Perec

Good article here

China Mieville, William S Burroughs and one exciting package

Sometimes you don't feel arrogant enough to blog, or life isn't interesting in a way you want to tell the world about. It's all about books anyway, and I have some more to talk about now.

Finished 'The City and The City' by Mieville. It was excellent, and sort of showed me how my first, test run novel could have been if it had actually been any good. The central conceit of two cities existing separately in one place is made to work more easily than it must have been to write. Characters are good, and it's a page turner.

Even better is the Burroughs; Cities of the Red Night. This book leaps around from democratic, pirate societies in the Eighteenth Century to a murder trail in the contemporary US and South America, with psychic ceremonies, terrifying diseases and lots of sex in between. Almost everyone is gay and addicted to Opium. It's sort of like a less benevolent, more demented Pynchon, and as such it's absolutely fantastic.

And, finally, my signed first edition of the new Bret Easton Ellis arrived from the US, badly photographed above. I'm having to restrain myself from moving straight onto it, but it's testament to the Burroughs that I haven't.

Quote of the day

'Moralising is to morality what artiness is to art.' - Michael Burleigh

Rural bliss

In Leeds for a week, or rather a place called Leathley, in the countryside north of Leeds. I've been learning to fly fish, much to my father's delight. It's great fun, harder than it looks and thrilling when you catch a fish. Those are my mother's pride and joy up there; Silky hens and ten new chicks. I've been hunting out newts in the pond and looking out for big Red Kites looming overhead. I even had my first surprise birthday party yesterday, and a whole lot of whisky.

Reading: The City and The City by China Mieville. Read a lot about it and Will had started it. It's great so far; atmospheric, dark and based around an intriguing central premise.

Other birthday books: Cities of the Red Night - Burroughs. Was put off him by Naked Lunch's dreadful prologue about junk addiction. This is the book that might convert me.

The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz. Can't remember how this got onto my wish list but it looks good. It won the Pulitzer, which could be a bad thing. But hey, at least it wasn't the Booker.

Molloy - Beckett. I've never read anything of Beckett's and I'm very embarrassed about it. This is Will's generous attempt to sort me out.

Sniper One - Sgt. Dan Mills. Ahem. Thanks Chris.

Dalston grunge

There's been an emergent guitar scene in the UK for the last couple of years, with its London base in Dalston. The papers have called it the grunge revival, which I'm sure pisses the bands off. It's not completely off the mark though. The bands (Male Bonding, Mazes, Pens, Wavves, Spectrals) have been known to wield Jagstangs and Jazzmasters, a sure reference to the early '90s. Also, dare I say it, there's the odd plaid shirt on display. I think it's quite exciting, partly because I was a sucker for grunge the first time round, and partly because the scene is genuinely open and friendly. Gone is the haughty hipness inspired by retro-rockers like The Strokes. Instead, the bands and fans actually let themselves go and display a far more inclusive attitude. It's all DIYish and fun. The best bands are Mazes, Spectrals (especially live) and Male Bonding. The latter are signed to Sub Pop, which I can't help thinking is sort of great too.

A genuine Alan Warner madonna

Went to see Alan Warner reading at the excellent Book Slam last week. He was great, as is the new book. There should be some video on Book Slam's site soon. The best part was getting my book 'signed,' with what he referred to as 'one of my maddonas.' I know, fanboy strikes again.