Home | Guy Portman's Blog

5 Disturbing Reading Recommendations

Mar 15 2019

I am an avid writer and reader of dark and disturbing fiction. Here are five disturbing books that I would recommend. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

Child of God is a tautly written and concise work of ‘country noir’. Themes include loneliness and necrophilia.

My Review: Having been dispossessed of his land, Lester Ballard is now homeless and eking out an existence in the backwoods of Sevier County, East Tennessee. For food, he steals and forages. For … (more)

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

Less Than Zero is about a privileged group of L.A. youngsters, who appear on the surface to have an idealistic life.

My Review: Set in nineteen-eighties Los Angeles, the story follows eighteen-year-old Clay, returned home for Christmas from college in New Hampshire. Clay immediately falls back into the L.A. social … (more)

The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh

The complex and manipulative protagonist, sordid characters and squalid descriptions will appeal to fans of the Transgressive genre.

My Review: Reformed Scottish ex-con Jim Francis (formerly Franco Begbie) is now a successful sculptor living the dream in sunny California with his former prison art therapist now trophy wife … (more)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

First published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange is a ground-breaking and controversial work boasting an intriguing and intelligent narrator.

My Review: Alex is an eccentric 15-year-old delinquent with a penchant for classical music and drinking milk. He and his fellow ‘droogs’ assault, rob and rape with impunity, that is until a … (more)

The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me is a suspenseful and unrelentingly bleak first person narrative about a psychopath.

My Review: Twenty-nine-year-old Lou Ford is a Deputy Sheriff from the West Texas town of Central City. Lou, who is in a long-term relationship with childhood sweetheart Amy Stanton … (more)

My Reading Plans

Mar 08 2019

I have fallen a bit behind with my reading of late. I’m blaming Netflix. To date I have read only two books in 2019. However, I have ordered some more from the antichrist that is Amazon. No doubt many of you are sticking to eBooks these days, but I am going through a paperback phase and as I don’t have a good bookshop near me, online is the best option. The break from staring at a screen is welcome. Anyway, without further ado here are the books I have lined up.

As an avid fan of dark fiction, this iconic work has been on my radar for quite some time now. No doubt some of you have already read it. Child of God will be my next read.

Despite being a long term eclectic reader, I am yet to read anything by the legendary American author Philip Roth. That is poised to change.

This compilation of short stories has been recommended to me. I wasn’t overly enthused with the only Murakami book I have read to date, but I have high hopes for this one.

Another Roth, but this time it’s Joseph. I am a big fan of this Austro-Hungarian Jewish novelist who only came to prominence in the English-speaking world in recent years. His melancholic tone appeals to me. You can find reviews of two of his books, including his seminal work The Radetzky March, in the review section of my blog.

Happy reading.

5 Dark Humour Reading Recommendations

Mar 01 2019

Here are five ‘dark humour’ books that I have read and would recommend.

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Survivor is an innovative and erudite social commentary, brimming with satirical observations and irreverent humour.

My Review: Tender Branson, the last survivor of the Creedish Church cult, has hijacked an aeroplane, which is now flying on autopilot. His objective: to dictate his life story onto …(more)

Spencer’s Risk by Andy Greenhalgh

Spencer’s Risk is a third person, thespian-themed work that offers an authentic insight into the mind of a compulsive gambler.

My Review: Spencer Leyton’s life is spiralling downhill. He has split from his wife, is virtually estranged from his kids, his career is in tatters, and he has a serious …(more)

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Fortunately for the author she has a sense of humour, and she needed it for this book.

My Review: This non-fiction work investigates the more unfamiliar scenarios involving our dead bodies. Topics include human crash test cadavers, bullet-testing cadavers, and … (more)

Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

A sense of doom and despair permeates this somewhat disparate and at times darkly humorous assemblage.

My Review: The book, which is divided into four parts, begins with the sinister tale Rashōmon. Set during the Heian era (11th century) it sees a confrontation between …(more)

The Voyeur’s Motel by Gay Talese

The Voyeur’s Motel is comprised of the confessions of Gerald Foos, a former Colorado motel owner and voyeur.

