"Quicksand," directed Irving Pichel

Movie, 1950

Serviceable, worthy film noir, concerning a series of crimes, committed in a chain reaction - an initial minor peccadillo leading into a series of more desperate measures. A semi-cautionary tale with some B-movie pacing which tumbles at a hurried end as if the whole thing had been played as a comedy after all. The femme fatale is pretty lightweight, reflecting an overall lack of intensity. For all that, this is an enjoyable caper with a few nice scenes and thrills connected with the genre. Largely forgettable, though fun while it lasted.

"The Beckoning Lady", by Margery Allingham

Novel, 1955

Essentially, a country house whodunnit, but with mercantile and business characters and some fairly typical moral and other ambiguities popping up here and there. This is a soothing read which handles a large cast of characters and rather fizzles out just as things threaten to really get going. Enjoyable, though neither oddball, tense or mysterious enough to fully grip the attention. The book's almost exclusive country setting and its eccentric couple's party lend very much to the sense of familiarity, though some moments of enjoyment and strangeness with glimmers of wonderful imagery and description.

"Free Fire," directed by Ben Wheatley

Movie, 2016

A film with one fairly hackneyed idea, which is pushed to breaking point, but is ultimately rescued by some great and at time over the top acting and a possibly dubious sense of fun at having every protagonist n the film getting battered by their rather dishonest trade. A parable, possibly, about power and guns and evil corrupting and leading to anarchy. It is, however, possibly too easy to read anything into this film because of its almost crass simplicity. A little repetitive, though watchable and, oddly, surprisingly well-paced. 

"The Year of Magical Thinking," by Joan Didion

Non-fiction, 2005

An account of Joan Didion's coping and mourning the death of her husband at a time when their daughter was also perilously ill. Didion's mixture of terror and bemusement when negotiating every day events and reminders feels detached at times until there's a crack in the narrative action or town, which suddenly brings the tragedy into sharp focus. This isn't a book with a big message or purpose, but its focus and very exact language give it a poise and sincerity and allows the reader to connect and project, to Didion and to wider experiences of loss.

"Olive Kitteridge," by Elizabeth Strout

Novel, 2008

A novel, musing and reporting on a woman's transition from happy if rather stolid middle age into old age, and how her New England small town community goes with her. The eponymous heroine is the focus if not always at the centre of each narrative, which piece together and look at how her relationships to her family develop and her habits and social standing change accordingly. The tone and pace of this book are both fantastic, taking the reader along. Some understated and truly wonderful writing and a compelling read.

"The Best Minds of my Generation," by Allen Ginsberg

Non-fiction, 2017

Write up of 1977 university course, surveying some of the Beat Generation's most celebrated practitioners. A curious, patchy, though ultimately rewarding mixture of biography (which is great) and literary criticism (a little less so - though probably something which would best work in an actual lecture). Sections on Jack Kerouac are particularly good, although the overall sense is of a serious look at a period of great creative energy and excitement, with boundaries pushed in fiction and poetry.

"Wonder Boys," by Michael Chabon

Novel, 1995

A cracking paced novel involving grown-up academics behaving appallingly, with some very amusing set pieces and dialogue, which build and build, generating mayhem and anarchy and involving more and more characters. The trouble I find with the book is that although this pace is wonderfully sustained, and although there are moments when some of his characters threaten to have an epiphany - not least Grady Tripp, first person narrator and main protagonist - they don't. The book rather splutters to an end often tripping over itself, one last time. Really entertaining, though a little unsatisfying.