Apologies for the silence. I've got a cold and it's messing with my writing head. Should be back on track soon.
I've just noticed that I haven't posted a book review since the beginning of March. I've read some great novels since Zeltserman's Pariah, but I was riding an inspiration wave for the novel in progress, so I chose to ignore them for the time being. Just for the record, they were:
Cold Caller by Jason Starr
1977 by David Peace
The Guards by Ken Bruen
1980 by David Peace.
Actually, I don't think I'll review the two Peace books. They got quite a bit of coverage over the last few weeks after the Red Riding films aired on Channel Four. I'll maybe do a roundup when I've read and watched 1983, but I don't think David Peace will panic much if I don't get around to it. I will say this, though... if the movies didn't float your boat, don't let it put you off the books. I wasn't hugely impressed by parts one and two of Red Riding, though in fairness, I've watched a lot worse. But the thing with the Red Riding Quartet (as opposed to the trilogy of films) is the writing, not the story. Hard to convey that on the screen. They're all available in nice snazzy paperbacks through Serpent's Tail.
As usual, Ken Bruen delivered in spades with The Guards, and I've a few thoughts on Jason Starr's first novel that I'll hopefully get around to sharing. Right now, I'm reading The Dirty South by Alex Wheatle. It puts me in mind of the Noel Clarke movies, Kidulthood and Adulthood, and it's a nice easy read. I hope something big happens in the second half, though. The teenage protagonist's inner whining is starting to bug me a bit. I need him to stumble into a mad situation so I can see how he reacts, because I've no real respect or sympathy for him right now. He's just a bit of a prick, really.
Hmmm, I'm getting a bit negative here. Think I'll have a Lemsip and a smile and shut the f**k up.
