Big Dave > Recent Status Updates

Going back for another reread of this banger, might be my third now? I find this book very comfy despite its dreary subject matter. As the nights draw in and my mood grows dour I need the moral turpitude of St Petersburg and the brain fevers and high psychological drama of the book.
Plus Raskolnikov is literally me. I love his swinging from grandiosity to abject pettiness.

"The beleaguered high commissioner of Aden had this to say on his meeting with Dennis Healey: "When the British Empire sinks beneath the waves, it will leave behind only two monuments to it's splendour: The game of Association Football, and the phrase 'Fuck Off'"

>Natives are tired of British presence
>British ask Americans for help
>Americans ignore them
>Brits turn to elaborate scheme to retain influence
>Are outbid and outschemed by Americans with their infinite money machine
>Americans step into same roles as Brits but with local proxies
>Brits retreat in disgrace, honourable viscount ambassador in charge dies of stress induced stroke
Repeat x20 and you have the gist

Reading Our Man in Havana got me in the mood for early cold war colonial flavoured shenanigans. I have a feeling it will be a depressing read watching British imperial ambition slide into the gutter and the rise of American ascendancy in the region

"Yes but, why me?"
"Why? Well, why not you? After all... we must have Our Man in Havana™️..."
Kino.

The second half is a thorough account of cynical rabblerousing, and surprisingly graphic depictions of mob violence and looting. This book is probably the best dickens I have read

After a first act which leaves the small lives he lovingly built and thoroughly brought us to be invested in in tragic ruins, Dickens explodes into the second act with a five year time skip and by flinging Lord Gordon himself onto the scene, and a five minute bellowed tirade about popery being shrieked by one of his enthusiastic minions. Diagnosis: kino.

Nothings happening really. A lot of vibeyness, establishing the character of London as it was. Dickens often says "London as it is now (1850s) has changed unrecognisably compared to the time I describe", which is very cute
Lots of fun and sinister characters, very strong sense of time and place, but the action has yet to pick up. I imagine theres gonna be a lot more of this 'setting up the dominos' yet to come

The book is like if Oliver Twist had no plot armour, no magic way out of the poverty which mires him, and also had a gun he only sort of knew how to use. My favourite character is the hilariously treacherous urchin, and the talking bloodhound and the talking bloodhounds brother who loves eating people's faces.

I love this rock and I love this dude.

Too much 1970s was getting to me. Reading this as a break, thoroughly enjoying it. The science is easy enough to follow, and the characters are excellent. The narration so far for the audiobook is really good too.

After a chapter about Labour party infighting and the IMF crisis under Callahan (pbuh), the narrative begins using the Bay City Rollers and Scotland's defeat in the world cup as cultural context for the emergence of Celtic nationalism in the 1970s, the narrative then segues into the history of Prog Rock, and it's moribund struggle to balance artistic vision with commercial viability
Absolute scenes

Spent the last day pacing around wondering what to listen to next, but the bullet, could not resist the siren song of runaway inflation, industrial unrest and based Harold Wilson

Last few chapters have woven from the demise of 1960s optimism, it's evolution into middle class bohemianism, the homes they move to, what was built for the poor, brutalism, planning policy, emergence of the green and conservation movements, through the general trend of nostalgia, and now into the popular literature, pointing to Lord of the Rings and Watership Down among others. Marvellously illuminating and fun.

Had begun "Never had it so good" about the 50s and 60s in Britain, but found the audiobook narrator mildly unappealing, and the subject matter less interesting than I had hoped. Skipping ahead to The Good Shit™️

Fell out of the habit of reading this one. Returning to it, I have no idea how I could have neglected it. Each page is a dream.

A slow start introducing the cast, and occasionally overly focused on the minutiae of competitive racing. The book has got me to love all of the characters in one way or another, and I feel deeply invested.
Loving the positivity of the book too, it's not a blood, sweat, and tears sports story so far, though there is plenty of it, the focus on each doing their best and giving their heart to the task is really great!

I am not really enjoying the book. It spends a lot of time describing dimensions of objects and theoretical interactions of technology and physics, but feels shallow, and the characters feel quite dull. It presents some interesting ideas, like the cowardmaxxxing species, but so far it is failing to grip me.

Have heard good things about this book. Still have a 19th/20th colonialism itch I hope this will scratch. Hoping it's similar to Cormac McCarthy's books!

The book so far is a single, continuous, dreamlike stream of consciousness, and is inordinately beautiful, funny, and insightful not only into the heart of the author, but into the time and place he lived in. Excellent.

Of all the smoothbrained asspulls this goddamn dork of an author could have pulled, this has to be the worst. I could pardon the inexplicable sudden threat introduced one chapter and then making big plays the next, but, come the fuck onnn man, bringing THAT character back from the dead trivialises and shits all over any chance of the book being taken seriously. I feel like a moron for ever getting invested. Furious.

I am enjoying it very much. A sedate piece of science fiction, with an emphasis on the science. Everything is procedural, logical, and grounded, with flashes of charm from the sparse characterisation offered to the crew of the Endeavour.
Hearing the word "spaceman" being used seriously throughout is very charming somehow.
Also, the main character is an admirer of Captain Cook, which gets points from me 👌

This series has my balls in a vice. I must continue.

I gotta admit, it's a fun book. The quips, one liners, dickhead characters betraying eachother constantly is charming. I'm having fun with it.

Victorian Silliness in Dickens' first novel will be an excellent palette cleanser after getting thoroughly *spooked* by the last book I read.

I have it on good authority this book is "cold af" and "sick as fuck"
So I must listen to it, despite a premonition that it may be YA dystopian slop

I am beginning to think the book might be *too* horrific.

Oh man, this is what I wanted. It's setting up all the dominos perfectly. There is a sense of grisly inevitably to the book. The author knows what we're here for, and wastes no time introducing the characters intimately, establishing the stakes, and does not mince words nor shy away from just how horrible things are. I'm having a great time so far, and only hope it holds out at this level of quality.

My hunger to be spooked continues. This one seems highly rated, and weird stuff happening in the woods to people camping is always an excellent recipe for ghouls, ghosts, and ghastly gremlins to do scary stuff. As a reputable reviewer, I vow only to rate 4 stars or more if I shit my pants, or discover great literary merit in the work.

I have been brought to this book by my unresolved urge to be spooked, an itch my previous read failed to scratch. I saw the movie, enjoyed it thoroughly, and am curious if the book also holds up.