Lily Poole
By Jack O'Donnell
A ground-breaking blend of ghost story, murder mystery and Scottish social drama
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
All the things I didn't do.
Congratulations to Laurie and Ewan for getting published by Unbound. We started at (much) the same time and as The Meatloaf song goes, ‘two out of three ain't bad’. Perhaps I’m one of the few who truly understand how hard you worked.
Anyway I’m not just a great fan of Meatloaf, or any other type of food, I’m a great fan of procrastination. While I’m procrastinating I read. I’m not sure if reading is an active form of procrastination. By far the most important book published this century is Thomas Piketty’s Capital. It may not have the revolutionary impact of Marx’s Capital, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t generally the most cited work in academic circles, but more specifically in economics, politics, sociology and even psychology. I’m going to start quoting from it all the time. There’s a simple reason for its popularity, or unpopularity, depending on how rich a bastard you are, and it lies in the title. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but if global warming doesn’t get us, Capital will (and already has).
Since all of us poor people are doomed to lives that are long, brutish and boring I’ve decided to stock up the necessaries. Some people go for salt and canned goods. I’ve gone for How Late it Was How Late, The Lowlands, The Namesake, The Writer’s Voice, Unaccounted Earth, tenth of december, what we talk about when we talk about love, will you be quiet, please? The Thing Around Your Neck, Half of a Yellow Sun, Pulse, This isn’t The Sort Of Thing That Happens To Someone Like You, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Monster Templeton, Chavs The Demonization Of The Working Class, The Price of Inequality, Injustice why social inequality persists, THEM and US, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism, The Spirit Level Why Equality is Better for Everyone and we’re always better with a bit of Balzac Pere Goriot. People often ask me why I’m so boring. It’s because I’ve not got time for anything else. Now I need to add to my procrastination list, books that show me how unfair it all is, Ex and Gibbous House. Perhaps I could bring out a book about lists!
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Comments
I'll vote for you Jack of all trades when our revolution is over. I don't mind Meatloaf either-! Keep truckin'
posted 12th November 2014
Jack, stick in there, you are gradually edging your way towards 50% and that is brilliant. You will do it
posted 12th November 2014
(Simon Brooks is a Lavadis aka)
posted 12th November 2014
It's creeping up. Will pledge again when I've got some money. Everything electrical is packing up on me. Promised I would pledge for Ewan but he reached his target before I had the money. Hey ho!
posted 14th November 2014
Moya, pledge twice for Jack instead.
Hey Jack, I picked up a tatty old copy of Half of a Yellow Sun at a market stall about 10 days ago. I finished it in a couple of days. Really evocative writing. I'd never heard of it. (Too new probably, hahaha)
Keep on plugging
Ewan
posted 14th November 2014
thanks guys, I've not given up, just given in.
posted 15th November 2014