Category Archives: Literature

 Book Review: Nigel Williams ~ R.I.P. (2015)

Posted on July 18, 2022 by odeboyz

Williams is the king of the suburban black comedy. He dives into the sheer nastiness of family life amongst the well-heeled with enthusiasm. This book is superb example of his genre.  George Pearmain is a bank manager with a 99 … Continue reading →

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Lady Chatterley’s maid demands a raise

Posted on June 9, 2022 by odeboyz

Maid: “I’d like a raise.” Lady Chatterley: “Why do you deserve a raise? Maid: “Two reasons. I’m a better cook than you.” Lady Chatterley: “Who told you?” Maid: “Your husband. And I’m better in bed than you are as well.” … Continue reading →

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Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie

Posted on May 16, 2022 by odeboyz

People have told me that they’ve heard a song of mine and it’s changed their lives. Now I can only believe that or disbelieve it, but I know what it is to feel that, because I’ve felt that way myself … Continue reading →

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Book Review: David Baldacci ~ A Gambling Man (2021)

Posted on May 2, 2022 by odeboyz

I bought this solely because of a Facebook advert, which is the modern version of Waterstone’s seductive: ‘Buy one, get one half price’. It was 99p on Kindle and I wanted an undemanding read. What I got was a revelation. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Viet Thanh Nguyen ~ The Sympathizer (2015)

Posted on April 11, 2022 by odeboyz

This superb book won the USA’s Pulitzer Prize. Nguyen is brilliant and the real thing: a great author. Opening sentences are important, I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces.1 The unnamed hero/anti-hero is a … Continue reading →

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Woody Guthrie discovers Catholic hypocrisy

Posted on March 28, 2022 by odeboyz

“Son, I have been in this service [Roman Catholic priest] all my life. I have seen to it that thousands of men just like you got to work for a meal. But, right at this moment, there is no kind … Continue reading →

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TV Review: This is going to hurt ~ TV series (BBC1 catch-up) (Ben Whishaw)

Posted on March 14, 2022 by odeboyz

This is going to hurt’ is based on Adam Kay’s best-selling book.1 It’s autobiographical and Whishaw brilliantly portrays him. The series is a searing drama about the brutal realities of a maternity ward. It revolves round child birth meaning a … Continue reading →

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Oscar Wilde On Heaven

Posted on March 7, 2022 by odeboyz

“I don’t want to go to heaven. None of my friends are there.”

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Book Review: Zlatan Ibrahimovic ~ I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic (with David Lagercrantz) (Translator Ruth Urbom)

Posted on February 21, 2022 by odeboyz

This book is a superior sports autobiography. Zlatan’s ghost writer is an author in his own right, and translator is excellent. They capture the intensity of his life and the voice of an immigrant living in poverty. As a sports … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Robbie Morrison ~ Edge of the grave (2021)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by odeboyz

Glasgow’s brutal history was ‘created’ by endemic poverty and squalor which brutalised the population in the period 1900-32. The context of hard physical work and grinding poverty led to the infamous Glasgow ‘Razor’ gangs. The outbreak of the First World … Continue reading →

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