Madame Bovary (1857) by Gustave Flaubert

 Roland's choice

Theme: Infidelity

READ: Madame Bovary (1857) by Gustave Flaubert

There was a lot of love for Madame Bovary. Some really loved it others were more taken with certain sections. 

Roland wants to break free

Madame Bovary is very good on the day to day detail, and relative dreariness, of provincial French life in the 1830s. Flaubert parachutes the reader straight into the community and creates a vivid picture

The characters are credible and Emma Bovary is well drawn, and with far too much time on her hands to repent her disappointing marriage to the bland, stolid Charles. Her lack of options and frustration with this predicament lead, famously, to reckless affairs and consumerism with particularly tragic results. The novel is one long, slow car crash.

As with many books of the era, the tale is drawn out with an awful lot of extraneous detail yet still peppered with some memorable moments, beautiful writing, and a powerful atmosphere. 

Nick 8 / Tristan 8.5 / Nigel 6 / Keith 6 / Roland 9 / Robin 6 / Hamish 8

LISTEN: Hard Steppin' (2009) by Ikebe Shakedown

Ikebe Shakedown and their Hard Steppin’ EP were something none of were familiar with. Some loved their driving afro-funk, horns and wakka-wakka guitars others felt it a bit meh. You pays yer money etc etc 

WATCH: Leaving (2009) directed by Catherine Corsini

Roland still wants to break free

A somewhat improbable film about infidelity and its repercussions. When a wife is unfaithful to her husband, he cannot accept it. She wants to leave and move in with her new lover. He stops all financial support, and ultimately blackmails the wife into staying with him. It all ends tragically. None of it stands up to scrutiny. 

All that said, some of us were thoroughly enjoyed it, not least Nick who thought it our best film for many a moon

HBG endorse it: 10 January 2024 - 8 February 2024

Killing Thatcher by Rory Carroll (Book)

All of us Strangers (Film)

The Holdovers (Film)

The Book of Mormon (Musical)

Inherent Vice (dir by Paul Thomas Anderson) (Film)

Miners Strike 1984 - The Battle for Britain (4OD)

Red Rocket (Netflix)

Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan (Book)

Big Boys (Channel Four)

Lee Miller exhibition (Brighton Museum)

Pop. 1280 (1964) by Jim Thompson

 Nigel's choice

Theme: Noir

READ: Pop. 1280 (1964) by Jim Thompson

To varying degrees we all loved Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280. Some even bandied around the word masterpiece and it is rather splendid.

Nick Corey is a terrible sheriff on purpose. He doesn't solve problems, enforce rules or arrest criminals. He knows that nobody in tiny Potts County actually wants to follow the law and he is perfectly content lazing about, eating five meals a day, and sleeping with all the eligible women.

Still, Nick has some very complex problems to deal with. Two local pimps have been sassing him, ruining his already tattered reputation. His girlfriend Rose is being terrorized by her husband. And then, there's his wife and her brother Lenny who won't stop troubling Nick's already stressed mind. Are they a little too close for a brother and a sister?

With an election coming up, Nick needs to fix his problems and fast. Because the one thing Nick does know is that he will do anything to stay sheriff. Because, as it turns out, Sheriff Nick Corey is not nearly as dumb as he seems.

In Pop. 1280 , widely regarded as a classic of mid-20th century crime, Thompson offers up one of his best, in a tale of lust, murder, and betrayal in the Deep South that was the basis for the critically acclaimed French film Coup de Torchon .

Nick 9.5 / Tristan 8 / Nigel 8 / Keith 7 / Roland 9 / Robin 8.5 / Hamish 7.5

LISTEN: Asylum Years (1986) by Tom Waits

A bit more of a mixed reception for Asylum Years. Nigel, Nick and Hamish loved it. Tristan didn’t get it. Everyone else was somewhere in between

Nigel and Roland loved it

WATCH: Double Indemnity (1944) dir by Howard Hawks

Nigel and Roland were all in on why this is a masterpiece and loved it. Others felt it had not stood the test of time. Strange but true.

HBG endorse it:

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution (iPlayer)

Moon Hooch (Live music)

Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything (Prime)

Sharper (Film - Apple TV)

The Eternal Daughter (2022) directed by Joanna Hogg (Film)

Backlisted Podcast 200th episode with Richard Osman discussing Trustee From The Toolroom by Nevil Shute (Podcast)

Adelle Stripe - Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure (2022) (Book)

HOVE BOOK GROUP: End of year review 2023

HOVE BOOK GROUP: End of year review 2023

Hove Book Group's traditional look back at the year that was

HOVE BOOK GROUP: End of year poll 2023

1. Favourite read

*Our book of the year 2023....*

1. Happiness Is Wasted On Me (2020) by Kirkland Ciccone (Hamish) - 11 

    

