Fire in Babylon (Simon Lister)

Simon Lister
Fire in Babylon: How the West Indies Cricket Team Brought a People to its Feet



Firstly, this is a book written after the film was made using the material from the film maker and additional by the book author. It's a fascinating account of the West Indies cricket team from the start of the 1900s up until Viv Richards resigned the captaincy in the early 1990s. From that time the team changed from being white men only to being captained by black men. It's a story of perseverance in the context of a white cricketing establishment, both in the WI and elsewhere, making out that the WIndies were happy go lucky chancers without any real strategy and once having to accept that they could only be so dominant from the late 70s onwards by being strategic and extremely hard working they were then accused of playing dangerously due to their fast bowlers and delivery of bouncers. Whilst all this was within the rules of the game they were still lambasted for not playing cricket, so to speak. Of course all this was rubbish as the WIndies batsmen were all used to fast bowling as that's what made the cut in the West Indies islands.

The book relates the rise of the WIndies dominance in the context of colonialism and the move of the West Indian islands from colonies to independent states. The friction between the various island countries is also documented as is the experience of West Indians emigrating to Britain and the racism that they encountered. The book suggests that the success of the WIndies did a lot to gain respect and confidence for those in the UK as well as those back in the Caribbean. 

A very readable book with a good mix of sport, personal commitment and social commentary. And challenges. I saw the West Indies at the Oval in the late 80s and it was the most raucous day I've spent there with a very vocal West Indian crowd celebrating the last test of a winning series with Viv Richards being their adored captain. I'd seen Viv at my local cricket club Lansdown CC where I grew up and where Viv played before he started his magnificent career with Somerset and Ian Botham. He lodged for a while with my mate Jon Bees' family and my brother Duncan bowled against him when Viv came back for a charity match. Duncan didn't tell me how far he hit him but I know that at one point he was asked not to hit the ball so high as it kept clearing the high wire fence between the ground and the Royal United Hospital and they were concerned for their patients. Lansdown CC is now 200 years old and Viv Richards is perhaps it's most famous player... alongside W.G. Grace (and his brother E.M.) who played for them a century before Viv.

And just for Jon... a couple of mentions of his dad...

https://www.lansdowncricketclub.co.uk/news/on-his-birthday-memories-of-sir-iva-richards-at-combe-park-2687626.html

https://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/story/_/id/22518508/rubbing-shoulders-giants

The Flounder (Günter Grass)

Günter Grass

The Flounder

An epic story set in the German and Poland Baltic area spanning from the stone age to 1970s when written. A brief summary is that back in the stone age women in that area were very dominant over men until a man catches a talking male flounder, as in the fairy tale, who then tells him how to become dominant over women. The flounder is all-knowing of global technology, politics and literature. The narrator lives many lives (some seemingly overlapping) and constantly relies on the flounder for advice. His many lives interweave with real historical events and figures and has many wives, partners and lovers. In the 1970s the flounder allows himself to be caught by feminists who then put him on trial at a feminist court in Berlin, sat in a secure water bath. This trial is the basis for which all the history and stories come from either from the flounder or the narrator's memories of past lives. Not all the story is in the first person though.

Another theme throughout is the pregnancy of the narrator's partner each chapter being a month of the nine. They seem to argue a lot and he has numerous fleeting affairs. Yet another theme is that he has cooks inside of him which relate to his partners of past lives and dishes are described in great detail, often repeating. Indeed, repetition is a theme of the novel. Gathering of mushrooms is another repeated theme including the culinary use of Fly Agaric and resulting mind changes. The brutal maltreatment of women weaves in and out including beatings and rape. So the book has many sides from the comic to extremely dark. Also a fair bit of historical fact ending in Gdansk, and other, shipyard strikes in 1970 so predating the Solidarity movement by a decade. I won't give a spoiler as to the ending of the trial and the book itself.

A book well worth reading although it has been called controversial as it's difficult to know whether the themes are an attack on the drive for equality for women, an attack on radical feminists of the early 1970s, or whether Grass supports the move to equality. Much of the book does stereotype genders. There seems to be various views on whether the book is misogynist including feminist groups arguing for and against. Grass himself said that although he parodied some in the feminist movement it was not an anti-feminist story. As to readability, I found it engaging and easy to read although parts were challenging and a little repetitive at times. Also easy to put down for days at a time as there isn't one strand to the story which you feel you really need to know what happens next. I'll have to ask my German friends what they think of it.

