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Fan of JE too, Paperbackwriter. I prefer the 'numbered' ones to the additional ones she's done but they have got a bit samey - not that I'm enjoying them any less. I've bought them up to now but the last one I got from the library and will probably do that from now on. They are always good for a giggle though and do have a storyline!
Currently reading Carole Matthews, The Difference A Day Makes. First one of hers I have read, but enjoying it.
Just started reading A Kestrel For A Knave. Until now I've just never got round to reading it!
Book I've just finished was How To Talk to a Widower. Loved it! Brilliantly written and I love the characters. I was so engrossed reading it when I was supposed to be picking up my OH from the train station that when he arrived I was still in the car park instead of on the platform. Whoopsy!!
I'm on the verge of getting through a book a week at the minute which is unusual for me but right now I can't get enough of it.
Just started reading To Kill A Mocking Bird. Another classic I'd never gotten round to reading before and I'm loving it! Really loved the characters, especially Scout. Terrible to think she got into trouble because when she started school she could already read!
Just finished the "ghosted" autobiography of Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw.
I was writing a fist-fight and asked a young man I know to describe one for me (he's got a short fuse and I know he's been inside.) He lent me this book so I could "get inside a violent bloke's head". It was not a pleasant experience.
I am also wading through "The Calligrapher's Secret" by Rafik Schami, lent to me by a member of our Writers' Circle. It's ironic to be reading a romance/mystery set in Damascus in the 50s and 60s, and to be watching violence in Syria on the TV.
[quote=liz young]I am also wading through "The Calligrapher's Secret" by Rafik Schami,[/quote]
Sounds intriguing, liz, but is it a chore?
On Kindle:
I've just finished Dark Dates by Tracey Sinclair, which I found very entertaining. I like this writer's style.
Halfway through Blood Of The Father, by Red (A.J. Humpage, our very own) which has gripped me.
Paper:
Recently finished Kiss Of The Spider Woman, the classic by Manuel Puig. What a masterpiece, especially of structure. I was awestruck.
About to start State Of Fear, by Michael Crichton but before that I have to deal with Sep WM and the three Teach Yourself books they sent me. I like those.
Boxer, Beetle, by Ned Beauman. Brilliantly weird first novel with a midget, four-toed boxer, Mosely era British fascists, murderous beetles and various rare genetic conditions. Great stuff. Beauman's second novel is long-listed for the Booker.
I'm reading Salmon fishing in the Yemen, it's all a series of emails and diary entries. The sub plot (romance) is more interesting than the main story, though I wouldn't give it more than 4 out of 10 if I'm honest. Another book I'm reading is The Little Stranger quite scary, I only read it in the daytime.
I am reading an autobiography called "West End Girls", by Barbara Tate. This is a very eye opening tale written by a woman who was a prostitute's maid in late 1940s London.
[quote=forget-me-not]I'm on Clash of Kings by George R R Martin, its the second Game of Thrones book. I don't usually read fantasy but I'm getting quite into these.[/quote]
These are on my to-read list, forget-me-not. I also rarely read out-and-out fantasy, but saw the first TV series and loved it. What's your opinion of the books, so far?
I never watched the series until after I finished book one, but I definitely prefer the books. Each chapter is from the (3rd person) perspective of a different character and all the characters are very engaging and you feel a lot more for them during the book. It isn't radically different from the series (not seen series 2 yet) but more in depth so you understand the characters better. I would definitely recommend - I had planned on having a break after the first book but had to keep going!
Edit: Oh, but I'd also say that while the good parts are much better in the book, the slow parts drag more (though there are not many), and I don't think you can beat action scenes on screen rather than paper, though they are still handles well.
Tried The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller but couldn't get on with it. It is beautifully crafted, shocking in places, nostalgic in others and full of atmosphere but I could not get engrossed in it. I feel pressured by the need to read round the theme of my current novel. It's a shame, I feel I haven't done it justice, but it's the kind of book I wouldn't normally read, and although writing advice says "read things you wouldn't normally read", in this case I couldn't do it.
