Wrapped Up In Books

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:09:00 +0000

Oh sod it, this isn't happening is it?

I'm off for an indefinite hiatus. Thanks for reading. I love you all!

Still on Flickr, Facebook, email and (occasionally) the real world.

Cheerio!

x

Anno Dracula – Kim Newman

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 02:16:00 +0000

This terrifically enjoyable mash-up of vampire tale, the ripper murders and a whole lot more besides sees Count Dracula, having defeated Van Helsing, reigning over the Empire as Prince Consort to Victoria. The undead are increasingly ubiquitous, and turning to the dark side is a route to social success. In a witty touch, we know from the start that, rather than the obvious option of the ripper being a bloodsucker, the murderer is actually a vampire slayer seeking revenge for past wrongs.

Much of the fun stems from the rampant references to both fictional and historical figures who pop up and effect the action. What fun to have Henry Wilcox from Howard’s End rub up alongside Dr Jekyll, Mycroft Holmes, Lenin and Joseph Merrick.

There are sequels. There will be blood.

The Sixteen Satires - Juvenal

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:04:00 +0000

I confess I was often hopelessly lost in the blizzard of classical allusion contained in these outrageous Roman polemics against the rich, the poor, the powerful, the powerless and (particularly) women. One has to be impressed by the sheer energetic bravado of much of it, though.

An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge and other stories – Ambrose Bierce

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:02:00 +0000

The title story is a blinder, although I already know the twist from the pop video embedded below. The rest are less chilling, but one or two elicit a frisson.

Runaway Dream: Born To Run and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision – Louis P. Masur

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:01:00 +0000

The stuff about how the album was put together and how each individual song developed is revelatory; the broader cultural and autobiographical stuff, not so much. Still, I’ll have nerdy trivia to think about next time I hear the horn section on Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.

Mary Queen of Scots – Antonia Fraser

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:56:00 +0000

I really needed to learn more about this period of history, and this book has alleviated much of my ignorance. Mary was queen of France, you say? Who knew?

Unfortunately, Fraser somewhat over-identifies with her subject (I nearly wrote “heroine”), raising questions in my mind about the extent to which her judgement can be trusted. This is proper history, though, weighing up the evidence and at least attempting to justify each call.

My copy was a bit shoddy, with a fair few typos and horrid paper quality. Surprising from Faber & Faber.

Went the Day Well? – Penelope Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:47:00 +0000

Went the Day Well? is a cracking little movie made in 1942 about a sneaky gang of Nazis parachuting into rural England disguised as Brits, only for them to be ousted by the plucky locals. It’s a fascinating mixture of understated brutality and whimsy, and Houston’s book provides interesting historical context and some shot-by-shot analysis.

The Bodysurfers – Robert Drewe

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:46:00 +0000

These linked short stories set around the Australian coastlines never quite cohere into a satisfying whole. The writing is quite stylish but I felt little emotional attachment to any of the characters.

766 And All That

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:45:00 +0000

A deliciously indulgent wallow in the 2010/11 Ashes series, in which England gave the Aussies a right thumping, via the medium of the Grauniad's over-by-over coverage.

Some Favourite moments:

1) Boxing Day, series tied at 1-1, 90,000 Aussies roar their openers on to the pitch at the MCG. By the end of the day Australia are 98 all out and England are on 157-0.

2) Third innings at the Gabba, England score 517-1 dec.

3) Michael Beer.

Happy days!

The Thought Gang – Tibor Fischer

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:42:00 +0000

In which archly over-elaborate language is used to describe the antics of the titular criminals who combine philosophy with bank heists. The two strands never quite come together satisfactorily, Nietzsche moustaches being used as disguises notwithstanding. It’s also way too long, despite things picking up a tad towards the finale.

The Little World of Don Camillo – Giovanni Guareschi

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:41:00 +0000

This is a classic example of picking up a random volume at a book fair and discovering a whole new literary corner. The Don Camillo stories are apparently very popular in Italy, although a quick online browse suggests that they are not too fashionable in English. This is the first book of many in the series.

The stories themselves are gentle vignettes revolving around the rivalry of the titular priest and the communist mayor in a small town after the war. The third main character is a teasing, ironical God, with whom Don Camillo has regular conversations. The stories often make an unexpected twist, in particular when the cleric uses a kick in the bum or even a tommy gun to achieve his ends.

Cakes and Ale – W.Somerset Maugham

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:40:00 +0000

This is fine writing indeed, presenting convincing characters in a sharp critique of class and portrait of the literary world. Some unfortunate references to race date it somewhat, but I was too involved to take any offence.

I liked the throwaway “now that the House of Lords must inevitably in a short while been abolished” in a book published in 1930.

