The Plague (1947) by Albert Camus

Theme: Contagion

Keith had decreed that we would be atop the zeitgeist and talking all things contagion and, with that in mind, it was straight on to the incredibly apposite...

Reading: The Plague (1947) by Albert Camus

Keith drew perceptive parallels with previous picks: Blindness, and 1984.

Keith read it twice and, second time round, he discovered gems anew. 

Keith drew perceptive parallels with
previous picks: Blindness, and 1984

Nick wryly observed that the fascist ‘plague’ that inspired the novel may have gone however many other varieties of pestilence keep this book urgently relevant, not least Covid 19. Man’s confrontation – and cohabitation – with death is vividly related

Hamish listened to this book, something he found quite challenging. Despite a slow moving plot he felt it got better as it went along. It’s a novel which works both on the literal as well as the metaphorical level.

Roland described himself as a Camus virgin eager to pop his cherry. It was a psychological as well as a physical struggle.

Nigel had read The Stranger as a teen, and liked it, but had not read any Camus since those heady days of the late 1970s. So much was eerily familiar which demonstrates how thoroughly Camus researched it, and also how plagues and pandemics follow similar patterns. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is to ponder what allegorical meaning Camus might have attached to each scene. 

Robin shocked the group by dissing the book: too much waffle, too turgid, and not enough action. 

Camus believed that a plague is not exceptional, just a more obvious manifestation of the human condition. We are always vulnerable to death and disease despite how we may feel. We can never escape our frailty. Camus was also acutely aware of the absurdity of life, and believed instead of despair it should inspire compassion, joy and gratitude. These themes are at the heart of the novel and it’s a message we do well to live by. 

Nick 7 / Tristan 6.5 / Nigel 7 / Keith 9 / Roland 8 / Robin 5 / Hamish 7

Listening: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines (2011) by The Vaccines

Most of the group were either neutral or hostile to The Vaccines

There were two exceptions, Tristan and Nigel. Tristan slammed their curmudgeonly nature. Nigel waxed lyrical about having seen them live five times before extolling the charms of the hook laden, sing a long catchy punky tunes aligned to witty, interesting lyrics and punch the air anthemic choruses, and a life reaffirming vibe

Watching: Contagion (2011) dir by Steven Soderbergh 

Some loved this film others were more critical

The good stuff

The sickly colour palette

The score

The lingering shots on surfaces which have been touched

The film’s stars being unsentimentally killed

Impeccably put together

Slickly done

The less good

Far too episodic to hold the interest (The only really lively narrative thread is provided by Jude Law as the conspiracy nut with a heart of greed promoting a homeopathic cure for the virus - though not sure about his performance)

Conspiracy nut Jude

Little actual drama - despite the score doing its best to keep things tense

Marion Cotillard’s kidnapped WHO official just disappearing for most of the second half of the film

Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon - a more mismatched couple it’s hard to imagine

The all star cast was a bit distracting and it might have worked better with unknowns and a more documentary style

No one gets enough time to have any real impact

Ultimately it’s completely uninvolving

Disappointing given Steven Soderbergh’s pedigree

Endorse It

Jon Ronson’s podcasts

The Last Dance - Chicago Bulls documentary on Netflix

Twin on iPlayer

Normal People on iPlayer

National Theatre plays on YouTube

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara book

Gut by Giulia Enders book

Baghdad Central DVD

Midsommar film

Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast

Better Call Saul Season Five on Netflix

A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole

Tristan’s ‘The Big Easy?’ themed choices

Celebrity Squares

Our first Zoom-enabled meeting as the UK, along with much of the rest of the world, grapples with Covid 19, and is in a state of lockdown. Remarkably successful it was too.

Tristan had chosen A Confederacy of Dunces to stimulate our minds but how would the hard bitten and cynical HBG react?

