tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.comments2023-06-09T00:34:45.244-07:00Slightly ReadAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-11610501581246226082011-11-08T11:24:37.107-08:002011-11-08T11:24:37.107-08:00I love Dickens, Agatha Christie and Poe. Will this...I love Dickens, Agatha Christie and Poe. Will this book live up to my expectations in terms of suspense? Thanks in advance.AlexPuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-26215498983445745412011-10-20T14:17:09.132-07:002011-10-20T14:17:09.132-07:00I'd heard about that one alright, Speccy. Glad...I'd heard about that one alright, Speccy. Glad to know he's pleasing the target audience, though I suspect I'd enjoy a book about magic fart powder somewhat more than I really care to admit to myself.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-19829637672896864782011-10-20T03:43:07.175-07:002011-10-20T03:43:07.175-07:00Also, he writes kids books! 8 year old is enjoying...Also, he writes kids books! 8 year old is enjoying one about magic fart powderspeccyhttp://www.memineandotherbits.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-30088740490309624002011-09-12T09:25:31.315-07:002011-09-12T09:25:31.315-07:00You read them all in a week, Tessa? That's mig...You read them all in a week, Tessa? That's mighty good going. I don't know about your side of the pond, but over here the covers of his books are often flashed with guff like 'The next Stieg Larsson'. I imagine it irritates him no end.<br /><br />Rosie's read them all, so I have his entire catalogue to hand, but I decided to stay away from books about violent crime in Norway for at least a few months. But I'll get through them all eventually. He also has a new, non-Harry Hole one out called 'Headhunters' that is supposed to be good.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-3743427633393441352011-09-07T13:31:52.930-07:002011-09-07T13:31:52.930-07:00Funny you should say that, Andrew. When I heard ab...Funny you should say that, Andrew. When I heard about the Norway massacre, I thought to myself that it sounded like a Jo Nesbo plot. I read about his work a few months ago, downloaded the lot on Kindle and read them over the space of a week. They have about as much in common with Larsson as they have with Enid Blyton's Five Find-outers and a Dog series.<br /><br />Mind you, plot spoiler here - he does lose the run of himself with Snowman and the gore mounts up thereafter ...Tessahttp://www.nutsandmutton.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-82188209997541433742011-07-25T01:32:20.622-07:002011-07-25T01:32:20.622-07:00the romantic sub-plot doesn't involve a romanc...the romantic sub-plot doesn't involve a romance between the two brothers, does it? because that would be a whole 'nother sort of book.Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02180283117498339278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-66065512360309459022011-05-07T07:31:02.057-07:002011-05-07T07:31:02.057-07:00Oh, I figured you'd have read it ages ago, for...Oh, I figured you'd have read it ages ago, for some reason. I picked it up in New York, thinking I was getting it months before it'd be available here, only to find it on the shelves of Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street a week later. I'm looking forward to tackling St. Lucy's, though I do still tend to favour a novel over short stories.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-43679096706792021372011-05-06T11:45:53.873-07:002011-05-06T11:45:53.873-07:00Looking forward to reading this. Definitely check ...Looking forward to reading this. Definitely check out her short fiction - the title story of St Lucy's is one of my all-time favourites.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-18585669047871848932011-04-11T13:33:00.550-07:002011-04-11T13:33:00.550-07:00Thanks, Clare, it means a lot to me that someone w...Thanks, Clare, it means a lot to me that someone would go out and buy a book on the strength of one of my reviews. Especially this one, as it's one of those books I'd recommend above almost anything else. Kevin Barry has a new story in the recent Irish short stories anthology that Joseph O'Connor compiled. It's a complete departure from his usual stuff, but still great.<br />I've bought City of Bohane, but I've decided I should really finish the 2 or 3 books I already have on the go first so that I can properly concentrate on it. I've been pretty sloppy about posting here lately, but I'll definitely put my thoughts on it down here as soon as I can.