Neil Appleby
@theboyonabike.bsky.social
Books, bands, bicycles and tofu
Book 33 of ‘25
Dream Count charts the aspirations, actions and disappointments of three middle class, worldly Nigerian women hitting middle age coupled with the troubling story of a Guinean woman of poorer background. Huge in ideas if modest on plot, the writing is gorgeous and engrossing.
#Booksky
Dream Count charts the aspirations, actions and disappointments of three middle class, worldly Nigerian women hitting middle age coupled with the troubling story of a Guinean woman of poorer background. Huge in ideas if modest on plot, the writing is gorgeous and engrossing.
#Booksky
November 23, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Book 33 of ‘25
Dream Count charts the aspirations, actions and disappointments of three middle class, worldly Nigerian women hitting middle age coupled with the troubling story of a Guinean woman of poorer background. Huge in ideas if modest on plot, the writing is gorgeous and engrossing.
#Booksky
Dream Count charts the aspirations, actions and disappointments of three middle class, worldly Nigerian women hitting middle age coupled with the troubling story of a Guinean woman of poorer background. Huge in ideas if modest on plot, the writing is gorgeous and engrossing.
#Booksky
Our date, after the frenetic yet fabulous National Theatre production of Hamlet, was fortunately with Horatio, beautifully played by the brilliant Tessa Wong, as pretty much everyone else had pegged it.
November 19, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Our date, after the frenetic yet fabulous National Theatre production of Hamlet, was fortunately with Horatio, beautifully played by the brilliant Tessa Wong, as pretty much everyone else had pegged it.
Reeling from my first experience of Afternoon Tea, served on something like what we bought our mum in 1972 to house her Whimsies collection. I’ve had to check myself in to rehab from sugar overload while the lack of crusts has caused my curls to straighten. What fresh hell of Englishness is this?
November 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reeling from my first experience of Afternoon Tea, served on something like what we bought our mum in 1972 to house her Whimsies collection. I’ve had to check myself in to rehab from sugar overload while the lack of crusts has caused my curls to straighten. What fresh hell of Englishness is this?
Terrific gig from English Teacher at Nottingham’s Rock City, moving from gorgeous chamber music to thrashing, chanty roof raisers. Lily Fontaine is at the centre of everything, literate, mesmeric, rabble-rousing, melodic. A lean 75 minutes left me thoroughly nourished.
November 13, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Terrific gig from English Teacher at Nottingham’s Rock City, moving from gorgeous chamber music to thrashing, chanty roof raisers. Lily Fontaine is at the centre of everything, literate, mesmeric, rabble-rousing, melodic. A lean 75 minutes left me thoroughly nourished.
Sitting in bed, awaiting the delayed Booker Prize ceremony livestream, impatient because I’ve got some serious reading to get on with.
#Booksky
#Booksky
November 10, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Sitting in bed, awaiting the delayed Booker Prize ceremony livestream, impatient because I’ve got some serious reading to get on with.
#Booksky
#Booksky
Just back from the premier (really!) of our debut big screen appearance. We had gone in as emergency ‘extras’ but emerged fully credited ‘background artists’. Currently googling “weather Cannes May”.
#ThePause
#ThePause
November 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Just back from the premier (really!) of our debut big screen appearance. We had gone in as emergency ‘extras’ but emerged fully credited ‘background artists’. Currently googling “weather Cannes May”.
#ThePause
#ThePause
10 minutes I’ll never get back, trying to decide between Asda’s ‘Extra Special’ and ‘Exceptional’ caramelised onion chutneys.
#sweatingthesmallstuff
#bringoutthebranston
#sweatingthesmallstuff
#bringoutthebranston
November 6, 2025 at 3:52 PM
10 minutes I’ll never get back, trying to decide between Asda’s ‘Extra Special’ and ‘Exceptional’ caramelised onion chutneys.
#sweatingthesmallstuff
#bringoutthebranston
#sweatingthesmallstuff
#bringoutthebranston
During the last 3 months I’ve roamed extensively through Albania, China, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, North Korea,Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela. Pick up a book and experience the world.
#BookerPrize long list
#booksky
#BookerPrize long list
#booksky
November 6, 2025 at 1:40 PM
During the last 3 months I’ve roamed extensively through Albania, China, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, North Korea,Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela. Pick up a book and experience the world.
