2015: End of year review

Every year Hove Book Group takes a look back on the year that was.

Here's our conclusions for 2015...

Our favourite book that we discussed this year

1. “Tigerman” (2014) by Nick Harkaway 

2. “Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo 

3. "Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 

4. "Thank You, Jeeves” (1934) by PG Wodehouse 

5. "To rise again at a decent hour” (2014) by Joshua Ferris 

6. “The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins 

7=. “Caveworld” (2013) by Adam Gnade 

7=. "The Fix” (2013) by Keith Nixon 

9. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley (1818) 

Our favourite music we discussed this year

1. “Are you Satisfied?” (2015) by Slaves 

2. “The Bends” by Radiohead (1995) 

3 "Everybody Down” (2014) by Kate Tempest 

4 "Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop" (1996) 

5="The Best Of ? And The Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966-1967” (2005) 

5=“2001” by Dr Dre 

5=“The Americans” (2013) by Adam Gnade & The Hot Earth All-Stars 

5=“Four” (2014) by One Direction 

5=“Ukulele Songs” (2011) by Eddie Vedder 

Our favourite film/DVD we discussed this year

1. "The Usual Suspects" (1995) directed by Bryan Singer 

2. "Nick Cave: 20,000 Days On Earth" (2014) 

3. “Scarface" (1983) directed by Brian De Palma 

4. “A Prophet” (2009) dir. by Jacques Audiard 

5. “Into The Wild” (2007) directed by Sean Penn 

6. “Some Like It Hot” (1959) dir by Billy Wilder 

7= "Nightmare Alley" (1947) dir by Edmund Goulding 

7= "The Battle of Orgreave" (2001) documentary by Mike Figgis 

7= “The Wall” (2013) dir by Julian Roman Pölsler 

Our favourite books of the year (not read with Hove Book Group) 

Nigel - "Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys” by Viv Albertine

Robin - The Hobbit - Tolkien 

Nick - Trumbo, The Establishment: And how they get away with it - Owen Jones, The Circle - Dave Eggers, ummmm Special mention for The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson, Bitter Lake, 1971

Tristan - The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Hamish - The Narrow Road To The Deep North by Richard Flanagan. Undoubtedly one of my All Time Top Ten.

What defined 2015 

Nigel - Cancer recovery /  getting a dog

Robin - Travel - Trains in Italy, cycling in the Hamptons, skiing in Germany and 'discovering' Donegal! 

Nick - I can't remember such a depressing year for world news - Syria, refugee crisis, terrorism, FIFA, athletics, Don leaving the book group

Tristan - Celebrating 25 years together with Tamar, which involved trips together to both Berlin and Palma, plus a whole load of festivals.

Hamish - Skiing for the first time since 1998 and finding it still as utterly brilliant as ever.

Best thing about Book Group in 2015

Nigel - varied choices, camaraderie

Robin - my choices

Tristan - You, Nigel. All you.

Hamish - Keith doing a karaoke duet of Don't You Want Me with a Bali Brasserie waitress at the Christmas do

How to make Book Group even better

Nigel - do our best to make time for the books and discussion

Robin - more of my choices

Nick - It is time to set the music adrift

Tristan - Impossible to improve on perfection.

Hamish - Naked dancing girls as we are revealing our scores each month.

What else do we want to say

Nigel - here’s to another great year in 2016

Robin - “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” ― Mark 

Nick - Merry Christmas

Tristan - Thanks Nigel for your tireless efforts in organising and documenting the HBG gatherings.

Hamish “Malheureusement"

“Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo

Keith had selected “Johnny Got His Gun” (1938) by Dalton Trumbo which was first published on 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland, and is about a 20-year-old American infantryman Joe Bonham who suffers a direct hit from a German shell in the last days of the Great War. Unsurprisingly, its powerful anti-war message also had a profound effect on Americans during the Vietnam era.

