Tag: Nathan Ripley

2019 week thirteen

Book Read
13. Vancouver Noir – Sam Wiebe (Ed.)

Kilometres Ran
week thirteen – 58.6

2019 to date: 600 KM

Last year I received a review copy of Nathan Ripley’s highly anticipated first novel Find You in the Dark and I had no idea who Nathan Ripley was but I read it and then I had no idea who was highly anticipating his first novel because I didn’t think it was very good at all and then I picked up this collection of noir featuring some local authors that I really like, like Carleigh Baker and Timothy Taylor to name two, and I was looking forward to reading Don English’s piece because I’d only ever read his non-fiction and along the way through this Sam Wiebe edited collection I got to the Nathan Ripley story and it was really, really great and then I got to the end of the collection and while Baker and English and Taylor did not disappoint I think I liked the Ripley story the best of the whole bunch, which made me understand why Find You in the Dark was so highly anticipated and yet made me wonder, oh boy, if I was disappointed imagine the people actually doing the highly anticipating. Anyway, Vancouver Noir continues the Akashic Books collection of noir set in major cities around the world. I liked it a lot. If I lived somewhere else and knew the city well enough I’d probably like that iteration too. Except Winnipeg. Fuck that place.

I am not an early morning runner but sometimes I get it and sometimes it’s the only way to get the work done between getting work done. Plus this shot is kind of noir-y no?

In the words of Al Jourgensen, this week was the way to suck eggs. It start out fine but job got in the way and by the time track Wednesday rolled around I was already exhausted. Wednesday is typically my day off but for most of March I’ve been embroiled in negotiations so after a day locked in a hotel meeting room in Surrey (like Winnipeg, but closer…) I drove to the track and managed to squeeze out six and a half 1,000s with 200 metre breaks out of a planned “between six and ten but try for eight.” Thursday wasn’t much better as it turned into a 15 hour day that should have resulted in a deal but to my frustration ended up in filing for federal conciliation and meant that I missed my Thursday run. Today’s long run was supposed to be 20K easy then a slow, gradual build to 8K at marathon pace and I just didn’t have it in me today. I misjudged my route, ending up at 28.4 and could have and should have gone the other 600 metres, but I’d only managed five of the 8K at marathon pace -ish and then a jog home and now I’m grumpy and perhaps slightly less confident in my goals at BMO in five weeks. Next weekend is the April Fool’s Half Marathon from Gibsons to Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast and it will be a real test to see where I’m at but after today the idea of setting a new personal best let alone going sub 90 minutes seems outlandish. So we shall see.

2018 week five

Book Read:
5. Find You in the Dark — Nathan Ripley

Kilometres Ran:
week five — 29.3

To date: 194 KM

This book showed up on both the Globe and Mail‘s and CBC’s “anticipated books of the first half of 2018,” which I don’t recall seeing from either of them for any other year or portion thereof but it could just be that I missed all the other ones though if indeed it is the first such list for both what layers of coincidence. I managed to wrangle myself a advanced/review copy (thanks Simon & Schuster!), which is a first for this blog…now in its third year…send me your books and I’ll maybe read and write some nonsense about them…. This is Nathan Ripley’s debut novel, whose real name is Naben Ruthnum and is certainly not his debut. Doppelganger debut. Anticipated though? I think this was originally titled Scrapbook and if that’s the case then I guess waiting since at least 2013 around when Ruthnum won the Journey Prize makes it anticipated. Anyway, Ripley creates this character Martin whom is so unlikeable that in the moments of suspense, or at least what I thought were meant to be suspenseful, I found myself hoping that the implied terrible things about to happen to Martin happened. The story is rather unique and I cannot write much about it here without giving stuff away, but there are some fantastic elements that even for one (like me) who is comfortable and capable of suspending reality may find rather far-fetched. The dialogue between Martin and his partner Ellen is at times pretty unbelievable. It’s nearly as bad as Martin’s internal monologue. Maybe because it’s in (Martin) first person? The book oscillates between Martin’s PoV and third-person narrative and it’s these the third-person parts that are the best of the book, especially the work and personal relationship between the two detectives Sandra and Chris. They’re so much more interesting than Martin. I could really go for more Sandra and Chris. The novel is fine. It’s a pretty quick and entertaining read. If there’s a sequel, I really hope its focus is Sandra and Chris.

Right after this photo trying to put my phone away I spiked it onto the ground and then kicked it through a puddle. Still works though.

One week until First Half half marathon and the forecast today calls for rain and maybe snow, but surely not snow like last year. I’ve contented myself with the fact that it’s going to be a long slow day next Sunday; I’m okay with that. But 12 weeks from the BMO Marathon does weigh a bit on my mind. I have started looking at alternative opportunities outside the Lower Mainland in the fall to achieve my 2018 goals. On the Seawall this morning I came upon a Sun Run training group and I got to wondering why trainers don’t bother to start with a little running etiquette 101 that includes stay to the right, pass on the left, and don’t run more than two abreast. That’s not so hard is it?