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amboline, I have Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell on my bookcase ready to be devoured - a friend of mine asked if I'd read it, and when I said I kept looking at it in Waterstone's, she said (in a very orderly tone, not to be disobeyed) "Read it!" So I'm going to..
I've just finished reading The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock - basically telling us we need to reel things in NOW as we may already have passed the point of no return, and be heading for extinction within a couple of generations. Frightening, but well worth the read.
I'm also reading the second of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books, called Lost in a Good Book - it's already had me cracking up, once being unable to do anything for laughing at around 2 o'clock one morning - his eye for the absurd is pure genius!
So many replies Kangaroo, everybody wants (including myself it seems)to let it be known what it is we are reading. Why is that? ------- Wait for the replies! Just kidding. It is interesting though as you thumb through them, the diversity of reading; it made me wonder how many of us match our subject reading material to our own work. The old saying, (Write what you know.)does it apply today? After all our ability to research any subject is greatly increased because of the information highway which exists for us in 2006.
rebdek, I find I love telling people what I'm reading at any one moment in the hope that others may want to read it, too. Recommending books is one of life's great pleasures - though not as great as the pleasure of actually reading :o)
I agree - it's the joy of sharing an author that you enjoy, and hopefully others will enjoy too.
One friend of mine, for instance, introduced me to the fantasy of Charles de Lint, and I liked them so much that I passed on the recommendation to another friend and got her hooked too!
A similar thing happened with Mary Gentle - I raved about Ash to all and sundry (which starts in a medieval mercenary company - which is relevant to my re-enactment group) and now several friends have read it and are looking for other books by her.
I've just finished Sharon Penman's latest Queen's Man mystery, Prince of Darkness - feeling very sorry for the hero, who has had to send his baby daughter off to a wet nurse, and is unable to visit very often.
Having read the second Thursday Next book recently, I'd say the same thing about Jasper Fforde, only he doesn't so much mess with your mind as take it over! The alternative 1985 he's created is just genius, and it stays with you after you've finished the book.
Currently mid way through a book called Gangster by Lorenzo Caracaterra. Its about the life of an Italian/American underworld boss in New York from the 30's to present. The author also wrote Sleepers which was made into a film with Kevin Bacon.
I've just taken "The Scheme for Full Employment" by Magnus Mills out of the library.
What a strange book! Strange in story and strange in size - it's about 16 x 13 x 2 cm. (Sorry, I can't find a ruler with inches!)
And there are loads of people who have been given names, even though up to now (page 82 out of 255) they seem to be minor characters mentioned only in passing.
I read some of it at bedtime and had rather odd dreams, so it's become daytime reading only!
I've just bought a second hand copy of 'The Other Boleyn Girl'by Phillipa Carr. I remember reading some of her early books as a teenager, and enjoying them. Obviously my writing influences were always historical.
I was surprised (to put it mildly!) when the chap who prunes our apple tree said he was hooked on Philippa Gregory's historical novels. I wouldn't have thought men would enjoy them.
Isn't it strange how we all have a preconceived idea of what sort of person will like what sort of book?
I have recently joined another online discussion forum for the Simon Scarrow 'Eagle' novels (historical military adventure with the Roman legions in Britain, if you aren't familiar with them). There was a thread there about whether the books had many female fans, or whether women might be put off by the amount of extremely detailed battle scenes.
For me personally, I love the battle scenes in the Eagle books, and I think they are some of the best described battles that I've come across in historical fiction. The writer has the power to really take me into the front rank of a shield wall and see every sword thrust, and I think it's great.
I must be having a controversial day today, because I used to really love Ian McEwan but nowadays I seem to find him so depressing. Sorry to Ian and all his fans. I just finished the latest Anita Shreve (A Wedding in December). Quiet satisfying, though perhaps there could have been one or two less characters. I don't like too many characters. Except in Dickens.
i have FINALLY finished reading the earthsea quartet by ursula le guin. took me a while thanks to college. im now reading books i have read countless times during the exam period :-/, so its back to good old david eddings and pawn of prophecy for the moment, then the rest of the belgariad quintet.
I'm reading:
The Ode Less Travelled (Stephen Fry)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
The Italian (Anne Radcliffe) - for the umpteenth time
The Twelfth Planet (Zechariah Stichin)
Annie o' the Mill (Anne Dawes, my old reception class teacher)
I think that's it at present. I really should just try doing one at a time, shouldn't I?
alien, I always have markers in more than one book, and it's been known to reach half a dozen at any one time. I try not to make it any more than that or I'd get bogged down :o)
We must have dozens of proper bookmarks in the house and yet most of the books I'm reading are marked with receipts and torn off bits of paper!
My cousin used to be a librarian in central London and she said you wouldn't believe the "bookmarks" they found in returned books - once it was a rasher of raw bacon!
carol I loved the other boleyn girl It came free with The Times a while back. A book I really could not put down.
I am reading the Da Vinci Code. Any comments? I really like it. I love a story that has some research in it. The controversy over Opus Dei is really interesting Ruth Kelly is in the Opus Dei which is interesting
Salwrite, I looked at the other books Phillipa Gregory has out, but decided on the one about Mary Boleyn, as I knew a little about her, and more about her sister. So it will be interesting to see how she presents them.
