The holiday is over

Madame Vin and I have returned from France feeling culturally enriched and rested, even though I had a cold for the last five days of the holiday. To be honest the holiday was good and though we didn't see every chateau / vineyard / museum / French country town we hoped to it was at least restful and we even got some sun which I can prove as most of my skin is now flaking off causing me to look like a sufferer of rare skin disease.

Highlights included a private tour around the vineyard of Domaine Salvert which was informative and ended with a great tasting, the Abbye de Fontevraud and our hotel in Paris which was cool (apart from the fire alarm at six am).

Photos can be seen in the following location: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10492&l=6dd90&id=633081765

One picture I'll show here demonstrates that direct web names don't always work when using languages other than English. I'm not sure the company Fee du Scrap had this in mind...

While I was away I was able to do a bit of reading. 'Porn' by Irvine Welsh is funny and sad at the same time. The numerous voices, some written in dialect, give character and depth to those involved. The central story concerns the character Sick Boy who must team up with his old friend Renton who is hiding out in Amsterdam after ripping all his friends off at the end of 'Trainspotting'. What Sick Boy doesn't tell his old friend is that Begbie has been released from prison is now looking to get even with Renton.

The added fascination for me in this book is that it is set in and around Leith and Edinburgh, with the student flat just up the road from mine in Tollcross. That and the fact that Begbie is one evil bastard.

The second book was another in the Charlie 'Bird' Parker novels 'Dark Hollow' with Bird getting pulled in to a thirty year old mystery involving the disappearance of woman up in the snow filled town of Dark Hollow. As always the snappy dialect between Bird and his friends Louis and Angel is great and the bad guy wonderfully evil. Though there is less of a supernatural element to this book the dark undercurrent of souls desperate for peace and revenge is still a powerful undercurrent.

****

Now that holidays are complete I'm starting work on a new piece of fiction which I hope to complete a first draft off by Christmas. It's a dark tale about brothers, war and loss. I'll enlighten you more as I write.

I also have the festival to contend with plus visits away to see PC Benny graduate and visits from Van the Man and the Father figure.

August does not look like a quiet month.

Read this week:
Porn by Irvine Welsh
Dark Hollow by John Connolly

Immediate Departure Expected

Off to France early tomorrow morning so thought I would get a quick post in before departing.

As we move towards summer all the listings start to be printed for the Edinburgh Festival. This gets exciting and expensive, plus it becomes a serious problem in arranging ones diary to see everything you want to (I've already had one clash because the premiere of Neil Gaiman's Stardust is on the same day I had bought tickets to the opening of the comedy gala!).

So far I've managed to get tickets to the following events:

1. Rolling With Laughter - A friend of ours who disappeared off the radar to the US is returning with her own one woman show about her own life which considering Madam Vin has known her for over fifteen years will no doubt be slightly surreal.
2. Fantasy Writing -Fantasy author Deborah J Miller discusses the pros and cons of being a genre author
3. Loose Ends - Of BBC Radio 4 fame.
4. Stardust - On which I think I've spoken before.
5. Daywatch - The follow up to Nightwatch, as I believe you can never get enough Russian vampires.

****
Read 'The Court of the Air' by Stephen Hunt. This is fantasy set in a mechanised Victorian world of vast air ships, robotic life forms run on steam, old gods and new political voices. It takes some getting into and at times it feels like too many ideas running around for their own good. I think there are probably at least a couple of books in here. I looked it up on the Internet and found this flash animation, which at least is a novel way of advertising.

I've got about three books to get through in the next ten days so plan to concentrate on doing a bit of reading in between visits to vine yards and restaurants. When I return I plan to get on with the new novel with gusto.

Read this week:
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

A Rain Soaked Wonderland

As the UK is experiencing one long monsoon and with little let up in the rain I've turned my attention to reading and working my way through a few books I've had on my shelf for a while. It's either that or learn to cultivate rice on the terrace behind my flat.

Alice In Sunderland - An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot is exquisite. A comic full of interesting information that is enhanced by the artwork. The story in an unashamed ode to Sunderland (a city I've never been to), and to the relationship that Lewis Carroll had with the area. We learn of the hero's, villains, myths and history of the place, all of which is interwoven into Talbot's own Wonderland, including a white rabbit mask presenter.

It's the art work that stands out though. Using digital imagery as well as more traditional methods his work is outstanding. See this page for example http://www.bryan-talbot.com/alice/alice_page28.html. He reminds me a little of the great Dave McKean, though their styles are uniquely their own.

Read this week:
Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot