What are you reading tonight?

[Lord Kangana]

Sadly I don't know of any fictional books on the subject, but I reckon you might be interested in this stuff, Tango:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharism

Then again, you might know all about it already

[TANGODANCER]

Sadly I don't know of any fictional books on the subject, but I reckon you might be interested in this stuff, Tango:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharism

Then again, you might know all about it already

Indeed I do. Just another piece in the puzzle, although hardly showing Christianity in a good light yet again. I have read on it quite a lot and the novel "The Labrynth" by Kate Moss (no, not her )if I remember, is written around it.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Bonanza in the charity shops today: Stephen King's On Writing, which I've eyed from afar for awhile; Stuart Maconie's Cider With Roadies (anyone who hasn't yet started listening to him and Mark Radcliffe on Radio 2 Mon-Thu 8-10pm should do so without further ado); and a Viz Profanisaurus. Still chuckling at "double bassing".

[Di Stefano]

Bonanza in the charity shops today: Stephen King's On Writing, which I've eyed from afar for awhile; Stuart Maconie's Cider With Roadies (anyone who hasn't yet started listening to him and Mark Radcliffe on Radio 2 Mon-Thu 8-10pm should do so without further ado); and a Viz Profanisaurus. Still chuckling at "double bassing".

Cider With Roadies is great - after reading that I then worked out that the job he walked out of in Bolton became the first job after university that a then friend of mine got & turned into a career.

I've just started "Thank You For The Days" by the aforementioned Mark Radcliffe which I picked up in the library today.

[General Mannerheim]

been Reading HST's The Rum Diary - its fooking great! he wrote it in the sixties but it wasnt published till about 10 years ago.

you can imagine publishers of the time reading it thinking WTF!!! but now, after knowing all his later writings, its typical HST and its brilliant.

apparently there is a movie in early production too.

[jmjhb]

About to start The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

[Dujon]

For anyone who is interested in personal accounts of people who lived through the Chinese revolutions, including the Sino-Japanese conflict of early last century, I can recommend two biographies:

To the Edge of the Sky from Gao Anhua and Vermilion Gate from Mu Aiping. Please note that the 'family' names are Gao and Mu and may be catalogued as such but, because of the Chinese method of using the family name first, might well be recorded under their given names.

I found both of these books compelling and educational. Although they cover (roughly) the same period they reflect - obviously, I guess - the experiences of the writers. Both authors now (or did) leave China and now live in the U.K.. There are many similarities in these tales of derring-do and persecution but there is also much to separate them. If means anything to you, both of them are female.

I found Gao's writing easier to follow but Mu's incredibly detailed description of her family experiences is, well, eye-opening - she does though have a tendency to repeat earlier information (as though it was, at least at times, serialised). Even with that rider, Mu's tome (and it is indeed just that), faults and all, kept me reading.

One could say that both writers come from similar backgrounds and both left China for the U.K. and thus brush them aside as some sort of lucky or privileged people. To be honest I don't have an answer to that other than it is only survivors who live to tell a tale.

[Raven]

Just finished a book called The Dark Watch by someone with a Russian name about "others members of a dark watch and a light watch who monitor each other to make sure the good/evil balance in the world is maintained...yes think that gives a clue that I did not really understand it, I certainly won't bother getting the other books in the trilogy it was dire, boring characters, rushed nonsensical endings (it reads like 3 short stories in one book)

A third of the way through Banquet for the Damned by Adam L G Nevill which is looking like a really good supernatural read.

[ratbert]

Found Len Deighton's The Ipcress File for £1.99 in Oxfam. Totally different from the film, especially given that the Michael Caine character actually comes from Burnley!

[Prufrock]

Just finished a book called The Dark Watch by someone with a Russian name about "others members of a dark watch and a light watch who monitor each other to make sure the good/evil balance in the world is maintained...yes think that gives a clue that I did not really understand it, I certainly won't bother getting the other books in the trilogy it was dire, boring characters, rushed nonsensical endings (it reads like 3 short stories in one book)

A third of the way through Banquet for the Damned by Adam L G Nevill which is looking like a really good supernatural read.

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

[superjohnmcginlay]

Ive just started "Kill Your Friends" by some Niven fella. Funny in a twisted way.

[TANGODANCER]

Just finished a book by Colin Dexter ( a supremely intelligent writer,), Daughters of Cain, (An Inspector Morse classic).
Made me yearn for the brilliant John Thaw to still be alive and doing another Morse series.