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

Read whilst in New York and I realise that it's been a while since I last read it. Interesting to now know some of the places mentioned and we're staying ten blocks from the bridge that they use to drive into New York. A sorry tale in many ways of privilege and selfishness, mingled with obsession and yearning for something that is unobtainable. Brilliantly written and encapsulates the hedonism of the Roaring Twenties with some reference to darker views on race and class origin that became prevalent in the 30s. I hope that we are not repeating the same a century later. The narrator is in involved in the various intrigues but also apart from them and so can narrate with detachment. It ends with him leaving New York seeing the shallowness of the people he's been involved with but also their tragedy. Very readable.

The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)

J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye

I read this 11 years ago so you can catch my review elsewhere on this blog and it's not changed at all. I re-read as I'm currently in New York City and thought it would be great to see some of the sites mentioned. The best one being the carousel in Central Park where the protagonist takes his younger sister.

Green Water, Green Sky (Mavis Gallant)

Mavis Gallant
Green Water, Green Sky

A strange but very readable book about various odd characters flipping backward and forward in time. Takes the perspective, or focuses on, each of the main characters with a couple of others thrown in. In essence a young woman's descent into insanity with her mother not helping.

Small Things Like These (Claire Keegan)

Claire Keegan
Small Things Like These

A short but impactful novel which is very readable so over within a day or so. Dark subject matter and something which probably hasn't had the coverage that it deserves. Well worth a read.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (Laurie Lee)

Laurie Lee
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning

I read this back in 2021 and got rid of the book. Debbie then gave it to me as a present in 2025 and I thought I'd not bother to read it. However, having picked it up and idly leafed through it I was hooked and read again. Original review:

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

The sequel in Laurie's life to Cider with Rosie in which, as you may guess, he leaves his village of Slad in the Cotswolds and walks through southern England before getting a ferry to Spain. Which he then walks the length of staying in cheap posadas, or dossing at the side of the road, and gets by on friendliness and playing his violin. It's the description of character, place and wildlife which are so evocative and make this such a joy to read. You really are transported to a sunset in the Sierra mountains or wake sodden with dew in a wheat field. His description of Gibraltar as covered in clouds like the West Country (I grew up at the southern end of the Cotswolds Way) made me dig out my photo album of when me and Simon travelled to London then hitched through France and trained through Spain into Morocco and yes my photo is a big rock with the upper half covered by cloud rising above it in a big ball. No other clouds around. A photo of the same ferry journey looking back to Morocco is of a shimmering sea without a cloud in the sky. The time in Spain is abruptly ended by the Spanish Civil War to which he returns in the epilogue.

Don Quixote (Miguel De Cervantes)

Miguel De Cervantes
Translated by Edith Grossman
Don Quixote

I read this a long time ago and on reading again I was amazed at how fantastic it is. In many meanings of the word. It's written in two books that were written a few years apart. The first is about our hero(oes) adventuring as a knight errant and squire believing that they (or at least Don Quixote does) are destined to give justice to the world as they travel around, as if they are medieval knights as written about in legends such as King Arthur and the Round Table. If you've ever tried to read those they are pretty dull and repetitive and whilst much of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza's rovings are not exactly enthralling it's the scrapes that they get into that add the interest to the stories. And brilliantly written (and translated) too. I won't give away spoilers but most who encounter our Don think he's mad. Which he is or at least very delusioned. The second book is similar in basic story but rather than physical injuries incurred it's more about people laughing at the madness of both knight and squire having heard about them from the first book (explanation below). Then those same people being amazed at some very cogent philosophical thought and wisdom relating to governments and governing that come from each amongst their mad ravings. This is especially true in Sancho Panza continually quoting proverbs that often seem mad and irrelevant but are in fact apt. Don Quixote himself tells Sancho to stop doing this often by using proverbs himself. This is meant to be the first modern novel and although over 400 years old it has a very modern twist in that it's recursive. The second  book refers back to the first and many character have read the first and are then leading the pair on to see them act in the same mad manner. Another twist is that someone else wrote a follow up to part 1 and a lot of part 2 refers to how that is a false account and how rubbish it and it's author are. They also meet someone who has supposedly met the false Don Q and Sancha and gave an account that was written in the false Don Quixote part 2. It's a device of a story within a story. The author seems to be very accepting of "Moors" despite some bad mouthing rants against their expulsion from Spain. It was supposedly (for the sake of the story within a story within a story) written down by a Moor called Cide Hamete Benengeli and then translated into Spanish (Castilian to be precise). Many of the incidental heroes and heroines are Moors. And some are helped to escape the inquisition that was prevalent at the time of writing so in some ways a dangerous act for Cervantes. Who himself had been captured and enslaved in north Africa. All in all well worth the hundreds of pages needed to read this book. As many of the sub-stories have beginnings and ends it's quite easy to read without having to read vast chunks at once as you won't forget the basic plot. 