A Boy’s Own Story – Edmund White

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:39:00 +0000

I think this was an important book in the history of queer writing, as it took an explicitly gay coming-of-age story and brought it into the literary mainstream. I suppose the British equivalent might be The Line of Beauty.

The writing is excellent and the echoes of Catcher in theRye are intriguing, but I prefer Hollinghurst.

Rumpole of the Bailey – John Mortimer

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:35:00 +0000

As enjoyable as a well-rounded claret, of course, but there is some surprisingly bracing social commentary going on here. This is the first in the popular series, and I plan to read more.

Scriblerus – Alexander Pope

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:35:00 +0000

This is a very odd satire from the Age of the Enlightenment, mocking those who achieve great knowledge without acquiring the corresponding wisdom.

Pope is the named author here, but apparently it was a collaborative effort from the very cool Scriblerus Club, which also included the great Jonathan Swift. They would sit about drinking coffee, smoking and coming up with amusing writing. Somebody, please give me a time machine.

If Not Now, When? – Primo Levi

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:34:00 +0000

This is one of those novels in which the reader entirely loses himself and begins to feel he is reading non-fiction. The effect is created by a mixture of empathic writing, convincing use of research, and subject matter – a group of Jewish partisans fighting in Europe during WW2.

The Hireling – L.P. Hartley

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:33:00 +0000

The set-up of a relationship between an aristocratic widow and her occasional chauffeur sounds like an overly schematic way to look at class. At times this does creep in, but in general the two central characters are so well rounded out that the story convinces and involves.

The Decameron - Giovanni Boccaccio

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:33:00 +0000

This fascinating collection of stories, straddling the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance, was a profound influence on The Canterbury Tales. The striking thing to the modern reader is the joie de vivre exhibited by the characters, particularly in the sexual realm, and the concomitant disregard for all church authority.

I bought my copy from a second hand bookshop in New York City in April 1997, a mere 15 years ago. Well, I got around to it eventually.

Wiseguy - Nick Pileggi

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:24:00 +0000

Aka Goodfellas, as Scorsese's superb movie rendered it. If you've seen that, there are no great surprises here, but the book shares the manic intensity and chilling brutality of the film. I only spotted one major deviation from the facts in the cinematic version, and the extra depth added in places is fascinating.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Jules Verne

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:19:00 +0000

I was surprised by how long this took to get going, with nearly half the book taken up by the establishment of characters and social observation before we finally descend into the Icelandic volcano. Once underground, though, things trot along rather entertainingly. It’s impossible not to picture James Mason as the cranky professor.

The Female Quixote - Charlotte Lennox

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:15:00 +0000

If you haven't read both Don Quixote and Clarissa, you are going to miss a lot of the satire contained herein. If you are as book-nerdy as me and have waded through those two behemoths then there is fun to be had, although the lack of a melancholic undertone makes it far less substantial than Cervantes' masterpiece.

At the end our heroine is cured of her delusion by the deployment of rational argument. It's all very Enlightenment.

5 Days in London – John Lukacs

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:14:00 +0000

The five days in question are in May 1940, and London could have been reduced to Whitehall. Lukacs’ argument is that Britain could easily have sued for peace at this juncture and Hitler would have accepted, leaving Europe overwhelmed by the Nazi forces and surely eventuating in the fall of the UK itself. This is not the moment when we won the war, but the moment we didn’t lose it.

Lucky Churchill was around to forcefully argue for a continuation of the fighting, in the face of his own Foreign Minister, the well-meaning but hopelessly misguided Halifax. Chamberlain was effectively the decisive swing voter.

I’m very far from being a historian, but I found the argument both convincing and chilling.

Poems and Songs – Leonard Cohen

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:14:00 +0000

It is a new experience to me to read song lyrics from the printed page, unless you count innumerable teenage hours spent poring over Bruce Springsteen liner notes. It is striking how weak many of the words seen when stripped from their musical context. The tune and delivery are obviously crucial to the power of the original medium, and the relentless ABAB structures really plod.

Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:13:00 +0000

It is the fate of speculative writing about the near future that certain ideas will inevitably seem silly shortly after publication. Oryx and Crake was published in 2003 and already references to chatrooms and CD-ROMs resonate with a hearty clang. Still, the stuff about environmental catastrophe and genetic engineering overreaching itself are pretty effective, and there are some fine imaginative flourishes.

Wake In Fright – Kenneth Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Goodfellow) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 06:13:00 +0000

The movie is probably my favourite Australian film, and this short novel has a similar power. It’s one of those books that is seeped with sweat, smoke and alcohol, and it leaves you wanting a swift swim in a cool stream.