Just let me finish this chapter...

Brighton Rock

This started off very well but the pace slowed down quite a bit after the initial burst. There is a sense of inevitability about the story; early on, you know how its going to end, it's just a matter of what route the author takes to get us there. That said, this technique does increase the suspense at certain stages and made me eager to keep going, especially towards the end.

I found the overarching theme (good triumphing over evil) to be somewhat naive. It doesn't come about because of some super-natural force, more because of character's having a guilty conscience.

There is a decent flow to it and, at times, the pages flew by. Some of the writing can be quite delicate and Greene offers some beautiful imagery and there some quite unique similes to appreciate. I would criticise the amount of time he spends in his character's heads. At times, there is simply too much detail given about the characters' thoughts and you can see how they are going to act in the remainder of the book.

Two and a half months later...

Life and Fate was an interesting read about a topic that I'm quite interested in.

But it was not an easy one. Lots of short chapters then the odd longer one. The story jumps between characters at odd times. The story is about the battle of Stalingrad but there are parts that are like encyclopedia articles or newspaper reports from the future looking back at it (the author was a war correspondent). I don't think it's entirely linear and at 1100 pages, it was tough to get into a decent rhythm.

The Christmas period didn't help and I had a few other things going on but I didn't expect it to take me this long to get through it so I need something lighter to get back into the swing of things.

The Last Colony by Phillippe Sands

A factual account of how the natives of an island in the Indian Ocean were removed by the British to make way for an American air base in the 1960s. Written by a lawyer who has brought the case all the way to the Hague. Very well researched and presents a good argument of how poorly treated the natives have been and how appallingly and hypocritically the British have behaved.

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

I always look to read the Booker Prize winner and this was a good one. Its a timely read and is very much a character study as opposed to going into great detail about the overall plot. Its a carefully constructed story, like a wall being built one brick at a time. There comes a moment about halfway through where it feels like there's a sudden shift in the main character's study but you actually realise its been carefully building up all along. There is some incredible writing in this, I especially enjoy how he often uses nouns as verbs, making the sentences far more direct and providing a more accessible image.

Onto the Plague by Albert Camus now, though I'm not so sure if its the right book for me at the moment as I've been quite philosophical lately.

The Buddha of Suburbia

This one was quite an enjoyable read. Some laugh out loud moments mixed with some tender ones while also being a varied case study of 1970s England. There are also some very fine flourishes of prose. The ending is pretty well resolved, if not a tad quick. Some very interesting takes on characters at the time, some still quite relevant though the titles have changed somewhat.

Highly recommend it.

My reading slump continues. I've only got through two books since my last update.

The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire by Ryan Gingeras. Gave history a go and I was hopeful that a topic that I'm fascinated by would help. Its chock full of information for quite a condensed period but it wasn't written on the most engaging way.

I started Russia: Revolution and Civil, 1917-1921 by Antony Beevor. Another topic I enjoy and an author whose work I find engaging. Its easier to get into and it flows faster but it inevitably ends up being something like: "Lenin gave an order. Stalin disagreed in private and Trotsky went on a diplomatic mission." I'm about halfway through but its a slog.

In my desperation, I went back to fiction and read Perfume by Patrick Suskind, a book my wife loves. It was well-written and I did get into a good rhythm with it, though I did struggle with suspension of disbelief at times.

But it served its purpose and helped me get back into Russia, though its still tough-going.

Finished Antony Beevor. Its well-written, just a lot to get through.

Also read the Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Short and sweet. I found it inspiring in spite of it being a gloomy topic.

I'm onto the Ragged Trousers Philanthropists now. Handy enough to read, Tressel's constructed a decent story so far.

The General of the Dead Army by Ismail Kadare.

An interesting study on trauma and its echo. It also has a lot of commentary on the responsibilities of bigger countries towards smaller ones when the latter 'gets in the way'. Its a straightforward book, not hard to follow and not too many characters. The chapters are short, too. There's a good atmosphere to it.

Definitely worth a read.

My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Stanovci.

A brilliant read and an incredible achievement.

