Book of the Month
An A-Z of Franz Ferdinand
Helen Chase, Northumbria University Press, £15.95

Fittingly for a band who place a great deal of emphasis on their look, this book (in a nice, album-sized shaped, square format) is quite the bobby-dazzler. Imaginatively designed, and packed with plenty of quality band photographs, it would surely pass any FF quality control. Appropriately enough, it opens with an intriguing examination of the band’s design aesthetic paying careful attention to the various single and album sleeves and their liberal quotation of Russian constructivism. Other chapters examine the band’s ethos (“There should be excitement at every turn. Every song we write has to be an event”); history (replete with shots of a fresh faced bunch in charity shop shirts); on tour; and influences (Roxy Music, Joe Meek, The Smiths etc). There are also interesting chapters on their song-writing process (“The rejection of ideas is as important as the acceptance of ideas”) and Glasgow. No quick cut and paste job (the author has actually managed to secure interviews with the band), this handsome book should keep fans happy until the third album arrives. RM

Sinema

Let me just catch my breath and recoil from the vice grip of having my knees curled so tight to my chest whilst reading this novel. Was I scared? Yes! Here’s why: Hannibal Whitman, a neurotic film buff, alights on a small village in Hayden, Northumberland, as his place of residence for a few months, to do research for a new book. The locals warmly welcome him but when a young girl disappears, Whitman, being the new guy, is suspected of playing a part by the local police and is verbally eaten alive by the village gossips. No evidence is found connecting him to the girl though and soon Christmas draws near. However nothing could prepare the idyllic rural community for what Santa would bring them next... This novel was one the most heart-racing, jaw-dropping novels that I have ever dared to finish. I had grown to know and think fondly of all the characters of the village and never imagined the horrific and gruesome fate that awaited them, by befriending this seemingly gentle stranger. I feel guilty, like I should have warned them. This is definitely a book I’ll be giving friends and family for Christmas. HForbes

The Burglar’s Dog

Taylor is back for round two; the battle to set the record straight about the much-hyped reputation of Newcastle’s (aka the ‘party city’s’) nightlife. He’s gone back to the old bars, and visited some new ‘uns just to make sure his original slagging-off was justified. ‘That’s not very nice’, I hear you say, well it’s not, but it’s funny and also too accurate to be ignored. This revised edition also includes a Stag and Hen section which manages to be refreshingly hilarious despite being something we’ve all thought at one point on a Saturday night, making the awkward journey down Grainger Street to get to Central Station. That’s the thing about Taylor’s writing, it’s so relatable and in some ways obvious - which is what gives this book its biggest appeal - but I doubt many people could pull it off in quite the same way and with quite the same humorous edge. So with this being his 2nd edition, bars below par should take heed; he won’t give up, so if I were you, I’d sack your afternoon DJ and re-think the pretentious décor. HFoley

The Rocketbelt Caper

The meticulous research the author undertook to put this genuinely stranger than strange book together, is quite breathtaking. As someone who knew nothing about rocketbelts before reading this, fears did abound that it would be a dull read – this writer could not have been any more wrong. The crazy tale, incidentally, a true story, veers around the poisoned chalice that is successfully making and flying a rocketbelt. From the beginnings of childhood fantasies watching Buck Rogers, James Bond and the Jetsons each having the capacity to fly, the men featured in this book wanted to be able to fly so bad, the obsession overtook their lives. For the central protagonist in the book, Brad Barker: bankruptcy, countless deceits, and lashings of full throttle violence were just the tip of the iceberg as the murky world of his fatal attraction with the rocketbelt led to murder, kidnapping, and incarceration. Still to this day, questions remain unanswered regarding this astonishing trial. The story has all the markings of a Hollywood blockbuster, and is a bizarrely unforgettable read… JP

Paris Noir

In this novel lies a dark collection of tales, not skirting the beautiful sights of Paris that we see in the movies and our friend’s holiday snaps, but the shady under-belly of sights and happenings off the beaten, tourist trail. Written as fictional stories from British, American and French authors, these stories feel dragged from the authors’ experiences in Paris, from growing up as teenagers or choosing the capital as their home and their next adventures. The writing is gritty and really hits a nerve, one in particular ‘New Shoes’, telling of simplistic musicians, happy with their everyday existence of busking for the day’s food and shelter but easily charmed into buying into a new lifestyle... Reading further, I enjoyed the verbal descriptions of a city I have yet to visit, but then was sent dreadfully crashing back to reality as I read how the city’s denizens seemed blind to its distress, just walking by minding their own business, hoping some other passerby will stop and be a hero. But no one does... HForbes

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