Some books I've read 19

In The Wake

It's Fine by Me

Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes

I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson

This is a Norwegian writer I hadn't read back in Norway. I discovered one of his books in French, and then started buying his other books as well. He namedrops Raymond Carver in In The Wake, and his books sort of fall into the dirty realism genre, except that his stories take place in Norway and not in the Midwest. His books have the same simple language as Carver. Curse the River is probably my favourite.

Here Comes Everybody: The Story of The Pogues by James Fearnley

The rise and fall of The Pogues seen from the inside. It's a bit sad to read. Those three first albums are still classics. And then MacGowan was pretty much ruined by alcohol and drugs. And the book fortunately doesn't try to romantisize that.

Darker Than The Deapest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake by Trevor Dann

So, did Drake committ suicide or was the drugoverdose an accident? The book of course can't give a definite answer. But Drake clearly suffered from clinical depression at the end. Interestingly, his sister says she prefers the thought that it was a suicide rather than an accident. What's left is the music, as timeless and magical as ever.

Here by Richard McGuire

A brilliant concept, an impressive book, but spread over 300 pages it, for me, also lacks the punch of the original comic.