Big Mouth Twittering

    follow me on Twitter

    Quick Flicks

    • David Denby: Snark

      David Denby: Snark
      Oh this is good. A measured, amusing and incisive attack on 'snarking' - the low-grade, insult-based journalism and humour which seems very much the rage at the moment. Essential reading for Nick Cohen and Tim Adams methinks. Oh, and probably for me too. (****)

    • Yael Politis: Lonely Tree

      Yael Politis: Lonely Tree
      An engaging and enlightening novel set around the formation of the state of Israel. Politics, history, family and love are combined well with echoes of Louis de Bernieres at his most readable. (***)

    • William Shakespeare: The Tempest

      William Shakespeare: The Tempest
      Another take on the Shakespeare graphic novel. I realise it is sacrilegious to say this but, for me, there was too much of the text and not enough of the pictures. I would have preferred for more of the story to be told through the images. (***)

    • Josa Young: One Apple Tasted

      Josa Young: One Apple Tasted
      Far too much pink on the cover to be aimed at me, and clearly designed for the classier end of the women's fiction market, but an entertaining read nonetheless. Three narratives - one each from the 1930s, 50s and 80s - combine to explore how past events can impact on future generations. (***)

    • Jacob Polley: Talk of the Town

      Jacob Polley: Talk of the Town
      It's a personal thing but I often struggle with books written in the vernacular. I either have to skim read so that it doesn't bog me down or go extra slow to work out what it all means. Either way removes a great deal of the reading pleasure. This debut, set in 80s Carlisle, has too many affternoons, watters and dropped G's for my liking. (**)

    • Stan Cattermole: Bete De Jour: The Intimate Adventures of an Ugly Man

      Stan Cattermole: Bete De Jour: The Intimate Adventures of an Ugly Man
      Stan Cattermole is an ugly man. A very ugly man. Join jim as he searches for love, although a quick shag would do. This is a true story - painfully honest and painfully funny. I hope to welcome the author to the blog very soon. (****)

    • Terri Wiltshire: Carry Me Home

      Terri Wiltshire: Carry Me Home
      This confused me as it has a similar opening to Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman which is also published by Macmillan. Where this one differs is that it adds a parallel modern narrative and after my initial deja vu moment this did grow on me. (***)

    • Emma Vieceli: Manga Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

      Emma Vieceli: Manga Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing
      All the wit and energy of Branagh's film adaptation but in comic book form. Perfect study aid. Almost made me like Shakespeare. (****)

    • Megan Abbott: The Song is You

      Megan Abbott: The Song is You
      I love how Pocket Books has packaged this series of crime novels. Both cover and contents hark back to pulp classics of the 40s and 50s. Great entertainment. (****)

    • Maggie Dana: Beachcombing

      Maggie Dana: Beachcombing
      An edgy romance about getting back with an old flame - 35 years on! At the more sophisticated end of the genre this will appeal equally to chicklit fans and those of a more literary persuasion. Perfect summer reading. (***)

    • Dale Peck: Sprout

      Dale Peck: Sprout
      A gay teenager with green hair moves with his father from New York to Kansas. They do things differently there. A coming of age novel with some verve and edge. A great books for teenagers to read. (***)

    • Shannon Burke: Black Flies

      Shannon Burke: Black Flies
      A novel about a paramedic set in 1990s Harlem. Lots of gore and action. I am a bit suspicious of the lack of boring and pointless calls that Tom Reynolds describes so well in Blood Sweat & Tea but this is a compelling read so far. (***)

    • Aleksandar Hemon: Love and Obstacles

      Aleksandar Hemon: Love and Obstacles
      I tried three of the stories but just couldn't get in to any of them. (**)

    • Jessica Ruston: Luxury

      Jessica Ruston: Luxury
      Remember the guilty pleasure of reading a Harold Robbins or a Judith Krantz? Jess has brought the old-fashioned blockbuster bang up to date. This could be quite a ride. (***)

    • Diana Mosley: The Pursuit of Laughter

      Diana Mosley: The Pursuit of Laughter
      A worthy addition to the ever-growing Mitford library. This collection of articles, reviews and diary entries is perfect for dipping into on these long summer evenings. (****)

    • China Mieville: The City and the City

      China Mieville: The City and the City
      Mieville has carved a popular sci-fi/fantasy niche with his books to date. This is more of a crime thriller but still set in an imagined world. Can't say it has grabbed me so far but I should probably read some of his other stuff first. (***)