Congratulations Hamish

2. My Phantoms (2022) by Gwendoline Riley (Nigel) - 6

2. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Tristan) - 6

3. Rosewater (2017) by Tade Thompson (Tristan) - 5

3. Coming Through Slaughter (1976) by Michael Ondaatje (Roland) - 5

-

In Our Mad and Furious City (2018) by Guy Gunaratne (Hamish) - 3

The Bloater (1968) by Rosemary Tonks (Keith) - 3

Strangers on a Train (1950) by Patricia Highsmith (Robin) - 3

The Gift of a Radio (2022) by Justin Webb (Nick) - 0

Beautiful Star (1962) by Yukio Mishima (Keith) - 0

*

2. Favourite music 

1. Marquee Moon (1977) by Television (Keith) - 8

2. 20 Golden Greats (1976) by The Beach Boys (Nick) - 7

2. Sly and the Family Stone - Greatest Hits (1970) (Nigel) - 7

3. Negril to Kingston City (2010) by Transdub Massiv (Tristan) - 6

-

Black To The Future (2021) by Sons of Kemet (Roland) - 5

Prospect of Skelmersdale (2016) by Magnetic North (Hamish) - 5

Robin’s Murder playlist - 2

Dozakh: All Lovers Hell by Nadia Tehran (Tristan) - 0

Japanese Alien Human Being Instrumentals by 4ce Finger + DJ Quietstorm (Keith) - 0

-

3. Favourite watch

1. Boyhood (2014) dir by Richard Linklater (Nick) - 12

2. Memento (2000) dir by Christopher Nolan (Robin) - 9

3. Shoplifting (2018) dir by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Nigel) - 8

-

Hit the Road (dir. Panah Panahi, 2021) (Tristan) - 6

Wonderland (1999) dir by Michael Winterbottom - 3

Death and the Maiden (1994) dir by Roman Polanski (Keith) - 2

Neptune Frost (2021) dir by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman (Tristan) - 1

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) dir by Stanley Nelson Jr. (Roland) - 1

Boston Kickout (1995) dir by Paul Hills (Hamish) - 0

Before We Vanish (2017) dir by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Keith) - 0

4. Favourite theme

1. Afro-Futurism (Tristan) - 10

2. New Towns (Hamish) - 8

3. Boyhood (Nick) - 7

-

Iranian Life (Tristan) - 5

Jazz (Roland) - 3

Happy Families (Nigel) - 2

Murder (Robin) - 1

Japanese Alien Human Being (Keith) - 0

Stewart Lee’s Symbols and Symbolists (Keith) - 0

*

Freeform answers....

Nigel 

Best book you read in 2023?

Adele Stripe - Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure (non fiction)

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers (fiction)

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

Roland being harassed by his drunken neighbour at the George Payne

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

A constant in an ever changing world

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

Dancing and grooving whilst the country continues to go to the dogs. General Election now!

How do we make Book Group even better?

Keep on keeping on

What else do you want to say?

I love you guys

*

Robin

Best book you read in 2023?

Strangers on a Train

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

Devils Dyke adventure and the accident !

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

We're still all here - longevity

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

Northern Soul

How do we make Book Group even better?

A one off dressing up book club event - fictional characters of course

*

Roland

Best book you read in 2023?

Girl, Women, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

Memorable in wrong way...slow gradual decline in attendance. Nov was alltime low of 3!

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

Eclectic themes and choices

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

Wet, wet autumn...

How do we make Book Group even better?

Show up

What else do you want to say?

A fabulous group but we need to be vigilant to ensure it stays live for another 25!

*

Nick

Best book you read in 2023?

American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

always Devils Dyke

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

Always a wide range of recommendations

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

Rediscovering audiobooks on my early morning dog walk

How do we make Book Group even better?

Better attendance

What else do you want to say?

Ciao

*

Hamish

Best book you read in 2023?

Young Mungo

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

Tonight's Christmas party!

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

Hanging round with you guys. And the usual excellent shepherding of cats by Mr Nigel Bailey.

How do we make Book Group even better?

Fix a date for the inaugural HBG walk

*

Keith

Best book you read in 2023?

Rosewater

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

Car crash on the Downs

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

Another great year all round!

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

First child entering the world of work!

How do we make Book Group even better?

Like a good wine, it gets better with age

What else do you want to say?

You guys!

*

Tristan

Best book you read in 2023?

Empire of Pain

Memorable 2023 HBG moments?

The car crash by Devils Dyke

Best thing about Book Group in 2023?

Its continuity and continued documenting

What defined 2023 for you (news item, something personal etc.)? 

Mainly negative things: climate change wildfires, Ukraine, Gaza; continuing shitshow of a UK government

How do we make Book Group even better?

Find a consistently good venue?

What else do you want to say?

Nothing