The story is about a Kosovan family who emigrate to Finland in the 1990s. The story is fleshed out through the perspectives of the mother before and after the move and the youngest son as an adult.

Intertwining two different timelines can be trickey but this one does it well. Very hard to put down once you get into the swing of it. It impressively deals with generational trauma while presenting you with characters who seem clueless. At times, you can't believe what the main characters are doing despite it so clearly being wrong yet you reach a point where it begins to come together.

I highly recommend it, one of the best books I've ever read.

Quite enjoying the Magician but was home for a few days and took the opportunity to browse my mother's extensive library and got through the following in the space of a few days:

The Poor Mouth by Flann O'Brien

My Irish is far too rusty to attempt to read the original but the translation is brilliant. It's a brilliant parody of those Gaeltacht biographies and also pokes fun at the landscape of the Irish language movement in the 20th century. Highly recommended.

Despair by Vladimir Nabokov

I'm not very familiar with Nabokov, though I've read Lolita. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Its entertainingly written and there is brilliant use of the pompous narrator as a self-righteous, blissfully naive anti-hero of sorts. The story itself is an intriguing take on the 'perfect murder' plot device and I was quite impressed by the style it was written in. Another recommendation.

Back to the Magician for now, though I took with me At Swim Two Birds, which I started and abandoned during college, and The Third Policeman, which I've read before but in Spanish.

A Lethal Legacy by Fin Dwyer

I'm a big fan of his Irish History Podcast and this was an interesting take, looking at isolated murders from specific times in the nation's history and placing them within their historical context.

Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I read this a few years ago when my uncle died suddenly and remember appreciating someone else's take. Unfortunately, I've gone back to it after another bereavement. Its thorough. Its all over the place (that's not a criticism) and mostly recounts her memories and impressions of her father while ruminating on the theme.

Completed 29 books in all in 2024.

My Cat Yugoslavia, Piranesi, Prophet Song, Despair and the Buddha of Suburbia are the ones that stood out the most, the first being one of my favourite books I've ever read. I hope to read more of his work. I can't think of any books that I didn't get anything out of at all, though I was underwhelmed by the Shadow of the Wind.

Currently working my way through The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, the usual mix of high concept science and absurd humour.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Not something I would have chosen on my own but my wife enjoyed it and I'm up for expanding my scope.

I enjoyed it. It's quite light-hearted in spite of its topic (a long-term couple in their mid thirties break up and it mostly focuses on the male's perspective). There's observational humour, nothing laugh out loud, just familiar things that you laugh along to. The story is interesting and the pages turn themselves. There is a bit of a twist towards the end that helps bring closure to the story. There is a satisfactory, optimistic ending. Good job.

Onto Topographica Hibernica by Blindboy now. I listen to his podcast a fair bit but hadn't read any of his writing before.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

One of the weaker Booker winners from recent years.

It explores some great ideas with some lovely descriptions but what little plot included feels reduced to passing commentary on the characters. It feels more like an essay. I get the feeling of being removed from Earth and being able to better observe and contemplate what goes on down there. Its a scientific dissection of life on Earth. It works very well in that aspect but it doesn't tell much of a story.

That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern

As ever, he gathers ordinary details and weaves them into a story that flows like a river, without the damming effect of chapters. Here, the reader is more like a viewer of a documentary regarding the day-to-day events of a couple who have given up life in London to run a farm in Leitrim.

The story carefully details the everyday events over a year, slowly adding them together and revealing the march of progress and how much things can change through small events. For others, all things stay the same but a constant motif is this simple fact: whatever happens, life goes on.

Once again, McGahern brings the story along with beautifully vivid descriptions of nature and the landscape, turning them into a crucial background player in the story's setting.

There are an assortment of oddballs and uniquely entertaining characters who we can all probably relate to a real-life acquaintance.

There is certainly that feeling of describing a way of life that has now disappeared (its was written in the early 2000s and is set in the 80s) and there is a hint of that hopeless longing for the past and the frustrating acceptance of time passing us by.

Simply put, this is a masterpiece.