 Reading: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole

Tristan shocked his fellow members by stating he had only read half the book. These are trying times so we cut him a bit of slack. He enjoyed what he had read so far, especially central character Ignatius J Reilly who is full of hubris and pomposity.

Nigel tried to read this book decades ago gave up after about 20 pages. Would a second attempt yield a better outcome? It was a resounding “Yes”. What a blast. Laughs aplenty. Superbly quotable. He bloody loved it

Keith appreciates a picaresque novel and so enjoyed this beaut

Robin is busier than ever and found it hard to concentrate on anything. He managed a few pages before shrugging and going back to his busy life

Roland was also too challenged to properly focus on a book he described as “particularly difficult” 

Nick was not totally convinced but could understand why so many people cite is as their favourite novel - say hello Billy Connolly

Hamish nearly bought it for his brother and was glad he hadn’t. “No story, no laughs” he opined

Ignatius J Reilly is one of the great literary creations. Indeed, A Confederacy of Dunces abounds with wonderful characters, all of whom are, in some way, sucked into the orbit of Ignatius and his lunatic behaviour

There are some wonderful comedic set pieces here however the real joy lies in the writing and the dialogue from, most especially, Ignatius who disdains many aspects of modernity and spends his life expressing outrage in the most amusing and unforgettable terms

In addition to the fabulous characters, wonderful writing and guffaw inducing dialogue, the book's setting - New Orleans - is also powerfully evoked

But not everyone agreed with that summary as the scores below aptly demonstrate

#schism #differenceofopinion #noaccountingfortaste

Top triv: A Confederacy of Dunces would never have been published if John Kennedy Toole's mother had not found a smeared carbon copy of the manuscript left in the house following Toole's 1969 suicide, at 31

Nick 7 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 10 / Keith 7 / Roland 5 / Robin 4 / Hamish 0



Listening: Tristan’s The Big Easy playlist

Tristan’s playlist was well received by the HBG

Big Frieda, Kermit Ruffins, and EyeHateGod came in for particular praise


Watching: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) dir by Benh Zeitlin 

Robin and Roland share a moment

Tristan described 'Beasts of the Southern Wild’ as weird and quirky. We all agreed the amateur cast, especially the five year old child and her father, were incredible. Roland was less convinced by what he had seen but, there was no denying, the wonderful imagination and brio on display. 

A perfect accompaniment to the book and the music



Endorse it 

The Yorkshire Ripper Files: A Very British Crime Story (BBC iPlayer)
Murder 24/7 (BBC iPlayer)
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (Book)
Booksmart (Film on Amazon Prime)

Tim Burgess - online album party - see Twitter for more info

Late Junctions (BBC Radio 3)

Unclassified (BBC Radio 3)

Ozark (Netflix series)

Joker (Film)

Aubrey Beardsley doc by Mark Gattis on iPlayer

Jon Hopkins live at Brighton Dome

The Place Beyond the Pines (film on iPlayer)

Birdman (film)

Chris Packham (podcast)

Next time

Keith has decreed that we will be discussing….

Theme: Pandemics? The Plague? Coronavirus?

Reading: The Plague (1947) by Albert Camus
Listening: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines (2011) by The Vaccines
Watching: Contagion (2011) dir by Steven Soderbergh 

Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty

On Wednesday 4 March 2020 we discussed Nick’s Northern Ireland themed selections:

Reading: Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty

Nick is fascinated by Northern Ireland and has family connections there

“It’s a really odd place”

Nick is also interested in the Troubles and had heard good things about Bernard MacLaverty and judged Cal an unsentimental and powerful novel

Roland likened it to Kes in terms of its bleak portrait of a community, this time a young Catholic man who lives with his father in a Protestant area, and on the fringes of the IRA after participating in political violence. Roland also praised the erotic content. “More sex please”  he demanded

Hamish (yes Hamish, back for one night only, or maybe more?) felt Cal built nicely and liked Marcella

Keith observed that Cal’s attempts to distance himself from the IRA seemed nigh on impossible. 