Keith explained how "Dalton Trumbo" conveys its anti-war message across 20 short chapters, each explores a different aspect of Joe’s life before the war, or his thoughts on his current predicament. As his thoughts become more lucid, he realises he has been left deaf, dumb and blind and that all four of his limbs have subsequently been amputated. His face has also been disfigured and is covered by a mask to avoid distressing the hospital staff. 9/10

Nigel pointed out that Dalton Trumbo was also a screenwriter and he was later blacklisted and jailed for being a Communist. His political views are to the fore in this convincing argument for peace and cooperation, and against the futility and waste of war. War is explained as "us" versus "them": "us" being the working classes and “them" being those with money who do not do any fighting but whose interests are served by war. Joe also muses on the abstract, nebulous language that is used to justify war - democracy, freedom, liberty etc. 9/10

Hamish talked about a fine line and Billy Bragg, and how, for all the arguments in favour of pacifism it is when Joe is musing on aspects of his life before the war that this book really succeeds. Most of these memories involve moments of loss for Joe, and these mirror the physical losses that Joe has sustained. 8/10

Tristan mused how Johnny Got His Gun is one of the most original, clever and powerful novels he’d ever read. It’s a little uneven in places but overall it’s unforgettable, and rightly regarded as classic American literature. 8/10

Robin

Robin?  Robin, of International Rescue, was saving orangoutangs.  Or was he?  Later reports suggest he was watching a band.  Had he actually read the book?  Some of the HBG naysayers thought not.  

Nick?  Nick was with his pal Mark E Smith however, through the wonders of email, he informed an expectant throng of HBGers thus...   

As i walked out one summer morning, a month in the country, dead mans shoes, slaughterhouse 5, stoner, the road, the book we read the time before last, dogs of war...to the pantheon of greats in Hove's Finest Book Club (TM) comes a new name...Johnny Got his Gun. This near faultless polemic against the horror of war has burnt a hole in my head and my heart....why haven't I heard of this masterpiece before?

The first thing I noticed about it was the way it compares to some of my favourite other books:

Stoner for the undistinguished life and its own implicit polemic against war.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an autobiography of a man with locked-in syndrome

The war poets

Pat Barker's regeneration

I could go on...

I could call out hundreds of scenes but the most vivid for me were:

Where father and son know they are spending their last camping trip together. Touchingly rendered, heartbreakingly close to every father's heart, He and his father had lost everything, themselves and the rod.

Nick emailed his review

Fighting for a word - motherland, fatherland, homeland native land! It's all the same. What the hell good to you is your native land after you are dead? If you get killed fighting for your native land you've bought a pig in a poke - you've paid for something you'll never collect. The opposite of what we are told to believe by most politicians and leaders - the conflict of the red or the White poppy. This part chimed most closely for me with Stoner and the way he was shunned after choosing not to go to war.

The passage about the German girl, polishing the bomb - this scene detached from its horror and the eventual carnage it causes.

His urgent need to make himself understood through morse code and the idea of him being transported around the country in a glass case.

Keith, my friend, you have chosen wisely - I pity Hamish and his choices.

It is a masterpiece. It is a 10/10.

Amen to that brother.

“Ukulele Songs” (2011) by Eddie Vedder

“Ukulele Songs” was very well received by Keith and Nigel.  Tristan was less enamoured.  No one else appeared to care

“Into The Wild” (2007) directed by Sean Penn

“Into The Wild” annoyed Nigel and Nick.  Keith quite liked it.  Hamish and Tristan really liked it.

