BOOK CLUB 2023

SURFACiNG - MARGARET ATWOOD

THE CRiSiS OF PSYCHOANALYSiS  ERiCH FROMM

THE MAN WHO SPOKE SNAKiSH - ANDRUS KiViRAHK

THE PRiME OF MiSS JEAN BRODiE -MURiEL SPARK

A WiDOW FOR ONE YEAR - JOHN iRVING

THE PiLGRiMS PROGRESS - JOHN BUNYAN

THE ART OF HAPPiNESS -HOWARD C.CUTLER/DALAi LAMA

THE GRiD - NiCK COOK

BRiGHTON ROCK - GRAHAM GREENE

CRASH - J.G BALLARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEVER PiTCH - NiCK HORNBY 

TOM SAWYER ABROAD/DETECTiVE - MARK TWAiN

THE LAST ORPHAN - GREGG HURWiTZ

THE EASTER PARADE -RiCHARD YATES

SURROUNDED BY iDiOTS - THOMAS ERiKSON

LiTTLE FiRES EVERYWHERE - CELESTE NG

THE RAiNBOW - DH LAWRENCE

HOME STRETCH - GRAHAM NORTON

GYPSY BOY ON THE RUN - MiKEY WALSH 

THE NARROW CORNER - W.SOMERSET MAUGHAM

 

FREEDOM iN EXILE - DALAi LAMA 

ABATTOiR OF DREAMS - MARK TiLBURY

THE END OF THE AFFAiR - GRAHAM GREENE

FLOWERS FOR ELGERNON - DANiEL KEYES

THE RAW SHARK TEXTS - STEVEN HALL

ORDER AND CHAOS - HENRY MiLLER

AFFLUENZA - OLiVER JAMES

ARMADiLLO - WILLiAM BOYD 

A MONTH OF SUNDAYS - JOHN UPDiKE

SOLiTUDE - ANTHONY STORR

 

THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP - GRAEME SiMSiON

THE FiLTHY LiE - HELLMUT KARLE

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - CORMAC MCCARTHY

HOW NOT TO BE A BOY - ROBERT WEBB

THE PAPER MEN - WiLLiAM GOLDiNG 

PiNK - GUS VAN SANT

FLOW MY TEARS THE POLiCEMAN SAiD - PHiLiP K DiCK

LiViNG WiTH SCHiZOPHRENiA -DR BRENDA LiNTNER

STORY OF MY LiFE - JAY MCiNERNEY

A HERO OF OUR TiME - MiKHAiL LERMONTOV

 

THE WAYWARD BUS -JOHN STEiNBECK 

18>36>72

So I realised that for a couple of weeks in January 2023 Dad, Rachie and Me are half each others ages. 

So of course you celebrate these once in a lifetime occurrences by climbing a mountain. 

Witney 6AM>Wasdale head car park 11AM>walking 11.30AM>back to car 3.30PM>Witney 10PM

Here's Dad (72) ,Me (36) and Rachie (18) climbing Scafell pike on a bloody cold misty January Sunday.

