Discuss the last book you read, or are currently reading

[Nigeyb]

I’m no Jazz head either but it’s a big YES to Jimmy Smith

[Stephen]

Not sure why Jimmy Smith should appeal? Maybe it has a lot do with that fabulous wurlitzer sound of the hammond? Kind of lends itself well to an R&B feel.

I was very fortunate to see him play in Budapest years ago. He felt unwell and was an hour late, then they practically carried him to his hammond, the band played the intro and Jimmy brought his hands down on the opening chord and the organ made a farting noise and conked out.

We all sat there patiently (along with Jimmy Smith) whilst someone attended to the ancient analogue technology and then they tried again. Success! It was a truly great concert, he rocked the place.

In a previous life I helped set up Jon Lord's Hammond (he of Deep Purple fame) at Donnington Monster's of Rock c.82. It's a very peculiar bit of kit with these speakers containing horns that rotate and throw the sound out in an arc. The noise Jon Lord made with it wasn't so appealing however.

FWIW Larry Young also played the Hammond and his 2 LPs on Blue Note "Into Something" & "Unity" are both very good.

[Nigeyb]

A wonderful read Stephen


You are font of great knowledge and tip top anecdotes

[Stephen]

Anecdotes R us. But seriously this is a good little group and I enjoy exploring it.

[Nigeyb]

We're very glad to have you here Stephen

[CQM]

Mark wrote: "I’ve just finished LP Hartley’s The Go-Between.

It may not be the best novel ever, but I’ve certainly not read a better one.

Any pointers for further Hartley reading?"

The Eustace and Hilda trilogy is mighty fine, although as with most trilogies it's subject to the law of diminishing returns.
The Hireling is short and sweet, well actually sweet isn't the right word but I'm sure you understand.
The Boat was a struggle but, for my money a struggle that was worth it.
The Travelling Grave is a collection of short, spooky stories that probably won't blow anybody's mind for all that it's fairly entertaining.
Finally, although I haven't read it, Facial Justice seems so positively un-Hartley like as to be intriguing.
I reckon The Hireling is probably your best bet after The Go-Between and if that wows you move on to Eustace and Hilda.
You are right though, nothing was ever going to touch The Go-Between.

[Mark]

Sounds like very sage advice to me, so thanks very much indeed. I’ll find a copy of The Hireling today, and look forward to tucking into it.

I wasn’t imagining that any would touch The Go-Between -- I found that to be as perfect a novel as could be.

[CQM]

Mark wrote: "Sounds like very sage advice to me, so thanks very much indeed. I’ll find a copy of The Hireling today, and look forward to tucking into it.

I wasn’t imagining that any would touch The Go-Between ..."

You said a mouthful there pal!

[Nigeyb]

Thanks CQM - very helpful and much appreciated


Mark wrote:

"Here’s an easier one, then. Can you recommend either of the film adaptations of The Go-Between? I’ll need something to watch after the dvd of The Strange World of Gurney Slade that turned up in yesterday’s post!"

Gurney Slade eh? Be interested to discover what you make of it

I have only seen the 1960s film version and, for all it get lauded, I thought it a bit slow and dated. Definitely oozes that long hot summer vibe though. I suspect I wasn't in the most receptive frame of mind.

[Mark]

I recently -- and finally -- watched The Small World Of Sammy Lee, which I thought was brilliant... not just for the old Soho content, but for Anthony Newley’s performance. Guerney Slade’s impossible to come by over here, so ordered the dvd from the UK.

As for the film adaptation of The Go-Between, I’m happy to watch whichever version I’m able to find first, and then watch whichever I find next.

[CQM]

The Small World of Sammy Lee is fantastic isn't it?
I was thinking of it just the other day as I'm fairly certain a young Nurse Gladys Emmanuel appears in a small role.

[Nigeyb]

Yes, I love Sammy Lee too


Often considered getting hold of Guerney Slade but never taken the plunge

[Stephen]

Sammy Lee looks ‘triffic thanks.

[David]

Decades have passed since I last saw it, and given that there are DVD copies on eBay for about the current going rate of a litre of diesel, I may secure one.

[Stephen]

About a 100 pages into The Midnight Bell and enjoying it enormously but kind of nervously as well. Despite being familiar with the structure of the novel and it’s three protagonists I wasn’t prepared for Hamilton’s “attack” or Bob’s peculiar obsessiveness.
I made the mistake of flicking to the start of part 2 so now I know that he gets completely in over his head. A lot of this is rather close to the bone given my penchant for drinking and attempting relationships with utterly inappropriate women. I’m now dry and happily married. Must remember to look both ways when crossing the road!

[Nigeyb]

That's great Stephen


Here's our dedicated Midnight Bell discussion....

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Stephen]

Thanks I can't find anything on this website. I'll continue in the correct place.

[Nigeyb]

I loved Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius


t's a short, clever, insightful book

I mention it as I know David is a big Dickens fan. Possibly a Prince fan too?


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

5/5





In this joyous and illuminating book, the million-copy bestselling author brings together an unlikely pairing to explore the story of their creative genius

What could possibly connect Prince, the great twentieth century singer songwriter, and Charles Dickens, the great writer of classics usually stuffed into the hands of adolescents too early? What could these two geniuses, one born in 1812 in England, and the other in 1950s Minneapolis, have in common?

For Nick Hornby, Dickens and Prince are two artists that compare to no others. At the young age of 24, they both had their breakthroughs, Prince with '1999' and Dickens with The Pickwick Papers. At 26, Prince released 'Purple Rain' and Dickens' Oliver Twist was published, and, by 30, both artists were huge stars.

