 July/August 2002 ... click on the book images to buy the book... |
Simon's
Reader Archive:
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RECOMMENDS: "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Dr Oliver Sackse This book is described by the author as a study of the right hemisphere of the brain and the conditions arising from its dysfunction. It takes the form of a series of fascinating, often harrowing case histories that Dr. Sacks has come across during his long and successful career as one of the world's foremost neurosurgeons. He manages to impart great insight into the working of the part of the mind which deals with reality while treating his patients and their often very sad tales with utmost respect and maintaining at all times their dignity. |
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SIMON
RECOMMENDS: "f/32" by Eurydice A surreal novel about "Ela" the woman with the most beautiful c**t in the world. Some people have described this as a story about a woman's alienation from her sexuality. Indeed her c**t does quite literally gain independence from "Ela" and at one point hosts it's own TV chat show. However, I think the novel's main purpose is to strip the word "c**t" (you may or may not have picked up on the absurdity that I have to use asterisks instead of the word itself) of all the negative associations it has accrued and recreate it just as the word it is, and all the beautiful things that means; life, love etc... |
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RECOMMENDS: "Number Nine Dream" by David Mitchell I cannot praise this 2001 "booker prize" shortlister enough. Just..... get it; it is quite simply FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC, my favourite book of the last year. However, I'd like to se what your opinions of this book are so send your thoughts via the Fan Opinions link below and the best ones will be posted on the page in September. |
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SIMON
RECOMMENDS: "The Skull Mantra" by Eliot Pattison This thriller set in modern day Tibet - annexed by the Chinese Republic will make you weep with sadness and joy and keep you turning page after page - I couldn't go to sleep before I'd finished. A real Treasure. |
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RECOMMENDS: "The Beach" by Alex Garland This seminal rave culture novel is world bestseller and a dreadful movie. I can't really believe that you haven't read it but if you haven't - go and get it, forget about Leonado and instead picture say John Sim and read it.. |
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SIMON
RECOMMENDS: "The Endurance" by Caroline Alexander A weighty and very moving account of Ernest Shackleton's incredible ill fated expedition down to the Antarctic in 1914, the year the The Great War broke out. Hurley's beautiful photographs tell the story as much as do the text. If you can afford it - do yourself a favour and get a hardback edition of this book; you will be taking it out and showing people the pictures for years to come. |
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RECOMMENDS: "The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon" by Tom Spanbauer I absolutely love this story. Set in a Utah during the boom town era of the 19th C.. This is a poignant and hilariously irreverent tale is told by an (extremely well hung) orphaned Indian boy known as John Way out of his Pants who grows up in a brothel run by his adopted mother to be a bisexual male prostitute. Need I say any more? |
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SIMON
RECOMMENDS: "England's Dreaming" by John Savage If you want to know how it was when punk ruled the UK; for one, maybe two glorious summers then this book's for you. It's by far and away the best eyewitness account of this period that I've read to date and I was, well in my slightly apologetic suburban way I was - there too. It's strange to think it all happened last century but Savage really captures the feeling of what now seems like a different world. |
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REVIEWS: "Last Call" by Tim Powers Thanks to Laura Jones for this rather difficult to categorise novel. I'll call it a speculative fantasy occult thriller. In the inherently romantic world of chance father and son gamble with their souls in an escalating struggle of primeval forces made manifest on human scale. The characters are all well developed and inspire the sympathy and care necessary for a book like this to work. But the thematic landscape - Las Vegas dazzle, Egyptian magic, mob politics, Arthurian legend, family ties, the fundaments of the real world and the mystic Lombardy Zeroth tarot (somebody find me a deck please) - it really seems to sprawl, and though at times riveting Mr Powers's story tending to be biting off more than I can chew. |
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SIMON
REVIEWS: "The Onion Eaters" by JP Donleavy What
a laugh; this book written in the 70s is a complete hoot. Try this for
starters: Clayton Claw Cleaver Clementine arrives from the new world into
the land in the land of his forbears, bearing the hereditary three testicles.
He takes up residence in the western coastal castle he has inherited (plus
the wine cellar and it's motley staff)......you just wait and see who
turns up and what happens. In truth this book has given me more wood than
just about any other I've read and that's got to be a good thing -maybe
it's just a laugh-thing like Jane Fonda in "Barbarella".....
you
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| SIMON
IS CURRENTLY READING: nothing; as I'm writing lyrics - the one (reading) always precludes the other (writing) |
| AFTERTHOUGHT:
Don't forget that as well as being the most personally satisfying form, minute for minute a book has got to be the cheapest form of interactive entertainment. sweet dreams, Simon |
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