BBC R4’s A Good Read

I appeared on this show today – the format of which is simple enough – choose a book that I think is a good read and then the book is discussed with my fellow panellists. Simple enough but also a task fraught with danger.

A little like Desert Island Disc where the music chosen imbues a certain class and intelligence, so too what one reads and then considers good!

I plumped for Roddy Doyle’s The Snapper – a book I had read many years ago – on honeymoon in fact and I can recall screaming with laugher on a Maldivian beach.

But I was still a little worried because what if it is not as good as I recall. I watched some Blackadder of late and was a little bemused and also disappointed.

But my fears were quickly dispelled. By the first line as it happened – with the introduction of the book’s hero, Jimmy Rabbitte. Doyle has a masterly command for language and dialogue – it really reads more like a play than a novel but nevertheless, it is the funniest book I have ever read and I can heartily recommend it.

And as much as I admire Doyle and this particular book, I decided to check out what everyone else thinks on Amazon – and I was heartened to see that it even has some 1 star reviews. Heartening because all authors will get stinker reviews and to see something as good as this being written off – gives us less celebrated authors something to cling to.

And finally to say on the subject of literature – in time for your hols – my novels are available via this site and my first novel – Only in America is available for free on Smashwords via the following link – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/283914

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