#BookerPrize long list
#booksky
#BookerPrize long list
#booksky
For once I’ve read the entire Booker Prize long list before the judges pronounce. For the record:
Should win - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Next best - The Land in Winter
Should’ve made the short list - Seascraper
Weirdest read - Audition
Left me coldest - Universality
#booksky
Should win - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Next best - The Land in Winter
Should’ve made the short list - Seascraper
Weirdest read - Audition
Left me coldest - Universality
#booksky
November 5, 2025 at 7:59 PM
For once I’ve read the entire Booker Prize long list before the judges pronounce. For the record:
Should win - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Next best - The Land in Winter
Should’ve made the short list - Seascraper
Weirdest read - Audition
Left me coldest - Universality
#booksky
Should win - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Next best - The Land in Winter
Should’ve made the short list - Seascraper
Weirdest read - Audition
Left me coldest - Universality
#booksky
Book 32 of ‘25
Last of the Booker 13, The South is a coming of age story set in an economically troubled Malaysia. Though light on plot and disjointed of narrative, it delves perceptively into family, class, gender and sexuality. Not a page turner but worth the investment.
#Booksky
Last of the Booker 13, The South is a coming of age story set in an economically troubled Malaysia. Though light on plot and disjointed of narrative, it delves perceptively into family, class, gender and sexuality. Not a page turner but worth the investment.
#Booksky
November 5, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Book 32 of ‘25
Last of the Booker 13, The South is a coming of age story set in an economically troubled Malaysia. Though light on plot and disjointed of narrative, it delves perceptively into family, class, gender and sexuality. Not a page turner but worth the investment.
#Booksky
Last of the Booker 13, The South is a coming of age story set in an economically troubled Malaysia. Though light on plot and disjointed of narrative, it delves perceptively into family, class, gender and sexuality. Not a page turner but worth the investment.
#Booksky
Flued up and heavily medicated with Jim Beam, BC Camplight and terrific band still treated the lovely Norwich Arts Centre to a cracking 90 minutes, Just Because I Love You, a mid-set highlight, Last Rotation of Earth and A Sober Conversation, a triumphant, thunderous finale. Get well soon!
November 4, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Flued up and heavily medicated with Jim Beam, BC Camplight and terrific band still treated the lovely Norwich Arts Centre to a cracking 90 minutes, Just Because I Love You, a mid-set highlight, Last Rotation of Earth and A Sober Conversation, a triumphant, thunderous finale. Get well soon!
“It’s strange, Ive never like walking. If I’m going to a party, I’ll just run it.”
Old bloke with complaining legs seeks to return to running after two decade gap under the solicitous gaze of Benjamin Zephaniah, who used to run everywhere.
Old bloke with complaining legs seeks to return to running after two decade gap under the solicitous gaze of Benjamin Zephaniah, who used to run everywhere.
November 4, 2025 at 12:50 PM
“It’s strange, Ive never like walking. If I’m going to a party, I’ll just run it.”
Old bloke with complaining legs seeks to return to running after two decade gap under the solicitous gaze of Benjamin Zephaniah, who used to run everywhere.
Old bloke with complaining legs seeks to return to running after two decade gap under the solicitous gaze of Benjamin Zephaniah, who used to run everywhere.
Rewarding ourselves for finally making it to Coughton Court for the final timed entry on the very last day of National Trust management of the property. (Left: vanilla, right: rum ‘n raisin, both equally popular in Tudor times).
November 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Rewarding ourselves for finally making it to Coughton Court for the final timed entry on the very last day of National Trust management of the property. (Left: vanilla, right: rum ‘n raisin, both equally popular in Tudor times).
Book 31 of ‘25
and 12th of the Booker 13, Love Forms is a quietly contemplative account of 40 years of regret and self-blame of a woman compelled, when aged 16, to surrender a baby to adoption. Set against the changing social context of modern Trinidad, it grew on me considerably.
#Booksky
and 12th of the Booker 13, Love Forms is a quietly contemplative account of 40 years of regret and self-blame of a woman compelled, when aged 16, to surrender a baby to adoption. Set against the changing social context of modern Trinidad, it grew on me considerably.
#Booksky
November 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Book 31 of ‘25
and 12th of the Booker 13, Love Forms is a quietly contemplative account of 40 years of regret and self-blame of a woman compelled, when aged 16, to surrender a baby to adoption. Set against the changing social context of modern Trinidad, it grew on me considerably.
#Booksky
and 12th of the Booker 13, Love Forms is a quietly contemplative account of 40 years of regret and self-blame of a woman compelled, when aged 16, to surrender a baby to adoption. Set against the changing social context of modern Trinidad, it grew on me considerably.
#Booksky
Back at the glorious Wolverhampton Civic, where I last saw them in 1993, Counting Crows continue to peddle an atmospheric Americana that starts somewhere in the dusty middle and spreads to the sunnier edges. Covers of Teenage Fanclub and Taylor Swift leaven the mix.