Robin thought it was fan-blimmin-tastic. Cal performs the remarkable feat of describing both a doomed love affair, and the impossibility of living, with no chance of redemption. 

Nigel concluded that Cal is a short and powerful novel but its abrupt ending left him wanting more. He heartily recommended Anna Burns' Milkman which makes even more of similar material. 

Tristan described Cal as a bleak novel with a flicker of lyricism running through it. A bit like the sun shining through the shattered windows of a ruined church.

Nick 8 / Tristan 7.5 / Nigel 7 / Keith 7 / Roland 7 / Robin 9 / Hamish 8

Listening: Astral Weeks (1968) by Van Morrison

Nick finally broke through with Astral Weeks on the third listen

Sadly memories of this part of the discussion are a little hazy and so what follows may be somewhat inaccurate

Nigel loved its jazzy, folky, melancholy, stream of consciousness, oblique vibe - it’s about everything and nothing. Unique and magical. You breathe in, you breathe out, you breathe in, you breathe out…

Roland felt Astral Weeks plus Moondance are Van's masterpiece. Whilst not as accessible as Moondance, AW introduced Van's more mystic, jazzy/trippy side. 

Robin prefers Moondance

Robin prefers the Moondance-type LPs (Into The Music, Tupelo Honey, Wavelength …)

Hamish is more of an Astral Weeks type (Veedon Fleece, Common One, No Guru ...).

Some prefer AW types others the Moondancey vibe. Blessed are those who love both.

Astral Weeks is a timeless masterpiece which doesn’t seem to relate to anything which came before and not much that came later (though John Martyn and a few others took their cues from it). A weird mix of great songs and improvisation. Recorded really quickly, with top session players and all the better for that speed. It made Van’s reputation and despite a stellar career he never again recaptured the magic of this record.

Watching: Good Vibrations (2013) directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn

We all dug Good Vibrations. A warm hearted movie about Terri Hooley, Belfast's chaotic godfather of punk. In the 70s, Hooley defied the tribalism of the Troubles by opening a record shop in the middle of the city, quixotically called Good Vibrations. This tiny store became the indie record label that put out the Undertones' Teenage Kicks. It was also the base from which Hooley could cultivate his entrepreneurial genius. Richard Dormer is great as Hooley, and the moment when he is first converted to punk - in the middle of a pogoing crowd – is a joy. Jodie Whittaker, Karl Johnson and Ruth McCabe all offer splendid support as Terri's long-suffering wife, dad and mum.

Endorse It

Derry Girls (TV)
Parasite (Film)
Uncut Gems (Film)
Attura Morph panier rucksack (Bag)
Brompton bike bag (Bag)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (Book)
London Calling (Exhibition about The Clash)
Murder 24/7 (Documentary)


Next time

Next time out Tristan has decreed that we will be discussing….

Theme: The Big Easy?

Reading: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole*

Listening: Spotify playlist still under development
Watching: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) dir by Benh Zeitlin 

*A book which would never have been published if John Kennedy Toole's mother had not found a smeared carbon copy of the manuscript left in the house following Toole's 1969 suicide, at 31.           

Light Years (1975) by James Salter

On Thursday 6 February 2020 Hove’s leading book group of gentlemen readers gathered for their monthly literary salon to discuss Roland’s Tainted Love themed selections

Reading: Light Years (1975) by James Salter

Light Years (1975) by James Salter

To varying degrees we struggled with Light Years which seemed to be more about “the beautiful writing” and less about the plot.

Light Years (1975) by James Salter is the story of a marriage between two Americans, the Berlands: Nedra (the woman) and Viri (the man). Viri was born in 1928 and Nedra a few years later. Had they had renamed themselves, or were two sets of American parents were giving their kids such unusual names in that era? Other characters have names like Franca, Jivan, Kaya, Arnauld, and Hadji (this one a dog).

