What are you reading tonight?

[Lofthouse Lower]

Did you ever see the TV version of the Long Firm? Mark Strong was good in it

[Harry Genshaw]

Just finished Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg - an incredible story

Dived straight into Zeitoun, one families account of Hurricane Katrina. Gripping so far.

[Prufrock]

I like my books to change my outlook. The ones I like do it for a few days or weeks, the ones I love forever.

Me too... Like to share a few that did? i will if you will...

Right. I've had a couple of days. Books that have changed my outlook for hours and even days would leave us here all fecking week, so I'm sticking to the big ones, the ones that have changed me fundamentally. Also, compiling this list, I knew I liked French literature, but didn't realise quite how much. Stuck to fiction. There's four big ones I think.

1) Albert Camus: The Outsider - My favourite of them all I think. Really helped define my outlook on life. The protagonist has an emotional impotence I've certainly felt before. A teenage wondering of whether you're normal. Everyone else seems to know how to express happiness, they seem confident in social situations and yet your feelings are confused and unlike those you feel expected to feel. However, unlike Meursault, we cannot view the world through his detached lens. The second half is much more philosophical and really helped define my ideas of atheism and the whole what is the point malarky. At that point I knew this god stuff wasn't true, it just seemed too nonsensical, but the idea of an afterlife, of a benevolent 'Father' is a very attractive one. I was struggling to sleep with a big ol sense of dread at the whole, 'one day, I will no longer be. The world will keep turning for an imperceptibly long time afterwards and just won't be there. Or conscious. Or know' thing. The book helped me to turn that dread into a positive outlook. Along, ahem, with a quote from House. The idea throughout Camus' books, that life is in itself meaningless, that we give our own lives meaning, is comforting in that we have our free will and self determinism. That belief in only having one shot, that it isn't a test is why I feel so strongly on social justice and equality of opportunity. Wow. Essay time.

2) Oscar Wilder: The Picture of Dorian Gray -

3) Victor Hugo: The Last Day of a Condemned Man -

4) Voltaire: Candide -

I'll come back to the other three. My weekend, and existentialist talk means I want pub.

[CAPSLOCK]

Did you ever see the TV version of the Long Firm? Mark Strong was good in it

Annoyingly, very, no

Saw the ITV dramatisation of the second one

There was more and more bumming in the books,,,

Turned me off

[Worthy4England]

I like my books to change my outlook. The ones I like do it for a few days or weeks, the ones I love forever.

Me too... Like to share a few that did? i will if you will...

Right. I've had a couple of days. Books that have changed my outlook for hours and even days would leave us here all fecking week, so I'm sticking to the big ones, the ones that have changed me fundamentally. Also, compiling this list, I knew I liked French literature, but didn't realise quite how much. Stuck to fiction. There's four big ones I think.

1) Albert Camus: The Outsider - My favourite of them all I think. Really helped define my outlook on life. The protagonist has an emotional impotence I've certainly felt before. A teenage wondering of whether you're normal. Everyone else seems to know how to express happiness, they seem confident in social situations and yet your feelings are confused and unlike those you feel expected to feel. However, unlike Meursault, we cannot view the world through his detached lens. The second half is much more philosophical and really helped define my ideas of atheism and the whole what is the point malarky. At that point I knew this god stuff wasn't true, it just seemed too nonsensical, but the idea of an afterlife, of a benevolent 'Father' is a very attractive one. I was struggling to sleep with a big ol sense of dread at the whole, 'one day, I will no longer be. The world will keep turning for an imperceptibly long time afterwards and just won't be there. Or conscious. Or know' thing. The book helped me to turn that dread into a positive outlook. Along, ahem, with a quote from House. The idea throughout Camus' books, that life is in itself meaningless, that we give our own lives meaning, is comforting in that we have our free will and self determinism. That belief in only having one shot, that it isn't a test is why I feel so strongly on social justice and equality of opportunity. Wow. Essay time.

2) Oscar Wilder: The Picture of Dorian Gray -

3) Victor Hugo: The Last Day of a Condemned Man -

4) Voltaire: Candide -

I'll come back to the other three. My weekend, and existentialist talk means I want pub.

Change your outlook by reading Puckoon by Spike Milligan.

It will stop you having to change your outlook by reading a load of old dreary tat.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Viz Annual 1990-2011

[Lord Kangana]

I kid you not that a second hand bookshop said they were the fastest sellingh item they had. Never held on to them for more than a day.

