Wasting Talent | Guy Portman's Blog

6 Good Self-Published Books

Feb 26 2016

This week’s blog post is dedicated to 6 self-published books that I enjoyed reading. Several of these books have had some commercial success. As followers of this blog are aware I am an eclectic reader, and this is reflected in the choice of books. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Tollesbury Time Forever by Stuart Ayris Tollesbury2

Genre: Literary Fiction

Simon Anthony, a resident of the picturesque village of Tollesbury, is an avid Beatles fan with a history of mental health issues and a dependence on alcohol. One evening an inebriated Simon staggers out of his local…(more)

A Gangster’s Grip by Heather Burnside A Gangster's Grip

Genre: Crime

Rita has been living in Greece, where she has been running a restaurant with her husband Yansis. She has just returned to her hometown of Manchester for a visit. On arrival at her parents’ home she finds a surly stranger ensconced…(more)

Wasting Talent by Ryan Leone

Genre: Transgressive

Young guitar virtuoso Damien Cantwell is a member of a band in Southern California. Damian is talented, popular and good looking, but has a drug problem. He started drinking and smoking at a tender age, and his substance abuse now consists of a dizzying array…(more)

Barry Braithwaite’s Last Life by A. R. Lowe Barry2

Genre: General

The book is about the developing friendship between the protagonist, Alfred, and an alcoholic by the name of Barry. Barry, an electrician by trade, has been reduced to living in a skip, his days spent borrowing pound coins about town…(more)

The Rebel’s Sketchbook by Rupert Dreyfus The Rebel's Sketchbook

Genre: Satire/Transgressive

The Rebel’s Sketchbook is a collection of 13 first person satirical short stories. Subjects encompass capitalism, class war, drugs, viral culture, boy bands and zero hour contracts. The compilation’s motif is rebellion…(more)

Symbiosis by Guy Portman

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Symbiosis is a personal favourite of mine. I published it last month. Identical twins Talulah and Taliah have never been apart. Viewed as curiosities by children and adults alike, they coexist in an insular world with their own secret language. But being identical doesn’t necessarily mean being equal…(Amazon link)

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5 Books About Drug Addiction

Mar 13 2015

As I have read a number of books about drug addiction recently, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to the subject.

The following 5 books are presented in the order in which they were published:

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey (1800)

Published in 1821, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is widely regarded as being the forefather of addiction literature. The book embraces an ornate prose style and grandiloquent use of language.

My Review: The first part of this autobiographical work takes the form of a lengthy discourse on the author’s childhood and teenage years… (More)

My Verdict: Downer

Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev (1934)

Reprehensible anti-hero Vadim offers some profound insights into the human condition in this depressing, nihilistic and at times humorous novel about adolescence and addiction.

My Review: Set in the years immediately before and after the Russian Revolution, Novel with Cocaine follows the life of Vadim, a Moscow adolescent and student… (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

Junky by William S. Burroughs (1953)

Junky is a semi-autobiographical novella, in which the author successfully utilises a detached journalistic approach to capture the obsessive nature of addiction.

My Review: Set in 1950s America and Mexico, Junky is a confessional novella about drug addiction. Its protagonist Bill Lee chronicles his drug-centred existence, … (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll (1978)

Narrated in a candid, brutal and matter of fact manner, The Basketball Diaries is a realistic depiction of an inner city youth drawn into a life of addiction.

My Review: Author Jim Carroll recounts his New York youth in this classic piece of adolescent literature. The book, which takes the form of seasonal diary entries, … (More)

My Verdict: Okay

Wasting Talent by Ryan Leone (2014)

Author Ryan Leone uses innovative writing techniques and a frenetic and at times poetic prose style to weave this graphic story about drug addiction.

My Review: Young guitar virtuoso Damien Cantwell is a member of a band in Southern California. Damian is talented, popular and good looking, but has a drug problem… (More)

My Verdict: Good Stuff

I plan to expand on this post when I get around to reading Irvine Welsh’s Skagboys and The Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley.

If you haven’t read it already you might be interested in my blog post about drug addicted authors – 7 Famous Drug Addicted Authors.

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