Reviews were peppered with words and phrases like challenging, hard to get into, and exhausting. That said, we all found redeeming features, and all agreed things picked up in the second half of the book. 

The plot, such as it is, was slightly puzzling. Nedra and Viri live a charmed and good life, complete with two lovely daughters, a dog, and a vibrant social life, enjoying a lovely rural environment just outside New York and yet, before you know it, they’re both being unfaithful, and eventually they split up.

A preponderance of four and five star reviews on Amazon and GoodReads is testimony to this book’s appeal for many readers who are in thrall Salter’s beautiful writing. In reality his writing is often over laden with metaphors, similes, and analogies, aligned to a meandering plot.

Tristan had lovingly prepared this marvellous parody...

Tristra sat at a table in the Westbourne. As always there was something thrillingly vulgar about her. Outside, cars passed on the wet tarmac, like beasts from a mythical painting.

For the day to unfold it must in its blueness, its immensity hide the conspiracy she lived on,  hide but enclose it, invisible,  like stars in the daytime sky.

Her dog Nigri trotted past, toes clicking on the bare wood. fragrant beast, eyes dark as coffee, smiling mouth. Like all the old, he was always hungry.

Roli walked in. He had a long nose, an intelligent face.

Would you like some lager? she asked
I don't think there is any.
We drank it all?
Some time ago.

She was reading from a book, that transported her to distant realms

Oh Roli, she said. It's wonderful. 

Nick 7 / Tristan 7 / Nigel 6 / Keith 7 / Roland 7 / Robin 6

*

Listening: Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (12 inch version) (1981) by Soft Cell

A 12 incher

We agreed that Tainted Love still sounds great. A cover version should do something new and interesting with a song and this version of Tainted Love most definitely does that. This twelve inch version which segues into Where Did Our Love Go ups the ante even more.

Shut it Nick

It’s a sublime slice of 80s synth pop.

We love it.

Nick pointed out they missed a trick by not putting one of their own compositions on the single thereby missing out on lots of royalties as this was a huge hit back in 1981. 

*

Watching: Marriage Story (2019) directed by Noah Baumbach (Netflix)

Keith was unimpressed

Most of us enjoyed this credibly handled story of a marriage break up. 

The two leads, Scarlett Johanson and Adam Driver are superb, as is the supporting cast

There was some disagreement about whether Laura Dern was any good. 

Despite being quite slow moving it was always interesting and there were some really powerful scenes. 

However Keith was left unimpressed and did not like it at all: too American and too unsubtle. He wouldn't even acknowledge Laura Dern's performance would be a worthy best supporting winner. Only time will tell whether the Academy recognises her performance at the 2020 Oscars (edit: they did).

Take that Driver. And you Johanson. 

*

Endorse It

1917 (Film/Cinema)
Peter Gabriel’s third LP (Music)
Uncut Gems (Film on Netflix)
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy (Book)
Peter Gabriel - Third LP (Music)
Only You (Film on Netflix)
A Kind of Loving (Book)
A Kind of Loving (Film/DVD)
Phantom Thread (Film on Netflix)
Stewart Copeland’s Adventures in Music (BBC iPlayer)
Inside No. 9 (BBC iPlayer)

*

Next time out…

Reading: Cal (1983) by Bernard MacLaverty

Listening: Astral Weeks (1968) by Van Morrison

Watching: Good Vibrations (2013) directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn

Nineteen Eighty Four (1949) by George Orwell

Hove Book Group were back together again on Thursday 9th January 2020 to discuss Robin’s unthemed selections

Reading: Nineteen Eighty Four (1949) by George Orwell

Hove Book Group ponder dystopia

Robin revealed that his selection had not been the result of careful consideration or having carefully weighed a number of tempting possibilities. Not for Robin the tortured existential angst which torments so many of the HBG when it comes to making their selections. No Sir, he “just had it on the shelf”. 