By contrast, I read Michael Crichton's State of Fear in three days. It's a powerfully constructed argument, in which he references all his scientific content and is a huge repository of food for thought. The main (male) protagonist is a young(ish) American lawyer, Peter Evans. Crichton attributes a great deal of dialogue to him, but his interlocutors cut across him, and he never seems to finish a sentence. I think Crichton is making a witty observation here, since other characters are disparaging about lawyers.
I'm now on to, Tubes, Behind The Scenes At The Internet, by Andrew Blum, which has just featured on Radio 4. Fascinating.
[quote=paperbackwriter]Sounds like a real page-turner. [/quote]
It is. Not.
I just scored 30 out of 50 on the first test. The shame of it. Hangs head. :(
I finally started The Godfather by Mario Puzo yesterday. Very hard going, but very enjoyable. It's just hard to keep up with all the Italian names, and pronouncing them too. :P
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. I've been meaning to read this for a while as it's almost in the classic SF category. But the author makes very unfortunate use of the word bugger, meaning the ant-like aliens threatening Earth. First page: "If the buggers get him, they'll make me look like his favorite uncle." Second page: " he wants to play buggers and astronauts." Elsewhere: " you be the bugger", "buggerlovers", and so on. I can see that 'bugger' might not have the same connotations to a US author and audience as to us Brits, but surely Scott Card was aware of how silly it sounds? I kept stopping to have a giggle, which destroys the 'fictive experience' to say the least. Ender's Game must hold the record for the highest number of 'buggers' ever in a single book, with the possible exception of that famous title, Sod's Law by Phil Butt. [Come to think of it, this paragraph's doing pretty well.] Beyond all the buggery, the book was not the greatest read: hardly believable plot and characters, not particularly well-written... Not sure how this has become so well respected. Not recommended. :(
[quote=tunna]Beyond all the buggery, the book was not the greatest read: hardly believable plot and characters, not particularly well-written... Not sure how this has become so well respected. Not recommended.[/quote]
I had enjoyed the book, but I take your point about the 'buggery' and I think these days, that word DOES pull the reader out of the narrative. Traditionally, yes, I think Americans used it very much in an 'insect' context.
My analysis is that the book got its reputation because a) the cameo battle-training scenarios were SO intriguing. I'll be honest, they kept me enthralled all the way through, reading that tactical stuff and b) the massive twist at the end ***SPOILER ALERT*** when Ender discovered he wasn't playing a video game after all, he was fighting a real war.
I think it's one of those sf books that has lost its impact with time, and you have to remember how shocking it must have been when it first came out.
I can't comment on whether it was well written or not. A respected sf author said to me recently that OSC can vary between brilliant writing and mediocre, and I always assume that because an author of his stature is out there and up there, his writing is deemed to be silver-tipped, but what you are saying is that even mainstream authors might suffer the lack of brilliant editing, or even sufficient rigour in the editing stage.
Ho hum, we struggle on and do our best, and we'll be buggered if it's not good enough. :)
[quote=Lizy]"The Calligrapher's Secret" by Rafik Schami, [/quote]
Don't bother. Boring as hell and I am still not certain what the secret was!
At one stage Hamid, having murdered the wrong man, is sitting in jail looking at an old family photo and reminisces about the (boring) life story of each of the dozen (irrelevant) people in it. The fact that I have used brackets, which I hate, shows how dreadful this book was, but I had to read it because a member of our writing circle lent it to me before she went away for the summer. What a load of cobblers, though how I tell her I didn't enjoy it will depend on my mood at the time! If she's lucky I shall be tactful - not my strong suit!
Once I have finished "Down and out in Paris and London" by George Orwell - MUCH more entertaining - I shall read something that is not obviously designed to improve my mind and make me look intellectual if anyone sees me reading it.
A new novel Red? That's exciting - will have a look.
Am just reading the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Got a huge pile of books from someone on Freecycle, all sorts of things that I would never have thought of reading - it's been great. Getting near to the bottom of the pile now, which is a shame.