Old Goriot (Honoré de Balzac)

Honoré de Balzac
Old Goriot

An interesting tale of Paris high society in the early 1800s and a young mans attempt to enter it. Alongside an old man watching his two daughter in it from afar. The book is more about the younger man although especially towards the end the older man's story takes precedence somewhat. There is another more sinister character in the thread as all three live in the same run down boarding house. The descriptions of characters and the plot reminds me of Dickens. Although the promiscuity that is taken for granted in Paris is not the same as in London at the time - at least not in fashionable novels. It's a very readable book although at times Balzac does bang on a bit about certain topics in particular the joys and pains of being a father. The English translation of the novel's French title, Le Père Goriot, does not give the double meaning of Père which for this story is much more fatherhood than simply old. It seems like an excellent translation though. The deceit, treachery and selfishness of high Parisien society is a temptation and repulse to the young lad and I won't say which path he decides to take. The ending is tragic and brilliantly described, apart from what I consider a bit too much of the old man's moaning. This is part of a wider series of intertwined stories which I'd be interested in reading although apparently this is the best story of the lot. Thanks to Zayn for putting me onto Balzac.

Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)

Charles Dickens
Great Expectations

A true classic from Dickens which most will know the basic story as Magwitch and Miss Haversham have become near folklore not to mention Pip. Typically Dickens flips between pathos and humour indeed often within the same passage as he has a great way to meld differing emotions. However, overall the story is a very dark one with tinges of light at the edges but those are few. The tragedy of the main characters is especially dark with very little light this perhaps being Dickens' darkest novel. Others are pretty bleak (Bleak House!) but for me the personal tragedy of the main characters is darkest. My edition has the original ending which Dickens was advised was too bleak and I won't give a spoiler as to whether the revised ending is any better. Regardless of the ending(s) the tragedy is in the lost lives of the characters. Next I may try Pickwick Papers as apparently a comedy and also has descriptions of cricket, albeit apparently farcical.

Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

Yann Martel
Life of Pi

A fascinating and very readable story (I've read a couple recently) which I finished in just over a day. Admittedly it was during a heatwave so I wasn't doing much else except for lazing in the garden in a hammock, but even so it's not often I read a book continuously. I've not read this classic novel before and bought it for my dad whilst browsing in Oxfam Bookshop. He liked it but said it has a strange beginning and you're not sure where it's going. That is an understatement and the whole story is pretty strange and increasingly unbelievable. Or is it? And what makes you believe a story? I guess that's the point of the book, and the first part primes you for just that. If all that is a little obtuse go read the book as any further explanation is a spoiler.

Wide-Eyed and Legless (Jeff Connor)

Jeff Connor

Wide-Eyed and Legless: Inside the Tour de France

Very readable, interesting and fascinating account of the British ANC-Halfords team and their exploits in the Tour de France in 1987. Written by a journalist who was invited along with the team and who becomes an integral part of it. A warts and all account by someone who wasn't particularly into cycling. Some very funny stories but also shows the efforts needed to complete the tour as regular members of the peloton. And the darker side of cycling. Am sure that those not into cycling would find it a good read

In Patagonia (Bruce Chatwin)

Bruce Chatwin
In Patagonia

A classic travel book which I read years ago and remember not being as enthusiastic as nearly everyone else seems to be. I travelled through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego so thought I should give it another go. Chatwin focusses on the people he meets rather than the amazing landscape and flora and fauna which is fair enough but less interesting for me. His descriptions are great when he does do that. The issue I have with the people descriptions is that he goes off into the history of people who have lived in Patagonia often with tenuous links to those he meets. Or he goes in search of people who happened to know past outlaws or rebels. So although interesting I feel that it is a skim through of those people just about the times that they spent in Patagonia. So my view remains the same. Interesting book but not "fascinating" or "exceptional". His descriptions of some of the locals especially the poorer "peons" verge on the bigoted.

