Susan Hated Literature

It is January, so that means the Six Nations is just around the corner, and I’ve just gotten my ever-so-secret instructions from the Irish Rugby Supporters club that’ll enable me to purchase my ticket for the match against France tomorrow. Nice one. Just the one, but that won’t stop me. I’m so heading to Croker for the rugby.

We will also get a chance to buy two other tickets, either for France or for England. I’m aiming to get to for the England match, have half promised B#5 that if I get them he can come along. But we’ll see what happens.

Anyways, a before Christmas Donagh of Dublin Opinion got in contact regarding books of the year, but of course it has taken me this long to get around to it. And because I rarely buy hardback books, and pay no real attention as to whether a book is new or old, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to regard this as a “Books of 2006″ type post, more a “books I enjoyed in 2006″ list.

In no particular order, my top reads of 2006:
• The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
  This is a children’s fantasy sequence, arthurian in places, the first in the series of 5 was published back in 1965, but they really aren’t that dated at all. An example of some great writing, with no effort made to talk-down to a child’s level or anything so nasty.
• On Another Man’s Wound by Ernie O’Mally
  Ernie O’Malley’s account of his life fighting the Irish War of Independence. Entertaining and gripping account of how people from all sorts of backgrounds ended up on the same side.
• Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas trans. David Bellos
  I loved this book, which I picked up because of the cover
  
  but I loved for the writing, characters and the plot. Mainly for the character of Adamsberg though, he is great, and I’m waiting for more of Vargas’ work to be translated from French so I can enjoy them.
• The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
  Anther old children’s fantasy, though this is very, very different to The Dark is Rising. It is simple, and childlike and totally adorable. A little dated, but who cares.
• Thud! by Terry Pratchett
  Terry Pratchett is nothing less than a genius. Everyone should at least try to read some of his Discworld novels. But just because you don’t like one is no reason not to try another. I enjoy most of his books, but I LOVE his watch ones. Vimes has to be among the greatest of all fictional characters ever thought up.

And of course honourable mentions must go to the following:

Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black

Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace

George Hook’s autobiography Time Added On

Temeraire by Naomi Novik

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Back from the Brink Paul McGrath’s autobiography, written with Vincent Hogan

Check out the other lists and reviews from this technorati page

Tags: 6nations2007, Alias Grace, Back from the Brink, Beyond Black, Croke Park, favbooks2006, Favourite books, Ireland V France, irishblogsandbooks, On Another Man's Wound, rugby, Seeking Whom He May Devour, Six Nations, Temeraire, The Dark Is Rising, The Little White Horse, Thud!, Time Added On, We Need To Talk About Kevin

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Author: Paul McGrath with Vincent Hogan
ISBN: 1846050766
DDC: 796.334092
See also: Library Thing ; Wikipedia ; BBC ; The Telegraph

I am sitting in a cubicle, the width of a Portaloo, handcuffed to the side.
A fist keeps thumping the panel by me head. A voice keeps searching. ‘Who’s in that one? Who’s in there? Cat got your fucking tongue, mate?’ Doors are banging.

Paul McGrath is probably Ireland’s best loved sporting star. Known as god to many an Aston Villa fan, he was one of our greatest players ever. And we all knew he had a drinking problem, there were the disappearances. And a bit of rumour, but, as fans, we didn’t care. He played great football and that was all that mattered. Ooh Ahh Paul McGrath.

But McGrath didn’t just have a slight problem with drink, he had a huge battle with alcohol and depression, and the fans weren’t the only one who didn’t know the extent of his troubles.

[Kevin Moran:]So I walk around the side of the bed and there’s six bottles of Heineken, partially hidden, two or three of them empty.
And, for me, that’s when the penny drops. That’s the moment that slams it home to me. To think that, after all that’s happened this day, the thing he’s turned to is another drink. It may seem ridiculous having been his roommate for so long. But that’s the moment I realise the extent of Paul’s problem…

Somehow he managed to keep the suicide attempts hidden, playing football with wristbands to hide the scars. Somehow the stories of him drinking bleach never made it into the papers. And while some of his friends and teammates may have realised when he played while drunk, for most of watching he was just Paul McGrath, footballing genius.

This autobiography hides nothing, maybe it was a release for McGrath to get it all out and in the open, off his chest, but it is almost horrifying to read about all that he went through. All is problems, and how little he seems to realise how great he was. Lack of confidence off the pitch, and the impression that he didn’t belong in the company of his teammates. That is what comes through reading this book. When in fact he was the best out there.

It isn’t a straight walk through of McGrath’s life, the book hops around in time a little as he explains about certain things. In places other people narrate what happened, sometimes because McGrath can’t recall the events, sometimes to give a different point of view. And there is much of his personal life that he doesn’t go into, which is understandable, especially regarding his second wife.

A must read for any football fans.

Tags: 796.334092, alcoholic, Aston Villa, Back from the Brink, biography, drink, football, Italia90, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, sports star, suicide

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