“The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins

“The Hunger Games” (2008) by Suzanne Collins

Robin chose this book as he wanted an easy read.  Turns out he wanted a simple, undemanding page turner - and that's what he got.  By the end he was gripped. 9/10

Keith thought it was excellent children's fiction, though the film is better.  8/10

Nick thought it was well written.  8/10

Nigel, ever the contrarian, stated he liked good children's books (e.g the Narnia books and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy) and indeed a bit of dystopian Sci Fi but felt this let down by too many implausible elements.  3/10

Hamish preferred the film but enjoyed the book though was less convinced by the apathy of the society 8/10

"Four" (2014) by One Direction 

Robin loves this album.  For Robin too much modern music is too challenging and so this slick, hook-laden pre-teen pop is more his bag. So much so he was proud to proclaim he lustily sings along in the car at every opportunity  8/10  #realmusic

Nick thought it too manufactured 0/10

Nigel gave it a good listen and concluded it lacked real passion and interest and contained far too much sugary gloss 2/10

Hamish didn't listen to it

Keith has seen them live but confessed this was not really his cup of Earl Grey 1/10

"Some Like It Hot" (1959) directed by Billy Wilder

Everybody love it.  Of course.  A complete classic.

Endorse it...

Nick - Adam Buxton podcast / BBC4 "Music For Misfits" indie music series

Robin - Alex Ferguson leadership doc / Small Faces tribute act the Small Fakers

Nigel - This Is England 90 (Channel 4 TV series by Shane Meadowns) / Francis Wheen - Strange Days Indeed book / Cradle to the Grave - Danny Baker BBC TV series

Hamish - "Narrow Road to the Deep North" by Richard Flanagan - one of the ten best books Hamish has ever read #truedat

Keith - Nowt

"Tigerman" (2014) by Nick Harkaway

BOOK: “Tigerman” (2014) by Nick Harkaway

Tristan explained how, with his first two novels, The Gone-Away World and Angelmaker, Nick Harkaway swiftly established himself as a writer of prodigious imagination, with the capacity to combine hi-jinks plotting with high concepts: ninjas, pirates, octogenarian spies, leagues of undertakers and mechanical bees that might induce the apocalypse. He manages a very delicate balance, in that the books are gloriously exuberant and entertaining, but also emotionally affecting and intellectually satisfying.

Tristan was looking for something similar with Tigerman, and it is the same in many ways, though the empathy is more plangent and the ideas more frightening. That said, it is also his take on the superhero novel. Tigerman may be - very broadly - realistic, but it asks similar questions about damaged heroism and idealistic villainy. 7/10

Keith declared it "an enjoyable romp" 7/10

Nick considered the outfit impractical and felt there was insufficient romp-iness. A lack of romp, if you will. He couldn't even remember much about it before dismissing it as "airport pulp fiction". 5/10

Nigel was having none of this negativity and heralded it as as amongst the very best books that Hove Book Group have ever read. He loved it and it has rocketed straight into the list of his favourite 30 books ever. He came to this book having never heard of Nick Harkaway and he finished it resolved to read the rest of his books.

Tigerman is a book that boasts a compelling plot, humour, originality, prescient observations on the modern world, love, humanity, politics, duty, and more.  Nick Harkaway has created an alternate universe - immersive, amusing, poignant, profound, compelling, charming, and more than a little askew - both similar and strange, which reminded me of both China Miéville and Magnus Mills which, you probably don’t need me to tell you, is a very good thing.

NIck - airport pulp fiction

Hats off Nick Harkaway. A stunning achievement. "Tigerman” is very special indeed, and an absolute delight. 10/10

Robin loved the action.  Action!  Yes!  7/10

Hamish thought it was a fantastic concept with humour and depth. Nick Harkaway's great gift as a novelist - one he shares with writers such as China Miéville - is to merge the pace, wit and clarity of the best "popular" literature with the ambition, complexity and irony of the so-called "literary" novel. Tigerman is in some ways all about the stripes: the distinctive becomes camouflage. 8/10

PS: One month later Hamish stated he should increase his rating from 8/10

MUSIC “Are you Satisfied?” (2015) by Slaves

Hove Book Group loves Slaves.  True dat.

Loud, angry, political, funny

Nick punched the air in delight and hollered... I LOVE SLAVES.

