What are you reading?
- Thread starter Gavin
- Start date
I haven't posted in here for a while. I've read a few books since last time.
No Lifeguard on Duty, Janice Dickenson
Absolutely fantastic! Bitchy gossiping at its best. She's a big old whore and I love her! Highlights include her anecdote of taking part in a Calvin Klein fashion show, with an unmentionable substance dripping down her legs.
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
This is a different take on the old Dracula story. It's fiction, but uses historic fact to link Vlad the Impaler with the old legends. It could be really interesting, but is just such a slow read and quite dull, to be honest. Also, the author's style is pretty smug. It's her first book, and she's obviously very pleased with herself.
Wicked, Gregory Maguire
I was expecting a lot from this, but was left very disappointed. Friends had recommended it ages ago, before the musical came out, but I never got around to reading it until now. I love the idea behind it, and it started off really well, but I got sick of it about half way through. The ending seemed really rushed, as if the author got sick of it, too.
No Lifeguard on Duty, Janice Dickenson
Absolutely fantastic! Bitchy gossiping at its best. She's a big old whore and I love her! Highlights include her anecdote of taking part in a Calvin Klein fashion show, with an unmentionable substance dripping down her legs.
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
This is a different take on the old Dracula story. It's fiction, but uses historic fact to link Vlad the Impaler with the old legends. It could be really interesting, but is just such a slow read and quite dull, to be honest. Also, the author's style is pretty smug. It's her first book, and she's obviously very pleased with herself.
Wicked, Gregory Maguire
I was expecting a lot from this, but was left very disappointed. Friends had recommended it ages ago, before the musical came out, but I never got around to reading it until now. I love the idea behind it, and it started off really well, but I got sick of it about half way through. The ending seemed really rushed, as if the author got sick of it, too.
A
Anonymous
Guest
im reading right now about dragons hense the name, but its called dragon rider
Will
Strata Poster
You'll be as amazed as I was to know I finally finished Saturday... around the beginning of this month, and it did eventually starting going somewhere, but not at a great deal of pace.
Out of Kingston-induced boredom, I picked up Gentlemen and Players last night, which my Mum has been nagging me to read for literally years, presumably due to our views on private schools! It's an easy read, I'll give it that, and compelling, even if there's not a great deal happening, I seem to be getting through it.
Out of Kingston-induced boredom, I picked up Gentlemen and Players last night, which my Mum has been nagging me to read for literally years, presumably due to our views on private schools! It's an easy read, I'll give it that, and compelling, even if there's not a great deal happening, I seem to be getting through it.
Stone Cold
Mega Poster
Just finished Craig Brown's "The Tony Years" which is a collection of small pieces satirising virtually everything from the last 10 years, regardless if it was the fault of the government or not. The book was divided into "archives" from various governmental departments as a hook, but personally, I felt the that political satire was often lacking, especially that which lampooned Cameron, Prescott, Brown or Blair. It was tiresome and repetitive, and in the case of Brown and Blair, would have worked significantly better it were being spoken rather than written.
However, when the book moved away from politics, it did have some funny parts and in a few instances managed to show genuine satirical class, if you have a cynical outlook on popular culture, you won't regret reading this book.
However, when the book moved away from politics, it did have some funny parts and in a few instances managed to show genuine satirical class, if you have a cynical outlook on popular culture, you won't regret reading this book.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Ben said:
[/queer or british] :lol:
Anyway, Down and out in the Magic Kingdom.
Very interesting, very good, a must read!
Finally seem to have got out of the "Baby Calming", "what to do with your 18 month old little poo-bag" and "so you want to kill your un-sleeping baby" book rut I was in, and have moved back onto real books... Well, almost. 
I'm currently around half-way through "Cell" by Stephen King. It's a bit "King-lite", like a lot of his more recent works, but it's enjoyable enough. Doesn't really seem to be going anywhere particularly quickly though, and is rapidly heading off the rails like Dreamcatcher did (only in not quite such a good, Derry kind of way).
So I'm still undecided as to how good it actually is
Next up is the second part of Abarat by Clive Barker. Woohoo!
I'm currently around half-way through "Cell" by Stephen King. It's a bit "King-lite", like a lot of his more recent works, but it's enjoyable enough. Doesn't really seem to be going anywhere particularly quickly though, and is rapidly heading off the rails like Dreamcatcher did (only in not quite such a good, Derry kind of way).
So I'm still undecided as to how good it actually is
Next up is the second part of Abarat by Clive Barker. Woohoo!
A
Anonymous
Guest
I'm just finished reading 'Memores of a Geisha' by Authur Golden, it's a must read, I watched the film first, and it was a total let down compared to the book.
I'm now reading 'Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?'. It's a question and answer book filled with interesting things that you'd always want to ask. Really good!
I'm now reading 'Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex?'. It's a question and answer book filled with interesting things that you'd always want to ask. Really good!
Slayed
Hyper Poster
I thought Cell was alright-ish, nice momentum to it...I'll shut up until you're finishedfurie said:I'm currently around half-way through "Cell" by Stephen King. It's a bit "King-lite", like a lot of his more recent works, but it's enjoyable enough. Doesn't really seem to be going anywhere particularly quickly though, and is rapidly heading off the rails like Dreamcatcher did (only in not quite such a good, Derry kind of way).
