Capsule book reviews in 255 characters or fewer. Ish. A reading diary (1st Jan 2019 onwards) by Eamonn Griffin.
Subtitled “a memoir of a childhood and the sea,” this is a kinda non-chronological autobiography, capturing moments of poet McMillan’s love affair with the British coastline and of working-class family holidays then and now. Light, whimsical in places, and charming and heartfelt. Cleethorpes features prominently, as it rightly should.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A possible diary in images and words of a year in the East of Lincolnshire. Can’t say more than that – and this isn’t a review, ‘cos family – but if you’re familiar with Maxim Griffin’s work then this is the motherlode to date. If you haven’t, then this is your departure point. Get on it now before the inevitable Werner Herzog/Ben Wheatley/Johnny Nice bidding war begins. Onwards, as Maxim is wont to say.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A psychogeographical (ish) visit to Reculver. As with its predecessor The White Heron Beneath The Reactor I’m not reviewing this – ‘cos of family vested interests – but noting for diary purposes that it’s been read and wondered at and about.
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My own books here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A Himalayan climbing guide moonlighting as an Everest graverobber stumbles across secrets for which a shadowy agency will gladly kill. Zippy thriller blending international spy-jinks and guilty past narratives with authentic-feeling mountaineering content. Plenty to appreciate and enjoy here. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A journal of an attempt to complete the Pacific Crest Trail, a hiking route through from Mexico to Canada. And an excellent thing it is too, detailing Healy’s fascination with the US and the Trail, and the challenges faced and friendships made on the route. Plenty to appreciate, not least the blend of simple illustrations and occasional prose sections. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A young man is taken to a remote Irish peat bog for execution. Excellent noir-ish one-shot that goes into interesting, if slightly anticipated, places. Lots to relish all around though, not least in the vivid dialogue and sharp characterisations of the major players.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A talented young artist develops an obsession with mountaineering. An excellent autobiographical graphic novel about climbing, growing up, finding yourself, and losing yourself above the snow line. Beautifully sketched and told. Recommended, like the many routes to different mountain summits recounted in this volume.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
An anthropomorphized account of a Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. A charming and melancholy graphic novel with some neat running gags and the imaginings of the protagonist’s movie-filled brain, this is a treat for anyone interested in walking, pilgrimages, and/or finding yourself a little bit. Lots to appreciate, rendered in simple black and white.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
Academic essays on the BBC single-camera comedy Detectorists, plus context from writer/star/director Mackenzie Crook, and original producer Adam Tandy. Focusing on the programme’s engagements with landscape, history, and gender relations, this is a fine introduction to the thematic richness and blokeish pleasures of the series. Volume II, please!
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A monograph on the 2005 Neil Marshall-directed horror film. Leaning on Freud for much of its insight, this is an academic but nevertheless readable text on the movie, making clear its associations and being careful to site it in both the director’s wider work as well as in a cycle of mid-00s underground-fixated flicks.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
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