The Best Summer Reads? Undoubtedly.
I’d say long time no speak but as you know by now it is that time of the month where the digital pigeons post you a weblog missive where I ramble about what I’ve been doing.
And what have I been doing, you ask? Taking a well-deserved break (if I do say so myself) from Kilchester and taking in a change of scenery. What better to do when sitting in the sun with a cocktail named after an innuendo in one hand and a gripping novel in the other?
Don’t worry, this time I’m not talking about my own but rather my top 5 holiday picks:
1) Disaster Inc. by Caimh McDonnell
I actually took a different book of Caimh’s on holiday with me but I could hardly recommend the fifth book in a series as one to start with. This one is the start of McGarry Stateside and is a joy from start to finish.
2) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
I like to pick up something related to the place I’m holidaying and this year we were in Bilbao. Dan Brown did one of his here but frankly, I can’t read that shit so I’m recommending the one I took to London two years ago instead. Gaiman’s first novel (I think) and it’s full of imagination and delirium. Love it.
3) What Does This Button Do? by Bruce Dickinson
I like a good autobiography and the lead singer of Iron Maiden doesn’t disappoint. Picked this one up on Audible since Bruce reads it himself and it’s heartfelt, unusual and really funny. Particularly the section where he’s gone solo and ‘accidentally’ ends up in warn-torn Sarajevo playing in front of kids who literally had to risk death to be there… There’s a BBC documentary about that whole affair I’d recommend too. Very timely with what’s happening in Ukraine right now. War… what is it good for?
4) Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
Dicks as in Private Detectives… get your mind out of the gutter. Nicieza wrote some of the best runs in the Deadpool comics and proves as funny and inventive with his first novel featuring a heavily pregnant suburban Mom. There’s even a sequel which is just as good.
5) Action – The Art of Excitement by Bassim El-Wakil
What holiday list would be complete without a book about the craft of writing? None. For the writers out there check out Bass’ podcast The Story Toolkit which is truly first class. I’ve worked with Bass on the outlines of ‘Kill It With Fire’ and the forthcoming ‘Get The Girl, Kill The Baddies’ and his insight into how story ‘works’ is frankly bordering on the mystical. I’m re-reading what I’d call the ‘author’s preferred text’ of this and it’s a solid 20 out of 10 for me. The one in bookshops is still worth your money co-authored as it is by legendary story guru Robert McKee.
What would yours be? Head over to Kilchester Irregulars and have your say (no promises that your answers won’t be heavily debated).
I’ve seen… Blue Skies… Through the tears in your eyes… and I realise…Okay, those are the lyrics to a song from Rocky Horror Show… Which has nothing to do with the fact that social media has gone INSANE this last few weeks. Twitter is a total sh!tshow and I am around elsewhere so in case you want to be sociable…
Blue Sky
This is probably going to be the one for me, my username is @adam.kilchester.com – sadly it’s still currently invite only and I don’t have any (yet) but if you’re there… say hi.
Threads
I’m on Threads too but… full disclosure… I HATE it. I’ll probably use it to see if I can get on with it but it feels like it just shows you a bunch of random influencers and people you don’t follow. Since you can’t ignore social networks… I’m on it 
The Book of Faces
The oft-mentioned, never-bettered hangout for the discerning Kilchester reader…. Private Facebook group. If you go there now you might even get the new cover reveal I’m about to do…
That’s all from me for now, I’m going to shut up and bury my head in one of these books.
The post The Best Summer Reads? Undoubtedly. appeared first on Adam Maxwell.
