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Irvine Welsh

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Irvine Welsh is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His novel Trainspotting was made into a film of the same name. His work is characterised by a raw Scots dialect and brutal depiction of Edinburgh life. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short films.
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The Arrest book cover
The Arrest
A Novel
Jonathan Lethem - 2020-11-10
Goodreads Rating
In "The Arrest" by Jonathan Lethem, readers can delve into an original postapocalyptic story about two siblings, an old friend who comes between them, and a nuclear-powered super car. This is not your typical dystopian or utopian novel. Instead, it explores what happens when everything we rely on, like cars, guns, computers, and airplanes, stop working. Sandy Duplessis had a good life in Hollywood before the Arrest, but now he goes by Journeyman and helps his sister on her organic farm. That is, until Peter Todbaum arrives in a nuclear-reactor-powered vehicle, leaving Journeyman to question his motives and fight back. This speculative fiction has just the right amount of contemporary dread and unrepentant joy to make it a must-read.
Irvine Welsh
2021-07-02T05:41:20.000Z
Ploughing through this book and trying -out of writerly envy- to find just one single page that isn’t absolutely brilliant. Failing miserably. As a reader though, it’s just such a joyous experience.      source
Sing Backwards and Weep book cover
Sing Backwards and Weep
A Memoir
Mark Lanegan - 2020-04-28
Goodreads Rating
Explore the dark and gritty underbelly of the Seattle music scene in the '80s and '90s with Sing Backwards and Weep. This memoir by a legendary singer and former drug addict chronicles his rise to the forefront of the alternative music scene as the front man of the Screaming Trees, as well as his ultimate fall from grace as a low-level crack dealer and a homeless heroin addict. With unflinching honesty, Mark Lanegan recounts his personal struggles with addiction, the tragic deaths of his closest friends, and his journey back from the brink of destruction. This gripping and raw tale is a must-read for any fan of rock and roll history.
Irvine Welsh
2020-06-21T11:15:14.000Z
@heavenlyrecs @marklanegan Amazing book      source
Recommended by
Mark Duplass
The Bridge book cover
The Bridge
Iain Banks - 2001-07-05 (first published in 1986)
Goodreads Rating
This novel follows a man with amnesia who explores an extraordinary world of a bridge. His doctor doesn't seem to want to cure him, but he spends his days exploring the bridge and his nights in a world of bizarre dreams. The novel is a mix of outrageous contrasts, constructed chaos and elegant absurdities.
Irvine Welsh
2013-06-09T23:48:48.000Z
The Wasp Factory was one of those books that changed my life & made me want to be a writer. But my favourite Iain Banks book is The Bridge.      source
The WASP FACTORY book cover
The WASP FACTORY
A NOVEL
Iain Banks - 1998-01-01 (first published in 1984)
Goodreads Rating
A dark and bizarre coming-of-age story set in a remote Scottish village. Sixteen-year-old Frank's unconventional life is marked by his mother's abandonment, his brother's confinement in a psychiatric hospital, and his father's eccentricities. To cope, Frank has turned to strange acts of violence. When news of his brother's escape comes, it sets in motion events that reveal the mysteries of the past and forever change Frank. With a mind that challenges societal norms, The Wasp Factory is a novel of horrifying compulsion and extraordinary originality.
Irvine Welsh
2013-06-09T23:48:48.000Z
The Wasp Factory was one of those books that changed my life & made me want to be a writer. But my favourite Iain Banks book is The Bridge.      source
Recommended by
Simon Smith