What are you reading tonight?

[TANGODANCER]

^^
I used to devour every Alistair McLean. Guns of Navarone, Force Ten from Navarone and Where eagles Dare ( amongst many others) were pure reading pleasure way back when I was young and foolish. The Guns of Navarone book actually came out in the fifties and made a great film in 1961 (had to look that date up).

[KeyserSoze]

Keyser if you've nowt to read get hold of Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes. If you don't love it I'll give you the money back!

Haha! guffawed at the cover - will keep an eye out for it!

in the meantime, for the train journeys to and from somerset at the weekend, and after my first exposure to Miller, I bought his first collection of plays. All My Sons, Death of a Salesman. The Crucible, A Memory of Two Mondays and A View from the Bridge. Looking forward to ploughing through tehm.

I don't know Memory of Two Mondays... The others are absolute classics... Enjoy...

Just finished A View From The Bridge Absolutely incredible, and just makes me sad that I missed it when it was on down here!

In a fit of buying frenzy, walked past a bookstore in Southwark yesterday that was closing down - bought War and Peace, Crime & Punishment and a collection of Oscar Wilde's plays. All for the princely sum of £5.99. Will probably take me eight years to finish W&P.

[Dujon]

^^
I used to devour every Alistair McLean. Guns of Navarone, Force Ten from Navarone and Where eagles Dare ( amongst many others) were pure reading pleasure way back when I was young and foolish. The Guns of Navarone book actually came out in the fifties and made a great film in 1961 (had to look that date up).

Likewise, TANGO, although I couldn't tell you what titles I read in those days even if you put burning matches beneath all my toe and finger nails. At a guess I'd say they were all tales of adventure of the type which appealed to youngsters so soon after WWII.

[TANGODANCER]

^^
I used to devour every Alistair McLean. Guns of Navarone, Force Ten from Navarone and Where eagles Dare ( amongst many others) were pure reading pleasure way back when I was young and foolish. The Guns of Navarone book actually came out in the fifties and made a great film in 1961 (had to look that date up).

Likewise, TANGO, although I couldn't tell you what titles I read in those days even if you put burning matches beneath all my toe and finger nails. At a guess I'd say they were all tales of adventure of the type which appealed to youngsters so soon after WWII.

Diversifying a little here, Dujon: I saw a copy of John Wayne's The Quiet Man D.V.D on sale in Bolton yesterday. I though £8 was a bit steep for a film made sixty two years ago, in 1952. It was my dad's favourite film and is one of mine. I'll probably go back for it though..

[Beefheart]

^^
I used to devour every Alistair McLean. Guns of Navarone, Force Ten from Navarone and Where eagles Dare ( amongst many others) were pure reading pleasure way back when I was young and foolish. The Guns of Navarone book actually came out in the fifties and made a great film in 1961 (had to look that date up).

Likewise, TANGO, although I couldn't tell you what titles I read in those days even if you put burning matches beneath all my toe and finger nails. At a guess I'd say they were all tales of adventure of the type which appealed to youngsters so soon after WWII.

Diversifying a little here, Dujon: I saw a copy of John Wayne's The Quiet Man D.V.D on sale in Bolton yesterday. I though £8 was a bit steep for a film made sixty two years ago, in 1952. It was my dad's favourite film and is one of mine. I'll probably go back for it though..

I got the same DVD (as it is one of my dad's favourites!) from That's Entertainment in Manchester for £2.50 (though that was second hand). £3.90 brand new on Amazon. Great film anyway.

[TANGODANCER]

Diversifying a little here, Dujon: I saw a copy of John Wayne's The Quiet Man D.V.D on sale in Bolton yesterday. I though £8 was a bit steep for a film made sixty two years ago, in 1952. It was my dad's favourite film and is one of mine. I'll probably go back for it though..

I got the same DVD (as it is one of my dad's favourites!) from That's Entertainment in Manchester for £2.50 (though that was second hand). £3.90 brand new on Amazon. Great film anyway.[/quote]

Cheers buddy. I'll track it down.

[William the White]

Today I finished reading Victor Serge's Unforgiving Years for the second time.

I first read it five or six years ago on a Portuguese beach and thought it was brilliant.

I underestimated it.

It is a demanding, poetic, fearsome, hallucinatory, gigantic work.

Its story - though narrative is not its method - is of the defection of a Soviet agent in the 1930s and his quest for a place of hiding.

But its real story is of the craziness and horror of 20th century war, the failure of revolution, the victory of tyrannies of right and left, and the struggle to maintain humanity within such madness, violence and social disaster.

There are four lengthy chapters - in Paris, just before the outbreak of war, where the secret agent makes his break. In Leningrad, in 1944, besieged for almost two years, facing starvation with a helpless courage. In Berlin in the last weeks of the war. And in Mexico in 1946, where the relentless pursuit of the agent continues.

Serge had lived in all of these places and only a year after completing this died, in Mexico City. It took 25 years for this book to be published (in French) and was translated into English and published in New York only in 2008.

