Pablo

For those of you considering an e-book reader, you might also want to buy a hat, since the amount of mistakes in translation from paper to screen is likely to have you pulling your hair out. That's not to say that the reader isn't fantastic - it is, but if errors are your pet, you might find you've got an elephant on your hands!

"...if you don't read books just because they involve religion, there's lots you can't read right?" I've never struggled to find a good read, Univerze, but I do struggle with books that sell religion under the guise of fiction, and I find that writers of a religious bent can't seem to help but come across as being preachy. I am quite sensitive to the subject though, so it could just be me.

I know I've bashed King for being, in my opinion, overrated, but recently I downloaded his entire collection for my e-book and thought I'd give him another chance, having already read 'Needful Things', 'The Dark Tower' series, 'The Stand' and a cross-section of his shorter works and quite like some of it. I made it through 'From A Buick Eight' and was left completely unsatisfied by an idea which had promise, but which ran out of gas quickly and became repetitive. And talk about loose ends not being tied up. Next was 'Nightmares And Dreamscapes', and I'm not kidding when I say this, but the stuff I'm writing just now wipes the floor with all of the stories within. Unimaginative and just plain silly about covers it. One more, I thought, choosing 'It', another highly thought of book in his collection. Oh dear. Where to begin. With the rambling story? Ridiculous finale? Or how about the completely unnecessary eight year old gang-bang which somehow helps kids escape from a sewer system?! I must confess that I cringed as I read that scene, and lost, not only all interest in the characters (who, to be fair were well portrayed until that point), but also all respect for King. And what's with his fascination with animal cruelty? Are there any novels he's written that don't contain the suffering of animals?! Definately not a selling point for me, and as such I'm glad I didn't pay a penny for any of his works. I can't see myself lowering my standards enough to read his work again though.

Anything that involves religion, or any of its machinations. Why? Well, I'm an atheist.

Think about the epic grandness of 'Lord Of The Rings', then add a few shots of spagetti western, some 'Wizard Of Oz', a little horror, and shake well. All the books are different in feel, but they share vivid characters and great scenes, and also tie in some of King's other books. The first book is dry, and a simpler affair than the others, and this may be a stumbling block, but beyond it are some impressively complex worlds. As a little horn-blowing of my own, the end of the series mirrors a short story I wrote when I was in my teens, almost exactly, but don't let that put you off.

I'll need to give this Neil Gaiman a try. I'm forever hearing his name in descriptions of stories that genuinely interest me. It's just one of those authors, that, for one reason or another, I haven't sampled yet.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before, but I'd have to go with 'Filth' by Irvine Welsh. I can assure you that it lives up to it's name, and although it wouldn't really be appropriate for me to describe the scenes between the covers, suffice it to say that violence, depravity and a particularly wince-inducing scene of animal cruelty make this a book that I find it difficult to recommend.

Jack Keurack's 'On The Road' is one of the rare 'bucket-fodder' books I've bought over the years, and one I got increasingly bored with. I never did finish it, but I still wonder at it's cult status. 'Lord Of The Flies' is a book I did finish, but only due to the length of a flight I was on. I did like the premise, but the language was too arcane for me, and I found I could not relate to any of the characters in the novel.

In truth I'm more of an underground music and movies fan than I am a reader, so I'm a regular subscriber to Empire magazine, and sometime buyer of random music mags.

I've got to recommed the audio book version of 'Life Of Pi' by Yann Martel to anyone whose enjoyed the book or is curious about either format. The subtle Indian lilt of the reader's voice is perfectly pitched and demonstrates a keen understanding of the tone of the book. After I had listened to it in the traditional manner of beginning to end, I found that I typically listening to it in random segments on my I-pod, whilst working. It's the type of story that allows this, since every page offers life-affirming inspiration and fascinating anecdotes. Awesome stuff.

