I’m normally still half-asleep when I’m downing my first mug of coffee of the day, so wouldn’t really appreciate the amazing extra benefits of a mug that changed from ‘off’ to ‘on’ when it was full of hot coffee. The real question is, would anyone?? Let alone spend £16 on it!
I don’t normally read many novels by women writers, but this kinda caught my eye in the bookstore and it’s published by Picador who normally do decent enough stuff! I was amazed that i made it all the way to the counter without having second thoughts though, given the quote on the cover from Elle magazine proclaiming it to be a ‘potential book group classic’. Hmmm.
Anyway, I got through it in about 2 days. The writing is tight, the story is compelling, it almost reads like a crime novel in parts. The main character is Isabel, who returns home for an old friend’s funeral, and in doing so begins to rake through the past (and we all know what happens when you start doing that! ;)) It’s a light enough read though, so it made for a nice break after the concentration that was required for the 600 pages of American Tabloid beforehand. I can see where the bookgroup comment stems from, it’s probably the kind of book that would appea to a lot of people, and while you wouldn’t lavish it with glowing praise, there’s not much to intrinsically find fault with either. Although….
…The ending is bizarre, and to be honest I’m not sure I completely get it. Maybe Ms Jones has been reading up on her magic realism? The ‘revelation’ in the last few pages is ridiculous, if it is in fact meant to imply what I think it implies. On the other hand, I think it may be deliberatey vague / a little confusing as that would fit with the tone of the book, and my efforts to pin a concrete explaination on things may be destroying this effect. I’m not sure altogether really. I’d like to think she hasn’t messed up the ending of a broadly decent book, though.
Mr Auster has always been a ridiculously clever writer, knocking out plot twists, oblique weirdness and general thinking-outside-the-box-ness, book after book after book (can you tell I am a fan?). Unfortunately Travels in the Scriptorium just reads like filler - placed beside his full-length novels, it’s not even worthy of a mention. In fact if you are not a fan, you probably won’t really get a lot of the good bits about it, as the characters from his previous books make an appearance.
In fairness, Auster’s writing holds it together pretty well, there’s just not all that much to hold together in the first place! Definitely don’t bother with this if you have never read Auster before. If you’re hardcore though, there are worse ways of spending a couple of hours (you’ll read it in a sitting or two), just prepare yourself to be a little disappointed and don’t be expecting anything great.
I have heard nothing but good things about Gerard Donovan’s novels, however I must admit Country of the Grand is the first book I have read by him. Donovan’s first collection of short fiction (fifteen years in the making no less!) opens with a striking image of Galway Bay. The Ireland Donovan visits however, is a modern one, with “new houses going up everywhere, a boom.” (Although perhaps Gerard missed the boat a little on this one! ;)). Whilst his prose is both poetic and elegant, the narratives underpinning it are essentially simple and plain. Donovan uses language to prod and poke at, and ultimately to discover, the unspoken emotions that lie behind everyday occurrances; a wife’s infidelity, the loss of a loved one, relationships growing stale, the perils of age and friendship.
By Irish Nights showcases Donovan’s real flair, his prose is imbued with a rhythmic flurry, as the reader is pulled towards its conclusion. With Country of the Grand, Donovan confidently and deservedly adds himself to a genre currently enjoying something of a revival at present (and who said short fiction wasn’t sexy enough??), and with it cements something of a landmark to the past decade of a modern, wealthy, changing Ireland.
God’s own country is one of the books that I first came across in those obligatory “books to watch out for in 2008″ articles. Raisin has been highlighted by many as an emerging, new talent and so i had somewhat prepared myself for the inevitable disappointment: first novels are often scrappy and messy, long-winded and over-ambitions, but somewhere underneath all that vaguely promising.