FILM: “The Wall” (2013) dir by Julian Roman Pölsler

Tristan apologised for inflicting it on us

"Thank You, Jeeves" (1934) by PG Wodehouse

"Thank You, Jeeves" (1934) by PG Wodehouse

Nick kicked of the Englishness themed discussion by saying a bit about each selection and then with his customary reticence handed over to everyone else.

In summary...

Nick (10), Robin (9) and Nigel (9) loved it loved it loved it

Tristan (5) and Keith (6) liked it but didn't really see what the fuss was about

Somehow it got compared to Keith Lemon.  I know I know...

Numbers above are scores out of 10.

Hamish?  Hamish?  He was at a ballet.  Or something.  Come home Hamish we miss you.



We then praised Kate Tempest to the hilt

Before discussing Jeremy Deller and specifically "The Battle Of Orgreave" re-enactment as filmed by Mike Figgis, though it transpired that Nick had intended us to have a more general discussion on Mr Deller.

Confused?  Yes, we were too.

It was another lovely HBG night of erudition, humour, insight and national identity.  What does it mean to be English?  We're not sure


ENDORSE IT

Keith - Calvary film
Nigel - True Detective - Season One - TV series
Nick - East India Youth
Robin - Bruge and Brussels
Tristan - Glastonbury Festival

"The Fix” (2013) by Keith Nixon

"The Fix” (2013) by Keith Nixon

Nigel explained that he would have gone for “Flowers for Algernon” however concluded that, having just collectively read a Science Fiction book, two Sci Fi books in a row was just not appropriate

Nigel also decided that our choices so far this year have been fairly serious and none have been about us - English, early 21st century, middle class men...

"Frankenstein" (1818) by Mary Shelley

"To rise again at a decent hour" (2014) by Joshua Ferris

"Caveworld" (2013) by Adam Gnade

"Roadside Picnic" (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

…so he decided something blokey, easy to read, set in England, compelling, and hopefully well written and funny

Nigel had also noticed that at all the gatherings this year Robin has mentioned that he didn’t finish the book and, linked to this, fell asleep whilst reading the books.  Nigel was hoping to find something that would pass “the Robin test” - specifically that Robin would finish it, and stay awake whilst reading it - would "The Fix" pass?  Sadly we never got to find out as Robin couldn't make the discussion and didn't send a review.  Call us a cynical bunch but we suspect that Robin never even picked it up.  We gave a collective sigh before moving on.

So to what extent did "The Fix" meet Nigel's hope for something blokey, easy to read, hopefully well written, set in England, compelling, and  and funny?

Blokey?  Absolutely.  Possibly a bit too blokey for Nigel's tastes.  "Ass rating" jarred with me though the over-the-top sexism and all round bastard qualities of Hershey Valentine were so extreme as to be quite enjoyable.  

Easy to read?  Undoubtedly.  

Well written?  Definitely.  Don is in the habit of comparing everything to “The Road”.  Nigel prefers to consider books on their own terms.  As a straight up piece of escapist nonsense which stayed just the right side of vaguely credible, and as an enjoyable, fairly original thriller this hit the spot.

Set in England?  Absolutely.  Nigel enjoys books set in London.  Also setting the book in Margate and Broadstairs, and other nearby seaside places in Kent was an added bonus.  The locations were a big part of the book’s charm for Nigel.

Compelling?  Very much so.  By the last third Nigel was gripped.  The plot doesn’t bear too much scrutiny and whilst Josh Dedman, Claire, and to a lesser extent Jack/Clive, were very credible characters, Konstantin, Hershey Valentine and Liam/Mr Lamb, less so but they all added to the fun.

Nigel was engaged throughout and once Josh had lost his job he was very keen to see how it would all play out.  And talking of the moment Josh got sacked he loved this paragraph…. 

"All I want is my shitty little life back. I feel I'm in a very small boat in very rough seas, I've no idea what stability means anymore and there's no sight of land. Compared to where I am now my inconsequential job, arsehole boss and meaningless relationship are infinitely better.”