Robin dubbed Nineteen Eighty Four prescient, sad and resonant, a view endorsed by Keith. 

Tristan recognised that it was in Catalonia that the stanchions of Big Brother’s nightmare world – the disregard for objective truth, the rewriting of the past and the routine suppression of dissent – slid inexorably into place.

Nineteen Eighty Four was every bit as good as Nigel had remembered from his first read back in the mid 1970s.

Nigel was interested to note how each of George Orwell's four 1930s novels features a central character ground down and oppressed by a vigilant authority that he or she has no way of resisting.

Nick noted the clever details: Winston’s co workers and colleagues, the old man in the pub, the neighbour’s suspicious children and her blocked kitchen sink, the lack of razor blades, the rewriting of the past etc. It all added up to a rich and convincing evocation of Winston Smith's world. 

Roland was ultimately depressed by Orwell’s world and by what was an astounding and disturbing picture of a totalitarian society. 

Nick 9 / Tristan 9 / Nigel 8 / Keith 10 / Roland 9 / Robin 10

Listening: Rastaman Vibration (1976) by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Keith was struck by the lyrical content

Tristan managed one track on the way to the pub

The rest of us were pleased to have a reason to listen to this beauty again and were amazed how Chris Blackwell saw the opportunity to take a black, niche singles-based genre to a white rock audience

Roland embraced it by a wood burning stove on a sofa in west Hove. "That's so beautiful man", we exclaimed as one.

Watching: There Will Be Blood (2007) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Nick and Robin ponder the scratched DVD

Robin loved it

Others struggled with a DVD that had lost out in a fight with a Brillo pad

Keith was reminded of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” and told us all to read it pronto.

Endorse it

BlacKkKlansman dir by Spike Lee

Vic and Bob’s Big Night Out (iPlayer)

Chernobyl DVD

Radio 3 in the morning

No Country For Old Men dir by Coen brothers

Twice Upon a Time (Netflix)

Thunder Road (Netflix)

Good Time (Netflix)

Thailand (the Country)

Next time out it’s Roland’s picks….

Theme: Tainted Love

Reading: Light Years (1975) by James Salter
Watching: Marriage Story (2019) directed by Noah Baumbach (Netflix)
Listening: Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (12 inch version) (1981) by Soft Cell

2019: End of year review

2019: End of year review

At least until the General Election exit poll was released at 10 pm, spirits were high at our seasonal celebration and review of the year

Once again we were gathered at Planet India in Hove to enjoy curry, and stimulating discourse, including the result of our end of year poll

Nick was the big winner on the night - scooping best book, best music, and best unifying theme

Once more, our game was upped and the choices were generally praised to the hilt

Here’s to more of the same in 2020

1. Best HBG book

Never Mind (1992) by Edward St Aubyn (Nick) - 9

Jernigan (1991) by David Gates (Keith) - 8

A Kestrel For a Knave (1968) by Barry Hines (Nigel) - 6

My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018) by Ottessa Moshfegh (Keith) - 5

The End of the Affair (1951) by Graham Greene (Nick) - 4

The Humans (2013) by Matt Haig (Robin) - 4

Sourdough (2017) by Robin Sloan (Tristan) (+ 1 point as not read by Robin) - 1

The Golden Gate (1986) by Vikram Seth (Tristan)

Stranger Weather in Tokyo (2014) by Hiromi Kawakami (Nigel)

Mythago Wood (1984) by Robert Holdstock (Roland)

2. Best HBG music

Blood on the Tracks (1975) by Bob Dylan (Nick) - 9

Roxy Music - Avalon (1982) (Nick) - 7

Reproduction (1979) by The Human League (Robin) - 5

Pulp - Different Class (1995) (Nigel) - 5

OK Computer (1997) by Radiohead (Tristan) - 5

Luminous (2014) by The Horrors (Roland) - 3

This Year's Model by Elvis Costello / The Golden Year by Ou Est Le Swimming Pool (Keith) - 1

