THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Ian Rankin
Heart full Of Headstones
Latest Rebus.
Phenomenal writer.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

For me, I can unfortunately use the thread title as a statement. I just finished reading. End of. The last physical book I read was in secondary school, I might have read one or two non-fiction e-books since but that's it. I'm not proud of it, I just don't have the patience to read several hundred pages of fiction. Same with films - unless it grabs me within the first 10 minutes I'll turn it off.

For the 5/6th time, Penguins Stopped Play by Harry Thompson. Absolute favourite and a must-read for anyone who has ever played village cricket.

I've had a self imposed rule for as long as I can remember. Give it to page 60, and if it hasn't grabbed me by then, then it's down the dumper. Having said that, I can't remember when I last invoked that rule. As already mentioned I struggled with the John Cooper Clarke, and likewise with Will Sargent last year. I actually read so many books that I have a spreadsheet on my phone to keep up. I know! Sad as fuck really. But I do love reading.

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When you make your music, do you think about the man in the street? No, I've met the man in the street. He's a Ladybit.

Yup.
If you like reading and swimming IMHO there's always hope.
I do take the point made earlier about ditching something if not interesting after x number of minutes/pages. Perhaps worth a thread along the lines of 'what did you think was initially awful but turned out good/very good'?
Wouldn't be MKD

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

In a world blighted by addiction and all sorts of things that are bad for you, keeping a spreadsheet because you like reading is definitely at the lighter end.

No different to having a letterboxd account keeping track of films you've seen really.

Under the Volcano. Held up in the 80s as a missing classic. Tried reading it three times. Never got beyond page 40. Binned.

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

Really didn't think this would be up my street. The Current Mrs Gers bought this 1221 page doorstop of a detective novel thinking that as I would be laid up for a couple of months it would see me through. Finished it in less than a week.

I had no idea Strike was such a phenomena. Every one a best seller, TV series (which I've now watched every episode) the whole nine yards. I knew that Galbraith is JK Rowling, but I assumed that she'd only written one of these. My loss I guess as this is her latest, and as I've already said, I've watched the whole telly series, so I don't need to read the previous five.

The plot concerns a young couple who have a YouTube cartoon which takes off, which in turn attracts the attention of Netflix. Which inevitably attracts a whole load of internet nutters, one of whom threatens the female creator. When she's inevitably murdered the twin detective act of Strike and Ellacot take the case, which they obviously solve. There's the usual red herrings in the form of right wing terrorists, an arts collective, and various other bit and pieces. It's a dense old read.

The plot centres around an internet pile on. I seriously doubt that's a coincidence being as Rowling is still to this day on the sharp end of this modern day nonsense. So all the more power to her.

Much to my amazement I really enjoyed this. I'm guessing it's only the second detective fiction I've ever read, apart from all the Sherlock Holmes' that is, and I enjoyed it. That however doesn't mean that I'll be hot footing it down to the crime section of Waterstones anytime soon.

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When you make your music, do you think about the man in the street? No, I've met the man in the street. He's a Ladybit.

The Archers: Ambridge At War by Catherine Miller

I’ve been listening to The Archers for over 30 years, and it’s with enormous pride on my part that I can say I’ve never missed a single episode in those 3+ decades.

The Current Mrs Gers bought me this a couple of years ago thinking that it was a history of the world’s longest running soap opera. Sadly for me it wasn’t. What it was however was a sub Mills & Boon pile of almost plot free nonsense. The actual Archers takes quite literally years for stories to come to a head. They’re very good at it. So when the aforementioned Mrs Gers sometimes has the misfortune to listen when we’re driving at 7pm, she could be forgiven for constantly saying that “Nothing happened. Why do you listen to this?”. And that’s the point. You have to make a commitment to The Archers, because just as in life, it takes years for things to change.

Whomever edited this has, I strongly suspect, no idea what The Archers is, let alone listened to a single episode. Nothing happened. Nothing! There was a vague plot regarding the lord of the manor and one of the villagers having an affair. The very last paragraph was supposed to be some massive plot twist, it wasn’t. Mainly due to the fact that it was so badly written that you don’t care. The main plot device is some anonymous letters revealing the villagers' hidden lives. The resolution of which was the most 6th form short story imaginable.

I don’t know what the publisher thinks the average listener is like. I listen to Radio 4 all day long. I’m listening right now. John Peel was a massive Archers fan. Like him, the music I listen to is somewhat of an acquired taste to say the least. Someone I know is a senior government advisor, he's a listener. There must be other listeners like me. There just must be. So to read this home-counties focused pile of anodyne rubbish is a tad insulting to loyal listeners. We’re not all middle-class housewives who listen as we cook dinner. Don’t treat us like idiots.

Having said all of that. I gave up reading Bono’s autobiography to read this as old Bonzo’s was quite literally unreadable. So there’s that I suppose. Shit Radio 4 spinoff written during lockdown in better that rock star’s tome pile of shit. Put that on the cover.

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When you make your music, do you think about the man in the street? No, I've met the man in the street. He's a Ladybit.

I've started reading David Eddings' 'Belgariad' series again. last read it 40 years ago.
It passes the time.....
Makes you realise how brilliant Lord Of The Rings is compared to what sprung up in it's wake.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment