Susan Hated Literature

Author: George Hook
ISBN: 184488077x
DDC: 384.54092
See also: Library Thing

When you are a child, and you’re poor, and you live next to other people who are poor, you never think of yourself as being poor.

Around amonth ago I read an entry on Omaniblog about this book, up until then I hadn’t even known that George Hook had a book out. But that post caught my attention. George Hook is probably best known in Ireland for his rugby punditry. Together with Brent Pope and Tom McGurk, he analyses rugby for RTE in an entertaining, honest, blunt manner. He also has a radio show, but I’m not big on the radio so haven’t heard him enough to comment on that. In many ways I suppose he is the Eamonn Dunphy of the rugby world.

But I know him primarily from his rugby comments, and his constant promises that Munster will lose, and that the likes of Stringer shouldn’t be playing. I disagree with him, but am well aware that he is very knowledgable about the game. And in an entertaining way.

But when I started reading this book I was very surprised at it. From Omani’s blog I’d heard that it wouldn’t be all easy reading, and he’d only gotten to page 4. But I wasn’t aware of the depression, the debt, the fraud, or many other things that this book brings to light. And all the while he is describing his “Black Dog” and his running from trouble into strife, it is always so very readable. And if it wasn’t for the subject matter you’d have to say likeable. Still, it took me longer than I expected to finish it. Mainly, I think, because I wanted to pay attention to it, so I didn’t read it if I thought I might be distracted by the telly, or the radio.

I’m not a big reader of biographies, but I’d recommend this to anyone. And it is on 3 for 2 in Waterstones.

Last episode of season 2 of Lost was on last night. And can I just say that this has to be the most pointless telly watching I have ever done. I don’t like the characters. Even Charlie is annoying at this stage. I despise Jack with his “leadership issues”. Kate is a moany cow who thinks she is tough but all she ever seems to do is stare out to sea mournfully. Okay, so Sawyer is interesting on the eyes, but, characterwise he aint going anywhere except round in circles.

None of the characters are.

Sure, we have flashback after flashback after flashback telling us backstory and revealing the trials and tribulations they all faced, along with cool, neat^[1] appearances from other characters that they didn’t know back then.

But it is all so annoyingly pointless and irrelevant. There is no development of characters. None of them understand the others any better because while we may see the flashback there is no sense of them sharing their histories with each other. And showing Sun in the background while Jack moans at the airport? I mean it isn’t even really all that much of a coincidence, they were boarding the same plane afterall.

And I totally get that there is this one big arc that will be revealed when the entire show is completed, but you know what’d be nice, do you? Any fucking sort of resolution. To anything. but we never get that. Everything is so openended and open to interpretation that it is pointless to watch what happens, because none of it means anything.

So why am I still watching? Honestly? cause there is nothing else on at the same time. but I don’t think I care enough to tune in next season. I’m bored with their boring adventures. Even that Show Spoilers ▼

Because I just don’t care. Course it does provide me with moan-worthy posts, so maybe that’s all it needs to do?

The problem, I think, is that they are going in circles, and even when shit happens, it takes so long that it feels like nothing has happened. And, despite all the stuff that has happened, it hasn’t had an impact. Nothing has changed. And it is all so boring.