Showing posts with label John Boyne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Boyne. Show all posts

Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Reading!


Right, this is getting ridiculous. After I finished reading and thoroughly enjoying The Big O by Declan Burke I gazed upon Mount Brennan-Reading-Pile, now seriously competing with the Mourne Mountains as a tourist attraction in my area. I scratched my head and wondered which of the fine books I should read first. I’ve a number of intriguing specimens lined up for the CSNI dissection treatment, but also a stack of other books outside the crime fiction genre that have been neglected since I started this blog. Decisions, decisions.

I picked up Dublin Noir edited by Ken Bruen. Thought I’d read the first story and if it sucked I’d mercilessly toss it over my shoulder. Eoin Colfer got the opening spot, and his hilarious yet brutal tale, Taking On PJ, left me with no doubt that I’d read the whole collection. Of course, I forgot to bring it to work the next day. I had a copy of John Connolly’s Nocturnes in my backpack though. Ach sure, a wee read of that then. Finished the opening novella and now I feel committed to the damn thing.

Two books on the go? Yeah, I can cope with that. Of course, I had a nosey at Ian Sansom’s opening book from The Mobile Library series last night. Read the first two chapters. Very addictive. Now I want to get stuck in to that.

So, as of last night, three books on the go. I’m an intelligent little fellah. I’ll give it a go. Oh, wait! Aren’t I reading Declan Burke’s new internet novel, A Gonzo Noir? Ah come on, people, you’re killing me! Well, at least that’ll be updated once a week... wait a minute! He’s bloody updated it three times since last Thursday! Feck. No worries though. It’s great stuff. I’ll make time. But I’m leaving it at that. Seriously. I’m not even going to read a road sign until I’m done with one of these things.

But guess what? After a rather scary journey to work, a colleague plonked a copy of John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas on my desk. Told me it was great. Said her daughter was going to read it next, but would have taken a long time to read it, so I should just read it first. I took it without thinking. Said I’d get it back to her in a few days. But, I’ve forbidden myself from even reading the blurb.

Curiosity’s killing me though.

Gah!