Funny?  Not really and certainly not “laugh out loud funny” as one reviewer claimed - but it was mildly amusing with some original ideas.  As mentioned, Hershey’s over the top fiendishness was a delight, Josh’s inner thoughts were well expressed and had an everyman quality Nigel could easily relate to, Konstantin was a great character, if completely implausible, and Claire’s superficiality and comeuppance were smile inducing.  The tourettes presentation seemed highly improbable given what else we knew about Josh.  So not funny as such but generally well observed and amusingly written.

Other thoughts… the ending didn’t live up to the rest of the book and felt a bit pat.  It seemed to Nigel that Keith Nixon reached his ideal book length and then just tied up the loose ends as quickly as possible.  I also feel something darker, or perhaps ambiguous, would have worked better in the context of the book, rather than the somewhat cliched happy ending.

Overall, and on its own terms (Stoner, The Road, or A Month In The Country it ain’t ), it was an enjoyable, somewhat inconsequential, well written piece of escapism, that scores high for Nigel because its more original elements and its sense of place.  8/10

Keith was in broad agreement and concluded that it would make a good Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film.  6/10

Tristan thought it was just too blokey and too laddy and too fnar fnar - facile and forgettable 4/10

Hmaish likes crime fiction and thought this was readable enough but so poorly written.  No subtly, no restraint, too many brackets, the language battered the reader.  A stinker 1/10

Nick thought this was one of the three worst books we've ever read together.  A poor man's Martin Amis or Iain Banks.  2/10

On the positive side, we did enjoy a good discussion.

Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop (1996)

Nigel loves Iggy Pop - loves him.  Watching the Igster with the Stooges play "Raw Power" was one of his best gigs of all time.

Keith shocked everyone by saying he's never listened to Iggy.  Ever.  Lordy.

Tristan likes Iggy

Hamish doesn't like Iggy

Nick responds to the diversity of Iggy's cannon.

“A Prophet” (2009) dir. by Jacques Audiard

One of the signs of a good film is the extent that it stays with you in the days and weeks which follow your viewing.  “A Prophet” has really stuck with Nigel.  Three things really work in its favour:

the cast - esp Tahar Rahim as Malik

the cinematography

the soundtrack

Blown away by this film - engrossed from the word go.  Watched all 2.5 hours in one sitting.

Amazing central performance by Tahar Rahim as Malik - from relative innocent to crime boss, implausible premise but given credibility by his stunning performance, and one that made me root for him from the off.  

Cinematography is stunning, making the grim prison appear strangely beautiful and otherworldly.

So much subtly too, for example how Reyeb (the person Malik reluctantly assassinates) stops appearing when Malik’s crime boss persona is complete, and in the final vision he is on fire presumably to symbolise his withdrawal.  The ending is joyously subtle too, as Malik is met by Ryad's wife and son outside the prison. As they walk off together the camera pans out to reveal  a vehicle convoy carrying Malik's new associates and, the icing on the cake, a great version of “Mack the Knife” that I’d never heard before, by Jimmie Dale Gilmore.  

Nigel got hold of the soundtrack album soon after watching the film just for “Mack the Knife” by Jimmie Dale Gilmore - though there are some other great tracks on there in addition to the original score.

Best film Nigel has seen in years.  10/10 - 5/5 - 100/100

Fortunately, and in stark contrast to the book,  this film garnered universal HBG acclaim.  Hurrah!

Endorse it

Keith - Miss Violence - a Greek film

Tristan - Holly McNish

Hamish - The Great Escape festival in Brighton

Nick - The Obstacle is The Way - a book about Stoicism  + Tim Ferris podcast
Nigel - So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson + Romany and Tom by Ben Watt

And that was that

"Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

BOOK: "Roadside Picnic” (1971) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

"Roadside Picnic" by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky is a short science fiction novel written in 1971. By 1998, 38 editions of the novel were published in 20 countries. The film "Stalker" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, is loosely based on the novel - the screenplay was written by the Strugatskys. 