[quote=paperbackwriter]I think it's one of those sf books that has lost its impact with time, and you have to remember how shocking it must have been when it first came out.[/quote]
Well, I was shocked, but perhaps not in the manner intended by the author. Apologies for the downbeat review, pbw - perhaps my expectations were too high.
[quote=MoiraQ]Am just reading the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. [/quote]
A great read. And the play is on at the Cottesloe at the moment, if you're within reasonable distance of London. Reviews are good.
Just finished On Writing by Stephen King. Hugely inspiring! What a guy.
Don't worry about it, tunna. Taste in reading is a very personal matter. I must say, I started another one of OSC, and I got part way with it, but I found the pace simply too slow, although I loved the characterisation, especially of the clairvoyant Chinese princess.
I think some classic authors have become casualties of the always-on-now-&-instant-negative-attention-span generation, but we're all afflicted with it, to some extent.
Reading 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen (probably my favourite Austen book) having recently finished 'Holy Fools' by Joanne Harris, I like her style :). Trying to read as much and as widely as possible, but planning on re-visiting 'On Writing' by Stephen King as I need a creative kick up the 'butt' as the Americans would say...
Do audio books count? I listen to them while driving at work.
I've just finished John Updike - Rabbit Redux and gone onto E M Forsters - A Room With a View, for a change before I go back to the rabbits.
Just finished A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. It is a children's book and has won lots of awards, but I think it requires a certain maturity to deal with the theme of impending loss and bereavement. The 'monster' is the personification of a yew tree which is the vehicle for the boy's rage and fear.
'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by Rachel Joyce. FABULOUS. Get it immediately. Really, from your library, your neighbour, read it in book group, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.
I started our very own Lily's book of horror stories on my kindle this morning. Dressing up box. I then switched to an H.P.Lovecraft story that I didn't manage to finish before it was time to get up.
'The Bicycle Book', by Bella Bathurst. An amusing 'take' on all aspects of the pastime by a non-competitive cyclist. I particularly liked the section on cycle racing, which contained the comment, ' if you're enjoying it, you're not doing it right.'
I just finished WICKED APPETITE by Janet Evanovich, one of her Between The Numbers series. I was interested in reading something of hers that was not Stephanie Plum. She takes the mickey out of the current wave of magic books, and also rejections by the publishing industry (her character is trying to get a cookery book published). It had the usual Evanovich stamp of quality and I enjoyed it.
Comments
Currently reading Carole Matthews, The Difference A Day Makes. First one of hers I have read, but enjoying it.
Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan. Excellent first novel about post-war Mississippi.
How to Write Damn Good Fiction, by James N. Frey. I still don't really get the premise thing...
Glad to see I'm in good company, sm!
Book I've just finished was How To Talk to a Widower. Loved it! Brilliantly written and I love the characters. I was so engrossed reading it when I was supposed to be picking up my OH from the train station that when he arrived I was still in the car park instead of on the platform. Whoopsy!!
Just started reading To Kill A Mocking Bird. Another classic I'd never gotten round to reading before and I'm loving it! Really loved the characters, especially Scout. Terrible to think she got into trouble because when she started school she could already read!
I was writing a fist-fight and asked a young man I know to describe one for me (he's got a short fuse and I know he's been inside.) He lent me this book so I could "get inside a violent bloke's head". It was not a pleasant experience.
I am also wading through "The Calligrapher's Secret" by Rafik Schami, lent to me by a member of our Writers' Circle. It's ironic to be reading a romance/mystery set in Damascus in the 50s and 60s, and to be watching violence in Syria on the TV.
Sounds intriguing, liz, but is it a chore?
On Kindle:
I've just finished Dark Dates by Tracey Sinclair, which I found very entertaining. I like this writer's style.
Halfway through Blood Of The Father, by Red (A.J. Humpage, our very own) which has gripped me.
Paper:
Recently finished Kiss Of The Spider Woman, the classic by Manuel Puig. What a masterpiece, especially of structure. I was awestruck.
