Strange Happenings...

Okay, here's something to think about, something that might go a little way to explain my recent absence. It's an extract from my 'Reading' blog, random thoughts about the authors on my reading list. I think it's symbolic in a way, and for the first time I think I'm beginning to understand why I came here to Falmouth.

Not sure I should be saying this, but most of the authors I've read so far haven't impressed me that much. Not even in a technical way, never mind the storylines failing to grab me by the nuts and squeeze. Then I picked up Chuck Palahniuk and...
well read for yourselves.


Saturday September 19.

I can’t believe it’s 10 days since I updated here. After all seems a while since I dragged my way through ‘Weekend’, and started on the next book on my list – ‘Haunted’ by Chuck Palahniuk. Wait for it... I actually like this one. It’s weird, dark, nasty... and I like it. So why is it taking me so long to read it, and longer still to post my thoughts about it on here? I’ve even been back to the library to see whether they have ‘Fight Club’, the book of the film I never saw... but no luck. Seems the nearest copy is up at Bude or somewhere like that, so guess I’ll have to wait.

The problem is it’s making me think – too much probably. I’ve never really liked reading whilst stretched out on a beach somewhere... never really liked stretching out on beaches for that matter... But down at Maenporth a couple of days ago I found myself reading for 10/15 minutes and then wandering along the waterline, kicking at the sand and the stones thinking about what I’d just read. To be honest it’s a nasty story, so why does it grab me the way it does? Same thing happened in the car park at Truro... read a bit, think a bit. The very structure of the book makes it easy to do that. Actually it's a series of nasty, interlinked little stories that say so much about life in the 21st century.

Maybe it's for that very reason that I like it... because it IS so nasty, and because I see in it aspects of my own writing... anger, hurt, betrayal, aggression; the very things that set me off writing in the first place. And the reason it’s taking me so long to read it? Because for the first time on this journey I find myself thinking about what it is I’m reading... REALLY thinking I mean. I reckon it’s a keystone to the journey, and bless you for that Chuck, you evil bastard!!!

Back soon,
Chris.