13 posts tagged “books”
Show us a book you wish you had written.
There are so many I could list and, really, I guess I should go for a classic, but I'm going to choose something modern, simply for the sheer ingenuity that was involved in the idea and execution of this, the first, in an incomparable set of novels.
Books: Show us the longest book you've ever read. (All the way through.)
To be honest, there's probably a longer one, but it looks huge on the shelf... and that's just in paperback
I'm a big reader - our shelves at home are testament to that fact - and as much as I like looking at the array of novels we have, I've always wanted to be able to catalogue them in some way (probably the anal man in me).
The world of Web 2.0 (I know it sucks as a term, but it's here to stay for a while) offers possibilities of doing this and meeting other people with similar tastes to you, who may be able to recommend things.
I've tried out a couple of sites recently to see what they were like. I've got a Facebook profile (who hasn't I hear you cry?) and there's an application called iRead on it. It's fairly simple, allowing you to invite other Facebook friends and share your ratings, etc, with them. I don't really care for it much, but it's the best that Facebook has to offer at the moment.
Elsewhere, I came across a nicely designed site called Goodreads. It allows you to add books to your collection, rate them, catalogue when you read them (if you can remember), review them and put them onto special shelves of your own choosing. Plus, of course, you can invite friends and find other people who have similar tastes to you.
However, my preferred site is one called Shelfari - it does much of what the above does, but it displays the books in a far lovelier, more aesthetically pleasing way. It makes you feel like you've got a lovely looking collection, as well as giving you the opportunity to meet other book-lovers.
The one downside about all this? You have to manually put all your books - when that runs into the hundreds with me, it's going to take a long time!
This was a recommendation from a friend, Catherine, about four years ago and a stellar one it was too.
Essentially it's a fictional account of one Charles Carter, an American magician of the 1920s, who is a contemporary of Houdini. It's a comedy, thriller and period piece all rolled into one and is a true gem.
The author is the husband of Alice "Lovely Bones" Sebold - not sure how useful that is, aside from the fact that the pair clearly have good literary taste, when it comes to choosing partners! - and it was his first book.
A bravura effort and one that justifies that much-bandied comment, "unputdownable".
If you're short of something to read and find yourself in a bookshop or browsing on Amazon, you could do a lot worse than this
I'm a bit of an entertainment junkie - I love music (in almost all forms), TV in all its shapes and forms, cinema and books (of most genres).
I do my best to see try and experience as much as I can, but, with the best will in the world it's impossible to keep up with everything.
So inevitably even though I cherry pick, I miss some stuff. Most of the time, I think "ah, whatever," but sometimes I kick myself and know that the moment is gone and I'll never get round to catching up. Here are some examples:
- The Sopranos: I'm well aware that it's possibly the greatest TV show ever, but somehow I managed to miss the first couple of series and it was too later. Bada-bing!
- Bob Dylan: sure I know Subterranean... and Blowing In The Wind, but I never knew anyone who was into him enough to make me want to check him out further. I know I can listen to stuff whenever I want, but somehow it doesn't seem worth it.
- 24: Schmack Jack - just missed the first series and didn't care enough to get the box-set.
- Charles Dickens: I've acted in A Tale Of Two Cities, but just can't get through the oceans of minute description in his novels. I know that's what makes them great, but so be it
- Dirty Dancing: one for the girls and I've manged to get to the age of 35 without seeing it. Praise Be. I know most men think it's a shocking film, but most women love it, which makes me even happier not to have seen it.
Book: Show us a book everyone should read before they die.
Submitted by Rob.
Given that I set this question, I'd look pretty stupid not answering...
To be honest, one book is tough to come up with. I toyed with the idea of Donna Tartt's Secret History, which I love and thought about one of the classics from the Brontes, Austen or Hardy, but have settled on something a little more modern.
I first read this book back in 1992, while I was in Russia of all places. It was so fantastic, that I sought it our in its original language of German, when I was there the next year and I can genuinely say it's even more evocative.
If you went to see the recent movie adaptation, don't be put off
reading it. A novel about sense of smell sounds impossible, but it
works in so many ways. For me, this is a modern classic and should be
read by everyone.
Book: What book are you most ashamed you haven't read?
Submitted by Byrne.
Admittedly, I haven't read Tristram Shandy, but I don't feel bad about that. I do, however, feel ashamed that I haven't even attempted Joyce's classic.
I know it's more often discussed than read, but that doesn't make my failure to get even past the cover any less shameful. In fact, I couldn't even really tell you what it's about, such is my lack of knowledge of this oeuvre.
I think I shall make it my mission over the next 12 months to get round to reading this...
Book: Show us a great biography or memoir.
Reading this may not make you want to rush out and buy all of Robbie's back catalogue, but it may engender some sort of sympathy for the pop "superstar".
It's clear he has quite a few problems and Heath manages to make the reader aware of Robbie's flaws without making him look like a tosser.
A truly entertaining read, even if you think Robbie Williams is a waste of space
When skimming a magazine (or book or newspaper) do you flip through the pages from front to back or back to front?
Submitted by enSue.
Err, different tactics for different types of media...
The news is always the last thing I read in a newspaper. I usually go for Section 2 of this, plus Sport and Crossword. I check out the news later.
As for a magazine, I nearly always tend to flick through from the front to back - read any interesting articles straightaway and then come back and plough through at a later date.
As for a book, unless it has an index, why would anyone start at the
back of a book and reveal the ending before reading the rest of it.
Kinda pointless!
Book: Show us a book that made you laugh out loud.
Submitted by Red Pen.
This particular book is the first in the Thursday Next series of books, set in Reading and the world of literary crime and Jurisfiction. I'm not going to go into the plot big time, because it sounds barking (and is), but is totally brilliant.
Fforde has also started a different series about Jack Spratt who heads up the Nursery Crime Division - equally clever and equally brilliant.
I now get all these books in hardback, which says a lot, because normally I wait for paperback to spend my hard-earned pennies, but these are worth it.
I'd love to come up with something to compare it to, but I can't. Funnier and more inventive than Terry Pratchett (who I'm not a big fan of), and better than Malcolm Pryce, I heartily suggest you give this a go. You won't be disappointed!
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