The Death of King Arthur (translated by James Cable)

The Death of King Arthur (author unknown)

A very readable account of the last days of King Arthur and the folly or perhaps pre-determined fate that lead to his downfall. Full of valiant knights jousting, treachery and adultery. Indeed a lot of the story is about Lancelot rather than Arthur. Interesting account of how Britain was split up amongst various kingdoms at the time as well as northern France. Well worth a read.

Bloody Sunday in Derry (Eamonn McCann)

Eamonn McCann
Bloody Sunday in Derry : What Really Happened

Mix of the stories of those who were killed by British paratroopers and events leading up to the massacre, taking apart the Widgery report, then analysis of how this is part of a wider strategy to maintain the status quo at the top of British society. The personal stories are all a few pages long being accounts by relatives or close friends. What comes out here is the long lasting effects that the deaths had on close family but also that any anger is directed against the British state rather than individual soldiers who killed unarmed and often fleeing people. The chapters about the lead up are very interesting and then detail as to why the initial official investigation (Widgery) was so flawed and a whitewash. This edition was published in 2000 just as the follow up inquiry (Saville) had started which then led to an overturning of the Widgery findings and an apology by the British government.

Little Constructions (Anna Burns)

Anna Burns
Little Constructions

A very dark novel about violence and child rape although nothing is explicitly described. Set in a small town in Northern Ireland (I assume) which is effectively run by one man and his gang of murderous brothers. Much is about how those who have been damaged by the gang, including themselves, try to make sense of their lives often retreating into an unreal world of fantasy. The legacy of parent to child violence, neglect and rape are the main thrust of the novel and how one woman tries to achieve some sort of normality, whatever that means in such a close knit and affected community all equally affected by violence. I've not been able to find out why Burns wrote about such themes or whether she has been affected by them or seen first hand. Or whether she simply decided that there are stories out there that need to be told. And this story is told in a very touching and sensitive way in my opinion. Despite the dark themes of the novel there is a lot of humour too making it a challenging read as you find yourself laughing at the detail which is a part of a wider sub-plot that is not a laughing matter at all. That seems to be Burns' way to find humour in the wider tragedy, similarly in Milkman. The story line(s) can get very confusing not least as everyone's names begin wit a J (and some variations on that for the same person) and there are two Toms. Again, I think Burns' way of messing with our heads or maybe forcing us to really concentrate on the characters' stories. The narration is confusing too as it's written as if it's someone telling a story and then saying, ah, well, I'm not sure whether that happened; that didn't happen as I told it; did I mention this important fact that I should do now; not to go into too much detail about a minor character but this is their story. So you never quite know whether the story line you are reading will turn out to be significant or even true and whether the narrator is making it up as they go along. Towards the end the narrator becomes part of the story and is no longer above but within. This oddness in the story telling reminded me of the brilliant At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien. Strangely I re-read that back in February just before reading Milkman and didn't see a connection in the story telling style but on reflection Milkman has a similar narration style to Little Constructions although that stories facts don't chop and change with the narration. If this review is confusing then I've successfully summed up the book. I recommend giving yourself time for this book... it's not too long but once you've started you won't want to put it down. Except to take a breather from the darkness.

The Earth (Emile Zola)

Emile Zola

The Earth

An excellent story and great descriptions of people and countryside. Reminded me of Victor Hugo which maybe was just the French based story. The descriptions and stories of peasants (as they are referred to) are very much like Dickens and Hardy. Although there are a lot of references to casual sex which maybe was acceptable in France but not in Victorian Britain. A short summary of what is a great book. Must read more...

