So, for the Winter Solstice Consumerfest, one of the daughters gave me a subscription to Lovefilm. So I’ve been finally enjoying some of the decent films that I’ve missed in recent years. But of course, not all of them have been good; the stinker so far has to be Unknown. I wasn’t expecting it to […]
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…Sara Maitland’s The Book of Silence – an autobiographical essay on her search for, and meditations on, silence. I can agree with much of what she writes – of how silence should be regarded a presence, not an absence, for instance; and her joy at living alone and reasonably secure is well expressed, and makes […]
Well, it’s finally stopped raining – I’ve done no gardening done since Sunday. Didn’t manage any gardening yesterday, probably won’t do any today either – yesterday I got my new hard drive and spent the whole day just installing everything; I’m still dont finished, still got to copy over all my music and pictures, plus […]
The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill The time is 1976, the place is Laos. The Royal Family has been overthrown by the Communist Pathet Lao; many of the country’s intellectuals and ruling class have emigrated, and the country is reshaping itself while struggling out of chaos. Caught up in this is Dr Siri Paiboun, a […]
Hmmm… The drugs do work! Well, so far. I’m feeling cheerful and energetic, and generally much happier and healthier than I’ve been for bloody ages. I’ll have to tell Doc G about it – he’ll be pleased that something he’s prescribed for me is finally working. So I’ve really been charging ahead with work – […]
Duma Key by Stephen King I have to confess that I haven’t read that many Stephen King books. So this could be far from being one of his best. However, it’s very nearly the best King that I‘ve read so far. 1992’s Dolores Claiborne and last year’s Lisey’s Story I’d class as he very best; […]
Alic Sebold’s The Lovely Bones was built around in interesting and (as far as I know) original concept of the afterlife: rather than there being a single one-size-fits-all Heaven where everybody goes, everyone gets their own individual Heaven – a place where they are truly happy. Although each heaven is specific to each individual, they […]
The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod It’s strange how a book you’re reading can fit into the moment. I’d already read several of Ken MacLeod‘s books and was impressed enough to grab this one straight away from the library shelf. It’s set in a Britain of the near future, when terrorism has spread widely and […]
How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way? by Hiroyuki Nishigaki In case the title doesn’t make it clear, the author explains: I think constricting anus 100 times and denting navel 100 times in succession everyday is effective to good-bye depression and take back youth. You can do […]
The Poet in Exile by Ray Manzarek Ray Manzarek used to be the keyboardist with legendary group The Doors. This rather slim novel is a bit of a mixture – part-wish fullfillment fantasy, part roman a clef. For a Doors fan, the early, gossipy, bitchy roman a clef part is the most entertaining – you […]