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-19254788064501832402011-04-11T02:13:38.084-07:002011-04-11T02:13:38.084-07:00Great review. It inspired me to go out and buy the...Great review. It inspired me to go out and buy the book. I loved it, have bought a couple more copies to give to (or push on) my friends and I'm almost finished City of Bohane (trying my best to draw out the last few chapters as long as possible). Have you read it yet? If so, what did you think? If not, well why the heck not!?Clarenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-1855136762885195032011-01-10T06:40:25.065-08:002011-01-10T06:40:25.065-08:00Yes, that is interesting. Though probably even mor...Yes, that is interesting. Though probably even more so if I had ever actually read any of BEE's stuff, rather than just watching the fillums.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-70161165255248470072011-01-08T12:54:05.575-08:002011-01-08T12:54:05.575-08:00The edition I read had a delightfully unsettling a...The edition I read had a delightfully unsettling author photo in the back. Like a Midwich Cuckoo, she were.<br /><br />Interesting-thing-you-may-have-missed bomb: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_History#Cross-references" rel="nofollow"> cross-references with Bretty Stunellis.</a>emordinohttp://www.emesq.com/mainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-26218840715194950702011-01-08T07:13:50.208-08:002011-01-08T07:13:50.208-08:00Annie - You're not wrong, the rave reviews I&#...Annie - You're not wrong, the rave reviews I'd heard were from Rosie and the other Annie. Not sure why that is, perhaps there's something about that intense group dynamic that women can relate to more than men.<br /><br />Eimear - Yeah, the mood of it is pitch-perfect. I could really identify with the clammy claustrophobia of a group of collegemates who spend too much time together.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-46113534452550199932011-01-08T06:16:26.793-08:002011-01-08T06:16:26.793-08:00I loved the mood of that book. It was such a caref...I loved the mood of that book. It was such a carefully constructed world that in some ways the plot almost didn't matter - I just liked wallowing in it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-85060000491038601682011-01-08T02:58:41.021-08:002011-01-08T02:58:41.021-08:00Funny. In my experience, girls like it better than...Funny. In my experience, girls like it better than boys. Most boys I know <a href="http://bookcrossings.blogspot.com/2010/02/secret-history.html" rel="nofollow">lost patience with it</a>Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15941917503687179585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-86841246423644391762010-10-16T07:00:30.817-07:002010-10-16T07:00:30.817-07:00I think this was the one I found too hard to read....I think this was the one I found too hard to read. Because of the nasty bits. I mean, I read it, but I am just too much of a sensitive wimp to enjoy that sort of thing, and always wish I hadn't a bit as the bad feeling stays with me. <br /><br />Having said that, he is so good, I did read a couple of his.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08988685736635515808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-66460300770910014592010-09-06T07:40:49.996-07:002010-09-06T07:40:49.996-07:00Long comments are more than welcome, Kieran, espec...Long comments are more than welcome, Kieran, especially as yours adds a lot to what was quite a superficial review by me of a very rich book.<br />I started Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord over the weekend and I think you might be right about it being even better.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-9088781008156312032010-09-02T16:23:34.468-07:002010-09-02T16:23:34.468-07:00Good stuff - great to see a great writer being app...Good stuff - great to see a great writer being appreciated. I stumbled on this book a few years ago and practically got addicted to his prose. And you might be right on the Gabriel Garcia Marquez hunch - hard to compare (it is a bit like comparing Flann O'Brien with James Joyce), but this trilogy reminded me of 100 Years of Solitude if it had been written by someone you'd like to go for a pint with rather than someone who you would have liked to have had as your university tutor.<br /><br />So yeah, it is one of those books that can make grown men cry and laugh and cry again.<br /><br />And if you think this is good, Senor Vivo is even better, and by the time I finished Cardinal Guzman I was emotionally exhausted. (I'm guessing you know it's the first in a trilogy, which makes the vision and ambition even more impressive).