My Review: Foos’s lifelong obsession began in childhood, spying on his aunt through the window of her bedroom. It was his purchase in the 1960s of the Manor Park Motel in …(more)

My Tour of Nong Nooch Botanical Garden

Feb 22 2019

This is the third and final post about my trip to Thailand. While out there I visited the famous Nong Nooch botanical garden, a place billed as one of the world’s most beautiful gardens.

Some of this expansive garden is truly spectacular.

Water features heavily here.

Elephants are a popular mode of transport at Nong Nooch.

There is an abundance of remarkable trees and plants.

The Thais seem to have a predilection for merging the serene and pristine with the gaudy and the ersatz.

The plethora of plastic flamingos were not to my liking, but they were preferable to these random, ill-advised Dalmatians.

So this is where all of London’s telephone boxes have gone.

The French Garden is in my opinion Nong Nook’s most spectacular feature.

My Trip To Thailand

Feb 15 2019

I have decided to devote a couple more posts to my recent trip to Thailand. While this is not a travel blog, these posts are a welcome hiatus from my customary writing/book related theme.

The majestic structure above is the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

It has been hand-carved in its entirety out of wood. The ongoing project started 30 years ago. Perhaps the man below is an Atlas-esque figure, destined to bear this weight for eternity.

I arrived at the Sanctuary of Truth jetlagged, hungover and stressed, but left with a feeling of serenity. There is something tranquil and beautiful at the heart of Thai culture, which is far removed from the seething traffic, materialism and ageing, corpulent sex tourists bedecked in fluorescent palm tree emblazoned beach attire.

Pattaya’s Big Buddha.

The below presumably found enlightenment via Burger King.

Everyone is here in Pattaya to party. Age is no barrier.

IMG_1037

The Eiffel Tour at Pattaya’s Terminal 21 shopping centre.

A view of the sea from Koh Lan (Coral Island)

My Thai Culinary Tour

Feb 08 2019

I have just returned from a week long trip to Thailand. Today, I am going to share with you some of the things I ate along the way.

With its long coastline, Thailand boasts some delicious culinary fare. This is the lobster I ate on my first day. Half was served with cheese and the other with something else that I was unable to discern.

I couldn’t resist some dim sum in Bangkok’s China Town.

A post-dinner snack.

This restaurant may have had a peculiar name, but its setting was serene.

And the Tom Yum seafood soup was delicious.

This Karaage (Japanese fried chicken dish) was good, but not a patch on my ex-wife’s.

Sometimes one craves Western fare.

I came across menus in Thailand that make Anna Karenina look like a pamphlet.

Convenience stores were stocked with a range of delights including some of my favourites from my days in Japan – Pocari Sweat, cold green tea and octopus sashimi.

If I’d eaten another maggot larva, I would have burst.

6 Dark Humour Reading Recommendations

Feb 01 2019

Here are five darkly humorous books that I have read and one that I have written. Click on the links to read the reviews.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Haunted is a series of short stories, in which the author explores a variety of themes, including the media-obsessed nature of society.

My Review: Haunted is about a group of writers, who have been assembled by the conniving Mr Whittier to attend a writers group. The location of the retreat is in an isolated theatre with no access … (more)

The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh

The complex and manipulative protagonist, sordid characters and squalid descriptions will appeal to fans of the Transgressive genre.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

This satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s adroitly explores the mind of a psychopath and questions the very essence of capitalist culture.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier …(more)

The Butcher by Nathan Burrows

This aptly named book is set in the English county of Norfolk. Topics comprise swine, cannibalism and illegal migrants.

My Review: Frank Pinch is a butcher, his brother Tom a pig farmer. The siblings have a problem. Their dilapidated family farm is struggling financially and under threat of closure due to …(more)

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock

Knockemstiff is a transgressive compilation of short stories. Topics include drugs, drinking, disease and sexual degeneracy.