[Gary the Enfield]

Tonight I SHOULD be reading Frankie Boyle and/or Bill Bryson

[Worthy4England]

Tonight I SHOULD be reading Frankie Boyle and/or Bill Bryson

[Verbal]

Re-read Mark Haddon's 'Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime' yesterday.

Still my favourite ever book, I think.

[Bruce Rioja]

Re-read Mark Haddon's 'Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime' yesterday.

Still my favourite ever book, I think.

Still on my pile, that. Don't know how come I haven't got round to it yet. Must try harder.

[Zulus Thousand of em]

Re-read Mark Haddon's 'Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime' yesterday.

Still my favourite ever book, I think.

Still on my pile, that. Don't know how come I haven't got round to it yet. Must try harder.

Did you get around to reading Trains and Buttered Toast by John Betjeman, Bruce? If so, what did you think?

[thebish]

Re-read Mark Haddon's 'Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime' yesterday.

Still my favourite ever book, I think.

Still on my pile, that. Don't know how come I haven't got round to it yet. Must try harder.

it's fantastic - and can be pretty much read in one sitting...

[Lofthouse Lower]

Didn't like it.

Time for the bi-annual re-read of Lord of the Rings methinks. Nothing better when out in the garden with a cold drink.

[Bruce Rioja]

Re-read Mark Haddon's 'Curious Incident of the dog in the Nighttime' yesterday.

Still my favourite ever book, I think.

Still on my pile, that. Don't know how come I haven't got round to it yet. Must try harder.

Did you get around to reading Trains and Buttered Toast by John Betjeman, Bruce? If so, what did you think?

Haven't even had chance to open it yet, Zulu. I'll let you know as soon as I have though.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Bored at work

Reading this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(Terminator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

Fascinating

[CrazyHorse]

Bored at work

Reading this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(Terminator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

Fascinating

You sure know your stuff, and no mistake. Ya big sad film geek!

[P.O.S.]

Just finished off “Perry Boys” by Ian Hough. A book of two halves really; first half descended a bit too much into “our mob went here and did their mob on their turf” for me, can’t be arsed with all that, but the second half was really good I thought – all about young northern lads leaving a depressing UK behind in the 80’s to find work and/or pleasure abroad.

Anecdotes about what it was like to live and work on the Kibbutz, or travelling around the USA, or carving out an existence working in Europe – all followed by a return to dreary Manchester and the comedown that followed.

Ive got the follow-up book lined up next “Perry Boys Abroad” which looks like it will be more of the latter half of the previous book rather than the early chapters. Looking forward to it, stirs up the travelling bug inside me to dangerous levels!

[Worthy4England]

Just finished off “Perry Boys” by Ian Hough. A book of two halves really; first half descended a bit too much into “our mob went here and did their mob on their turf” for me, can’t be arsed with all that, but the second half was really good I thought – all about young northern lads leaving a depressing UK behind in the 80’s to find work and/or pleasure abroad.

Anecdotes about what it was like to live and work on the Kibbutz, or travelling around the USA, or carving out an existence working in Europe – all followed by a return to dreary Manchester and the comedown that followed.

Ive got the follow-up book lined up next “Perry Boys Abroad” which looks like it will be more of the latter half of the previous book rather than the early chapters. Looking forward to it, stirs up the travelling bug inside me to dangerous levels!

It should probably spend a good few chapters talking about the fact they got battered by just about everyone. Punks, Mods, Rockers, OAP's days out.

Scally bastards.

[P.O.S.]

Just finished off “Perry Boys” by Ian Hough. A book of two halves really; first half descended a bit too much into “our mob went here and did their mob on their turf” for me, can’t be arsed with all that, but the second half was really good I thought – all about young northern lads leaving a depressing UK behind in the 80’s to find work and/or pleasure abroad.

Anecdotes about what it was like to live and work on the Kibbutz, or travelling around the USA, or carving out an existence working in Europe – all followed by a return to dreary Manchester and the comedown that followed.

Ive got the follow-up book lined up next “Perry Boys Abroad” which looks like it will be more of the latter half of the previous book rather than the early chapters. Looking forward to it, stirs up the travelling bug inside me to dangerous levels!

It should probably spend a good few chapters talking about the fact they got battered by just about everyone. Punks, Mods, Rockers, OAP's days out.

Scally bastards.

Strangely omitted were those details! But, like I said I much more enjoyed the travelling side of things to the stuff at the start. If I want yarns about crews steaming into other crews, Ill wait for "Walking Down The Manny Road"!