Whilst perusing Writers No One Reads Keith was struck by one title, Roadside Picnic.   Keith loves roads and loves picnics.  Keith discovered this book coined the word Stalker.  Keith was pleasantly surprised by this book.  

"Roadside Picnic" tells the story of a Stalker, one of the few who dare to enter a zone of an alien visitation. Stalkers venture into the deadly realm for artifacts, which are sometimes useful, sometimes enigmatic, sometimes life-threatening, whilst surviving in the oppressive, broken community adjacent to the zone.  6/10

Tristan likes Sci-Fi and he liked this book.  First contact is usually mutual love or war, not so here, where the humans are inconsequential.  It's genius.  As is Stanislaw Lem's "The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age" 7/10

Tristan & Robin: Loved the unusual treatment of first contact

Nigel recalled whilst reading this splendid book that some of his favourite books are genre books, specifically crime, noir and science fiction. These books are almost always ignored by prestigious mainstream awards despite containing some of the most compelling, imaginative and provocative ideas in fiction. Roadside Picnic is full of ideas about humanity, philosophy, greed, sustainability, community and more, and it's also a gripping yarn with Red Schuhart - a classic dysfunctional anti-hero - at its heart. 8/10

Robin also enjoyed the unusual treatment of first contact, with the alien technology way beyond humanity's understanding meanwhile the stream of consciousness narration was a surprisingly easy read. The drunken conversation with a scientist provided Robin with some tantalising ideas. However the lack of detail maintained the mystery.  An excellent read and worthy of its classic status. 7/10

Hamish "mercifully short'

Hamish spent much of his time thinking that the book had been badly translated.  Perhaps this is the work of the censors?  He was not sure, but it did not make for a convincing read.  The dialogue seemed very stilted with the journalist simply a device to reveal key facts in a very clunky way.  Hamish didn't really care why the Zone was like it was. Mercifully short, unconvincing and with a lack of detail.  Hamish wished he could have read it in Russian as the story was probably lost in translation.  3/10

Nick was most fascinated by the Soviet aspect which is an ongoing obsession.  Comrade Nick cannot get enough.  The writing is terse and superbly descriptive, shifting from first-person narrative to third and expertly handled by the Strugatsky brothers, the undisputed masters of the enigmatic hard man personality that frequently appears in Soviet fiction. "Roadside Picnic" is a beautifully written, inspiring read, with strong, desperate characters and a thrilling premise.  The only downside is that it is too short with so much unrealised potential in its premise. 9/10

So overall a very positive response for the Strugatsky brothers with just Hamish remaining unconvinced.

MUSIC: "The Best Of ? And The Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966-1967” (2005) by ? And The Mysterians

? and the Mysterians are an American rock and roll band formed in Bay City, Michigan, in 1962. The group took its name from the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians, in which aliens from the destroyed planet Mysteroid arrive to conquer Earth, and may have been the first group to be described as punk rock

They were also the first American rock band of Mexican descent to have a mainstream hit record in the United States with 1966's "96 Tears", which sold over one million copies and won a BMI award for over three million airplays.

It's official.  Hove Book Group loves "96 Tears" even the slow version.  Loves it.  We does.

FILM:  Nightmare Alley (1947) dir by Edmund Goulding

Keith thinks the book is even better - and both are brilliant.

Nick thought Stalker was the film and promised he'd pay more attention to official HBG missives in future.

Nigel liked it.

Robin was bewitched.

Tristan less so.









ENDORSE IT

Latest endorsements from Hove's finest...

Nick - http://tuebl.ca/
Tristan - Michael Marshall Smith "Spares"
Robin - County Donegal
Nigel - Four films - Foxcatcher, Whiplash, Paddington, Gone Girl