    • Tim Murgatroyd: Taming Poison Dragons

      Tim Murgatroyd: Taming Poison Dragons
      An epic novel of old China. I confess I found the narrative a little stilted, reading more like an old-fashioned translation, which was probably what the author was trying for but it bugged me. (**)

    • Tim Burrows: From CBGB to the Roundhouse

      Tim Burrows: From CBGB to the Roundhouse
      'Why do so many music venues close when art galleries and museums are preserved?' - a good question from the author which sets the tone for this interesting and entertaining study. (***)

    • Julian Evans: Semi-invisible Man: The Life of Norman Lewis

      Julian Evans: Semi-invisible Man: The Life of Norman Lewis
      I have never read any Lewis, although I have his final book on my shelves. The preface of this book, which reads like the perfect essay on the art of biography, impressed me so much that I will have to read more. (****)

    • Jenn Ashworth: A Kind of Intimacy

      Jenn Ashworth: A Kind of Intimacy
      I have two friends who are obsessed by morbidly obese people and they will love this. I enjoyed it too. Narrated by an XXL woman as she tries to make a fresh start in life. Funny, sexy and slightly odd. (***)

    • Caroline Rance: Kill-Grief

      Caroline Rance: Kill-Grief
      18th century Chester. A young nurse with a secret to hide starts work at a new hospital. This reminded me of The Observations by Jane Harris and is recommended to anyone who enjoyed that book. I will read more of this soon. (***)

    • Muriel Barbery: The Gourmet

      Muriel Barbery: The Gourmet
      In a wonderful example of linked novels, this prequel fleshes out the story of the food critic from current bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Here we find him on his deathbed, desperate to recall a forgotten flavour from his youth. A small tasty morsel and the perfect accompaniment to one of the sleeper hits of this year. (***)

    • Giancarlo de Cataldo: Father and the Foreigner, The

      Giancarlo de Cataldo: Father and the Foreigner, The
      The fathers of two disabled sons become friends but their relationship takes a sinister turn. A most intriguing Italian novel. Quite short too, and one I shall definitely be finishing off soon. (****)

    • Chris Simms: The Edge

      Chris Simms: The Edge
      Simms writes gritty, down to earth crime fiction to rival the very best of them. And he isn't scared of killing off a major recurring character in this latest instalment. If you like crime and have yet to read his work then might I suggest you get your bloody finger out. (***)

    • Chris Ewan: The Good Thief's Guide to Paris

      Chris Ewan: The Good Thief's Guide to Paris
      A crime series narrated by a thief who is also a crime writer. Like a circle in a circle like a wheel inside a wheel. One of the more imaginative and original crime writers around at the moment and a series of books (the first one is set in Amsterdam) that I am sure is destined for big things. (****)

    Shelf Snooping

    Stack Magazines Subscription Offer

    • 12 issues for £30
      A special offer for readers of this blog. Save £6 on a subscription to Stack Magazines. Simply click above for more details.

    Blogs & Links

    Categories

    Currently Reading

    My Photo

    Who?

    • Scott Pack is Publisher at The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins.
    • "Like an extra in one of those 'it's grim up north London' cartoons in Private Eye" - The Observer
    • "A bull-necked, shaven-headed former pop music salesman" - New Statesman
    Subscribe to this blog's feed

    Interviews

    Dipping Into

    Me & My Big Mouth Bookshop

    Trophy Cabinet

    Bet Of The Day

    • FINAL STANDINGS

      Scott +£36.16

      Simon -£43.05

      Gary -£44.72

    Consecutive Number Plate Spotting

    • A rather pointless competition in which we attempt to find car number plates in sequence.

      Me = 27

      Ethan = 60

      Martha = 20

      Marie = 68

    Archives

    More...

    « A Quick Flick: The Cretan Circle | Main | Teeny Tiny Friday Project »

    September 20, 2007

    A Quick Flick: The Thursday Night Letters

    Thursday I am somewhat of an expert on toilet books, even if I do say so myself.  There are a bunch* of them sitting on the cistern at home and I now appear to be publishing a few.  This isn't one of mine but it will be inserted into the Pack Mansions toilet library presently as it is actually rather funny.

