*What book are you reading ?
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Orang Utan
They cannot crucify you if your hand is in a fist
I have just finished Niall Griffiths' Sheepshagger and was bowled over by the beauty of his writing, especiallyl in his descriptions of the protagonist's bleak and violent childhood. The appalling violence is hard to take sometimes but underlines the tragedy of the story very skilfully.
I have just started Bear Vs Shark by Chris Bachelder and it seems to be an rather cynical Coupland-like take on American culture and mass media - I will reserve judgment until I have finished it but it seems to be shaping up into something as hollow and superficial as its intended targets.
Think I might read The Amber Spyglass next.
I have just started Bear Vs Shark by Chris Bachelder and it seems to be an rather cynical Coupland-like take on American culture and mass media - I will reserve judgment until I have finished it but it seems to be shaping up into something as hollow and superficial as its intended targets.
Think I might read The Amber Spyglass next.
chegrimandi
associated with adultery
Shipping News
Maidmarian
Stubborn Socialist
"The Simpsons & Philosophy"
Edited by :
Irwin, Conard & Skoble
Edited by :
Irwin, Conard & Skoble
Futility.
It's now been re-published under the name The Wreck of the Titan: it's by Morgan Robertson, written in 1898. It tells the story of a brand-new passenger ship, the Titan, the largest in the world and believed to be unsinkable, which strikes an iceberg and sinks on its third voyage, with the loss of most of the passengers and crew.
it's not actually a very good story - just a nineteenth century morality play really - but it's eerie because it so closely foretells the Titanic disaster.
It's now been re-published under the name The Wreck of the Titan: it's by Morgan Robertson, written in 1898. It tells the story of a brand-new passenger ship, the Titan, the largest in the world and believed to be unsinkable, which strikes an iceberg and sinks on its third voyage, with the loss of most of the passengers and crew.
it's not actually a very good story - just a nineteenth century morality play really - but it's eerie because it so closely foretells the Titanic disaster.
black&redflag
New Member
the spanish civil war by anthony beevor
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
"The Illuminatus Trilogy" By Shea & Wilson for about the 5th time (I'm not addicted, I can give it up anytime guv, honest!)
"Introducing Semiotics" 'cos I'm doing an OU soc sci degree and it'll be handy to enhance my (currently) hazy grasp on the ideas behind semiotics.
"The Beast Reawakens" by Martin Lee. Re-reading this after "Was Arafat trained by Nazis?" thread in "P & P" contained a mis-quote which I was able to correct.
And yes, I am one of those sad bastards who reads more than one book at a time!
"Introducing Semiotics" 'cos I'm doing an OU soc sci degree and it'll be handy to enhance my (currently) hazy grasp on the ideas behind semiotics.
"The Beast Reawakens" by Martin Lee. Re-reading this after "Was Arafat trained by Nazis?" thread in "P & P" contained a mis-quote which I was able to correct.
And yes, I am one of those sad bastards who reads more than one book at a time!
kained&able
Here for the football.
Just finished Kil'n people by David Brin, which is one fo the best books i have ever read.
I'm now reading the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy triology thingy.
dave
I'm now reading the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy triology thingy.
dave
Inventing the Victorians by Matthew Sweet.
He's basically trying to take issue with the way we've conceived the Victorians over the last century, and point out that we're a lot closer to them than we like to think. As he says, many of the cultural phenomena we take for granted now are 19th century creations - the cult of celebrity, moralising tabloid newspapers, trash novels, aggressive advertising techniques etc etc.
He also points out that Victorian sexuality has been mythologised far too much - the old chestnut about covering the legs of tables to avoid the suggestion of indecency, for example, is unlikely ever to have been done, and the only contemporary reference to it is in a piece taking the piss out of starchy and moralising Americans.
So far it's very good, and well researched, but I'm not enjoying it as much as I expected - something to do with Sweet's style I think; it's not as engrossing as I hoped.
He's basically trying to take issue with the way we've conceived the Victorians over the last century, and point out that we're a lot closer to them than we like to think. As he says, many of the cultural phenomena we take for granted now are 19th century creations - the cult of celebrity, moralising tabloid newspapers, trash novels, aggressive advertising techniques etc etc.