French Revolutions (Tim Moore)

Tim Moore
French Revolutions

Whilst cycling the route of le Tour is commendable Moore's complete lack of preparation seems a little far fetched and it seems that his panniers were full of books and magazines. I only read this as I'd bought it before I'd read his book of cycling the iron curtain which I had to put down... "His descriptions of individuals are often very harsh and in the context of stereotyping bordering on xenophobic. I'm sure (I hope) that this was all in the interest of amusing anecdotes but it grated so much that by the time he got down to Germany I had to give up on the book."  Moore's descriptions in his French travels were just as bad but as it was about le Tour I persevered to and and past Germany. This book he sounds even more of an entitled bigot and also comes over as a bit of a sleaze bag. Which goes with entitlement. His self deprecation feels very false given his comments on others. Fitting that his ride coincided with the period in which Armstrong dominated le Tour before having all his titles stripped and the records stating that there was no winner.

Need for the Bike (Paul Fournel)

Paul Fournel
Need for the Bike

A series of musing on and descriptions of bike riding written by a French writer and poet, and seemingly a bit of a philosopher. Fascinating reading as much I can relate to being a keen cyclist. His descriptions of racing I think may be his interpretation of others as I've not read that he was a racer. A great read.

Cutting For Stone (Abraham Verghese)

Abraham Verghese

Cutting For Stone

A long and interesting read although I didn't find it totally engrossing. Maybe due to the characters none of whom you are particularly rooting for or maybe as I don't like reading about medical procedures. And a little too much religion for my tastes. The fact that I could put it down at critical points in the story when interrupted suggests that it wasn't a page turner for me. Having said that it is very readable bar the in depth medical descriptions which seems to be a theme in books I've recently read. There again the author is a medic. Interesting story lines too set in Ethiopia when Haile Selassie is overthrown with both him and the new rulers coming under heavy criticism. The story hinges on what if's and coincidences. I was given this by Debbie and whilst reading in the garden put it down to eat and then it was gone. I assume stolen by a fox. So had to take out of the library. Weird.

1923 (Ned Boulting)

Ned Boulting 
1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession

Well known and knowledgeable author writes a typically engaging and thorough book in which his love of the sport comes through. Buys a piece of film at an auction which turns out to be 2 minutes of the 1923 Tour de France and then he investigates who's in the film and their stories. Bring into play everything from their personal stories and of their great grand children and also branches out to cover two world wars and a great deal of French and German history. So many rabbit holes to travel down and incidental and in some ways trivial facts but the way that Ned threads them together is fascinating. Never thought "why is he telling me this" until after I've read enthralled and often after I've gone down my own Wikipedia rabbit hole to find out more. Not many could engage you with their personal obsession in the way that Ned does. You can watch the film on-line too.

George Orwell's 1984 Graphic Novel (Matyáš Namai)

Matyáš Namai
George Orwell's 1984 Graphic Novel Adapted and Illustrated

Orwell's classic dystopian novel reimagined and illustrated. The story is depressing and it seems that we are closer to this society than shortly after Orwell wrote it obviously concerned that the world would go down this route by the end of the 20th Century. Many would say that parts of the world had but the doublespeak whereby leaders reword history and current events on-line is accepted by so many. As with any graphic novel the richness is in the illustrations and these are great. But inevitably at the expense of words which makes me feel that I should read Orwell's version again both to see if it's the same as this version (it's a very long time since I would have read it) and whether the nuances will depress me further. 

Tell Me Everything (Elizabeth Strout)

Elizabeth Strout
Tell Me Everything

A few years since I read the two "Olive" novels and Debbie told me that this is just as good. Pulls lots of characters from her other novels together but you don't feel that you needed to have read them. The underlying story is of one person (Bob) and his relationships with a few others but those relationships spawn further stories and there are a few random ones thrown in seemingly gratuitously. There is a thread of poor and / or abusive childhoods with stories untold and sometimes mis-remembered; and love affairs and extra-marital affairs and obsessions and just simply love between two people. A very readable book that I got through in a few days helped (or not) by the fact that my leg was bashed against a train step. Another untold story...

Orbital (Samantha Harvey)

Samantha Harvey

Orbital

A beautifully written book with enormous praise related to just that. (see cover) But to me I wasn't grabbed by either the way it was written or the content. I did try but gave up halfway through. Others love it.