BOOK CLUB 2022

ADDiTiON-TONi JORDAN

PLEASE TAKE ME OFF THE GUEST LiST- ZACHARY LiPEZ

HOUSE OF LEAVES - MARK Z DANiELEWSKi

THE HOT ZONE - RiCHARD PRESTON

GATHERiNG BLUE - LOiS LOWRY

THE ROSiE PROJECT - GRAEME SiMSiON

DiE TRYiNG - LEE CHiLD

THE CONSUMER - MiCHAEL GiRA

THE ROSiE EFFECT - GRAEME SiMSiON

MESSENGER- LOiS LOWRY

SON- LOiS LOWRY

THE BASKETBALL DiARiES - JiM CARROLL

THE ROSiE RESULT - GRAEME SiMSiON

THE BAD BEGiNNiNG - LEMONY SNiCKET

ATLAS SHRUGGED - AYN RAND 

THE PECULiAR MEMORiES OF THOMAS PENMAN- BRUCE ROBiNSON

KiNDRED- OCTAViA E BUTLER

DEViL iN A COMA - MARK LANEGAN

WiNESBURG OHIO - SHERWOOD ANDERSON

THE HANDMAiDS TALE - MARGARET ATWOOD

UNLiKELY PiLGRiMAGE OF HAROLD FRY - RACHEL JOYCE 

THE TESTAMENTS- MARGARET ATWOOD

GOD KNOWS - JOSEPH HELLER

NOVEL OF THE WHiTE POWDER- ARTHUR MACHEN 

DARK HORSE- GREGG HURWiTZ

GYPSY BOY- MiKEY WALSH

SONG OF THE PSYCHOPATH- MARK TiLBURY

THE WiTCHES OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE 

i AM PiLGRiM -TERRY HAYES 

THE WiDOWS OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE

PLAYER PiANO- KURT VONNEGUT 

CONVENiENCE STORE WOMAN-SAYAKA MURATA

DRACULA-BRAM STOKER

MOBY DiCK-HERMAN MELViLLE

DOiNG iT-MELViN BURGESS

LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL - MARiLYN MANSON

THE WORLD ACCORDiNG TO GARP- JOHN iRViNG

THE SATANiC BiBLE- ANTON LAVEY

THE JUNGLE BOOK- RUDYARD KiPLiNG

THE TELEPORTATiON ACCiDENT- NED BEAUMAN

THE FOOTBALL FACTORY-JOHN KiNG

ELEANOR OLiPHANT iS COMPLETELY FiNE-GAiL HONEYMAN

NERDY SHY AND SOCiALLY iNAPPROPRiATE-CYNTHiA KiM

THE WiSDOM OF THE HEART - HENRY MiLLER

A DRAG QUEEN'S GUiDE TO LiFE- BiMiNi BON-BOULASH

THE STORYTELLER - DAVE GROHL

MAKE SOMETHiNG UP -CHUCK PALAHNiUK

SEVENTEEN:LAST MAN STANDiNG - JOHN BROWNLOW 

RAiSE HiGH THE ROOF BEAM,CARPENTERS/SEYMOUR:AN iNTRODUCTION -JD SALiNGER 

WHEN GOD WAS A RABBiT - SARAH WiNMAN

MiSUNDERSTOOD-THE BRiAN MOLKO STORY- CHLOE GOVAN

STONEMOUTH - iAiN BANKS 

THE RULES OF ATTRACTiON- BRET EASTON ELLiS

HE STARTED iT- SAMANTHA DOWNiNG

WUTHERiNG HEiGHTS - EMiLY BRONTE 

OF THE FARM - JOHN UPDiKE

LiPS UNSEALED - BELiNDA CARLiSLE

THE SUiCiDE SHOP - JEAN TEULE

 

 

THE MAN IN THE OAT COLOURED JUMPER READ SOME BOOKS (2021)

 A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - BETTY SMiTH

NINA - BLAG DAHLiA

NO - BOYD RiCE

STRAIGHT TO HELL 20TH CENTURY SUICIDES 

THE AMBER SPYGLASS - PHiLiP PULLMAN

SWANS SACRIFICE AND TRANSCENDENCE

MEIN KAMPF (ADOLFO HiTLERO)

SKAGBOYS - iRViNE WELSH

I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT SCHOOL SHOOTER

I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS IN LOVE WITH A PEDOPHILE

I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS A VEGAN TERRORIST -DR HARPER

THEY IS US -TAMA JANOWiTZ

THE BOOK OF DUST - PHILiP PULLMAN

THE BOOK OF DUST 2 - PHiLiP PULLMAN

CYBERSEX (VARiOUS SHORT STORiES)

DUST AND GROOVES - EiLON PAZ

THE CANAL -LEE ROURKE

THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD - MARGARET ATWOOD

THE PSYCHOPATH TEST  - JON RONSON

ANNIE SPRINKLES POST PORN MODERNIST 

MADDADDAM - MARGART ATWOOD

THE NEW PRIMAL SCREAM - DR ARTHUR JANOV

RENEGADE-LIVES AND TALES OF MARK E SMITH

THE BLADE ARTIST- iRViNE WELSH

ORPHAN X -GREGG HURWiTZ

FACTOTUM - CHARLES BUKOWSKi

THEM - JON RONSON

CLOUD OF UNKNOWING - ANONYMOUS AUTHOR

COUPLES -JOHN UPDiKE

THE NOWHERE MAN - GREGG HURWiTZ

HOW TO BE GOOD - NiCK HORNBY

IN SEARCH OF THE PLEASURE PALACE -MARC ALMOND

HELLBENT - GREGG HURWiTZ

TO THROW AWAY UNOPENED -VIV ALBERTINE

OUT OF THE DARK - GREGG HURWiTZ

THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR - MARTHA STOUT

INTO THE FIRE - GREGG HURWiTZ

BOOK OF FRIENDS -HENRY MILLER

PRODIGAL SON - GREGG HURWiTZ

A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE - ANAiS NiN

UNCLE WILLIES HIGHLY OPINIONATED GUIDE TO THE RESIDENTS

HIT SO HARD -PATTY SCHEMEL

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE MUSEUM - KATE ATKiNSON

THIS BOYS LIFE - TOBiAS WOLFF

THE HEPATITUS BATHTUB AND OTHER STORIES - NOFX

ME AND MR CIGAR - GiBBY HAYNES

HEAVIER THAN HEAVEN - CHARLES R CROSS

LYING IN WAIT - LiZ NUGENT

THE GIVER   - LOiS LOWRY

THE ROAD - CORMAC MCCARTHY

 

  

 

Not the real 3 peaks challenge but my pretend version.

