something that is well understood but there'll be no peace without some understanding of it.
- Uncle fester
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Finished Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. It's a decent and light reading companion piece to American Gods which I enjoyed but found heavy going.
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I'm most of the way through The Luminous Dead now.
It's been a decent sci-fi survival horror tale so far. Basically a two hander taking place in caves. You really get a sense of the main character's ever increasing claustrophobia, paranoia and struggle against hoplessness the longer she's down there.
It's been a decent sci-fi survival horror tale so far. Basically a two hander taking place in caves. You really get a sense of the main character's ever increasing claustrophobia, paranoia and struggle against hoplessness the longer she's down there.
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Have used the holiday to sift through a few disc world novels, perfect accompaniment to summer at the batch.
I'm between reading a gentleman in Moscow which was very good. And a mindless Scandinavian thriller The Chestnut man
I'm between reading a gentleman in Moscow which was very good. And a mindless Scandinavian thriller The Chestnut man
- Paddington Bear
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The Killing Rage by Eamonn Collins is a phenomenal book by an ex IRA intelligence officer who changes his mind on the armed struggle. Couldn’t put it down.Hugo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:15 pm I'm halfway through Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. It is insanely good.
Its so far been centred around the disappearance of Jean McConville but it covers tons of other stuff to do with The Troubles.
The book is incredibly well written but its also about a fascinating subject - I intend to grab a few more books on The Troubles over X-mas. I'm interested in:
a) an overall history of Irish republicanism, the historical players, ideologies and
b) anything on the paramilitary operations of the IRA in its various incarnations from its earliest times to the present day.
Any recommendations will be gladly received.
Bandit Country very good on South Armagh from both sides, balls of steel from the author who was a Telegraph journalist.
Big Boys Rules about the British Army operations also pretty good.
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember with advantages, What feats he did that day
- mat the expat
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I read it in the bath - it's well doneUncle fester wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:03 pm Finished Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. It's a decent and light reading companion piece to American Gods which I enjoyed but found heavy going.
- clydecloggie
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Based on this post I put it on my Santa list and am now a few chapters in.Slick wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:20 am Just finished "Nobber" a first novel by a young Irish author, Oisin Fagan.
Fuck it's weird. The first couple of chapters were laugh out loud funny then it got relentlessly disturbing and odd. I couldn't put it down but I didn't know why.
It's based around a village in Ireland during the plague and a host of characters taking advantage of the situation.
The cover has quotes like "an author just doing what the hell he wants" which is true. Also, "an Irish cult novel in the making" - I'm not so sure, it's just too crazy.
I think I liked it.
This must be the weirdest book I've ever started reading - but must say I'm hooked.
The Ch1 verbal showdown with the Gaels is one hell of an album opener.
Is that with the rats? That had me roaring with laughter.clydecloggie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:05 pmBased on this post I put it on my Santa list and am now a few chapters in.Slick wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:20 am Just finished "Nobber" a first novel by a young Irish author, Oisin Fagan.
Fuck it's weird. The first couple of chapters were laugh out loud funny then it got relentlessly disturbing and odd. I couldn't put it down but I didn't know why.
It's based around a village in Ireland during the plague and a host of characters taking advantage of the situation.
The cover has quotes like "an author just doing what the hell he wants" which is true. Also, "an Irish cult novel in the making" - I'm not so sure, it's just too crazy.
I think I liked it.
This must be the weirdest book I've ever started reading - but must say I'm hooked.
The Ch1 verbal showdown with the Gaels is one hell of an album opener.
All the money you made will never buy back your soul
- clydecloggie
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The rats, yes. With accompanying comments. Just an amazing scene.Slick wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:20 pmIs that with the rats? That had me roaring with laughter.clydecloggie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 1:05 pmBased on this post I put it on my Santa list and am now a few chapters in.Slick wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:20 am Just finished "Nobber" a first novel by a young Irish author, Oisin Fagan.
Fuck it's weird. The first couple of chapters were laugh out loud funny then it got relentlessly disturbing and odd. I couldn't put it down but I didn't know why.
It's based around a village in Ireland during the plague and a host of characters taking advantage of the situation.
The cover has quotes like "an author just doing what the hell he wants" which is true. Also, "an Irish cult novel in the making" - I'm not so sure, it's just too crazy.
I think I liked it.
This must be the weirdest book I've ever started reading - but must say I'm hooked.
The Ch1 verbal showdown with the Gaels is one hell of an album opener.