It’s been a log time since I’ve read any Iain Banks, not since I devoured The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity in my early 20’s. His fourth book feels like a departure from his earlier, more experimental novels. Espedair Street tells the story of the Danny Weir, former bass guitarist with the fictional…
Read more No 481 Espedair Street by Iain Banks Book 5 of #20booksofsummer
It’s probably hard to understand the cultural significance of Arthur Hailey in the 1960’s. His big, block-busting novels were best-sellers and he was the undisputed king of the pae-turning commercial thriller, captivating readers around the world with his movie-worthy plots. Hotel did in fact became a highly successful TV show in the ’80s produced by…
Read more No 482 Hotel by Arthur Hailey Book 4 of #20booksofsummer20
Novels about the city of Belfast have a tendency to be set during the Troubles. It is too ingrained in the very fabric of life here to be otherwise. Glenn Patterson’s novel The International does something different. In January 1967, the inaugural meeting of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association too place in The International…
Read more Northern Exposure: The International by Glenn Patterson (book 13 of #20booksofsummer)
Prior to reading Life A User’s Manual, I did a bit of research on Georges Perec. Now that I’ve read this undoubted masterpiece of a novel, it’s no surprise to learn that he was a keen member of Oulipo, a literary society founded by Raymond Queneau and mathematician Francois le Lionnais. Coined the Workshop for…
Read more No 556 Life A User’s Manual by Georges Perec #20booksofsummer
A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say. – Italo Calvino
Moonshine & Metaphysics
Book reviews, author interviews, music reviews. A revue of reviews!
What I've been reading
“If you don't know ... when the lights will go out ... you might as well read." --- Clive James
Postgraduate-led research group sharing research and bringing together academics and practitioners to explore contemporary Irish literature.
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