Turning Japanese….I think I'm Turning Japanese I really think so (Spotify playlist) (Nigel) - 1

Big Brother and the Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (1968) (Tristan)

Rid of Me (1993) by PJ Harvey (Keith)

3. Best HBG watch

Bullitt (1968) directed by Peter Yates (Tristan) - 8

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) directed by Mike Nicholls (Keith) - 8

One Cut Of The Dead (2017) directed by Shinichiro Ueda (Nigel) - 5 

Happy Valley series 1 (2014) - ep 1 & 2 (Netflix) (Nigel) - 5

High Rise (2015) directed by Ben Wheatley (Nick) - 4

Life is Beautiful (1997) directed by Roberto Benigni (Robin) - 3

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) directed by David O. Russell (Nick) - 2

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) directed by Edgar Wright (Tristan) (+ 1 point as not reviewed by Robin) - 1

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006) directed by Cao Hamburger (Keith) - 1

Errementari (2017) directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo (Roland)

4. Best HBG unifying theme

English Upper Class Debauchery (Nick) - 15

Summat or Nowt? - Searching for Yorkshire’s Dark (He)art (Nigel) - 4

Three Takes on 'Frisco (Tristan) - 4

The End of the Affair (Nick) - 3

Turning Japanese (Nigel) - 3

Emotional Scorch (Keith) - 3

We’re Only Humans (Robin) - 2

Natural Horrors (Roland) - 1

Lighthearted Nerdiness (Tristan) - 1

"Year" themed choices (Keith)

5. Best book we read this year (could be a Book Group choice or something else)

Nick - Kestrel for a Knave

Nigel - Fiction: Milkman by Anna Burn / Non-fiction: Hitler by Ian Kershaw

Robin - Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham Dixon / Audio Book: Diary of Samuel Pepys (BBC adaptation)

Roland - Never Mind

6. Memorable HBG moments from 2019

Nick - The guy who told terrible, adult jokes and wouldn’t stop

Nigel - the joke teller and the cycle ride

Robin - cycle to Devils Dyke on electric bike

Roland - The Japanese slasher movie (aka One Cut Of The Dead directed by Shinichiro Ueda)

Keith - Another damn fine year - with Robin failing to read the slim novel over the Summer

7. Best thing about Book Group in 2019

Nick - Some fine selections - and some terrible ones - which is what it’s all about

Nigel - the ease between us and the continuity

Robin - camaraderie and indulgence

Roland - Always diverse and stimulating perspectives

8. What defined 2019 (news item, something personal etc.)

Nick - Becoming the father of an adult - quite profound for me - and visiting lots of universities and being a tad jealous

Nigel - Nothing comes to mind but it has been, personally, a rather lovely year despite the ongoing political meltdown

Robin - Being part of buying a rainforest, kayaking across lake como, Corbyn's radical manifesto, spirit of young people in the face of the establishment (Greta Thunberg, Friday strikes, ER) and climbing Mt Etna!

Roland - Ongoing Brexshit and climate change emergency

Keith - Hopefully election night (Nothing can possibly go wrong)

9. How do we make Book Group even better?

Nick - I say it every year - no more music 

Nigel - why gild the lily?

Robin - Just keep going and enjoy the ride!

Roland - Almost impossible, maybe a new member to replace Hamish but no biggie

Keith - Reinstate question 5 in the end of year poll

10. What else do you want to say?

Robin - We just invented a word at work 'Creambling'  = creative rambling!

Nigel - Brouhaha

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR  

Nick - Michael Kiwanuka?