It is magnificent! Genius.

Other readers views:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/780 ... Years?ac=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CAPSLOCK]

David Mitchell - should I be arsed?

[thebish]

David Mitchell - should I be arsed?

aye - great stuff!

[CAPSLOCK]

Heard a review of his new one on good ol' Radio 2

All very positive, but amazon a little more mixed

Its not all about suspending belief, is it, cos if it is, it'll be through the window

[thebish]

Heard a review of his new one on good ol' Radio 2

All very positive, but amazon a little more mixed

Its not all about suspending belief, is it, cos if it is, it'll be through the window

if you're a Radio 2 listener - you'll have no problem suspending belief!! It kinda depends what you mean by "suspending belief" - if a book is written in an alternate universe - or a future version of this one - and it is internally consistent - then there is no need to "suspend belief"...

I enjoyed them - but that's no guarantee that you will!!

[William the White]

Heard a review of his new one on good ol' Radio 2

All very positive, but amazon a little more mixed

Its not all about suspending belief, is it, cos if it is, it'll be through the window

if you're a Radio 2 listener - you'll have no problem suspending belief!! It kinda depends what you mean by "suspending belief" - if a book is written in an alternate universe - or a future version of this one - and it is internally consistent - then there is no need to "suspend belief"...

I enjoyed them - but that's no guarantee that you will!!

I think he's brilliant. This may or may not be reassuring to CAPS...

[thebish]

Heard a review of his new one on good ol' Radio 2

All very positive, but amazon a little more mixed

Its not all about suspending belief, is it, cos if it is, it'll be through the window

if you're a Radio 2 listener - you'll have no problem suspending belief!! It kinda depends what you mean by "suspending belief" - if a book is written in an alternate universe - or a future version of this one - and it is internally consistent - then there is no need to "suspend belief"...

I enjoyed them - but that's no guarantee that you will!!

I think he's brilliant. This may or may not be reassuring to CAPS...

well - that's blown it!!

[CAPSLOCK]

Fcuk that


Seriously tho, I think I'll give him a go - the latest or an earlier one?

Seeing as William is about

One Day In The Life Of Ivan - interesting as I found it, does it lose a lot if you read the wrong translation?

[Prufrock]

Cloud Atlas is the shit.

[LeverEnd]

Cloud Atlas is the shit.

Got that but keep putting it off in favour of easier looking reads, basically cos I'm a lazy git.
Finished the Robert Harris Dreyfus book, which was very enjoyable.

[William the White]

Cloud Atlas is the shit.

Got that but keep putting it off in favour of easier looking reads, basically cos I'm a lazy git.
Finished the Robert Harris Dreyfus book, which was very enjoyable.

Cloud Atlas is my favourite so far, Though Ghostwritten is one of the best debut novels I've ever read.

I note the latest didn't make it to the Booker shortlist.

[Prufrock]

Between interruptions I got through some stuff in Cornwall.

Finished God is not Great. Outstanding. Should be a set text in schools. Blows even the God Delusion out of the water. Relentless sober logic.

Also finished Mrs Dalloway. Irritated me at first, seemed to suffer from the same fault as Mantel in Wolf Hall with floating pronouns that mean you have to re-read; however, unlike Wolf Hall, there's a point here, as the story flits from character to character as they pass each other. It took a while to get into, and it's not easy, but in the end I loved it. A really beautiful, magical book. Charming at times, acerbic at times, and like so many novels from that period, so, so cinematic.

Then read Gone Girl. This book is a crying shame. The first third to a half is genuinely brilliant, up there with the best modern prose I've read, quick, witty, perceptive, tonally perfect, but then it just gets f*cking ridiculous. I know it's a thriller, but come now. Utterly ruined, utterly unbelievable. Such a shame.

Then a collection of Jeeves and Woster. Carry on, Jeeves, I think. Lovely stuff.

Then, and now, about 3/4s of the way through Hamlet, which I never studied, have never seen, and never read! S'not bad.

[CAPSLOCK]

Cloud Atlas is the shit.

Got that but keep putting it off in favour of easier looking reads, basically cos I'm a lazy git.
Finished the Robert Harris Dreyfus book, which was very enjoyable.

Cloud Atlas is my favourite so far, Though Ghostwritten is one of the best debut novels I've ever read.

I note the latest didn't make it to the Booker shortlist.

Reet, I'll give it a go

But remember, I know where you live

[TANGODANCER]

Between interruptions I got through some stuff in Cornwall.
Finished God is not Great. Outstanding. Should be a set text in schools. Blows even the God Delusion out of the water. Relentless sober logic.

You know Pru, the more you beat that Anti-God drum, the more it makes you sound afraid.
What happened to all that "let people make their own minds up" and "people will sort it out for themselves" and all those free speech for all sermons you used to yodel? Now you're saying kids should be made to read propaganda in school. Be warned, Father Christmas is listening.