Looking at the wonderful artwork of the books in other threads got me wondering if there's been a thread on favourite book covers. It seems to be an underrated aspect of literature, and it's usually the basis of a decision to either pick up a book or not. Yet, the very saying that 'you can't judge a book by it's cover' illustrates just how misleading the artwork of novels can be. What books would your finger have skimmed over were it not for that image on the cover, and how much does it influence your decision on whether or not to buy or loan them out? What are your views, and what examples would you give?

A friend gave me a copy of 'The Hunt For Gollum' with his recommendation a few months ago, but I just haven't been drawn to it enough to watch it. I'm off work ill this week though, so looks like I'll have time to give it a go, most probably today. I'm a fan of The Lord Of The Rings, and have been since I first opened the book, so I'll let you know what I thought of it vinay87. I didn't know of the others though. Cheers.

I can't say that I've used a library for borrowing books since I was a pre-teen. I think that's because I simply like having a physical copy of a book I've read, to either display as part of a collection or throw away in disgust. Actually, the throwing away in disgust isn't as satisfying as it sounds, since both my own and my wife's unwanted books usually end up in charity shops. I like ownership though, possession. They're mine. My precious!

Thanks vinay87. Much appreciated.

First off, great thread here Vinay87. I really like to see the covers of fantasy/alternative books, whether I'd read them or not. Kell, you've just sold a copy of 'Plucker' for Brom. Had I seen that in a bookshop I'd have pulled it free too. It looks fantastic and I feel compelled to order it immediately. Nostalgic reading for me would have to be 'Ogre, Ogre' by Piers Anthony, and Colin Wilson's 'Spider World'. The cover artwork isn't of the same calibre as what's gone before, but they were the two books I credit as really getting me into reading. file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/My%20Documents/IMAGES/2585-1.jpg file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/My%20Documents/IMAGES/n14090.jpg Okay, so the pictures aren't here, but still, you can imagine.

"Everything that happens is from now on..." Although I don't think I've sat down and listened to any Bon Iver, it has to be said - that's a great lyric right there. For me there are too many to mention here, but off the top of my head: "In the time of chimpanzee's I was a monkey" - Beck (Loser) "Why pamper life's complexities when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?" - The Smiths (This Charming Man)

Couldn't agree more with the points on remembering names and mispronunciation of said names. If a name is particularly exotic or long I also tend to simply acknowledge the shape of the word, rather than it's sound. My misinterpretation of the sounds of names became apparent when, after having read The Lord Of The Rings twice, I then saw the movies, and realised that I'd been pronouncing Moria and Shelob and a whole host of others, wrongly. But at the end of the day, isn't it just our own interpretation that matters?

"Raoul Duke - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and others (Thompson)..." Good choice Ilona. I'd forgotten about all about him.

"I always find it amusing that people are so desensitized to killing and violence and gore in both books and movies, but sex actually warrants a discussion and/or discomfort." Now that's an interesting point. I think the reason may be that we see violence (news, arguements, fighting and, for that matter, hear bad language (school, workplace, socially) everyday so, yes, we seem desensitized to it. Sex on the other hand is very covert and private, encouraging curiosity.

Definately. I think that female authors tend to write very conformist sex scenes, and by that I mean, romantic/traditional/unadventurous, whereas males lean towards the exiting/exotic escapades. My wife was a devout reader of Mills And Boon books, as well as other erotic stories, so I have an insight here. What I've read of male authors confirms this for me, as well as what I've written myself.

Got one for chirstmas, and while it's incredibly handy to cart around volumes of books in the physical form of one, it does take some getting used to. For me the jury's out on which I prefer - the convenience of the e-book or the smell and feel of a real one.

Surely the thicker the book, the better value for money, assuming of course that the quality is not undermined by page-filler.

Trainspotting, also. After being slapped awake by the movie, I found the book a real let-down, especially considering the hype it received. I think real credit must go to the directors and producers of adaptations, who can manipulate books into something greater as a movie.

Nope, no problem here. I'm a bonafide pervert and proud of it!

Fight Club, for me, made a great movie, but a strange, forgettable book. Maybe it simply depends on which format you experience first though. I think that if you watch a film, the temptation will always be there, to transpose the scenes and characters directly from the movie to the book.