What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

Reading What If by Randall Munroe

Basically answering interesting questions sent to him and also sharing the worryingly daft questions that also get asked but not answered. He is a cartoonist too so some of the accompanying drawings are quite funny.

A really easy read and I'm thoroughly enjoying it

I absolutely ripped through Jackal by Erin E. Adams this week. It's ages since I've inhaled a book that way. It's a psychological/supernatural suspense novel set in rural Pennsylvania. I loved it.

Need to pick a book now from my massive TBR pile to bring skiing with me next week.

The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages by Katherine Harvey

Very readable and informative overview of the sex lives of medieval people

I'm reading sharp object by Gillian Flynn, like all of he book its creepy and has an unpleasant undertone, anyway the interesting thing is it was published in 2006 so 19 years ago but it now sound curiously old fashioned because of the advances in technology and social media.

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry. Set in Butte Montana, a lot of Irish have gone there to work in the copper mines. It was a strange book, plenty of bad language which I’m not really fond of in books. I enjoyed it, it was an easy read with short chapters, but at the end of the day it was a boy meets girl and falls in love story, but unfortunately she’s married to someone else. Wasn’t much to it.

Over the last 3 years I have read a bunch of Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, Grapes of Wrath, Winter of our Discontent, his short stories, his travel book and finally East of Eden. Meanwhile, I have also been reading the Harry Potter series to my kids. The first 2 books of Harry Potter were a struggle for me. Steinbeck's writing is beautiful and thought provoking. Even his travel book which was pretty inconsequential was thought provoking.

Even if Steinbeck describes harshness in his characters, he tends to describe it in a humanistic compassionate way. Out of his novels, East of Eden had the most disappointing ending, imo but the journey to the end was great. It was also really progressive the way he weaved the story of an Irish immigrant and a Chinese immigrant.

Rowling on the other hand seems to subscribe to Roald Dahl's way of describing characters. Harsh, ugly language and very simplistic and hateful. Fat is bad, slim is good. Ugly is bad. Pretty is good. I am convinced the first few chapters of The Goblet of Fire were ghost written. There is no way the same person who wrote the first 3 books wrote those chapters. Also, I don't like most of the characters in the series so far. Lupin, Snape and Dumbledore are alright but Harry can be insufferable…his downfall in all of the books is due to him not communicating which also makes me think someone helped produce Goblet of Fire…it is as though someone said, you have exhausted him feeling or thinking that there was something wrong but always keeping it to himself, you should change that. Also, after the first few chapters of Goblet, it went right back to obnoxious character descriptions and overuse of highfalutin adverbs like indignantly.

Also, I just like Steinbeck's grammar. Its not precise as much of it is conversationalist but I like how he uses commas but also throws in - as a 4th wall break when needed. It is very easy to follow. I sometimes find myself reading Harry Potter and not inflecting correctly then having to re-read with the correct inflection because the grammar can be p1ss poor. Anyway rant /

Also I think it highlights the naivety of the people who joined the international brigades during the Spanish Civil War.

Just curious, why did this author characterise those volunteers as naive?

Also, does the book similarly imply that the Spanish themselves were naive for voting in an anti-capitalist direction upto 1936?

Ah, I see. I think that is true about British authorities discouragement of the volunteers – the B. gov’t were clearly on the side of the Spanish fascists & Nazis, with a plausible facade of neutrality.

On the question of naivety or idealism:
Spain is the clearest example of the true nature of the present model of so-called liberal democracy. You can vote for any party or policy you like except you can’t vote to dismantle capitalism (even if that is only what is perceived or feared by oligarchs). If you do, capitalists will reverse that decision with extreme organised force. Then 40 years later they will restore elections and call that democracy restored!!!

I think those volunteers were on the right side of history, true freedom fighters – the issue was/is the core of what freedom & self-government are supposed to be about.

It is the authors prerogative to portray the international brigades as naive or idealistic but IMO he is only shoring up the present system of highly conditional ‘democracy’. The main character portrayal also fits this message. Just an opinion.

Just finished a real page turner about the struggles of some Irish rebels resisting an invasion by a more powerful enemy. Fortunately the Brits had already realised what was happening and were ready to help us out.

Dark Rose is one of the strangest books I've ever read. Describes Ireland and the Irish people like a hallmark movie and sure the Brits are grand lads really. Ireland's invaders are the PLO and Libya. Oh and we become a monarchy again.

Only reason I finished it was it mentioned how the Irish Battalion in the Leb in 1995 was part of the force to rescue Ireland. I was part of that real-life battalion so could imagine I was in the book.

Definitely it's one for the "so bad you have to read it" list. Next on my list is Max Hasting's Armageddon.

I'm about halfway through The Specimens by Mairi Kidd. It's about Burke & Hare, and Robert Knox, the surgeon they were procuring for, told from the perspective of Burke's mistress and Knox's wife. Enjoying it so far.

Re reading the Morse books it's made me realise to write a good detective book or similar the author needs to be a good writer in the first place, Colin Dexter is a very good writer.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

A fair bit of violence for a story involving fairies and imps! I don't know how I feel about it but I find myself engrossed too

The Haunting of hill house by Shirley Jackson.

This is the book thats been made into films and TV series over the years. Enjoying it so far .

A Gift of Time by Jerry Merritt

Enjoyable read - time travel

Halfway through this at the moment, taking a break as I’m finding it a bit of a bore.

Normally like Harris but this one is dragging for me.