I have seen a few people reading the latest paperback edition of DVC. New cover makes the book look much more interesting. Friends who have read it seem equally divided between enjoying it and thinking it was dreadful crap. When you finish it, give us your opinion.
A lot of the stuff in the Da Vinci Code was made up as a scam against the (innocent and naive) writers of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, over twenty years ago.
I'm afraid it was rubbish then, and it's still rubbish now - and it isn't even particularly well written.
I've just finished reading The Songcatcher, by Sharyn McCrumb.
It's a story about a folk singer from the Appalachian mountains who goes home to search for a song that's been handed down in her family. It's full of family history over about 200 years, and I was delighted when I got to the end to find that the history is all true, and is the author's own family history - though the song is fictional.
I'll be looking out for more of her stories set in the Appalachians - I already have the Ballad of Frankie Silver on my 'to read' shelf.
Began reading a book yesterday which I've been meaning to read for ages - it's called Salamander, by Thomas Wharton. It's totally off-the-wall, very strange, rather like a fairy tale for adults. It's for total storytelling obsessives :o)
I've just read, in quick succession, A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane, and The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Both of them are books for children/teenagers, and both are extremely well written.
A Wizard Alone is the sixth in a series, so there's a lot of backstory to the characters. Nita is grieving the death of her mother (in the previous book), so is unable to help her partner Kit when he's asked to investigate why another local kid seems to have become stuck in his Wizard's Ordeal - the test that determines whether you become a wizard or not.
There's an extra problem - the kid is autistic.
Diane Duane used to be a nurse before she was a writer, so she knows what she's talking about when she describes autism. I learned a lot, and it was all perfectly integrated into an exciting storyline, which also moved on the two main characters, Nita and Kit.
I highly recommend this series.
As for the Wee Free Men - well, it's Terry Pratchett, and witches - Tiffany Aching is a brilliant character. Shades of the film Labyrinth in that she's trying to rescue her baby brother from the Fairy Queen, but then there are the Wee Free Men themselves, six inch tall Scottish headbangers.... It was great fun.
If you like Terry Pratchett, have you read 'Good Omens' by Pratchett and Neil Gaiman? I just finished that at the weekend and it was quite good. A bit more adult than some of Pratchett's Discworld stuff, but still just as funny.
Currently reading 'The Eagle's Prey', fifth in the Simon Scarrow 'Eagle' series. Historical adventure with the Roman Legions in Britain. If any of you are fans of Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpe' books then I urge you try the Eagle series - I can't put them down.
I'm not sure about it being 'more adult' than Discworld, though - some of his dry humour would be passed over by many children. Good Omens is certainly a lot darker than most of his Discworld books.
I have to say, I'm a great T Pratchett fan. I read everynight in bed but I've found it's never a wise idea to pick up a new book then, because, next thing I know, it's 6 am and I never slept. So, what I have been doing over the last year or so, is re-read books that I have read before. Then I'm gently lulled into sleep. I have now re-read my T Pratchett collection more than ten times over! Just re-reading 'Maskerade' at the moment ... will probably re-read 'Thud!' after that ...
And yeah, loved 'Good Omens'! Would be great if they (Gaiman and Pratchett) wrote another book together.
I loved Good Omens, too - and the jokes are even better if you can spot the real children's books that some of the scenes are based on (there's a lot of Just William there, for example).
I started reading Neil Gaiman because of Good Omens, and I'm so glad I did - Neverwhere and American Gods are great, and some of the short stories in Smoke and Mirrors stay with you long after you've put the book down.
Evaine - loved Neverwhere - I saw the TV adaptation, though it was years before I actually read the book. Glad I did. Must read more NG... Oh, no - my wallet's slamming shut already...
At the moment I'm in the middle of Memory and Dream, a fantasy by Charles de Lint, who is a brilliant writer. This one's about an artist whose creations come to life - and someone is trying to kill them to feed off them.
Now recovering from Memory and Dream (fantastic finish to it, by the way) with some non-fiction - Everyday Life of the Pagan Celts by Ann Ross, an expert in the field.
Started reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, yesterday, after it kept staring at me when I looked at the bookcase - now, I have to be careful, because it's addictive. If I handle this badly, I'll never get any writing done...
Ooh TP I quite fancied that one myself but chickened out of buying it. Is it really that good?? Let me know cos I may have to detour to the bookshop when I go out later. The last book I read was A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian. Very good but I'm looking for a big, juicy involving read. (Like Phillip Pullman's triology)
Narnie, get it, definitely - I have the three-volume boxed set, but either way, it's a tome which will keep you reading for hours (I kid you not - I was about to start another chapter, last night - this morning - and forced myself to go to sleep, instead). It was one I kept looking at, then a friend ordered, I mean, told me to read it, so I bought a copy. She knows me well - I'm loving it.
