Trying to read a lot more this year. I've read "1974' by David Peace so far. Its a piece of often well-written, always over-written pulp which is almost absurdly and tediously grim and violent. Mind you, with all the revelations re: 70s light entertainers and politicians of late it makes you wonder if its all that exaggerated.
I read that a few years ago - maybe 3-4. Its a prescient book, no doubt. Before Christmas I read In Plain Sight by Dan Davies, the biography of the lives, crimes and lies of Savile. Apart from being an excellent character portrait of a thoroughbred psychopath* it is also an uncomfortably honest painting of how establishments are only too willing to look evil* in the face and gleefully do its bidding.
*using the words evil and psychopath here for concision but strictly I disagree with the concepts.
Luka - how is the new Ellroy? I haven't started it yet.
This year I read:
Michel Faber's new on The Book Of Strange Things continues his interest in the facile nature of language and meaning. Read's too much like a cloaked allegory for him missing his late wife though.
Ishiguro's An Artist in a Floating World. A let down to be honest, basically it is Remains of the Day
Lite.
Also dipped into the New Jack Zipes Brother Grimm 1st edition of their tales (the darker versions before they were sanitized). Yes, unrelenting Grimm. Bad thing's happen, then more bad things happen, and then they died. Life is tough kids...
I've started reading William GIbson's new on, The Peripheral. I always find his writing not as easy to read I as I expect dunno why. I'l probably read The Unconsoled by Ishiguro if WG doesn't hold me.
Can't remember when I last posted here but read Cronenberg's Consumed last year and I really liked it. It's not a novel by numbers at all, really perplexing strategy, wrong foots you three times. Leaves you a little unsure but dwelling. I suspect if a no-name took it to a publisher it'd get poo poo-d.
edit - OH yeah, read some Laird Barron but didn't like it, the lnague was too OTT for me, a bit Lovecrafty I guess in that sense. Didn't have the economy of someone like Neville or Ligotti imo.