What's on my bedside table: Ian Rankin
Show 2: The creator of Rebus on the teetering piles of books by his bedside...
"I don't get an awful lot of time to read. I read a lot at night in bed just before going to sleep, and I read a lot when I'm on the road. By my bedside I've got piles of unread and half-read books."
Tokyo Year Zero by David Pearce
It's set in the first year after World War II in Japan. Pearce is an extraordinary writer - he's English but he lives in Japan - and he really knows what he's talking about. He's heavily influenced by James Ellroy, so there's lots of staccato prose. You'll love it or you'll hate it, and you'll know in the first few pages whether you'll love it or hate it: so far I'm loving it.
The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
Burke is the crime writers' crime writer. I always love his prose: it's poetic, it's wonderful; there's a real sense of rhythm and music to it. Set in New orleans in the aftermath of Hurricanin Katrina, there's an extra layer of passion and political commentary which hasn't been there in his work before, and that raises the bar. It's his best work yet and I expect it to win lots of awards.
Dandy in the Underworld by Sebastian Horsley
I've only just started reading this; it's the power of the review. I don't read much Horsley and I don't read much autobiography but I read some reviews which sounded really intriguing. He's a lush; dandy; bohemian; drug user - I'm very attracted to people who have this kind of bohemian lifestyle. Whether you like him or not - and I'm not sure yet whether I do - he really can write.