Nigel - Snapped Ankles - Stunning Luxury

SONGS OF THE YEAR 

GIGS OF THE YEAR 

Primal Scream at the Dome

Robin - Best Gig, Frank Turner at Bournemouth Centre and Wickham Festival (+ Holy Moly and the Crackers at Wickham Festival, Kathryn Joseph at End of the Road, Joan Baez at the Dome & predicting Slaves will also be great on 7th December at the Dome)

CULTURAL HAPPENINGS OF THE YEAR (best of the rest - books, TV, films, festivals etc) 

Nick - some great podcasts

Nigel - reconnecting with the Lake District

Robin - Wickham Festival, and Portsmouth beating Sunderland in the Check a Trade trophy final

After the meal we retreated to Old Albion to digest the aforementioned exit poll and drown our post-election sorrows.

A Kestrel for a Knave (1968) by Barry Hines

On Thursday 7th November 2019, Hove’s finest gathered to discuss Nigel’s themed choices...

Summat or Nowt? - Searching for Yorkshire’s Dark (He)art

Reading: A Kestrel For a Knave (1968) by Barry Hines
Listening: Pulp - Different Class (1995)
Watching: Happy Valley series 1 (2014) - ep 1 + ep 2 (Netflix)

READING: A Kestrel for a Knave (1968) by Barry Hines

After much chin stroking and a frank exchange of views we all agreed that although only 197 pages, A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines packs a huge emotional punch.

People tend to remember the heartbreaking ending however it's the clear eyed depiction of young Billy Caspar's deprived life that will touch even the hardest of hearts. The killer section happens in the middle of the book, when Billy has to write a piece called 'A Tall Tale' for his English teacher. Essentially a highly improbable fantasy story. Billy's effort is tragically mundane as he relates a world in which his father comes back into Billy's world, they go out for a meal, and their house is warm and carpeted. All a million miles from the reality of Billy's life.

That said, it's not all misery and deprivation: Billy's escapes into nature, his interactions with a sympathetic teacher and a farmer, his passion and self-taught skill for training his Kestrel, are all heart warming and convincing moments of hope which describe a rich inner life at odds with other aspects of his world.

In the Penguin Modern Classics edition, Barry Hines has contributed a fascinating afterword written in 1999 in which he discusses Ken Loach's film adaptation, how the book became a modern classic, its place on the GCSE English curriculum, the characters, his inspirations and more.

A Kestrel for a Knave is a powerful and gritty reading experience, and it's easy to see why this book continues to attract readers 50 years after its first publication. Highly recommended.

Nick 9.5 / Tristan 8 / Nigel 9 / Keith 8 / Roland 7 / Robin 8

LISTENING: Pulp - Different Class (1995)

After years of obscurity, Pulp shot to stardom in Britain with 1994's His 'n' Hers. By the time Different Class was released at the end of October 1995, the band, particularly lead singer Jarvis Cocker, were superstars, with two number two singles and a triumphant last minute performance at Glastonbury under their belts.

Different Class delivered on the feverish anticipation, blowing away all their previous albums, including the fine His 'n' Hers. Grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes with catchy and immediate melodies

Different Class is an appealing album  with Jarvis Cocker’s clever lyrics tackling sex and social class

The best moment on the album is - of course - the hit single 'Common People' about the rich girl who slums it with the lower classes.

WATCHING: Happy Valley series 1 (2014) - ep 1 + ep 2 (Netflix)

Acclaimed by HBG, one cineaste notwithstanding, we all embraced the wonderful Catherine Cawood - the determined, respected, hard-working police sergeant officer for the West Yorkshire Police. A divorced 47 year old woman with an ex drug-addict sister, a daughter who is dead and a son who doesn't speak to her. Despite this backstory Catherine is still able to show humour while on the job. Both series are compelling and refreshingly female-centric.

The writer’s ‘Last Tango In Halifax’ also comes highly recommended by members of the HBG.

ENDORSE IT

Spotlight on the Troubles (iPlayer)

Guilt (iPlayer)

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay (book)

The Crown (Netflix)

Seaham Beach, Durham

Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria

His Dark Materials (iPlayer)