Just let me finish this chapter...

Catch 22

A re-read, still wildly absurd and entertaining but that dark final third gets to me more each time I read it.

An African History of Africa

Revealing rundown of African history with native sources and significantly changing the established narrative. If you are truly interested in history and hearing about it from another perspective, it's a worthwhile read.

Confession by Leo Tolstoy

An autobiographical essay on Tolstoy's existential crisis and how he decided to live his life afterwards. It is an interesting piece, quite detailed in his own thinking about life and people's motivations to continue living.

Farewell Companions by James Plunkett

An interesting story, though it takes a long time to get going. A group of friends growing up in Dublin after the War of Independence/Civil War and how they differ from their parents who lived through it. Its an interesting piece regarding the early years of the state, no doubt based on Plunketts own experiences from that time. It does come together quite well by the end but it is undoubtedly bogged down by its inevitable comparisons to Strumpet City as it is, essentially, a sequel.

A few to catch up on here...

The New York Trilogy

I really enjoyed this approach, though I wasn't always sure what was going on. Intriguing and philosophical, an updated, introspective take on detective fiction. Worth a read.

History of the World in 47 Borders

Title says it all. Interesting topic, if you've read Prisoners of Geography, this is a similar vibe, though probably more accessible and greater in scope.

Creation Lake

Picked it up on instinct and was really impressed. A spy novel, per se, kind of like a female version of Archer. I'd need to re-read it for a more detailed understanding of what it's about but an entertaining read, no less.

James Ellroy's the LA Quartet. I loved this series when I was younger and have read them all several times but this was a return after a decade.

Toss up between the Big Nowhere and LA Confidential as to which is the best one. Former is probably more engrossing while the latter is more neatly tied together. The Black Dahlia is a very good novel about obsession and the extremes it'll push people to, though it feels like it could stand on its own. White Jazz almost feels like a parody of his own style.

Good detective stories; the killer is never obvious but always has a valid motivation and the story is satisfactorily resolved. The books also give a good insight into 1950s LA, when Ellroy grew up, if that period interests you. He does a good job at capturing the era and its lingo, though that makes it a tough read in the 21st century.

Cameo by Rob Doyle

He's definitely at the forefront of literary fiction and doing some fascinating things with his work. Threshold was an interesting read but this is really pushing it further.

His latest novel is a mix of reviews for a series of semi-autobiographcial books written by the same author and excerpts from a memoir, another novel and interviews with people inspired by that author, including Rob Doyle himself.

You never know how much of his writing is autobiographical but the character he creates has a lot in common with him. Essentially, it is the musings of pretty much all facets of life and loosely tells the story from the characters birth to death. Highly recommended

Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera

A personal take, told by the son of Indian immigrants, about Britain's troubled relationship with the legacy of its empire. I wouldn't say there's any new information that is groundbreaking or revealing but the strength of this book is how he ties his own experiences into what he observes about British attitudes on the matter.

God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane

Think Strumpet City set in French Africa, but much shorter. A brilliantly executed story which touches on classism, racism, colonialism, feminism, religion, pretty much anything you can think of. It is also written in a wonderfully descriptive style.

Dictatorland by Paul Kenyon

Profiles of several African dictators from the 20th century. Foreign powers have a lot to answer for not just for colonialism but also the tinderboxes they left a lot of African countries as. There is a fairly standard formula here and sad to see it still being repeated across the continent to this day.

The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

I am only in its early stages but it is breathtaking.

Well, it's Murakami's most accessible fiction so I'd steer clear of the rest of his stuff then.

I would add that his book about the Tokyo gas attack is worthwhile. He interviewed several survivors and it is a fascinating social document as it paints a great picture of Japan in the 90s.

Irish Myths and Sagas

I bought this to better familiarise myself with our nation's mythology. Unless you are obsessed with it, this is tough going. The editor acknowledges that some of it, as they were passed down orally, is quite difficult for reading and I agree. It does give good insight into pre-Christian Ireland because of its details about daily life but it was a slog.

Misery by Stephen King

Just what I needed to get back to reading. Switch off your brain and let the pages fly past you. It actually has a lot to say about the craft of writing itself but it also serves as a thriller with tension building slowly and the antagonist can be quite complicated in figuring out.

Saints by Amy Jeffs

A run-down of several saints while tying their stories to specific aspects of Christian worship. It focuses on pre-Reformation saints, using them as a good example as to why the Reformation turned against idolatry. A lot of Irish and British saints are included while it ties feast days to the different months of the regular medieval calendar, linking saints to people's everyday rhythms. A recommended read if you're interested in early Christianity.

The Tenderloin by John Butler

I had never heard of this before but it was one euro in a charity shop and the blurb had a recommendation from Kevin Barry.

Its a heartfelt story, quite emotional and the main character really bears his soul to the reader without directly putting a name on his inner struggle. There is some lovely writing in it as well, a fairly enjoyable read.

Lazar by Nelio Biedermann

This is incredible, really well written in an engaging style and his craft is such that there are several moments that are not fully described, not even blatantly hinted at, but you can fully understand what has happened. Also interesting if you're a history buff; a riches-to-rags story about an aristocratic family during Hungary's tumultuous 20th century.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

There are some interesting ideas here but I wasn't impressed by the allegorical aspect. Given it is presented as philosophy, I'd put it down as being closer to something like Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse than Ethics by Spinoza which I got a lot more out of.