The Trumpet-Major (Thomas Hardy)

Thomas Hardy
The Trumpet-Major: A Tale

An excellent story set near Weymouth (where my grandmother was from) in the early 1800's (times when my ancestors would have lived there) when invasion by Napoleon was seen as imminent. A romantic tale really about three men who woo or don't in turns our heroine. As ever Hardy conjures up the lives of ordinary village folk weaved into a compelling storyline. Some of the actions and deeds are questionable and in some ways makes the story less believable but there again I'm looking at it from a very modern perspective. Indeed Hardy wrote this a number of decades after the events and I understand that he made significant revisions to his novels during the 1870s, 80s & 90s as public tastes and accepted themes changed over those decades. If you think about what was acceptable in 1970 compared to 2000 it's quite a change. A great book set in Hardy's Wessex.

The Secret Magistrate

The Secret Magistrate



A factual book about what a magistrate does and some behind the scenes info. Very readable with a good mix of duties incorporated with some very interesting cases. An eye opener for me as I had no idea as to the legal position of magistrates. Interesting and entertaining.

Girl in a Band (Kim Gordon)

Kim Gordon
Girl in a Band

A very interesting story of Kim's childhood and early adulthood... weirdly until she joined Sonic Youth when the story gets a lot less interesting and seems to be just about the songs and band. OK, what did I expect? Quite a lot is about what a shit Thurston was (is? - I didn't get that far) and how Sonic Youth were the most innovative band ever with a fair bit of writing off others. All this I had a real problem with as SY were good but not the best. Also dismisses English music scene at the time which shows that Kim has a very poor understanding of the underground scene and indeed breaking bands, DJs and other music makers. I got so bored I gave up. Couldn't face hearing about a marital break up as if it's the first ever.

Why Fish Don't Exist (Lulu Miller)

Lulu Miller
Why Fish Don't Exist : A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life

As the subtitle says... a odd book covering the work of a fish collector born in the 1850s, the author's family, her challenges in life and loves. I won't try to summarise as the book is so diverse in it's topics. Taxonomy of species is a thread throughout but it's so much more than that. Both funny and sad. 

Middlemarch (George Eliot)

Middlemarch
George Eliot

An excellent read as recommended by my Long Distance Classic Novel Buddy (Zayn). A fascinatingly interweaved story focussing on a families and people. A lot of themes here from love, self denial, friendships, greed and hubris. All within a small town setting which apparently is Coventry in the early 1800s. The wider context is the parliamentary struggles to reform MP selection moving from the Rotten Boroughs to wider franchise. Eliot has a brilliant way of getting into the minds of her characters and you are drawn into their lives so that by the end you want to know a bit more about the rest of their lives. It's one of those novels that you can't put down and then as you get towards the end you slow down as you don't want it to end. A great read. I don't usually quote from books but there were quite a few that I found fascinatingly insightful and very relevant to today...

"But Fielding lived when the days were longer (for time, like money, is measured by our needs), when summer afternoons were spacious, and the clock ticked slowly in the winter evenings."  How true is that today - I'm sure a lot of people my age feel that when we were young the days were longer as not filled with electronic messaging.

"And certainly, the mistakes that we male and female mortals make when we have our own way might fairly raise some wonder that we are so fond of it."  Again, we continue to make the same mistakes.

"...for since professional practice chiefly consisted in giving a great many drugs, the public inferred that it might be better off with more drugs still, if they could only be got cheaply"  How much more true is that today - and how GPs deal out the pills (bought by health service at great expense from big pharma) instead of looking at root causes.

"...we all know the wag's definition of a philanthropist: a man whose charity increases directly as the square of the distance."  Again, ignore the man at the tube instead give ostentatiously to "big" causes.

Milkman (Anna Burns)

Anna Burns
Milkman

A compelling and engaging book albeit very strange. Set in what I assume is Belfast in the 70's Troubles it tackles issues ranging from the political situation through to personal mental health through to feminism. The narrator is an 18 year old woman whose name we don't know indeed nearly all the characters aren't named in fact I can only remember one called Peggy. The young woman lives in a Catholic area which is at war with the British army and run by Catholic paramilitaries who deal out a rough form of justice. She becomes the focus of sexual attention by Milkman who is high up in the paramilitaries and she descends into a state of mental instability. In addition to this there are many other issues going on in her life and within her family and she is ostracised by her community being considered outside the pale. There are some very dark moments and at times the book is brilliantly ominous making me unsure as to whether I want to read on. But I can't resist the tale and pick up the book soon enough (i.e. within hours not days). Having said this there are many heart warming passages and some extremely funny laugh out loud moments both funny funny and also related to the darker parts of the plot. The characters are brilliantly written and I felt at least a couple could have their own stories. I'd love to know what happens to the wee sisters when they are grown up. Well worth the read.