 Tuesday 18th May- Drive for about 6 hours to eventually get to Wasdale head car park. Foolishly pay for "all day" parking, then proceed to walk to the top of Scafell pike in 1 hour and 15 minutes, I actually had to check with people, is this it? this is the highest point?  I guess I walked the direct route, this was easier than cat bells, yet cat bells is half the height. 

Wednesday 19th May - Drive the nice little 17 mile trip to Helvellyn from where I am staying in Keswick. Leave car park at 9.40am, climb up striding edge, across the top, then down swirral edge, then walk back around the mountain back to car park by 12.25.  So 2 hours 45 minutes round trip, ignore google saying this is 6 hours plus. I am fast though and only one old chap went by me who was very experienced and was running. I didn't want to run as I wanted to see how long it would take me at my natural pace. 

 

 

later on Wednesday 19th may.....  

I went and had a look at the stone circle on my way back to Keswick, sat by some sheep shit and read my book and ate for a while, then tried to go back to hotel, but couldn't find anywhere to park, so drove to the lay-by by Scales village and climbed Blencathra. 

Blencathra is in my opinion a much scarier climb than Helvellyn.

I went up sharp edge, and this felt a lot more dangerous than striding edge. I think this is largely because no one else was around, I could only see one other person way up ahead of me on sharp edge, and very few people on the other routes, whereas Helvellyn seems a lot busier so you feel confidence in numbers. 

Once on the top I came back down on Halls fell ridge. This was great and lasts a lot longer than swirral edge. I imagine climbing up this way would be a lot of fun as it would be climbing for a long time rather than the endless walking up slopes that mountains have so much of. 

I think I took about 3 hours total to get back to the car so similar size walk as doing Helvellyn, but a lot more of this is fun climbing and less up hill walking for ages just to get to the mountain. So I would certainly recommend Blencathra as being just as much fun if not more fun than Helvellyn so it seems a shame it was so empty, or perhaps I just picked a very quiet time at 3pm on a very sunny day. 

Thursday and Friday rained so I didn't do any other mountains although the blister on my foot wouldn't have been happy with more anyway. This is what happens when you think you are clever going up mountains in a pair of old Nike air max without the laces done up. 

Another day in Hell (Helvellyn)

 So after last weeks visit I decided to go back again and take my Dad 

We did the walk the "normal" route, up striding edge and back down Swirral. 

Its hard to compare the 2 visits as last week was in blazing sun, and yesterday was freezing cold and pretty windy not to mention so misty you could rarely see the top or the bottom of the mountain. 

Despite the conditions we still did the climb over the peaks without going around the lower paths. 

I just wish the weather report said it would be so cold so we would have been prepared but the weather warning said "wear sunblock"!!!

Dad is only wearing face mask to try and stay warm, not because he is mentally paranoid about covid up a mountain. 

A day in HELL (helvellyn)

Apparently most people do this walk the opposite way round,

 I walked up from Glenridding car park and climbed Swirral edge

then walked across the top and climbed down striding edge

This was all good fun but now I need to go 

back again and do it the opposite way round.

 

 6.15AM get in car and start driving from Witney

10.25AM park at Glenridding 

10.30AM start walking

2.30PM get back in car and drive to Keswick

 

3PM-6PM walk around Keswick, read book, buy more books, eat food , eat ice cream. 

6PM Get back in car and drive back home to Witney

10PM get home. 

That's how to drive 538 miles and do 23,000 steps in a day. 

So that is proof that this walk can be done without any gear from mountain whorehouse!!!

A pair of battered Nike air max not even done up properly is sensible after all.

 I've seen people often ask in forums how long this climb takes and answers are unclear as to whether it is just climb or descent as well etc

So to be clear, 4 hours was from car park, full walk and climb and walk back to car, so I never needed the full £8 parking and gave my ticket to someone else when I left. 

I am a fast walker and believe if I was trying to set a personal record I could get it down to at least 3.5 hours but I lost a bit of time doing yoga on the top and chatting to people etc