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Tiana Striplin (0 KP) rated Duolingo in Apps
Mar 21, 2018
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins in Books
Apr 7, 2020
Not a pleasant read
Having recently read and enjoyed Trainspotting, I decided to give this book a go as I was intrigued to see how Welsh writes when it’s not in Scottish. Sadly I think I prefer the Scottish!
This is not a pleasant read, in more ways than one. The main character Lucy is a horrendous person, which is intentional but it doesn’t make for a nice read. There’s nothing redeemable about her at all and the longer the book goes on, the more repulsed you become by her behaviour. She’s not meant to be massively likeable, but I really didn’t enjoy reading a book where the main character is that disgusting. It’s a shame as the actual plot itself is quite decent and has a lot of interesting aspects and developments. The problem though is the characters and the fact that this is far too explicit and crude, it’s entirely unnecessary. The writing style also grates a lot in this. It seemed to work for Trainspotting but in this it just seems inappropriate - why Welsh can’t write conversation and paragraphs with proper punctuation and paragraphs I’ll never know. And finally the ending in this is just laughable. After such a horrific story the ending seems so out of place and so undeserving for such characters. If you want to read Irvine Welsh, read Trainspotting. Don’t bother with this.
This is not a pleasant read, in more ways than one. The main character Lucy is a horrendous person, which is intentional but it doesn’t make for a nice read. There’s nothing redeemable about her at all and the longer the book goes on, the more repulsed you become by her behaviour. She’s not meant to be massively likeable, but I really didn’t enjoy reading a book where the main character is that disgusting. It’s a shame as the actual plot itself is quite decent and has a lot of interesting aspects and developments. The problem though is the characters and the fact that this is far too explicit and crude, it’s entirely unnecessary. The writing style also grates a lot in this. It seemed to work for Trainspotting but in this it just seems inappropriate - why Welsh can’t write conversation and paragraphs with proper punctuation and paragraphs I’ll never know. And finally the ending in this is just laughable. After such a horrific story the ending seems so out of place and so undeserving for such characters. If you want to read Irvine Welsh, read Trainspotting. Don’t bother with this.
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James Dean Bradfield recommended track Yma O Hyd by Dafydd Iwan in A Welsh Choral Spectacular by Dafydd Iwan in Music (curated)
Book #2 in the WISE Enquiries Agency series
When Henry, a Welsh Duke, decides to be married, there are a myriad of traditions that he is expected to uphold. One such tradition involves Morris Dancers leading the happy couple through town from the church back to the familys estate. After one of the dancers vanishes, the WISE Enquiry Agency is hired to look into the matter.
I really enjoyed the team of women doing the investigating in this story. Their distinct personalities work well together, as each has her own strengths to bring to the group. That and the Welsh countryside as the setting made this a very enjoyable read for me.
Visit <a href="https://booksthething.com/2016/11/02/the-case-of-the-missing-morris-dancer-guest-post-and-giveaway/">my blog</a> for a guest post from Cathy Ace explaining just what Morris Dancing is!
<i>I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy.</i>
When Henry, a Welsh Duke, decides to be married, there are a myriad of traditions that he is expected to uphold. One such tradition involves Morris Dancers leading the happy couple through town from the church back to the familys estate. After one of the dancers vanishes, the WISE Enquiry Agency is hired to look into the matter.
I really enjoyed the team of women doing the investigating in this story. Their distinct personalities work well together, as each has her own strengths to bring to the group. That and the Welsh countryside as the setting made this a very enjoyable read for me.
Visit <a href="https://booksthething.com/2016/11/02/the-case-of-the-missing-morris-dancer-guest-post-and-giveaway/">my blog</a> for a guest post from Cathy Ace explaining just what Morris Dancing is!
<i>I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy.</i>
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David McK (3236 KP) rated A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The first of Ellis Peters Cadfael Chronicles mystery novels, which it is no next to impossible to read without imagining Derek Jacobi in the lead role.
For those not in the know, Cadfael is a medieval Welsh Benedictine Monk, who has come late to the Order in life, and who proves rather adept at solving various mysteries, as well as looking after his garden. In this one, the mystery to be solved is just who murdered the leader of the opposition to his Orders plans to relocate the bones of a local saint from the sleepy Welsh village in which she is buried to the confines of his own Order of St Peter and St Paul.
If I'm honest, I actually found this quite hard going: it never really gripped me all that much, nor made me want to read on. Perhaps this kind of novel is just not my cup of tea!
For those not in the know, Cadfael is a medieval Welsh Benedictine Monk, who has come late to the Order in life, and who proves rather adept at solving various mysteries, as well as looking after his garden. In this one, the mystery to be solved is just who murdered the leader of the opposition to his Orders plans to relocate the bones of a local saint from the sleepy Welsh village in which she is buried to the confines of his own Order of St Peter and St Paul.
If I'm honest, I actually found this quite hard going: it never really gripped me all that much, nor made me want to read on. Perhaps this kind of novel is just not my cup of tea!
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Ross (3282 KP) rated The Boys Volume 8: Highland Laddie in Books
Oct 29, 2019
If Irvine Welsh wrote Oor Wullie
Highland Laddie sees Hughie leave The Boys and head home to his Maw and Paw for some peace and quiet. He soon finds that his home town has barely changed and the nostalgia wears off quite quickly.
It turns out Hughie was something of an amateur detective in his youth, and stopped a minor smuggling ring. He starts to uncover something again in this story, while also being unknowingly mentored over his troubles by a mysterious gentleman.
This story is hilarious, and like a cross between an Irvine Welsh/Chris Brookmyre book and an issue of Oor Wullie/The Beano. The old Scots angle (wee dugs, mince and tatties, everything being braw), combined with more modern Scottish ideas (inventive swearing and heroin) makes for a laugh-out-loud tale. We also see Hughie start to come to terms with the revelation from the previous volume, and consider rejoining The Boys.
It turns out Hughie was something of an amateur detective in his youth, and stopped a minor smuggling ring. He starts to uncover something again in this story, while also being unknowingly mentored over his troubles by a mysterious gentleman.
This story is hilarious, and like a cross between an Irvine Welsh/Chris Brookmyre book and an issue of Oor Wullie/The Beano. The old Scots angle (wee dugs, mince and tatties, everything being braw), combined with more modern Scottish ideas (inventive swearing and heroin) makes for a laugh-out-loud tale. We also see Hughie start to come to terms with the revelation from the previous volume, and consider rejoining The Boys.
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Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post
Feb 4, 2020
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Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post
Jun 10, 2020
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Morgan Sheppard (926 KP) created a post in Bookworms
Jun 10, 2020
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