Narnie, get it, definitely - I have the three-volume boxed set, but either way, it's a tome which will keep you reading for hours (I kid you not - I was about to start another chapter, last night - this morning - and forced myself to go to sleep, instead). It was one I kept looking at, then a friend ordered, I mean, told me to read it, so I bought a copy. She knows me well - I'm loving it.
Oh yessssss. Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell are sitting on top of my kit bag. I'm off to sea for a few days and I know what I'll be doing on the train to London. Thank you TP.
Oh yessssss. Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell are sitting on top of my kit bag. I'm off to sea for a few days and I know what I'll be doing on the train to London. Thank you TP.
Comments
I'm also reading the second of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books, called Lost in a Good Book - it's already had me cracking up, once being unable to do anything for laughing at around 2 o'clock one morning - his eye for the absurd is pure genius!
One friend of mine, for instance, introduced me to the fantasy of Charles de Lint, and I liked them so much that I passed on the recommendation to another friend and got her hooked too!
A similar thing happened with Mary Gentle - I raved about Ash to all and sundry (which starts in a medieval mercenary company - which is relevant to my re-enactment group) and now several friends have read it and are looking for other books by her.
I've just finished Sharon Penman's latest Queen's Man mystery, Prince of Darkness - feeling very sorry for the hero, who has had to send his baby daughter off to a wet nurse, and is unable to visit very often.
His books can have a strange effect on your mind, so don't read them too close together!
What a strange book! Strange in story and strange in size - it's about 16 x 13 x 2 cm. (Sorry, I can't find a ruler with inches!)
And there are loads of people who have been given names, even though up to now (page 82 out of 255) they seem to be minor characters mentioned only in passing.
I read some of it at bedtime and had rather odd dreams, so it's become daytime reading only!
Has anyone read anything by Magnus Mills?
I have recently joined another online discussion forum for the Simon Scarrow 'Eagle' novels (historical military adventure with the Roman legions in Britain, if you aren't familiar with them). There was a thread there about whether the books had many female fans, or whether women might be put off by the amount of extremely detailed battle scenes.
For me personally, I love the battle scenes in the Eagle books, and I think they are some of the best described battles that I've come across in historical fiction. The writer has the power to really take me into the front rank of a shield wall and see every sword thrust, and I think it's great.
And I'm a normally quiet little woman. Honest.
The Ode Less Travelled (Stephen Fry)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
The Italian (Anne Radcliffe) - for the umpteenth time
The Twelfth Planet (Zechariah Stichin)
Annie o' the Mill (Anne Dawes, my old reception class teacher)
I think that's it at present. I really should just try doing one at a time, shouldn't I?
lol
My cousin used to be a librarian in central London and she said you wouldn't believe the "bookmarks" they found in returned books - once it was a rasher of raw bacon!
I am reading the Da Vinci Code. Any comments? I really like it. I love a story that has some research in it. The controversy over Opus Dei is really interesting Ruth Kelly is in the Opus Dei which is interesting
I have seen a few people reading the latest paperback edition of DVC. New cover makes the book look much more interesting. Friends who have read it seem equally divided between enjoying it and thinking it was dreadful crap. When you finish it, give us your opinion.
I'm afraid it was rubbish then, and it's still rubbish now - and it isn't even particularly well written.
It's a story about a folk singer from the Appalachian mountains who goes home to search for a song that's been handed down in her family. It's full of family history over about 200 years, and I was delighted when I got to the end to find that the history is all true, and is the author's own family history - though the song is fictional.
I'll be looking out for more of her stories set in the Appalachians - I already have the Ballad of Frankie Silver on my 'to read' shelf.
A Wizard Alone is the sixth in a series, so there's a lot of backstory to the characters. Nita is grieving the death of her mother (in the previous book), so is unable to help her partner Kit when he's asked to investigate why another local kid seems to have become stuck in his Wizard's Ordeal - the test that determines whether you become a wizard or not.
There's an extra problem - the kid is autistic.
Diane Duane used to be a nurse before she was a writer, so she knows what she's talking about when she describes autism. I learned a lot, and it was all perfectly integrated into an exciting storyline, which also moved on the two main characters, Nita and Kit.
I highly recommend this series.
As for the Wee Free Men - well, it's Terry Pratchett, and witches - Tiffany Aching is a brilliant character. Shades of the film Labyrinth in that she's trying to rescue her baby brother from the Fairy Queen, but then there are the Wee Free Men themselves, six inch tall Scottish headbangers.... It was great fun.
Currently reading 'The Eagle's Prey', fifth in the Simon Scarrow 'Eagle' series. Historical adventure with the Roman Legions in Britain. If any of you are fans of Bernard Cornwell's 'Sharpe' books then I urge you try the Eagle series - I can't put them down.
I'm not sure about it being 'more adult' than Discworld, though - some of his dry humour would be passed over by many children. Good Omens is certainly a lot darker than most of his Discworld books.
And yeah, loved 'Good Omens'! Would be great if they (Gaiman and Pratchett) wrote another book together.
I started reading Neil Gaiman because of Good Omens, and I'm so glad I did - Neverwhere and American Gods are great, and some of the short stories in Smoke and Mirrors stay with you long after you've put the book down.