<br /><br />I had to wait a year to get his voice out of my head (he has a great narrator's voice) before I went and read Birds without Wings, which is also really good, if a bit same-same, doing for Turkey what this does for South America.<br /><br />Then again I read and liked Captain Corelli's Mandolin when it first came out, so my opinion is probably not worth very much.<br /><br />Anyway, sorry for the long comment, but I am actually jealous that you have two more of these ahead of you. Enjoy.Kierannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-34535326338416629042010-09-02T12:32:55.938-07:002010-09-02T12:32:55.938-07:00Conor - Heh, I've taken to calling the books t...Conor - Heh, I've taken to calling the books that too since kitty cat coined the phrase. Thanks for the tip, I'll look into Vargas.<br /><br />Annie - I read your posts at the time and really enjoyed them.<br />My good wife is quite a fan of Brookmyre. so far my experience of him has been limited to one scratched audiobook, but it had me in stitches while driving.<br /><br />Colm - My apologies if it looked like I had deleted your comment, Blogger's new spam detection thingy is obviously intent on identifying anything with a link as perilously dangerous. I'd read that spoof before, but it's so fucking good that I still read it another two or three times.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-31551814116436549432010-08-31T10:39:02.735-07:002010-08-31T10:39:02.735-07:00The character of Tillie really resonated with me. ...The character of Tillie really resonated with me. <br /><br />Corrigan, too, though it took me so long to get through (damnable distractions) that come the end of the book I'd forgotten a lot of him.<br /><br />I'm currently struggling through 'Dancer.' Brilliantly written but the subject matter isn't as compelling as in 'Let The Great World Spin.'Radgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120550799595771510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-54112279527687302212010-08-30T02:47:26.203-07:002010-08-30T02:47:26.203-07:00At this point 80% of comments I make are links to ...At this point 80% of comments I make are links to New Yorker spoofs, so fuck it, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2010/07/05/100705sh_shouts_ephron" rel="nofollow">here's another one</a>.emordinohttp://www.emesq.com/mainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-15016945637991271732010-08-29T03:05:45.871-07:002010-08-29T03:05:45.871-07:00Yes.
http://bookcrossings.blogspot.com/2010/05/gi...Yes.<br /><br />http://bookcrossings.blogspot.com/2010/05/girl-with-dragon-tattoo.html<br /><br />http://bookcrossings.blogspot.com/2010/05/girl-with-swedish-longeurs.html<br /><br />If we're recommending, I recommend Christopher Brookmyre. He's funny and writes thrillers which are, you know, thrilling. The Sacred Art of Stealing is also dead romantic.Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15941917503687179585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-37386051984357018132010-08-28T12:25:02.634-07:002010-08-28T12:25:02.634-07:00I'm steering well clear of this "girl who...I'm steering well clear of this "girl who kicked the bee in the face" (c. red lemonade) craze, but if you want an excellent series of detective novels try Fred Vargas. She's French, and quite brilliant. She fairly hoovers up crime writing awards too. "The Chalk-Circle Man" is really, really good.Conornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-40451111608077663762010-08-19T06:18:01.926-07:002010-08-19T06:18:01.926-07:00I wouldn't go so far as to say he could/should...I wouldn't go so far as to say he could/should have knocked a third off, but I know what you mean. I suppose I didn't mind the more superfluous bits of the story because they were still so enjoyable to read.<br />I was a little surprised to see this one make the Booker longlist recently, but absolutely delighted for Paul Murray. I picked up his first book, 'An Evening of Long Goodbyes' a few weeks ago, so I'll put up a review of that when I've read it.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5369737008359020737.post-12866140567570109322010-08-19T06:09:29.564-07:002010-08-19T06:09:29.564-07:00Hi Kieran, thanks for the comment. The only other ...Hi Kieran, thanks for the comment. The only other book I've read by McCann thus far is called 'Everything in This Country Must' and I'd highly recommend it. It's two short stories and a novella and has a similar poetic loveliness to 'Let The great World Spin' - along with a superb ear for different Irish accents and dialect.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06170574944537866579noreply@blogger.com