What are you reading tonight?

[William the White]

Am currently two thirds of the way through Yann Martel's Beatrice and Virgil. His Booker Prize winner Life of Pi was a real winner, I thought (though slightly irritated by the very late introduction of the thought that we might be in the hands of an unreliable narrator - a nod to post-modernist ideas that was misplaced in that novel).

I'm not far from the end (since it is only 197 pages) and this is why I know I can finish it. It's dreadful - but in a complicated way that is hard to express... A donkey and a howler monkey, named after Dante's guides in The Divine Comedy are characters in a play that seems to be about the dreadful fate of animals, but is really about the Nazi Holocaust, written by a taxidermist discovered in an unnamed city by a Canadian novelist who wants to write about the Holocaust... And the play is to be performed in a land called The Shirt... which is striped like the uniform of Nazi prisoners...

I recognise a reasonably high percentage of the writer's literary and 'philosophical' reference points - but am seriously unengaged by any of it... It isn't story telling... it's a wank, really...

However, as they say, even when wanking... I've started, so I'll finish...

[William the White]

I did finish Beatrice and Virgil.

It was an ambitious mess - ambition good, mess hopeless...

Really irritated me... don't bother.

[Worthy4England]

His Booker Prize winner Life of Pi was a real winner,

I didn't know Kevin Nolan had a biography out.

[Bruce Rioja]

Vivian & I by Colin Bacon. Essential reading for Withnail devotees.

[Gary the Enfield]

His Booker Prize winner Life of Pi was a real winner,

I didn't know Kevin Nolan had a biography out.

'tis a good book though.

[hisroyalgingerness]

Reet, I'm gonna either start that Fell Running book you all recommended, or Lunar Park

[Lofthouse Lower]

Lunar Park every day of the week

[Harry Genshaw]

Lunar Park every day of the week

Fell running every time.

Half way through a biography on Evel Knievel. I remember him as a kid but knew very little about him. Seems like a right piece of work from what I've read so far.

[Raven]

I'm preparing for twelve days in Portugal. And selecting the reading. Not easy. Shelf of Shame still has far too many for a mere twelve days... And some are definitely not holiday reading... Currently David Mitchell's number9dream and Andrea Levy's The Long Song the only certs.

Recommendations welcomed - don't do pulp fiction - would really welcome page turners with a little thought behind them...

Bit late I know but try Skallagrigg by William Horwood, very touching, moving and intelligently written (well as far as I am concerned) - Its a novel about a 16 year old girl with cerebral palsy and her search for the mythical Skallagrigg - Horwoods daugher suffers from CP and its not in such a fantasy novel more one about families, detective work, treatment of the disabled and life in general, I keep lending it out and not getting it back and having to buy it again....in fact I need to do it again now One of the rare books that actually made me get a tear in my eye

[Lofthouse Lower]

'Don't do pulp fiction'

Why? Snobbery?

[William the White]

I'm preparing for twelve days in Portugal. And selecting the reading. Not easy. Shelf of Shame still has far too many for a mere twelve days... And some are definitely not holiday reading... Currently David Mitchell's number9dream and Andrea Levy's The Long Song the only certs.

Recommendations welcomed - don't do pulp fiction - would really welcome page turners with a little thought behind them...

Don't know if you've read it Will, but last year on hols I realy enjoyed 'The Time Traveller's Wife' Some lovely prose which I think you'd appreciate. It's a little overlong, but very well written.

Bought it this morning, will open it on a Portuguese beach sometime tomorrow.

Looking forward to it.

[Gary the Enfield]

I'm preparing for twelve days in Portugal. And selecting the reading. Not easy. Shelf of Shame still has far too many for a mere twelve days... And some are definitely not holiday reading... Currently David Mitchell's number9dream and Andrea Levy's The Long Song the only certs.

Recommendations welcomed - don't do pulp fiction - would really welcome page turners with a little thought behind them...

Bit late I know but try Skallagrigg by William Horwood, very touching, moving and intelligently written (well as far as I am concerned) - Its a novel about a 16 year old girl with cerebral palsy and her search for the mythical Skallagrigg - Horwoods daugher suffers from CP and its not in such a fantasy novel more one about families, detective work, treatment of the disabled and life in general, I keep lending it out and not getting it back and having to buy it again....in fact I need to do it again now One of the rare books that actually made me get a tear in my eye

Brilliant story.

[Raven]

Probably not for WtW but anyone read anything by Christopher Moore, far fetched fiction at its best and dam funny

Just finished The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and it was excellent

[TANGODANCER]

Probably not for WtW but anyone read anything by Christopher Moore, far fetched fiction at its best and dam funny

Just finished The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and it was excellent

Now you've made me want to go find a copy of "The Weirdstone of Brisingham" again.

[Raven]

Just finished Richard Zimler's Warsaw Anagrams which was excellent too. Makes me want to read a bit more (fact now) on the Warsaw Ghetto in WW2

Not heard of The Weirdstone of Brisingham, will look it up

[TANGODANCER]

Bit late I know but try Skallagrigg by William Horwood, very touching, moving and intelligently written (well as far as I am concerned) - Its a novel about a 16 year old girl with cerebral palsy and her search for the mythical Skallagrigg - Horwoods daugher suffers from CP and its not in such a fantasy novel more one about families, detective work, treatment of the disabled and life in general, I keep lending it out and not getting it back and having to buy it again....in fact I need to do it again now One of the rare books that actually made me get a tear in my eye

Not totally relevent,but have you read Stephen Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". Pure fiction but three great novels based around a guy with leprosy.

[Raven]

Seems to ring a bell, think I have looked at them and never gone for them, will give them a go once the pile of books etc has shrunk

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Off on holibobs tomorrow for a week by a Mallorcan pool. Will try my best to refrain from usual packing peccadillo of taking half a dozen books and only ever reading one. Bought Owen Jones' Chavs: The demonisation of the working class for main read. Should also finish John Lanchester's easily read but frankly terrifying fiscal-crisis explanation Whoops: Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay, but it's a bit light on cross-heads and chapter-splits so I might need something a touch lighter to dip in and out of (like the pool or the bar). I suspect it will once again be one of Clive James' TV-column compendiums. They're now out of print so the old bugger's put them on his site; anyone who wants to write well, or simply laugh hard, should spend time soaking up the sentences. Try Auntie Goes To Munich, about the BBC's coverage of the 1972 Olympics.

[Verbal]

Just picked up David Peace's "Occupied City" for the princely sum of £1.

[Gary the Enfield]

Bit late I know but try Skallagrigg by William Horwood, very touching, moving and intelligently written (well as far as I am concerned) - Its a novel about a 16 year old girl with cerebral palsy and her search for the mythical Skallagrigg - Horwoods daugher suffers from CP and its not in such a fantasy novel more one about families, detective work, treatment of the disabled and life in general, I keep lending it out and not getting it back and having to buy it again....in fact I need to do it again now One of the rare books that actually made me get a tear in my eye

Not totally relevent,but have you read Stephen Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". Pure fiction but three great novels based around a guy with leprosy.

Now nine books TD

First and Second Chronicles (both trilogies)

There are three further books the third of which is due out shortly.

Fantastic stuff, but hard work in parts. Covenant is the true anti-hero. A Leper, rapist and sociopath, but you can't help wanting him to succeed ultimately.


Donaldson's also written a series of books called 'The Gap Series'

It's Isaac Asimov meets Terry Nation. Also worth a read.