Will Self

Has anyone read any of his stuff and is it worth it? I have a few books of his kicking about and am not sure whether to read or not. I started to read the Fat Controller but felt that his prose was more about displaying a vast vocabulary than telling a story. To be fair I didn't get far with it but am less inclined to keep going with a book if the effort to pleasure ratio swings towards the former.

I enjoyed Great Apes. But that was some years ago and I take your point about his vocablury,

more about displaying a vast vocabulary than telling a story

This. Although I have enjoyed some of his short stories.

I remember Will Self recently criticising something as being "foggy verbiage", without a hint of irony.

He's a cunt.

Great Apes is the other one I have. So worth a read?

You may as well, you've got nothing better to do.

Apart from spending my inheritance, taking copious amounts of drugs and fucking nymphets? i think you might be right.

...and crying, you forgot crying.

in pleasure? oh yes.

He does get a bit show-offy at times, but I wouldn't accuse him of "foggy verbiage" - his grammar is excellent and his sentences perfectly constructed; thus he's easy to read even though it can be useful to have a dictionary nearby (if, like many readers, you "collect" words then you'll like that). How the Dead Live is very good and The Book of Dave is excellent, but I preferred his earlier Cock and Bull and My Idea of Fun.

Cheer JT.

What about Iris Murdoch?

I've never read anything by her, though I probably should. Everyone I know who has rates her highly.

No, I've not even started one of hers, but like you have heard good things.

You don't think the term "foggy verbiage" is foggy verbiage?

Ted gives good foggy verbiage.

You don't think the term "foggy verbiage" is foggy verbiage?

I thought that was sort of the point?

No, it was sort of the opposite of the point.

I love Iris Murdoch's books and don't find her difficult at all. Her books always just go straight from the page into my head and leave me with something to think about afterwards. The Black Prince is a good place to start with her but most of what I've read I've enjoyed.

I find Will Self very tedious, but I've not read anything by him for about 15 years. Like DJ Ohmygod I've enjoyed a few short stories and that's about all I could stand before my patience ran out.

No, it was sort of the opposite of the point.

Oh, right.

Thanks SR.

Salman Rushdie?

Rushdie's great value on Twitter.

I've never finished a Salman Rushdie book. They are always too long and complicated. I enjoyed the first third of Midnights Children but then got distracted for a week and forgot where I was.

I agree SR they are to word dense to wade through. Never made it to the end of Midnights Children either.

We should have a "books we've never finished" confessional thread. Like I generally love Charles Dickens but I've made 4 attempts on Bleak House and have never made it anywhere near half way through on any of them.

Midnight's Children is amazing, chastise yourselves then go back and finish it. Will Self's good value for money, dark, wordy humour - bit of a nob if you don't like a vocab workout, but honestly, not that tricky.

The Book of Dave is worthwhile for the biro masterpiece cover art alone.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

Played for Arsenal in the mid '90s, didn't he?

But what about his literary work?

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Aye, definite shades of Kafka. Same with Dr. Mukti.

Shark! I've nearly finished listening to the Audible version of this. Jonathan Keeble is very entertaining with his accents.

I'm also ploughing through 'The Idiot' at a good rate. There is no avoiding this book seeing as it has my name written all over it.

Anyone got any tips for holiday reading?

^ Not necessarily by Mr. Self...