He also points out that Victorian sexuality has been mythologised far too much - the old chestnut about covering the legs of tables to avoid the suggestion of indecency, for example, is unlikely ever to have been done, and the only contemporary reference to it is in a piece taking the piss out of starchy and moralising Americans.
So far it's very good, and well researched, but I'm not enjoying it as much as I expected - something to do with Sweet's style I think; it's not as engrossing as I hoped.
I'd recommend Richard Layman for anyone who enjoys a horror yarn with a difference. I've just finished Darkness, Tell Us which is about six students who to the mountains looking for a hidden fortune on the advice of a Ouijia Board. Some wierd happenings throughout the book I can tell you with a good twist at the end.
Before that I read Island (also by the same author) which is about a group of people shipwrecked on an island along with a nutter who is picking them off one by one, men first. Again a good twist for the finale.
Before that I read Island (also by the same author) which is about a group of people shipwrecked on an island along with a nutter who is picking them off one by one, men first. Again a good twist for the finale.
KeyboardJockey
Clowns to the Left of me
What book are you reading ?
The Black Jacobins by CLR James -- fantastic book about the slave revolt and independence of Haiti and how the slaves and the mullatoes and some of the whites used the ideas of the French Revolution to free themselves.
Absolutely first class. I've never read any CLR James before and he truly deserves the title of the Edward Gibbon / Plato of the Carribean.
Also reading Amerika Psycho by Richard Neville all about the poisionous Bushbots controling the USA.
The Black Jacobins by CLR James -- fantastic book about the slave revolt and independence of Haiti and how the slaves and the mullatoes and some of the whites used the ideas of the French Revolution to free themselves.
Absolutely first class. I've never read any CLR James before and he truly deserves the title of the Edward Gibbon / Plato of the Carribean.
Also reading Amerika Psycho by Richard Neville all about the poisionous Bushbots controling the USA.
Swearing Nonna
Well-Known Member
Treated myself yesterday to 'the world according to garp' - John Irving, having enjoyed 'the forth hand' and seen/heard good review of Garp thought I'd give it a bash, 40 pages in and hooked 
Swearing Nonna
Well-Known Member
ah well once you've lent yours out to someone else and it doesn't come home then you can borrow mine 
It's lovely foo, found it difficult to put down last night.
It's lovely foo, found it difficult to put down last night.
Orang Utan
They cannot crucify you if your hand is in a fist
It is actually the only Robin Williams film worth watching - it's not a bad film IMHO. I've read the book too and the film (and the actors) doesn't do a bad job of realising the characters. It does have a bit of trouble fitting the plot in but that's to be expected.
Don't let Mork put you off - Glenn Close and John Lithgow are excellent in it.
Don't let Mork put you off - Glenn Close and John Lithgow are excellent in it.
>
Orang Utan
They cannot crucify you if your hand is in a fist
Is he? I don't remember that - I though he was an American pilot but it's been a long time since I read it.
I guess there was a dearth of half-Japanes film stars at the time.
I don't think it's really necessary to be that faithful to the book, anyway.
I guess there was a dearth of half-Japanes film stars at the time.
I don't think it's really necessary to be that faithful to the book, anyway.
Orang Utan
They cannot crucify you if your hand is in a fist
I know what you mean - most adaptations are cack cos they're either too ambitious in attempting to be faithful to the plot and end up as sprawling incoherent messes, or they piss off the fans by changing/eliminating essential chararacter and plot details for the sake of brevity. There are a few norable exceptions though. The first ones that spring to mind are Great Expectations (the Lean version of course) and Lord Of The Rings. Give me time and I'm sure I could come up with a few more. I won't even bother listing the failures cis they are legion!
Swearing Nonna
Well-Known Member
American pilot, very small, compact one
thing at work said good things about the film.
thing at work said good things about the film.
foo
dirtysweet
Before I really do shut up. Is the Great Expectations one the old Black and White one with Alec Guiness and John Mills? If so - I agree. It's lovely.
so that buggers my theory then
edit: well where did I get this idea of the japanese pilot then? I really am mad...it's getting worrying, especially as this is one of my favourite books.
so that buggers my theory then
edit: well where did I get this idea of the japanese pilot then? I really am mad...it's getting worrying, especially as this is one of my favourite books.
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