Next up is the second part of Abarat by Clive Barker. Woohoo!
It could never go off the rails as much as the Dreamcatcher film did!As for Clive Barker's Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War, that's on my shelf waiting to be started
I'm just finishing the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix, extremely well written fantasy, thanks for that Ploddish
LOL! I thought that was hormonal! They didn't ask that in Eggheads :lol:Autaven said:
Ben said:
LOL! Why do you think it'll make more sense just because you're in Canada?
Have you read The Tommy Knockers yet Ben? I read it when I was 15 and it seriously did my nut in. I was doing my exams at the time, under pressure and stuff and the book just really, seriously screwed my head good and proper.
Never read it again...
As we're on about Mr King, have any of you read the Dark Tower books? I've been looking to buy them cheap now. I was never really interested, but a lot of the Dark Tower mythos has crept into his newer works (like he had all the Castle Rock based stuff for a while, now everything links with The Dark Tower). Hearts in Atlantis had it first I think (damn good read) and then From a Buick 8 (erm... Not sure about that one), and also Everything's Eventual.
What's intriguing me though, is if the Dark Tower mythos has crept into his "real world" work, or if maybe the Dark Tower is part of his "Derry" real world mythos (I noticed a while back when I read Insomnia that he seems to have some kind of background mythos running through a few books, primarily IT (with the turtle) and Insomnia with the "fates" and the Random and The Red King).
Slayed
Hyper Poster
I bought them cheap but haven't read them yet (they're somewhere in my stupidly big pile of unread books, as is Insomnia), I kind of half want to and half don't.furie said:
Dark Tower stuff also appears in Black House, the "sequel" to The Talisman with Peter Straub, so he's definitely getting it out there (although it's still fantasy). Have you tried any Straub? Some really dark fantasy in there! But he's an outstanding writer.
But don't go anywhere near the Hearts in Atlantis film, it's one of the most boring films I've ever seen!
I have... I think the fifth book in the Dark Tower series, that's it .
Looked a bit like LotR to me, and I cried and left.
And I haven't read the Tommy Knockers yet, but, I've got it and I started it today. I'm only about 50 pages in, but it's actually already starting to really creep me out.
King <3.
.Looked a bit like LotR to me, and I cried and left.
And I haven't read the Tommy Knockers yet, but, I've got it and I started it today. I'm only about 50 pages in, but it's actually already starting to really creep me out.
King <3.
^ Yeah, it starts off as a very interesting book......won't spoil it for you.
Geisha was a great book, and I actually thought the film was ok, too. Of course, the book was better, but that's usually a given. My only problem with the book is that I got really tired of the over the top "beautiful" descriptions: "Hatsumomo's silken kimono glided over her petal-soft skin, as softly as a butterfly brushing the feather-like tips of its wings against the first snowflake of winter....."
Not an exact quote, I made that up, but the book was full of that kind of faggy-assed crap.
Recently finished:
The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, Belle Du Jour
Starting life as an internet blog, this real diary of a high class hooker is fantastic. She writes really intelligently, mixing very candid descriptions of her work with her thoughts on life in general. I usually hate "diary" styles of writing, but this one was great.
Jamaica Inn, Daphne Du Maurier
I really like Du Maurier's stuff, and this is probably one of her best. Even though the story is quite simple, the dark, brooding atmosphere she creates here (and in many other books) is what makes it so readable. Not a patch on Rebecca though.....
Autaven said:
Geisha was a great book, and I actually thought the film was ok, too. Of course, the book was better, but that's usually a given. My only problem with the book is that I got really tired of the over the top "beautiful" descriptions: "Hatsumomo's silken kimono glided over her petal-soft skin, as softly as a butterfly brushing the feather-like tips of its wings against the first snowflake of winter....."
Not an exact quote, I made that up, but the book was full of that kind of faggy-assed crap.
Recently finished:
The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, Belle Du Jour
Starting life as an internet blog, this real diary of a high class hooker is fantastic. She writes really intelligently, mixing very candid descriptions of her work with her thoughts on life in general. I usually hate "diary" styles of writing, but this one was great.
Jamaica Inn, Daphne Du Maurier
I really like Du Maurier's stuff, and this is probably one of her best. Even though the story is quite simple, the dark, brooding atmosphere she creates here (and in many other books) is what makes it so readable. Not a patch on Rebecca though.....
A
Anonymous
Guest
Yeah I know what you mean, when theres a lot of that I end up skipping paragraphs, and missing things which are actually important.gavin said:
Just now I'm re-reading Hannah's Gift. True story about a little girl who gets cancer when she's only 2 years old, it's really sad, but I totally recommend people read it. One of those inspiring sad books that will have you smiling at the end.
Will
Strata Poster
Gentlemen and Players finished, and was actually quite good really, and with an unexpected (and positive) ending.
Now onto One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson, 'a jolly murder mystery' apparently... it's a load of nonsense so far, so I hope it starts making sense eventually. I should probably start choosing my own books, rather than the drivvel my Mum posts me, but at least half of her choices turn out good... unlike 'Saturday'.
Now onto One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson, 'a jolly murder mystery' apparently... it's a load of nonsense so far, so I hope it starts making sense eventually. I should probably start choosing my own books, rather than the drivvel my Mum posts me, but at least half of her choices turn out good... unlike 'Saturday'.