Tag - The Blade Artist

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The 20 Books I Read In 2018
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Books, The Crayfish and Me

The 20 Books I Read In 2018


As is my custom at year end, I am dedicating this blog post to the books I read this year. I have been pretty busy in 2018, what with releasing two books (Sepultura & Tomorrow’s World) and various writing gigs. However, I did find time to read 20 books. Click on the links to read my reviews. They are presented in the order in which I read them:

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh (2012) – This is the prequel to Trainspotting. It is set in the 1980s against a backdrop of Thatcherism, the rise of dance music and HIV.

The Carrot Man by Theo E. Gerken (2017) – This existential comedy is replete with jokes. Some are offensive, few are amusing.

An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd (1982) – An Ice-Cream War’s motif is the absurdness of war. The book’s grave content is laced with humour of the dark variety.

The Trumpassic Period – Year One by David Belisle (2018) – This sleep-inducing politics-meets-palaeontology work purports to be a satire, of the lampooning variety.

Last Exit To Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. (1964) – This is a controversial and ground-breaking transgressive work consisting of six inter-related short stories.

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (1930) – This satirical novel’s primary purpose is satirising decadent 1920s London society.

Hotel Scarface by Roben Farzad (2017) – Named after iconic film Scarface, Hotel Scarface is an account of the rise and fall of Hotel Mutiny; a Miami-based hotel and club.

Not Exactly Shakespeare by Martin Freznell (2017) – Not Exactly Shakespeare purports to be the shortest book you’ll ever be forced to pretend to have to read.

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall (2007) – This analytical and abstract book’s motif is mental health. Its contents include drawings and computer code.

Marabao Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh (1995) – An inventive, transgressive work, boasting parallel stories and different levels of awareness.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2001) – This dark, unusual blend of fantasy and mythology explores the tribalistic nature of America’s various beliefs.

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock (2008) – This excellent transgressive compilation of interlinked short stories is set in a real-life Ohioan backwater.

Discontents by James Wallace Birch (2011) – This rather uncompelling work of Transgressive Fiction contains considerable theorising.

The Journey of Crazy Horse by J.M. Marshall III (2004) – A biographical narrative about the legendary Lakota Sioux chief, Crazy Horse.

Between the Shadow and Lo by Lauren Sapala (2017) – A first-person work of Transgressive Fiction written by a female author and boasting an alcoholic female protagonist.

The Willow Tree by Hubert Selby Jr. (1998) – A fable about hate and its ramifications. Themes include hope, forgiveness and love.

The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh (2016) – This memorable work of Transgressive Fiction boasts a complex and manipulative protagonist.

The Bad Boys of Bokaro Jail by Chetan Mahajan (2014) – This quick and easy read consists of a first-person account of the author’s short stint in an Indian local jail.

The Butcher by Nathan Burrows (2018) – This aptly named book is set in the English county of Norfolk. Topics encompass swine, illegal migrants, potential Brexit ramifications and cannibalism.

In Wolves’ Clothing by Greg Levin (2017) – A first-person transgressive work about a troubled member of an anti child trafficking organisation.

Books, The Crayfish and Me

I am not a sociable person and I do not receive many visitors, so I was surprised when this one turned up, unannounced at my front door.

He is an American Crayfish. I’m assuming it’s a he, I don’t get female visitors. His visit was all the more surprising considering that there is very little water around here. Initially, I wasn’t aware that he was an American Crayfish, but then the postman arrived and informed me that ‘it’ was, and that American Crayfish are a clear and present danger to our native fauna. Rather like grey squirrels.

On another note, after years of using social media, I have finally decided to include a bio pic of myself, rather than an image from one of my front covers. It feels a bit like being naked in public. Anyway, here it is:

I will be rolling it out to my social media profiles in due course. Now, for a reading update. What with all the writing I have been doing, I haven’t been reading that much of late, but I am poised to embark on two books. The Blade Artist (Transgressive Fiction) and The Butcher (Black Comedy). I will be posting my reviews of them here and on Goodreads.

Just a reminder that my next book, Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future is being released next month (November 22nd). Click here to view its Goodreads page. Have a good weekend.

 

 

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