*What book are you reading ?

[SubZeroCat]

I'm just finishing Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle and I've started In The Shadow of Islam - Isabelle Eberhardt by Sharon Bangert.

I have acquired 10 books and bought 14 in the last few weeks so I have lots of reading material to get through!

 

[Orang Utan]

Am sulking a bit though cos one of my fave books ever got a drubbing at bookclub last night, being described as 'too much, too clever' blah blah 'i just like a nice easy read' - fucking bollocks. Why go to a book club if all you wanna do is read shite? You can do that any old time can't you? I open my gob to talk about it, and get cries of 'well I just don't UNDERSTAND' - well shut the fuck up then and I'll explain

What book was it?

 

[sojourner]

What book was it?

Written on the Body, by Jeanette Winterson


Christ knows what their reaction would have been to The Passion or Sexing the Cherry! I'm really tempted to put forward The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter now - see what they make of that

Fucking 'nice easy read'

 

[Orang Utan]

ooh I've never read that one - I loved Sexing The Cherry and Oranges but don't think I've read owt else by her

 

[Dirty Martini]

I haven't read any Winterson, apart from a few chapters of Oranges. Armed with that, and the TV series, I asked her a stupidly provocative and ill-informed question at a reading she was giving at my university. It was all she could do not to shout at me. Never felt so embarrassed in my life

 

[sojourner]

ooh I've never read that one - I loved Sexing The Cherry and Oranges but don't think I've read owt else by her

Oh you should read it then OU, if you like the others. The ironic thing is, I think it's actually the least challenging out of all of her works, so to get that reaction just hugely pissed me off! I can't BEAR people who just shove the hand up and go 'no, not thinking about it, brain disengaged', when you would have thought the whole POINT of being in a bookclub is to get to read a range of things that you wouldn't otherwise

 

[sojourner]

I haven't read any Winterson, apart from a few chapters of Oranges. Armed with that, and the TV series, I asked her a stupidly provocative and ill-informed question at a reading she was giving at my university. It was all she could do not to shout at me. Never felt so embarrassed in my life

Wow, you've met her then? I'd love to meet her sometime. I'm the only person I know (who's actually read her stuff) who likes her arrogance I think it's perfectly justified!!

Please - tell me what the question was

 

[quimcunx]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Enjoying it so far though I preferred Neverwhere, I think.

 

[Dirty Martini]

Wow, you've met her then? I'd love to meet her sometime. I'm the only person I know (who's actually read her stuff) who likes her arrogance I think it's perfectly justified!!

Please - tell me what the question was

Met is not the right word, she took questions from the floor and mine was one of them. She reacted badly to my question, but I have to say she came across and very grumpy and arrogant throughout it all. Not that it matters of course. Most authors I've come across in readings have been a bit strange

 

[vinnie111]

im now reading GRAFTERS by COLIN BLANEY its a true story of colin and his rise to becoming one of europes most prolific hustler.

 

[soonplus]

"Lint" by steve aylett

one of stewart lee's mates... very very funny, i actually won it on myspace.....woooo lucky me

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Byzantium Endures by Michael Moorcock, given to me on my birthday last year, finally reading it and enjoying the tales of prerevoluntiary ukraine, cocaine and all types of intrigue and interest.

I haven't been reading much fiction of late but this is crackingly enjoyable, gripping and good fun

 

[sojourner]

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Loving it.

I finished off Mockingbird yesterday and opened the new package from amazon only to find this - perfect dovetailing

 

[DUMBO.66]

'cell' by Stephen King, the new one..
nothing like his classics but very gory and entertaining so far..

 

[Nikkormat]

Passages from Arabia Deserta by Charles Doughty. Hard to fathom at first but gets better.

 

[maya]

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

What did you think of the film, Sojourner? It made a very strong impression on me as a 10-year-old, (mostly for the way that they er, got rid of the "evidence" through er, cooking...), and of course I fell in love with Idgie, too...
What happened to Mary Stuart Masterson? Can't remember having seen her in any film since- She was perfect for the role, IMO...

...And lest we forget... TOWANGA!

 

[sojourner]

What did you think of the film, Sojourner? It made a very strong impression on me as a 10-year-old, (mostly for the way that they er, got rid of the "evidence" through er, cooking...), and of course I fell in love with Idgie, too...
What happened to Mary Stuart Masterson? Can't remember having seen her in any film since- She was perfect for the role, IMO...

Have you read the book maya?

I saw the film first, years ago, and it made a big impression on me too but not for the 'evidence' bbq

Dunno, but I had quite a crush on her for some years after that

The book is much more obvious about Idgie and Ruth than the film is...quite a relief actually

 

[tastebud]

Ian McEwan's new book came out yesterday: On Chesil Beach. I might buy it at lunchtime.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2041193,00.html for an excerpt.

 

[foamy]

just finished 'Down and out in paris and london' by George Orwell and now reading 'This book will save you life' by A.M Homes - doing some catching up for book group

tastebud - new mcEwan looks good, will wait for it to come out in paperback though

 

[tastebud]

I'm trying to work out if £7.74 is too much to pay. I feel that it is, but I want it!

 

[foamy]

i cant bring myself to pay that much for a book. i guess i've been spoilt by growing up across the road from a £1 book warehouse

i bought the book group book yesterday and walked an extra mile to get it for £6 instead of £8.

 

[tastebud]

yeah me too, re: not paying much/anything for books.
i bought it though - i can lend it to you when i'm done, to get my money's worth!
ian mcewan is worth it. kinda.

 

[Orang Utan]

I'm trying to work out if £7.74 is too much to pay. I feel that it is, but I want it!

How is that too much?

 

[foamy]

its not that its *too* much, just more than you'd pay in other places.

but it is 5p cheaper than amazon

 

[Orang Utan]

Ian McEwan's new book came out yesterday: On Chesil Beach. I might buy it at lunchtime.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2041193,00.html for an excerpt.

What I've read about that has really put me off - just more overpriviledge poshos with problems - he's such a good writer though that I'll probably end up reading it

 

[Orang Utan]

its not that its *too* much, just more than you'd pay in other places.

but it is 5p cheaper than amazon

Most books are £7.99 these days aren't they?

 

[tastebud]

i almost always get books & music second hand, often online.
i did get thet mcewan book from amazon just now though.

i don't know, i just hate paying for stuff, generally. (unless it's from a charity shop).

 

[foamy]

not in fopp or on amazon... not the ones i buy anyway

i guess my problem with spending that much on a book is it seems quite a lot to gamble if i dont like it.

i'd definitely never pay £14 - £16 quid for a hardback book either, i'd rather wait for the paperback version.

is this unusual?

eta: if i paid £8 for each book, read one a week = 4 a month i'd be spending £384 a year on books

 

[Orang Utan]

I have to have brand new shiny books from a real shop - I see them as cheap cos I only really buy music and books and books are half the price as music - twisted logic maybe but there you go

 

[Orang Utan]

not in fopp or on amazon... not the ones i buy anyway

i guess my problem with spending that much on a book is it seems quite a lot to gamble if i dont like it.

i'd definitely never pay £14 - £16 quid for a hardback book either, i'd rather wait for the paperback version.

is this unusual?

I will rarely buy a hardback - too cumbersome - but if I really want to read the book, I'll buy it - it doesn't seem a lot to me - I'll spend £15 on a CD, so why not a book?