October 30, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Back at the glorious Wolverhampton Civic, where I last saw them in 1993, Counting Crows continue to peddle an atmospheric Americana that starts somewhere in the dusty middle and spreads to the sunnier edges. Covers of Teenage Fanclub and Taylor Swift leaven the mix.
I’m thrilled to announce that after a lengthy hiatus I’ve returned to the quest to mail myself a card from every Edward VIII mailbox in the nation before I shuffle off this mortal coil. Today, within the space of 30 minutes, numbers 7 and 8 in Sandown and Shanklin Isle of Wight.
October 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I’m thrilled to announce that after a lengthy hiatus I’ve returned to the quest to mail myself a card from every Edward VIII mailbox in the nation before I shuffle off this mortal coil. Today, within the space of 30 minutes, numbers 7 and 8 in Sandown and Shanklin Isle of Wight.
Book 30 of ‘25
11th from Booker List, Flesh starts and ends in a humble Hungarian apartment but treks through a different shadowy yet affluent world betwixt. We live with the central character yet scarcely pierce his armoured shell in order to peer into his soul. Strange and compelling.
#Booksky
11th from Booker List, Flesh starts and ends in a humble Hungarian apartment but treks through a different shadowy yet affluent world betwixt. We live with the central character yet scarcely pierce his armoured shell in order to peer into his soul. Strange and compelling.
#Booksky
October 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Book 30 of ‘25
11th from Booker List, Flesh starts and ends in a humble Hungarian apartment but treks through a different shadowy yet affluent world betwixt. We live with the central character yet scarcely pierce his armoured shell in order to peer into his soul. Strange and compelling.
#Booksky
11th from Booker List, Flesh starts and ends in a humble Hungarian apartment but treks through a different shadowy yet affluent world betwixt. We live with the central character yet scarcely pierce his armoured shell in order to peer into his soul. Strange and compelling.
#Booksky
Book 29 of ‘25
10th from Booker list, Audition is a novel of two halves if ever there was. Part 1, a renowned actor rehearses a challenging new role amid relationship challenges. Part 2, roles shift, we’re in a home invasion, or psychotic episode or extended performance piece or err… Weird
#booksky
10th from Booker list, Audition is a novel of two halves if ever there was. Part 1, a renowned actor rehearses a challenging new role amid relationship challenges. Part 2, roles shift, we’re in a home invasion, or psychotic episode or extended performance piece or err… Weird
#booksky
October 16, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Book 29 of ‘25
10th from Booker list, Audition is a novel of two halves if ever there was. Part 1, a renowned actor rehearses a challenging new role amid relationship challenges. Part 2, roles shift, we’re in a home invasion, or psychotic episode or extended performance piece or err… Weird
#booksky
10th from Booker list, Audition is a novel of two halves if ever there was. Part 1, a renowned actor rehearses a challenging new role amid relationship challenges. Part 2, roles shift, we’re in a home invasion, or psychotic episode or extended performance piece or err… Weird
#booksky
Book 28 of ‘25
9th of the Booker list, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a kaleidoscopic study of family, class, identity, control and love. The tortured introspection of the titular characters is leavened by thrilling narrative and a vast supporting cast. File under #GreatIndianNovels
#booksky
9th of the Booker list, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a kaleidoscopic study of family, class, identity, control and love. The tortured introspection of the titular characters is leavened by thrilling narrative and a vast supporting cast. File under #GreatIndianNovels
#booksky
October 13, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Book 28 of ‘25
9th of the Booker list, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a kaleidoscopic study of family, class, identity, control and love. The tortured introspection of the titular characters is leavened by thrilling narrative and a vast supporting cast. File under #GreatIndianNovels
#booksky
9th of the Booker list, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a kaleidoscopic study of family, class, identity, control and love. The tortured introspection of the titular characters is leavened by thrilling narrative and a vast supporting cast. File under #GreatIndianNovels
#booksky
If there’s something in side that you wanna say… The Beta Band reform to tour the strange, magnificent, obscure yet highly influential Three E.P.’s we listened to in our bedrooms at the end of the last century as introspective 37 year olds. Nottingham’s packed Rock City grooved in unison. Terrific.
September 30, 2025 at 11:15 PM
If there’s something in side that you wanna say… The Beta Band reform to tour the strange, magnificent, obscure yet highly influential Three E.P.’s we listened to in our bedrooms at the end of the last century as introspective 37 year olds. Nottingham’s packed Rock City grooved in unison. Terrific.
