The Reading List

Lucy McGough wrote:Anything that means I don't have to spend any money of my own on books makes perfect sense.

Well that's always a desirable outcome.

I've taken to reading Dean Koontz lately.

Dean is one of those authors that the publishing industry wants to turn into a brand, and he's resisting admirably by writing whatever he damn well pleases. What he pleases are interesting, dark stories with a core of hope to them. I think he's one of those people who I'd class as a Groovy Christian - someone who lives it rather than preaches it. His characters are well drawn, flawed, human and in the end this becomes their greatest strength. Koontz is unafraid to face some darkness and in some respects he's like Stephen King. On the other hand, Koontz appears to still use an editor.

These aren't great works of literature, but they are thoughtful books with some soul to them. The reason for reading them right now is that he's only sneakily demanding and he has a knack for dialog and character which I find comforting. I'd liken him to comfort food, but he's a bit more interesting than that.

A friend of mine today proved worthy of the name by presenting me with my Christmas presents - DVDs of Joy Division and The Armando Iannucci Shows and The Writer's Tale.

I have been dying to read this, but it seemed such an obvious Christmas present to buy me I'd decided to postpone purchasing until festivities had passed. Hurrah for foresight!

It'll give me something to read now that I've practically caught up on Robert Crais' books, anyway...

Currently reading:

Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly.

Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy.

The Lost Army by Valerio Massimo Manfredi.

and Who-wise:

The Story of Martha by Dan Abnett and various others.

And [i]Beautiful Chaos[/b] by Gary Russell.

I'm taking The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Tomalin and Hall, Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories by John Updike, and England Made Me by Black Box Recorder Graham Greene away with me this weekend.

How much of them will get read is another matter, but...

Graymalkin wrote:I'm taking The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Tomalin and Hall, Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories by John Updike, and England Made Me by Black Box Recorder Graham Greene away with me this weekend.

How much of them will get read is another matter, but...

Very good choices. And even if you don't get to actually read any of them - at least you'll have an exceedingly intellectual suitcase contents.

Sid Seadevil wrote:And even if you don't get to actually read any of them - at least you'll have an exceedingly intellectual suitcase contents.

I do think it's vitally important, when one is being painfully subjected to an extraordinarily intimate search by an unpleasantly-fragranced right-wing paranoiac, to at least leave a good impression as to your choice of reading matter. After all, being a terrorist is no excuse to let one's standards slide!

And I have iLiKETRAiNS' 'The Deception' ready on the iPod to accompany the story of Donald Crowhurst. And Black Box Recorder's England Made Me, now I think on't. I'm practically multimedia, me!

Graymalkin wrote:I do think it's vitally important, when one is being painfully subjected to an extraordinarily intimate search by an unpleasantly-fragranced right-wing paranoiac, to at least leave a good impression as to your choice of reading matter. After all, being a terrorist is no excuse to let one's standards slide!

Quite so, old fellow - one wouldn't want to let the side down in front of Johnny Foreigner.

Graymalkin wrote:And I have iLiKETRAiNS' 'The Deception' ready on the iPod to accompany the story of Donald Crowhurst. And Black Box Recorder's England Made Me, now I think on't. I'm practically multimedia, me!

Being practically multimedia on any overseas trip is of vital importance. I always ensure I have a least one James Bond film and a Batman cartoon on my media player alongside my latest Who talking book. It's little touches such as these that made us great.*

*That and dealing lots of death, of course.

I've read two of my favorite mystery series lately, The Cat Who Went up the Creek and the Cat Who Talked Turkey.

Don't read The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Nothing happens and it's depressing.

Reread Othello instead. It's BRILLIANT.

Lucy McGough wrote:Reread Othello instead. It's BRILLIANT.

Plus when you get fed up reading it, it makes a more than passable game too.

Murdering your wife is a game?!?!?!?

Lucy McGough wrote:Murdering your wife is a game?!?!?!?

And, like all games, one you get better at with practice...

*edges nervously away from Ian*

Lucy McGough wrote:*edges nervously away from Ian*

You're perfectly safe as long as you don't marry me*...

Actually, I was reading an English phrasebook in a Spanish bookshop (the chain is called, pleasantly enough, 'Happy Books') and shortly after the oh-so-useful-in-conversation phrase 'he had slain many men' came the intriguing 'Henry bereaves his mother every day' - now there's a sentence that gets the imagination going.

The book was hilarious - I really regret not buying it now...

Maybe you can find it on the internet

Just finished re-reading Watchmen for the umpteenth time. In prep for the film, y'see.

Also just finished Lance Parkin's Who novel The Eyeless - highly recommended. And I would recommend Gary Russell's Beautiful Chaos too - he gets Donna, Wilf and Sylvia absolutely spot on!

Following this I've got Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins to finish, three books on Derek Jarman to start and six more unread Who novels. I just don't have the time, these days, I tell ya!

Valerio Massimo Manfredi's books are great, they're just a little too heavy although as he's a historian it should really be expected. At the moment I'm reading several books the main one being Son Of A Witch by Gregory Maguire, which is possibly not as good as Wicked.

Over the course of this week I've read: Fables: Legends in Exile, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, Watchmen and I'm reading at the moment How The Dead Live by Will Self. I'd recommend them all, White Teeth is a lot better than the TV show, How The Dead Live is strange but rather interesting although I'm only a quarter of the way through so that may change.

Prompted by you, I've had a look at How The Dead Live on Amazon. I now want to read it.

In the last week or so, I've read Nick Davies' Flat Earth News and Ben Goldacre's Bad Science. I'd recommend both heartily, especially if you want to be cynical about almost everything.

T'other week, I read a book called "How to write a Pantomime". It was a load of old bollocks.

I guess someone has to do it...

The Co=Ordinator wrote:T'other week, I read a book called "How to write a Pantomime". It was a load of old bollocks.

Oh no it wasn't!

*poke*

I'm currently reading the following:

Shock Troops by Tim Cook
Shining Darkness (10th Doctor)

Currently re-reading Paradise Lost. Milton's misogyny annoys the hell out of me (no pun intended), and having one of the supporting cast be omnipotent and omniscient makes the whole plot seem pointless.

Still, it's a good read