    I assume that P.K. Muntroe is a collective pseudonym for a bunch of blokes that meet down the pub every Thursday night and come up with an array of bright ideas, only to follow them up with letters to the great and the good.  So they contact Ken Morrison with their concept for hunter gatherer supermarkets (magnetic spears for catching tin cans) to make grocery shopping more interesting for blokes.  Or they pitch 'atheist airlines' to Willie Walsh (avoid getting on a plane with religious fundamentalists).  Sure, it has been done before and it will almost certainly be done again, but this is a fine example of a stupid genre and does deliver some great laugh out loud moments. I am hoping for regular motions in the coming weeks so that I can finish reading this soon.

    The Thursday Night Letters is published by New Holland and is out now I believe.

    *What is the collective noun for toilet books?  A 'flush'?

    Posted at 06:00 AM in Book Reviews |

    TrackBack

    TrackBack URL for this entry:
    http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341d299153ef00e54ef3f0db8834

    Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A Quick Flick: The Thursday Night Letters:

    Comments

    "*What is the collective noun for toilet books? A 'flush'?"

    I would have to go with the Oxford University Press definition (Vol 4. pg 223) and say that the collective noun for toilet books is a bog of books.

    Posted by: Richard | September 20, 2007 at 09:17 AM

    Shurely a "job lot"?

    Does this book also have the replies from the likes of Ken Morrison (or his people)?

    Posted by: David Barnett | September 20, 2007 at 10:17 AM

    That...might have been just *slightly* more information than we needed to know...

    Posted by: Maria | September 20, 2007 at 04:31 PM

    Whilst we're on the subject of pseudonyms...Steve Stack?

    Posted by: Steerforth | September 20, 2007 at 08:47 PM

    Yes, the book does have replies - from the likes of Ken Morrison, the Archbishop of Canterbury (responding to 'Pub vicars'), Prince Philip ('No.1 Bigfella swimming trunks') and many more.

    How about a Blockage of toilet books?

    Posted by: P K Munroe | September 21, 2007 at 04:42 PM

    A crapper of books?
    A deposit of books?

    Oh, I don't know.

    Posted by: Stewart | September 24, 2007 at 12:15 AM

    A plop of prose :-)

    Sheesh! I really need to be doing something else.

    Posted by: Richard | September 24, 2007 at 09:55 AM

    Verify your Comment

    Previewing your Comment

    Posted by:  | 

    This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

    Working...
    Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
    Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

    The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

    As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

    Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

    Working...

    Post a comment

    Popcorn Moment

    • : Priceless

      Priceless
      Cracking French comedy with touches of Breakfast at Tiffanys. It is entirely possible that it isn't quite as funny, charming and entertaining as I recall as I was somewhat distracted by Audrey Tautou looking impossibly gorgeous throughout. Jawdropping. (****)

    • : Infernal Affairs

      Infernal Affairs
      The film that The Departed is based on. I had seen it before but my fellow watchers had not. They were somewhat confused but I enjoyed it just as much second time round. Well worth watching if you enjoyed the US remake. (****)

    • : Son Of Rambow

      Son Of Rambow
      Wonderful opening third, stumbles a bit in the middle and loses it towards the end but, all in all, jolly good fun. (***)

    • : Coraline

      Coraline
      Above average movie, some great moments, but no need for it to be in 3D really and the whole experience dulled by dark glasses. (***)

    • : Let the Right One In

      Let the Right One In
      Best vampire movie ever. All Twilight fans should be forced to watch this. (****)

    • : Inkheart

      Inkheart
      The kids liked it but I thought it was somewhat half-hearted and wasted a first-rate cast. (***)

    • : Vicky Cristina Barcelona

      Vicky Cristina Barcelona
      Silly, lightweight fluff but jolly good fun. Rebecca Hall is particularly good. Not sure why Cruz got an Oscar though. (***)

    • : The Reader

      The Reader
      Not a classic but a great adaptation of the book with brilliant performances. Made MOTC cry. (****)

    • : The Wrestler

      The Wrestler
      This film itself is good without being exceptional, but the performances are tremendous and lift it well above the norm. (****)

    • : In the City of Sylvia

      In the City of Sylvia
      An extremely odd movie with almost no dialogue. It attempts to immerse you in a busy city soundscape and sort of works. (***)

    New Arrivals

    Bedtime Reading

    Ethan (Age 10) Recommends

    Martha (Age 7) Recommends

    What Is MOTC Reading?

    Now Playing

    • Nina Kinert -

      Nina Kinert: Pets and Friends
      A wonderful new album from this Norwegian singer-songwriter. If you like Bat for Lashes then you'll like this. (****)

    Books Read 2009

    Statcounter