Friday 9 May 2008

Finking About Fings On Friday


Been an excellent reading week for Gerard “Bookworm” Brennan (a wee nickname I’m trying out – dashing, eh?) as I’ll now explain.

I’m taking a half day at the aul dayjob so I can swoop home, pick up the missus and make my way to No Alibis for the Connolly-Hughes event. But in a rare moment of peace, I’m contemplating the Norn Iron crime fiction scene and how little attention it gets. No taking away from the hugely accomplished and talented Dublin boys, but they sure are whipping up a media frenzy round here. Well, I recycled the post the other day, but for a one man show, that’s a frenzy, okay?

Anyway, at the minute I’m reading Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty. And I’m loving it. What bugs me is I tried to buy it from four or five high street bookshops in Belfast, Newry and Lisburn cities and came back empty handed each time. In the end I snagged a copy at the Belfast Central Library’s Irish and Ulster Studies Department. I’m sure I’d have gotten it from No Alibis, but the last time I was there, Dave Torrans was overrun by a bunch of unruly Glen Patterson fans and I didn’t want to add to his stress by asking him to shift a display of Patterson’s recently released work. I might have to today though. The book’s a blinder!

I’m closing in on the denouement at a nice pace, and I have The Bloomsday Dead (courtesy of Serpent’s Tail) waiting to be read after this one. Expect some McKinty reviews soon. I don’t want to be straying from my point.

So listen, right? WHY AREN’T WE PROMOTING THE HUGE TALENTS FROM THIS PROVINCE?! Well, I am, and so’s Verbal Magazine and a good number of starving stalwarts such as Declan Burke and Critical Mick (and they live south of the border too); but come on the high street. Make it a bit easier for us scamps out buying books on our criminally short lunchbreaks. Same thing happened a few years ago when I was set to meet SF superstar Ian McDonald. Couldn’t get a hold of one of his books for love nor money so I don’t think it’s because McKinty fecked off to live in another country.

Who do I see about this?

Oh, and just so I’m not ending this on a ranty note, Declan Burke’s book, The Big O, thumped the doormat this week too. I had a peek at the first couple of chapterettes, and unfortunately it looks like the CAP GV isn’t going to be held up to ridicule here. Of course, he might drop the ball in later chapters... we’ll see.

7 comments:

Josephine Damian said...

Gerard, one of your country's own is on the verge of making it big in the book world... can't say more than that right now... I'm sworn to secrecy.

Declan Burke said...

Gerard, DIWMB is so hard it kicks its own ass. McKinty's top banana, no doubt ... Cheers, Dec

Gerard Brennan said...

Josephine - I'm always delighted to hear that one of ours is going to make it big, but don't keep me hanging. Thing about us crime fiction fans; we love our mysteries to be neatly answered in good time. Just whisper it to me. I promise not to tell! Oh, and thanks a million for stopping by.

Dec - I have to agree with you. Harder than a coffin nail.

gb

Josephine Damian said...

Gerard: You might just find a clue in my blogroll.

Gerard Brennan said...

Ah, found him. Will keep an eye on that rascal.

Cheers, Josephine.

gb

colman said...

have you finished yet?
hurry up, what's the verdict?

fucking rocked for me

Gerard Brennan said...

Yup, finished it yesterday, Colman. Loved it to bits. Should have a review up tomorrowish.

Started into The Bloomsday Dead five minutes after I closed Dead I Well May Be.

gb