[ratbert]

Just finished a book called The Dark Watch by someone with a Russian name about "others members of a dark watch and a light watch who monitor each other to make sure the good/evil balance in the world is maintained...yes think that gives a clue that I did not really understand it, I certainly won't bother getting the other books in the trilogy it was dire, boring characters, rushed nonsensical endings (it reads like 3 short stories in one book)

A third of the way through Banquet for the Damned by Adam L G Nevill which is looking like a really good supernatural read.

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

And see the film version if you can!

[TANGODANCER]

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

Dear dear Pru. How very judgemental (and of course entirely wrong)of you

Lord of the Rings is a classic of its kind and the film a masterpiece of the art of special effects. None of its imitators have come near it except The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. All in my opinion of course.

[Worthy4England]

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

Dear dear Pru. How very judgemental (and of course entirely wrong)of you

Lord of the Rings is a classic of its kind and the film a masterpiece of the art of special effects. None of its imitators have come near it except The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. All in my opinion of course.

I can concur on many of these counts TD

[William the White]

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

Dear dear Pru. How very judgemental (and of course entirely wrong)of you

Lord of the Rings is a classic of its kind and the film a masterpiece of the art of special effects. None of its imitators have come near it except The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. All in my opinion of course.

I can concur on many of these counts TD

I disagree on pretty much all - the book is overblown, overwritten, repetitive and gets less interesting volume by volume.

The first film was so atrocious, after the first 20 minutes, loved those mysterious horsemen, the scenes in the village, the start of the quest, but, after that, in everything but its SFX and grand countryside I just couldn't face the next two. Being bored for close to three hours once is enough.

[Prufrock]

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

Dear dear Pru. How very judgemental (and of course entirely wrong)of you

Lord of the Rings is a classic of its kind and the film a masterpiece of the art of special effects. None of its imitators have come near it except The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. All in my opinion of course.

I can concur on many of these counts TD

I disagree on pretty much all - the book is overblown, overwritten, repetitive and gets less interesting volume by volume.

The first film was so atrocious, after the first 20 minutes, loved those mysterious horsemen, the scenes in the village, the start of the quest, but, after that, in everything but its SFX and grand countryside I just couldn't face the next two. Being bored for close to three hours once is enough.

Agree with all of that. I don't really get 'fantasy' anyway, but id DEFO reccomend the Night watch trilogy. The original poster makes a valid point about how one book is somehow three stories, but its a different writing style. Its just.....russian.

[Worthy4England]

Do you mean the Night watch by Sergey Lukyanenko? If so I thought they were both fascinating, and I don't normally do that kind of thing. They're written in a completely different style to all 'western' books Ive ever read. And for are far more interesting than the Lord of the Rings shiiiite.

Dear dear Pru. How very judgemental (and of course entirely wrong)of you

Lord of the Rings is a classic of its kind and the film a masterpiece of the art of special effects. None of its imitators have come near it except The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. All in my opinion of course.

I can concur on many of these counts TD

I disagree on pretty much all - the book is overblown, overwritten, repetitive and gets less interesting volume by volume.

The first film was so atrocious, after the first 20 minutes, loved those mysterious horsemen, the scenes in the village, the start of the quest, but, after that, in everything but its SFX and grand countryside I just couldn't face the next two. Being bored for close to three hours once is enough.

Agree with all of that. I don't really get 'fantasy' anyway, but id DEFO reccomend the Night watch trilogy. The original poster makes a valid point about how one book is somehow three stories, but its a different writing style. Its just.....russian.

Err minor point, but are not most books that are fiction, effectively works of the author's fantasy?

So one author has a fantasy that his hero is a CIA operative who saves the world etc. etc. and another one has a fantasy that such things as Elves and Ents exist?

I'm a little surprised that one so in favour of William Shakespeare could be so critical of any other writer for being overblown, overwritten and less interesting (line by line, generally). Shakespeare has probably single handedly put more kids off reading and theatre than any other writer - Much Ado About Nothing as you might say.

[TANGODANCER]

Err minor point, but are not most books that are fiction, effectively works of the author's fantasy?
So one author has a fantasy that his hero is a CIA operative who saves the world etc. etc. and another one has a fantasy that such things as Elves and Ents exist?

I'm a little surprised that one so in favour of William Shakespeare could be so critical of any other writer for being overblown, overwritten and less interesting (line by line, generally). Shakespeare has probably single handedly put more kids off reading and theatre than any other writer - Much Ado About Nothing as you might say.

Exactly Worthy. Allowing imangination to run riot is the very thing that the fantasy genre provides. Strangely, science-fiction, in the strict sense, is the one area I rarely venture into or have any interest in.

[Lord Kangana]

If you only ever read one scienc fiction book Tango, read Dune. The sheer imagination in it is breathtaking.