About to start State Of Fear, by Michael Crichton but before that I have to deal with Sep WM and the three Teach Yourself books they sent me. I like those.
These are on my to-read list, forget-me-not. I also rarely read out-and-out fantasy, but saw the first TV series and loved it. What's your opinion of the books, so far?
Edit: Oh, but I'd also say that while the good parts are much better in the book, the slow parts drag more (though there are not many), and I don't think you can beat action scenes on screen rather than paper, though they are still handles well.
By contrast, I read Michael Crichton's State of Fear in three days. It's a powerfully constructed argument, in which he references all his scientific content and is a huge repository of food for thought. The main (male) protagonist is a young(ish) American lawyer, Peter Evans. Crichton attributes a great deal of dialogue to him, but his interlocutors cut across him, and he never seems to finish a sentence. I think Crichton is making a witty observation here, since other characters are disparaging about lawyers.
I'm now on to, Tubes, Behind The Scenes At The Internet, by Andrew Blum, which has just featured on Radio 4. Fascinating.
I should be reading it right now, diligently, but here I am procrastinating.
It is. Not.
I just scored 30 out of 50 on the first test. The shame of it. Hangs head. :(
I had enjoyed the book, but I take your point about the 'buggery' and I think these days, that word DOES pull the reader out of the narrative. Traditionally, yes, I think Americans used it very much in an 'insect' context.
My analysis is that the book got its reputation because a) the cameo battle-training scenarios were SO intriguing. I'll be honest, they kept me enthralled all the way through, reading that tactical stuff and b) the massive twist at the end ***SPOILER ALERT*** when Ender discovered he wasn't playing a video game after all, he was fighting a real war.
I think it's one of those sf books that has lost its impact with time, and you have to remember how shocking it must have been when it first came out.
I can't comment on whether it was well written or not. A respected sf author said to me recently that OSC can vary between brilliant writing and mediocre, and I always assume that because an author of his stature is out there and up there, his writing is deemed to be silver-tipped, but what you are saying is that even mainstream authors might suffer the lack of brilliant editing, or even sufficient rigour in the editing stage.
Ho hum, we struggle on and do our best, and we'll be buggered if it's not good enough. :)
Don't bother. Boring as hell and I am still not certain what the secret was!
At one stage Hamid, having murdered the wrong man, is sitting in jail looking at an old family photo and reminisces about the (boring) life story of each of the dozen (irrelevant) people in it. The fact that I have used brackets, which I hate, shows how dreadful this book was, but I had to read it because a member of our writing circle lent it to me before she went away for the summer. What a load of cobblers, though how I tell her I didn't enjoy it will depend on my mood at the time! If she's lucky I shall be tactful - not my strong suit!
Once I have finished "Down and out in Paris and London" by George Orwell - MUCH more entertaining - I shall read something that is not obviously designed to improve my mind and make me look intellectual if anyone sees me reading it.
Am just reading the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Got a huge pile of books from someone on Freecycle, all sorts of things that I would never have thought of reading - it's been great. Getting near to the bottom of the pile now, which is a shame.
[/quote]
This is brilliant. What a wonderful adventure MoiraQ, to receive a bundle like that, and work your way through the treasure.
Well, I was shocked, but perhaps not in the manner intended by the author. Apologies for the downbeat review, pbw - perhaps my expectations were too high.
[quote=MoiraQ]Am just reading the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. [/quote]
A great read. And the play is on at the Cottesloe at the moment, if you're within reasonable distance of London. Reviews are good.
Just finished On Writing by Stephen King. Hugely inspiring! What a guy.
I think some classic authors have become casualties of the always-on-now-&-instant-negative-attention-span generation, but we're all afflicted with it, to some extent.
This is the opening line:
"When I was a little girl, I used to dress Barbie up without underpants."
I worship every word this woman writes. She is SO funny.
Just as well. Ken should be wearing the underpants. Or is he wearing Barbie's knickers?
I've just finished John Updike - Rabbit Redux and gone onto E M Forsters - A Room With a View, for a change before I go back to the rabbits.
How true !