The Custard Heart (Dorothy Parker)

Dorothy Parker
The Custard Heart

A thin small pocket book of three very short tales including Big Blonde and You Were Perfectly Fine in addition to the book's title story. All are about 3 womens' trials and tribulations so uncomfortable reading.

At Swim-Two-Birds Novel (Flann O'Brien)

Flann O'Brien
At Swim-Two-Birds

A strange tale or indeed multiple tales going from the mundane to the completely surreal. It's brilliantly written and the story within a story allows full rein to the weirdness of the narrative. I won't try to summarise the story(s) except to say that the device used for the plot(s) enables those to take on a life of their own. I read this years ago and remember it as a very confusing but maybe that's just my memory as the stories are easy to follow even if they chop and change have that surreal twist injected every so often. I suspect that Michael Moorcock read this. As would many of course. Lent by Simon tho I wonder if this is my original copy...

Fatherland (Robert Harris)

Robert Harris
Fatherland

Gripping murder mystery tale within a harrowing tale of a totalitarian regime if Hitler had won the war. Many of those aspects were real including people and documents. I'm not a great fan of this genre as often think why did you do or didn't do that but it is a real page turner which I finished in a couple of days. Well written too. Not sure I'll rush out and buy another of his books but would read if one came my way - as this did from my dad.

Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story (Daniel Rachel)

Daniel Rachel

Too Much Too Young: The 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a Generation

As you will guess... the story of 2 Tone from inception to demise. Really interesting read but as ever you see the darker side of your heroes. The book has a lot of input from those who were there so it feels like a very measured and fair analysis. There are times when people disagree as to why things went the way they did and among the funny and disturbing stories the author gives at least two opinions indeed often you feel that the four of them (whoever them are) can't all have remembered it that way. And there are times when people recognise that their memories are wrong. I guess with so much going on in such a short time blended with euphoric gigs, drugs and alcohol then memory is bound to be affected. One thing that did irritate is that there is only passing reference to the fact that reggae and blue beat, along with many other Caribbean and north American music, were popular in the UK before The Specials and their stable mates came across them. A small gripe as I guess that is part of the narrative. Covers quite a few bands including ones that faded into obscurity but were taken into the 2 Tone fold. For all that a fascinating read into what were just a few short sharp years where a multi-racial label showed that having bands as such worked well (I know that 2 Tone wasn't the first here) despite that many albeit a minority of fans were far right NF / BM supporters intent on causing violence at gigs. But the late 70s and early 80s had that across many genres including the post punk punk bands. Worth reading.

The Real Arsenal Story (Alan Roper)

Alan Roper
The Real Arsenal Story : In the Days of Gog

A history of the early days of The Arsenal until the end of the 19th century and a little bit after. To be honest it's probably more for Arsenal fans rather than the casual reader although does give an excellent insight into the game and clubs as it and they were fully formed. Match reports suggest very different style of play which I guess is inevitable. If we moan about offside and VAR these days there was originally a 3 player rule where you had to have 3 defenders between you and the goal otherwise you were offside. The other angle is the fans who were just as feisty, if not more so, than today regarding perceived injustices by the umpires. There is a fair bit about the lives of the players and hardships they endured which is one reason that The Arsenal were the first team to go professional in the south thereby being banned from competitions and shunned by other clubs. All very well ex public schoolboys with wealth bleating that the game should be played by amateurs but as the northern rugby clubs decided why shouldn't working lads get paid for a job. Typical of Arsenal to be innovative and to look out for local workers. Of course it also meant that they could attract top players from other clubs thereby attracting larger crowds so the club owners had an eye on the money much as they do now. The story ends just before WWI also there is a bit about the 1930s I think a bit gratuitously although interesting to Gooners. 