Book 27 of ‘25
and 8th from Booker List, One Boat sees woman twice visit same Greek coastal town nine years apart, sit in same café, talk to same locals, scribble in notebook, reminisce. Coda, rather than wrapping up, left me puzzling what I’d been reading. Drew me in but not a page turner
#booksky
and 8th from Booker List, One Boat sees woman twice visit same Greek coastal town nine years apart, sit in same café, talk to same locals, scribble in notebook, reminisce. Coda, rather than wrapping up, left me puzzling what I’d been reading. Drew me in but not a page turner
#booksky
September 27, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Book 27 of ‘25
and 8th from Booker List, One Boat sees woman twice visit same Greek coastal town nine years apart, sit in same café, talk to same locals, scribble in notebook, reminisce. Coda, rather than wrapping up, left me puzzling what I’d been reading. Drew me in but not a page turner
#booksky
and 8th from Booker List, One Boat sees woman twice visit same Greek coastal town nine years apart, sit in same café, talk to same locals, scribble in notebook, reminisce. Coda, rather than wrapping up, left me puzzling what I’d been reading. Drew me in but not a page turner
#booksky
While cars, narcotics, Essex coastal resorts and a surprising amount of custard might be the entry point to Scott Lavene’s tales of wideboy misadventure, his gorgeous evocations of love, both briefly burning and enduring, were the heart of his terrific show at Kings Heath’s Kitchen Garden Café.
September 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
While cars, narcotics, Essex coastal resorts and a surprising amount of custard might be the entry point to Scott Lavene’s tales of wideboy misadventure, his gorgeous evocations of love, both briefly burning and enduring, were the heart of his terrific show at Kings Heath’s Kitchen Garden Café.
Book 26 of ‘25
and 7th of Booker longlist, there’s a pleasing wryness to The Rest of our Lives as 53 year old Tom, staring down obsolescence, embarks on an unscheduled solo road trip, part aimless, part possibly pursuing relevance in lost or entirely misguided causes. I really liked it.
#Booksky
and 7th of Booker longlist, there’s a pleasing wryness to The Rest of our Lives as 53 year old Tom, staring down obsolescence, embarks on an unscheduled solo road trip, part aimless, part possibly pursuing relevance in lost or entirely misguided causes. I really liked it.
#Booksky
September 22, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Book 26 of ‘25
and 7th of Booker longlist, there’s a pleasing wryness to The Rest of our Lives as 53 year old Tom, staring down obsolescence, embarks on an unscheduled solo road trip, part aimless, part possibly pursuing relevance in lost or entirely misguided causes. I really liked it.
#Booksky
and 7th of Booker longlist, there’s a pleasing wryness to The Rest of our Lives as 53 year old Tom, staring down obsolescence, embarks on an unscheduled solo road trip, part aimless, part possibly pursuing relevance in lost or entirely misguided causes. I really liked it.
#Booksky
Book 25 of ‘25
and 6th from Booker longlist, I suspect Universality is just too clever for me. Curiously structured, the first third an apparent piece of investigative journalism, the remainder following up key participants, it bursts with Zeitgeist but leaves you dangling.
#booksky
and 6th from Booker longlist, I suspect Universality is just too clever for me. Curiously structured, the first third an apparent piece of investigative journalism, the remainder following up key participants, it bursts with Zeitgeist but leaves you dangling.
#booksky
September 14, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Book 25 of ‘25
and 6th from Booker longlist, I suspect Universality is just too clever for me. Curiously structured, the first third an apparent piece of investigative journalism, the remainder following up key participants, it bursts with Zeitgeist but leaves you dangling.
#booksky
and 6th from Booker longlist, I suspect Universality is just too clever for me. Curiously structured, the first third an apparent piece of investigative journalism, the remainder following up key participants, it bursts with Zeitgeist but leaves you dangling.
#booksky
Book 24 of ‘25
and 5th of Booker longlist, I’d have enjoyed Misinterpretation more had I stopped sighing at the never-named protagonist’s non-existent boundary setting and reckless decision making, but then there wouldn’t have been an edgy novel about an Albanian experience of the US of A.
#booksky
and 5th of Booker longlist, I’d have enjoyed Misinterpretation more had I stopped sighing at the never-named protagonist’s non-existent boundary setting and reckless decision making, but then there wouldn’t have been an edgy novel about an Albanian experience of the US of A.
#booksky
September 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Book 24 of ‘25
and 5th of Booker longlist, I’d have enjoyed Misinterpretation more had I stopped sighing at the never-named protagonist’s non-existent boundary setting and reckless decision making, but then there wouldn’t have been an edgy novel about an Albanian experience of the US of A.
#booksky
and 5th of Booker longlist, I’d have enjoyed Misinterpretation more had I stopped sighing at the never-named protagonist’s non-existent boundary setting and reckless decision making, but then there wouldn’t have been an edgy novel about an Albanian experience of the US of A.
#booksky