God’s Own Country is remarkably tidy however. The story centres on Sam, who works with his father on a farm on the Moors. A new family move into the house nearest them, and Sam forms a friendship with the eldest daughter, which ends up having disastrous consequences. The plot is nothing dramatically exciting in this regard, however Raisin’s writing treats the issues and characters involved with the sensitivity and understanding that is required in a messy situation where there is really nobody to blame. In this context, the book is more of a character-study than a narrative-driven novel. His writing at times is impressive, but it is never too much for the simple structure of the story; this is not a book for long-winded, elegant, idealistic prose but rather the understated, wild pragmatism that the Moors offer.
I have to admit that by and large, with the exception of a few of the more obscure and baffling choices, the winner of the IMPAC prize in recent years has always been a decent selection. This year’s winner follows on from 2007’s Out Stealing Horses, in being a very accessible, enjoyable and compelling read. Set in Beirut, it follows the lives of two best friends, George and Bassam. The former (also known as DeNiro) ends up working for the militia while Bassam is trying to gather together the funds to leave Beirut. The reader gets swept along in the mess of youthful swagger and bravado, and the very real consequences.
Hage’s writing style is thrilling at times, injecting the necessary pace to keep you turning the pages. However, when necessary his words are also poetic and elegant - something which is obviously demanded when the sub-text concerns a war-torn country. His use of powerful imagery (the repetition of the phrase “ten thousand bombs falling from the sky” adds resonance throughout) conveys a city simulataneously engulfed in and sick of conflict, fighting and the lack of any kind of real future for its youth.
David gives a heads up on the quintessential summer reading lists. My current pile isn’t as impressive as his (though i do have a wardrobe full as well so I’m not in danger of running out any time soon!). Here’s mine (I rotated the image so no, the books are not miraculously shelflessly hanging in mid-air!) which i will start to attack when I finish Gerard Donovan’s Country of the Grand.
Once again Fictional Sheep and Jusk have dragged me out of this deep pool of blogging squalor and rescued me. It’s a ‘name your favourite record for every year you have been alive’ post - fitting given that it’s my birthday this month!
1982: So i wasn’t born yet but i did exist in some form! And well I just couldn’t leave out Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska
1983: Pink Floyd:The Final Cut
1984: Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
1985: Psychocandy - Jesus and Mary Chain
1986: The Smiths - The Queen is Dead (Edged out Felt’s Forever Breathes the Lonely Word)
1987: The Go-Betweens - tallulah
1988: My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything (Fuck I had to leave out The Go-betweens’ 16 Lover’s Lane)
1989: Pixies - Doolittle
1990: Eventually I came up with The Breeders - Pod, but it was all i could find to fill the gap.
1991: My Bloody valentine - Loveless (So divided between this and Blue Lines)
1992: Polly Harvey - Dry
1993: Red House Painters - S/T Rollercoaster
1994: Jeff Buckley - Grace (Had to be done, sorry Crooked Rain & Dummy)
1995: Low - Long Division
1996: Belle & Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister (Perfection)
1997: Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West (What a year! OKC & Brighten the Corners)
1998: Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Another great year: Moonpix! Deserter’s Songs! Is This Desire?!)
1999: Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
2000: Polly Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
2001: Red House Painters - Old Ramon
2002: Interpol - Turn on the bright lights
2003: Four Tet - Rounds
2004: Modest Mouse - Good News for people who love bad news (This album will always remind me of a year spent drinking in Doyles till 2:30am most weeknights)
2005: The National - Alligator
2006: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (encapsulated by an awesome Electric Picnic set)
2007: The National - Boxer
2008: Portishead - Third / Sun Kil Moon - April (don’t make me call it guys, we’re only in July)
JCT did the inevitable this morning and the ECB rate is now at 4.25% the highest in seven years. With inflation well in excess of the hallowed 2%, another increase before the year is out may even be on th ecards. the good news for anyone with savings is, in the past few days a rake of new savings products have come online including:
A new 5.3% on demand deposit account from Anglo irish bank
A new 18 month fixed term account from Bank of Ireland at 8% (i.e. 5.26% AER)
A new 20 month term acount from PTSB which earns 10% (i.e. 5.89% AER)
Every day there seems to nearly be something new. It’s refreshing to see a few decent deals starting to surface for deposit holders.
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