In Pursuit of Spring (Edward Thomas)

In Pursuit of Spring
Edward Thomas

A cycling journey from near where I live in south London to where I was born in Bridgwater and on to the nearby Bristol Channel. Written in 1913 by a poet (among other literary roles) who unfortunately was killed at the Battle of Arras in 1918. There are a lot of references to where or my family have lived an visited especially at the start and ends of the journey. I won't list them all here. It's an interesting read with very detailed descriptions of where he cycles through. Indeed the descriptions are so detailed that he must have stopped frequently to note them all. Although there are a lot of similar descriptions and back then certain flowers and rookeries must have covered the countryside. Which is quite likely. The author is also a reviewer critic and does go off on multi page analysis of different authors and poets sometimes fairly critically. Maybe because of this I enjoyed the first half more than the second where I felt he was using the story to publish his views on others and was very dismissive of certain towns and people he meets which comes over to me as superior arrogance. Similarly condescending when writing about local characters. Descriptions of churches are interesting although he does go on about inscriptions of those who are buried in churchyards. The descriptions are bit strange as now he would have written about the WWI memorials in each village churchyard that lists so many of the local men (boys) killed in the war that also took Thomas. The only reference to soldiers is French ones who died locally. Despite my reservations towards the end I mostly enjoyed the book and maybe I'll follow the journey by bike some spring time...

The Wretched of the Earth Book (Frantz Fanon)

Frantz Fanon
The Wretched of the Earth Book

An essay on what colonies need to do to throw off the shackles of colonialism and imperialism. An interesting read but I did find it very heavy going and repetitive. The author worked in Algeria in the 1950s and became a supporter of the anti-colonial forces until expelled. The work is very pertinent to today in many ways and although I was interested in the content I found myself reading the words and not taking them in. I did persevere as this is a classic work (when I gave it to Oxfam Bookshop the guy said that he was glad to take it as it is THE classic work) on the subject but I put it down about half way through.

Prophet Song (Paul Lynch)

Paul Lynch
Prophet Song

A dark book about a family in Dublin in a time when Eire has been taken over by a totalitarian regime. It's brilliantly written from the mother's perspective with the raw violence of the regime interspersed with almost poetic descriptions of the mother's thoughts and stressful hallucinations. Especially dark as current events show that even seemingly stable regimes can turn very quickly. Some would say that the Troubles in the north were pretty close to this state of living for many. The ending switches the story to a very real challenge faced by many today. Very well written although I would only recommend if you are in a stable state of mind and not sinking into depression at the state of the world. It would only bring that alternative reality closer although it is one being lived by millions already. Excellent but extremely uncomfortable reading as it seems so real.

Thanks a lot Mr Kibblewhite (Roger Daltrey)

Roger Daltrey

Thanks a lot Mr Kibblewhite: My Story

Roger's story through childhood and the formation of The Who. Then the ups and downs and difficulties of making a living in a rock band even if one of the biggest on earth and the difficulties in working with the other members of the band. Very well written and doesn't seem to pull any punches. A fascinating insight into his life and of The Who's. Goes all the way up to 2018 so pretty recent. Got me listening to my Who albums as I read. Well worth a read.

Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)

Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility

A story of love (fraternal and romantic), infatuation, duplicity and the chase of money. An excellent read although it's hardly written for the working classes given the assumptions as to what money is needed to survive. But I guess that's the context of the story. On the surface the story is simple but there's a lot more underneath. You can't judge a book by it's cover or the meaning of a story by just what's written on the page. Which is one of the themes of the book as to what is said leads to assumptions that are not correct if you don't think about the unsaid. If that's a bit cryptic read the book and all will be revealed, or not.

Say Nothing (Patrick Radden Keefe)

Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

A dark true story set in the Irish Troubles of the 70s and 80s. The basis is the story of a single mother of ten who was abducted by the IRA and her children's subsequent appalling lives intertwined with the story of a republican woman who bombed London, abducted informers people in Belfast and spent a long time in prison where she was force fed whilst on hunger strike. There is a lot of other descriptions of people involved in the conflict including the political climate. I won't go into the detail but it is very worthwhile reading. Frightening. And not over. On the day I finished the book the Sinn Féin deputy leader in Belfast (Michelle O'Neill) put a wreath on the cenotaph on Remembrance Day... unsurprisingly many Irish republicans were appalled as this was celebrating British soldiers who carried out their own atrocities and torture of republicans and Catholics... a banner was put on the Sinn Féin Belfast office with Traitors written in dripping blood red letters. Not over by a long chalk.