books | Wait until next year

Just a quick heads-up that all-round great guy and fantastic writer Steve Harris has a new novel in the works that he is hoping to fund via Kickstarter. If you happen to have ten quid to spare you could do a lot worse with it than pledge it towards Steve’s project and in return you will receive a signed, printed copy of the novel itself, From The Top. And considering the campaign has already raised over £150 of the £500 target, there is a good chance you will be supporting a successful project too. Read the rest of this entry »

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January 14, 2015

The other side of an absence of sense

Car driving along street in Turin

“One April afternoon, right after lunch, my husband announced that he wanted to leave me.” So begins The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante. The book chronicles what follows for those left behind, the wife, the two children, the dog, from the perspective of the wife, Olga. Read the rest of this entry »

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July 18, 2014

Gotta get a move on tryin´to find a man I know – A near-review of Vulgar Things by Lee Rourke

Graffiti on Canvey Island -

Vulgar Things by Lee Rourke is a book about a man who goes to Canvey Island, then Southend, to sort out the affairs of his uncle who has recently died. That’s as much plot as you need. I don’t want to give away the plot. Plus, while it is a good plot, and the story matters, Vulgar Things is about a whole lot more. At least how I read it, anyway. Read the rest of this entry »

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May 13, 2014

You Like Potato – Matters of taste from Woody Allen to Céline Dion

In Woody Allen’s Manhattan the protagonist Issac Davis talks into a tape recorder, listing what he believes makes life worth living. It is a key scene and a clever device. The list gives us an insight into Davis’ personality, his motivations, his desires:

“Why is life worth living? It’s a very good question. There are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. Like what…okay…For me, I would say… what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing…and Willie Mays…and the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony…and Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues…Swedish movies, naturally… Sentimental Education by Flaubert…Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra…those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne…the crabs at Sam Wo’s…Tracy’s face…” Read the rest of this entry »

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February 10, 2011

The Imposed Vacation Gameplan

Regular readers may recall the recent carnage at my workplace. Well, it appears now that I too am a marked man. I would love to elaborate, but I would no doubt end up breaking all manner of confidentiality protocols or whatever. Suffice to say, I now have even more material for my Great Office Novel (zero words and counting!). I have decided that it probably best to plan ahead for a possible Imposed Vacation … Read the rest of this entry »