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*What book are you reading? (part 2)

Just started reading this

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It's absolutely fascinating! And well written :)
 
Oh yes, recently finished this -- brilliant :)
All about the highs and lows of the UK free-festival era from roughly Isle of Wight Festival's dissident event outside its gates (1970) to Castlemorton (very much including Stonehenge but also lots of smaller events).

Abrahams and Wishart are editors and only contribute small amounts themselves, the vast majority of it is anecdotes and memories and short themed chapters from those involved either as organisers, performers or simply people "just going along to festival X, man!" :cool:

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I just read Bill Bryson, The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid.

About his early life. Amusing and easy to read.
 
A friend at work gave me a Martina Cole book the read. The Good Life.

Awful stuff - cheesy Mills and Boon style romance where the men are brutal violent arseholes, but who love their muvvas and only torture those who deserve it. 2/5 at best
 
After being crap at novel reading all year, I’m finally catching up a bit.

Muriel Spark - Memento Mori. Very funny meditation on death and what it means to us. Reminded me a bit of Lolly Willowes, in that it seems to be just a genteel pastiche of bourgeois values, but is actually cutting and rather wicked. It also has a character in it called Granny Trotsky.

Jennifer Egan - Manhattan Beach. A far more ‘traditional’ Novel then A Visit from the Goon Squad, tho that does it no harm for the most part. I loved the first three-quarters, but as the climaxes started to build it became a bit obvious, with scenes I just didn’t quite believe. Still well written and enjoyable, but not quite as good as it might have been.

Anna Burns - Milkman. Unnamed people during the troubles in the early seventies. I’m only a third of the way in, and I suspect it may turn into a ‘boys and their toys’ view, but it’s gripping stuff so far.
 
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen.

Based on a classic telly series (with a wet-shirted Colin Firth) and not as inpenetrable as I thought it might be.
 
It’s magnificent. mrs b started it last night and was immediately giggling away.

I’ve only read that, Ballad of Peckham Rye and the Prime of... I must correct this.
Yes deffo - read anything of hers that you can get your hands on. Such condensed writing, so much in so few words, with a ferociously cutting sense of humour :cool::cool::cool:
 
the journey was long but I did finish them all, by choice and it was worth it. Rumours abound about a series, which could potentially be good.

I loved them,, they started off a little slowly but then I really got into them
I thought Sanderson did a good job of finishing the series off as well, it wasn't *the same* authorial style but it was good enough.
 
It was quite noticeable.. I was reading it and thinking no way this character would have said this in that way.. It was acceptable and I'm glad it got finished, but it was never quite Robert Jordan
 
Eternity's Sunrise: The Imaginative World of William Blake by Leo Damrosch.

Beautifully written with a great insight into Blake, his life, poetry, art and imagination...And his philosophy of life.
Beautiful quality colour plates and illustrations. 100 in all.
 
the journey was long but I did finish them all, by choice and it was worth it. Rumours abound about a series, which could potentially be good.


I thought Sanderson did a good job of finishing the series off as well, it wasn't *the same* authorial style but it was good enough.
There is a lot more humour in the last couple of books. 7 8 & 9 are a bit boring though. I have done it thrice. :oops:
 
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