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1 hour ago, Chrissy said:

 

I love Equal Rites. Read it ages ago, when I first started reading Sir Terry. I hold particular affection for Equal Rites, and Soul Music. 

 

Oh, and.......tell us your classic choice, go on. :P

 

 

Equal Rites is near the top of my favourites list. 

 

I read the Discworld books in order (there weren't very many of them when I started!) and although I enjoyed The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, I felt they were a bit disjointed (they are basically several linked short stories spread over the two books). 

 

Equal Rites - to my mind - is Terry's first proper Discworld novel, and along with Mort it put his books at the top of my to-be-read pile.

 

Of his earlier novels, I would say my favourite is still Guards! Guards!

 

Of the rest, I'd say Lords and Ladies and Night Watch are the best, but there are a lot of others that are very good as well!

 

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Finished my re-read of the Rivers of London graphic novels this afternoon with The Fey and the Furious; my 14th book of the year, which is a coincidence as it was my 14th book of last year as well!

 

It was interesting to re-read them back-to-back as I didn't realise how interconnected they are until doing so (and when I say interconnected, I mean with each other rather than just the main series of novels).  There are several recurring characters the graphic novels use and elements from previous stories crop up again in later ones. 

 

The graphic novels also flesh out background characters from the novels as well, making them an interesting companion piece to the main series.  

 

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I have read a book (a whole one, with words and everythin'...).

 

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The Salt Path

By Raynor Winn

 

When Ray and her husband Moth find themselves evicted from their family home and business, just days after Moth is diagnosed with a debilitating and terminal illness, they opt against going on a council housing list and decide to walk the South West costal footpath instead.  What at first appears to be ill-thought out move turns into a long and sometimes painful journey of recovery. 

 

I usually give books that have "The most inspirational book of this year" comments on their cover a very wide berth, but having grown up in the South West and knowing the coast well, this appealed to me and when I found a copy at my parents last month, I started reading it before picking up my own copy when I got home.

 

This is not a travel book in the traditional sense; it is the story of two people who - having lost everything - are trying to work how to start over again in their mid-fifties whilst also dealing with the looming spectre of their own mortality.  It was originally written by Ray (from her point of view) for Moth as a memory aid (as memory loss is a part of the illness he is suffering from) so it is a more intimate book than it may have been, had it originally been written for a general audience, and it certainly feels very personal.  The main themes of the book - loss and homelessness, that dominate the first section of the book - are slowly countered by a growing sense of optimism as the book unfolds, but these themes never disappear completely and I cannot say I found the book to be as uplifting as some of the comments I had read previous to picking it up myself.

 

I did, however, feel that by the end of the book the pair had been on a journey that had certainly changed their lives. 

 

Given the subject matter, the book certainly isn't the easiest of reads; there are patches - especially at the beginning - where Ray tends to wallow in the apparent hopelessness of their situation (their lack of money and the right equipment certainly don't help) and I did find some of that aspect of the book rather tedious (especially as Ray has a tendency to get a bit self-absorbed).  The parts of the book that worked best for me were the descriptions of the people they met and places they travelled through, as well as the wildlife they saw along the way, but to a point that is missing the point of the book, which is really about the journey Ray and Moth are on mentally and physically, and from that point of view these aspects of the book are pretty much the backdrop against which their trials play out.

 

Although I did enjoy large parts of the book, I'm not interested in reading more about what happens to Ray and Moth (the sequel, The Wild Silence, was published in paperback earlier this year, but it isn't a book I'll be reading).

 

It is difficult for me to give this a "Recommended" rating, but if travel/nature/personal development stories are your thing, you might very well enjoy this, otherwise I'd say steer clear!

 

If you do want a more light-hearted and informative book on walking the South West Costal footpath, however, I would recommend 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington, which is also referenced in passing at the beginning of this book as the original inspiration for their trip*

 

One thing I have taken away from this book is that I want to try more travel writing/nature inspired books.

 

*A side note is that I found Ray's descriptions of places, especially at the start of the book, sounded very much like Mark Wallington's (sometimes even down to having the same weather in the same locations!). I'm sure it was just coincidence, but part of me does wonder.

 

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I was tempted by The Salt Path after I read an article about Ray and Moth, which sort of summarised the journey they took and how it ended up being a book - it's just not the kind of book I usually read. Your review hasn't really convinced me to try it but I'll definitely look up 500 Mile Walkies (which I didn't know was the inspiration for their trip, I don't think that was mentioned in the article). 

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1 hour ago, Hayley said:

 

I was tempted by The Salt Path after I read an article about Ray and Moth, which sort of summarised the journey they took and how it ended up being a book - it's just not the kind of book I usually read. Your review hasn't really convinced me to try it but I'll definitely look up 500 Mile Walkies (which I didn't know was the inspiration for their trip, I don't think that was mentioned in the article). 

 

 

I don't read many biographies, and I actively steer clear of ones that deal with overcoming hardships, trauma or illness as I generally read for a bit of escapism, not to get bummed out!

 

There is a review I wrote of 500 Mile Walkies, many years ago, here: https://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/3119-ravens-reads/&page=2&tab=comments#comment-127514

 

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So, after 20 odd years, I've started re-reading The Lord of the Rings, and have surprised myself that I've made it to over a quarter of the way through The Fellowship of the Ring in less than a week.