My Review: These interlinked short stories are set in ‘The Holler’; an impoverished part of Knockemstiff, a real-life Ohioan backwater. ‘The Holler’s’ air is permanently imbued with the stench of …(more)

Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales by Guy Portman

The book’s subjects encompass manic capitalism, extreme celebrity worship, virtual reality and a grotesquely ageing population.

Daily Squib Review: There’s something about the future that scares the shit out of people a lot, maybe it’s simply the thought of the unknown that affects us with such fear. What possible delights await us in …(more)

Beat The January Blues

Jan 25 2019

Just a quick reminder about my ongoing FREE humour book promotion (ends Jan. 31). I have teamed up with some fellow UK humour authors to offer you a selection of 19 FREE humour books. The offer includes one of mine. Click on the link below to discover which of my humorous offerings it is, and to view the other hilarious options, consisting of comedy novellas, short stories, and a few full reads.

BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES FREE BOOK LINK

Click on the book cover you want and follow the instructions to receive your free book/s (Mobi/ePub/PDF) and to sign up to the given author’s mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time. If you want my book and are already on my mailing list just sign up again, please. I will delete any duplicates.

As for me, I have been working hard on the final instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy. The books feature erudite sociopath, Dyson Devereux. Golgotha is due to be released later this year. If you haven’t read the first two instalments yet, why not check out the Goodreads pages for Necropolis and part 2, Sepultura. Have a good weekend.

19 Free Humour Books For You

Jan 18 2019

I have teamed up with some fellow UK humour authors to offer you a selection of 19 humour books for FREE. The offer includes one of mine. Click on the link below to discover which of my humorous offerings it is, and to view the other hilarious options, consisting of comedy novellas, short stories, and a few full reads. They are available for free for a limited time only. All you have to do is click on the book cover you want and follow the instructions to receive your free book/s (Mobi/ePub/PDF) and to sign up to the given author’s mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time.

BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES FREE HUMOUR BOOK LINK

I will be contacting my ever-expanding mailing list with this fantastic offer in due course. But if you are already on it and want a free copy of my satirical ‘masterpiece’, drop me an email to info@guyportman.com with Yes in the subject line, or just Y if you’re too busy for the other two letters. Otherwise click on the link below and locate my book cover in the selection.

Have a good weekend.

BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES FREE HUMOUR BOOK LINK

12 Funny One Star Book Reviews

Jan 11 2019

Here is the latest instalment in my amusing one star famous book review series. I hope you find the following reviews as amusing as I do.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – ‘I would rather read the dictionary.’

Othello by William Shakespeare – ‘…, the whole plot just didn’t make sense. Get your shit together Othello.’

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
– ‘Would I get into trouble if I strangled Little Prince and his syrupy philosophy. The flower I have already trampled.’

Ulysses by James Joyce – ‘… did not read bored in 10 seconds.’

1984 by George Orwell – ‘Attempting to read this book is worse than watching the grass grow.’

The Odyssey by Homer –‘I haven’t actually bought this item yet.’

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain – ‘DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!’

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – ‘… well, well, what has the wolf pulled over our eyes this time. A brilliantly profitable book – but far from a brilliant book.’

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert – ‘Monsieur Flaubert is not a writer.’

Emma by Jane Austen – ‘It’s great if you’re into that old 1800s kind of Ewwww.’

Othello by William Shakespeare – ‘Me doth thinkift I understandifth … It is English and I am English. I just don’t happen to speak Old English. Which is really ironic because I am old and speaking English.’

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – ‘The man who wrote this should be in an asylum.’

AUTHOR GUY PORTMAN'S BLOG

5 Disturbing Reading Recommendations

Like this:

My Reading Plans

Like this:

5 Dark Humour Reading Recommendations

Like this:

My Tour of Nong Nooch Botanical Garden

Like this:

My Trip To Thailand

Like this:

My Thai Culinary Tour

Like this:

6 Dark Humour Reading Recommendations

Like this:

Beat The January Blues

Like this:

19 Free Humour Books For You

Like this:

12 Funny One Star Book Reviews

Like this:

AUTHOR GUY PORTMAN'S BLOG

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: