Simon Gage Lisa Richards Howard Wilmot Thunder's Mouth Press distributed by Publishing Group West ISBN 1-56025-377-0 This big chunky 'coffee table' book is authored by three Brits, and published in the US of A.  That's about as … [Read more...]

Charles Spencer Penguin ISBN 0 14 00.5155 4 This edition was published in the US in 1979.  The first publication (UK and US) was in '74.  The cover has an image derived from an illustration by a chap called Erté.  It is (probably) of a … [Read more...]

Jamie O'Neill ISBN 0-7432-0713-0 Scribner / Penguin This very long book (643 pages) is very readable.  Despite the title it is nothing like Flann O'Brien's At Swim Two Birds, the similarity in title is somewhat deceptive, it is a 'thing in … [Read more...]

THE YEAR OF ICE A Novel Brian Malloy St. Martin's Griffin ISBN 0-312-31369-1 (pbk) The year in question is 1978, in Minneapolis.  The central character is Kevin Doyle.  Kevin is an 'alpha male' in the fairly raucous pack culture of … [Read more...]

The Habit of Art Alan Bennett faber and faber £9.99 Reviewing a play-script when the drama is still playing is an odd procedure.  I will (I hope) review the performance shortly.  Alan Bennett's Introduction is quite amusing (and not … [Read more...]

The Rainbow Singer Simon Kerr Phoenix ISBN 0-75381-338-6 As a fictional history of a young psychopath this is a good novel.  Even if it is cluttered with a Jungian framework which becomes more and more obvious (and unbelievable) as the … [Read more...]

Pierre et Gilles: Sailors and Sea (Icons Series) Taschen ISBN 978-3-8365-0885-8 This smallish book (180-odd pages) contains Pierre et Gilles standard product.  Already pretty men are rendered doll-like and camp.  The 'sea' conceit should … [Read more...]

Gypsy Boy Mikey Walsh Hodder & Straughton ISBN 978-0-340-97796-5 This is 'page-turner' and something of a 'misery memoir' —Mikey was the eldest son of a famous Romany family.  They were famous largely for being particularly brutal … [Read more...]

Jeffrey Dudgeon Roger Casement: Imperialist,Rebel, Revolutionary, by Seamas O'Siochain, Lilliput Press, 656 pp, ISBN: 978-1843510215 Seamas O'Siochain has become one of the select band to have written two or more books on Roger Casement. He joins … [Read more...]

Gay's the Word     Events Reminder & News   ~0~ Joseph Olshan and other readings... Literary novelist Joseph Olshan reads from his new book 'The Conversion' Author of the bestselling 'Night   Swimmer'   A … [Read more...]