Reading Journal: Tuesday 25th August 2009
August 25, 2009 by Rob
Filed under Reading Journal
Rather than a ‘what I read today’ entry, this reading journal post is more of a ‘catch up’ on the highlights of my rather erratic reading over the past few days.
First off I’m completely (and rather sadly) done ‘n’ dusted with the Ox-Tales series from Profile Books. In my last journal entry I still had two stories left to read. The first was Giles Foden’s (One Last) Throw of the Dice, which is interestingly an alternative ending to his latest work of fiction, Turbulence – a novel themed around the D-Day Landings. I’m not sure about the novel itself but the story that was presented in Ox-Tales: Water had nothing whatsoever to do with D-Day. Instead it’s a rather odd tale about a ship made of ice and wood pulp going through the eye of a storm. Full marks for sticking to the ‘water’ theme, but not a story I really understood or enjoyed. Sorry Giles.
The second story, and the very last in the entire series (sob), was Look At Me, I Need a Smile by Michael Morpurgo. The story, which is actually an extract from Morpurgo’s latest children’s novel Running Wild, opens with a boy sitting astride an elephant, as he’s being slowly led along a beach in Indonesia. Gradually he reveals his reasons for being on this beach at this time, and it turns out to be quite sad. It’s the ending to this extract though that’s the most incredible. It’s so memorable and engaging that it makes me eager to seek out the novel. That’s got to be the mark of a good story-teller right there. Wouldn’t you say?
So what about Mark T. Sullivan’s snowy thriller Triple Cross (St. Martin’s Press)? The last time I spoke about it I was three-quarters of the way through it. Well I’m pleased to say that I’ve finished it now and one word – Wow!
Mr. Sullivan has really changed my mind about thrillers. Sure, character depth in this novel isn’t too deep, and Sullivan drops some major plot hints along the way which spoil some of the surprises, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Triple Cross is frantic, edgy, tense and exciting. I’ll post my official afterthoughts as soon as I can, but if you’re looking for a bit of enjoyable easy reading escapism then Triple Cross fits the bill nicely.
So onwards and upwards. Tomorrow I make a start on Richard Holloway’s Between the Monster and the Saint (Canongate), and even though I’m three-quarters of the way through writing my ‘forethoughts’ post for it, I’m still not all that sure what to expect. I’ll certainly be finding out though. So stay tuned.
‘Reading Journal’ provides an unedited, on-the-fly record of the bookish highlights in Rob’s reading day.
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