 

Current Progress: 26%

 

*Warning! The following contains spoilers that I'm not going to tag*

 

Main thoughts so far:

 

- Having the book open with a section on the history of Hobbits might be good for people who have read The Hobbit and want to know more about them, but coming to it cold must put a lot of people off the book (I know it put me off the first time I tried to read it).  It also has a number of spoilers for what happens later in the book, although I must admit that I never picked up on them first time through.

 

- Its all a bit twee; similar in tone to the start of The Hobbit.  I know it changes as it goes along, and I know the reason why it is like this, but I think the films set the tone far better than the book does (there will probably be on-going comparisons with the films, as I'm quite familiar with them!)

 

- The lack of urgency when it comes to Frodo leaving the shire feels... wrong - especially when you know what is after him!  Gandalf knows Sauron has risen in the east; he knows Sauron knows the ring still exists; he knows Sauron knows someone called Baggins has the ring and where he lives. 

 

"Should I leave now, Gandalf?"

 

"Nah, I doubt they will be along for a few weeks yet..."

 

"Can I still have a Birthday Party?"

 

"Of course!"

 

*Ruffles Frodo's hair...*

 

- The Black Riders at first appear to be fairly ordinary, but each time they reappear they become more and more sinister (the description of the one at Bucklebury Ferry is darn creepy!)

 

- I hadn't remembered that Pippin is with Sam and Frodo when they leave Bag End, and that Merry doesn't come into it until later. 

 

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3 hours ago, Raven said:

So, after 20 odd years, I've started re-reading The Lord of the Rings, and have surprised myself that I've made it to over a quarter of the way through The Fellowship of the Ring in less than a week.

 

Current Progress: 26%

 

*Warning! The following contains spoilers that I'm not going to tag*

 

Main thoughts so far:

 

- Having the book open with a section on the history of Hobbits might be good for people who have read The Hobbit and want to know more about them, but coming to it cold must put a lot of people off the book (I know it put me off the first time I tried to read it).  It also has a number of spoilers for what happens later in the book, although I must admit that I never picked up on them first time through.

 

- Its all a bit twee; similar in tone to the start of The Hobbit.  I know it changes as it goes along, and I know the reason why it is like this, but I think the films set the tone far better than the book does (there will probably be on-going comparisons with the films, as I'm quite familiar with them!)

 

- The lack of urgency when it comes to Frodo leaving the shire feels... wrong - especially when you know what is after him!  Gandalf knows Sauron has risen in the east; he knows Sauron knows the ring still exists; he knows Sauron knows someone called Baggins has the ring and where he lives. 

 

"Should I leave now, Gandalf?"

 

"Nah, I doubt they will be along for a few weeks yet..."

 

"Can I still have a Birthday Party?"

 

"Of course!"

 

*Ruffles Frodo's hair...*

 

- The Black Riders at first appear to be fairly ordinary, but each time they reappear they become more and more sinister (the description of the one at Bucklebury Ferry is darn creepy!)

 

- I hadn't remembered that Pippin is with Sam and Frodo when they leave Bag End, and that Merry doesn't come into it until later. 

 

You are giving me ideas on a re-read of Lord of the Rings. it has been so long ago that I read the books that I may enjoy them the second time around as much as I remember enjoying them the first time. At my age one tends to forget things and they may even look like a new read to me.

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I remember thinking it was a bit sluggish at the start.  I guess Frodo was very young and was a naive young hobbit back  then, hence his not realising the urgency of his task.  He does of course, grow throughout the books. 

 

the Black Riders scared me silly in the film, especially that first one who sniffs them as they're hiding in those tree roots!  And yes  the scene at  the Ferry was scary too.

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4 hours ago, Madeleine said:

 

I guess Frodo was very young and was a naive young hobbit back  then, hence his not realising the urgency of his task. 

 

 

If it were only down to Frodo that might be the case, but he had Gandalf lodging with him for several weeks as well!

 

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On 19/11/2021 at 5:27 PM, Raven said:

The lack of urgency when it comes to Frodo leaving the shire feels... wrong - especially when you know what is after him!  Gandalf knows Sauron has risen in the east; he knows Sauron knows the ring still exists; he knows Sauron knows someone called Baggins has the ring and where he lives. 

I actually think that works really well if you’re reading it for the first time! The Shire isn’t a scary place and everything feels pretty relaxed there, even when Gandalf arrives; but that means we experience the realisation of the threat at the same time Frodo does and it just keeps growing as the book progresses. I could be misremembering this as well but doesn’t Sauron not know where the ring is at this point? Because he tries to get the dwarves to get it for him first doesn’t he? And Frodo is actually meant to leave a lot faster but Gandalf gets waylaid and then the innkeeper forgets to deliver the message to Frodo that he should leave quickly? 
 

Edit: just to agree about the Black Riders! The ferry crossing part is very creepy. 

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Still reading Fellowship (they've just got to Lothlórien!) but I took a quick break to read the graphic novel Rivers of London: Monday, Monday by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel.

 

I'll say no more for now than: not one of the best RoL graphic novels they have done, but enjoyable enough (I will leave further comment until more have had a chance to read it!)

 

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4 hours ago, Hayley said:

I am immensely jealous (what is it like so far!?)

 

3 hours ago, France said:

Me too!

 

 

90+ pages in (out of about 400 or so) and I am enjoying it immensely! 

 

I'm already thinking this is a better book than False Values, mainly because of the way chapter 4 ends! (spoilers!)

 

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