No one else had such a relentless work ethic and produced such a staggeringly original and enormous body of work. Where did their magic come from? How did they use it? And, in the end, did it kill them?

Tracing their lives, from the early years to their relationships with women, their finances to their inability to stop working, Dickens and Prince is a brilliantly surprising and joyous uncovering of the essence of a very particular and unique type of genius.

[David]

Yes, Nigey. The little fellow was a genius of our times. It’s difficult to imagine how he kept the quality level as high as it was, despite the many reincarnations. The book’s on my radar, but I’ve just discovered a rich Arthur Bennett seam in our endangered local library’s stock, and Arthur Morrison’s A Child Of The Jago is next.

[Nigeyb]

Thanks David


I've only read a few Bennetts, but enjoyed them all

[[deleted user]]

I'm reading a very hefty volume, THE LIFE OF CRIME by Martin Edwards, a history of mystery and crime writing, and there is a very interesting chapter on the Hamilton brothers.

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Michael - I'll try and seek it out

[Nigeyb]

I have just finished Happiness is Wasted on Me (2020) by Kirkland Ciccone


I'd never heard of either before reading it

It's great...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Martin]

I just posted this in 20th century group by mistake (although it fits there also).
A slice of surreal mid-century English eccentricity courtesy of my ongoing obsession with vintage Penguin Modern Classics

[Nigeyb]

How was it Martin? To what extent do you recommend it?

[Martin]

I'm about half way. Enjoying the read but I'm going with the flow rather than trying to understand what it all means. If it doesn't have more meaning by the time I finish I may try to use my brain for some deeper thought.

I've read a few quite surreal novels recently and can't quite decide how to place them. After so long reading social (and Socialist) realism it takes a bit of a shift of mindset. Only last week I finished a South African trilogy

That had a few too many classical references so I probably missed out on quite a bit of meaning (I started out Googling the names I didn't know but found it disturbed the flow too much).

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Martin - one to watch

[Martin]

Although written in 1955 and playing off then popular 'identity theory' the book still resonates with contemporary issues. A digression dealing with sex/gender/sexuality identity was fun and could certainly spark lively debate with current tensions around these issues.
The book is not obviously Hamiltonian but the setting is mid-century England and there is a concern with how society has changed, especially in relations between classes and professions.

I read the Penguin Modern Classics edition but can understand why it has been resurrected in FaberFinds.

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Martin. If I see a copy I’ll grab it

[Nigeyb]

A few chapters into...



Pop. 1280 (1964)

by

Jim Thompson


Absolutely loving it so far

Been many moons since I read any JT and now I'm wondering why I've left it so long

Any JT fans in the house?

The edition of Pop. 1280 that I'm reading also has a fabulous introduction by Charlie Higson




Nick Corey is a terrible sheriff on purpose. He doesn't solve problems, enforce rules or arrest criminals. He knows that nobody in tiny Potts County actually wants to follow the law and he is perfectly content lazing about, eating five meals a day, and sleeping with all the eligible women.

Still, Nick has some very complex problems to deal with. Two local pimps have been sassing him, ruining his already tattered reputation. His girlfriend Rose is being terrorized by her husband. And then, there's his wife and her brother Lenny who won't stop troubling Nick's already stressed mind. Are they a little too close for a brother and a sister?

With an election coming up, Nick needs to fix his problems and fast. Because the one thing Nick does know is that he will do anything to stay sheriff. Because, as it turns out, Sheriff Nick Corey is not nearly as dumb as he seems.

In Pop. 1280 , widely regarded as a classic of mid-20th century crime, Thompson offers up one of his best, in a tale of lust, murder, and betrayal in the Deep South that was the basis for the critically acclaimed French film Coup de Torchon .

[Nigeyb]

Nigeyb wrote:



"Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280 (1964)."



Finished now and I loved it

Looking forward to reading JT's other titles


Review...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

5/5

[Nigeyb]

Last night I finished...




Spoilt Creatures (2024)

by

Amy Twigg



Cults and communes are a source of fascination for me so Spoilt Creatures (2024) by Amy Twigg, her debut novel, had instant appeal. It’s a haunting, powerful exploration of female rage, isolation, and the seductive pull of cult-like communities.

Recommended

4/5


Spoiler free review here....
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nigeyb]

I've just finished Men In Love, the latest instalmnet of the Trainspotting series which takes place between the original novel and Porno.

It's a bit of a disappointment given how good the other books are...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


3/5


It is the late 1980s, the closing years of Thatcher’s Britain. For the Trainspotting crew, a new era is about to begin – a time for hope, for love, for raving.

Leaving heroin behind and separated after a drug deal gone wrong, Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie each want to feel alive. They fill their days with sex and romance and trying to get ahead; they follow the call of the dance floor, with its promise of joy and redemption.

Sick Boy starts an intense relationship with Amanda, his ‘princess’ – rich, connected, everything that he is not. When the pair set a date for their wedding, Sick Boy sees a chance for his generation to take control at last. But as the 1990s dawn, will finding love be the answer to the group’s dreams or just another doomed quest?

Irvine Welsh’s sequel to his iconic bestseller Trainspotting tells a story of riotous adventures, wild new passions, and young men determined to get the most out of life.

[Mark]

Very pleased to hear that the Spud content hit the spot – he’s my absolute favourite Irvine Welsh character, and one that I never tire of. Even his very brief cameos in other Welsh books is enough to bring a smile to my face.

Really looking forward to reading this one, but with tampered expectations. Will quite probably leave it until the paperback publication.

[Nigeyb]

Looking forward to your reaction