timebug

I read all of Poe when a teenager, and enjoyed them at the time. I have since revisited many of them,and find them variable, from being as exciting and thrilling as when first read, to being pretty average! Depends on the readers mood too, I suppose?

I have so many new authors to check out, plus new works from favourite authors appearing all the time, I honestly don't think I can be bothered to try again! One book,whilst not a true guide, generally gives a flavour of the writer,and Garp failed for me, so no. I appreciate your thinking though,and were I much younger I would probably give him another try!

I read 'Garp' years ago and have to say it left me totally underwhelmed! Many of my friends loved it, so it was obviously a matter of taste!

I am currently working through the earlier books by Phil Rickman, standalone novels that occasionally have a returning character, but are in no way a 'series'. I read these when they first came out,and loved the bleakness of his landscapes and the intensity of his plots! I lost faith in him when he started writing the Merrily Watkins series (up to 13 books now!) which I just could not engage with. He also wrote a couple of other series which I intend to tackle; I will still avoid the MW series (having read the first three on publication),and not taking to them! Good basic chills, with folklore and legend woven into the plots.Basic 'horror' fodder if you like, but out of the ordinary 'run of the mill' predictable horror type books with obvious twists and turns! These tend to keep even a jaded reader like me guessing! My kind of escapism!

I have often upset friends and family members when discussing the boy wizard. Have I read them? Yes,all of them. Have I seen the films? Again, yes to all of them. Do I think they are good/brilliant/wonderful? No, I find them pretty poor on reflection. Good luck to anyone who likes them, but please bear in mind that not everyone finds them works of genius!

Got over halfway through 'Crime and Punishment' which really gripped me at the start; then life intervened, and I decided that I really could not care less what happened next,or what the final outcome was!

One I keep meaning to get around to reading. I have read 'Jamaica Inn' and,so far as I know 'The Birds' by this writer and never ventured any further, I will make up for this soon!

Possibly because we were force fed Dickens at my school, I have a deep aversion to his works. I can understand why people revere them, and have no wish to argue, each to their own; but for me, just the mention of his name brings down a curtain of boring tedium in my mind. If you like them, then enjoy them. Sadly, not for me though!

Saki wrote a whole book or two of excellent short stories, most of which I believe are now out of copyright and are available on Project Gutenberg and similar sites?

I still prefer the 70s version by a mile. We had the same problem with last years 'Poldark' adaptation. Having seen the original version with Robin Ellis, we found the new one too rushed at eight episodes.The earlier version took 12 episodes to cover the same ground,and having read the books, were more rounded out and fulfilling. Horses for courses I suppose; a certain group cannot watch anything too long as their sparrow brains can't handle it! A long,well crafted story, be it War and Peace or Poldark, deserves a little time getting to know the small details that make the book such a captivating read in the first place (I.M.O) I agree that the latest War and Peace was visually stunning, but to me, still lacking.

The older version is complete to watch on YouTube.I started watching it that way,and then about four episodes in, the DVD box set appeared in our local shop, so my elder son got it me for my birthday!

I avoided it for years, for all the reasons already mentioned. When I finally got round to reading it, I loved it! Well written characters with realistic (for the period) dialogue, and on heck of a plot. Complex, yes,but not mind blowingly so. I have read it three times now,and find something new in it at each reading. Must disagree about the 2016 TV version though; I thought it was dreadful. Six episodes was way too short to do the book any kind of justice. So I got hold of the older series from the seventies, twenty episodes long. Much better! Anthony Hopking gave his all in that version as Pierre (Yes, I know that in the novel Pierre is a giant of a man,and Hopkins to be polite, ...isn't!) But the seventies version filled in so many of the gaps that (to me) were blindingly apparent in the newer version.

Within thirty pages or so of the final book of the seven, and I have to say I really enjoyed them! I agree that Tom Barnaby is not quite the same man as portrayed by John Nettles,but is close enough to satisfy my picky tastes. Troy as noted, is a very different character in the books. The annoying thing is, having (almost) read the whole series,I cannot find the book that failed to impress a few years ago! It is obviously one of these, but maybe I was in a different place then, and just not attuned to the writer or the writing?

I have read The Hobbit about five times,and LOTR over forty times. The LOTR films were 'okay' and only lost it when Jackson wandered away from the book and inserted his own inane meanderings instead. I watched the first of the Hobbit trilogy with growing disbelief and great pain spreding from my head to my backside. Unbelievably bad tosh, dragged out to painful length. I was more or less conned into watching the second part and I lost the will to live.I will never watch the final part, and will never be made to re-watch any of the first two,when they become a regular 'repeat spot' on various TV channels. (This has already started to happen,by the way!) Great Book (LOTR) , not a bad childrens book (Hobbit); Okay films (LOTR), DREADFUL films (Hobbit). Thats where I stand on this!

I recently started the seven Inspector Barnaby mysteries by Caroline Graham. The TV series 'Midsomer Murders' were originally based on these books. I was given one, years ago by a friend,and although I read it, it failed to impress me! I am currently on the fourth book of the seven, reading them in publication order, and so far am enjoying them. And so far, none of them have been the one I previously read, which I cannot remember the title of! Barnaby is pretty much as John Nettles played him in the long running TV series. His assistant, Gavin Troy is very different. On TV Troy was a bit of a harmless bumbler,who could never quite keep up with his superior.In the books, he is a sexist,racist,homophobic young man with an arrogant attitude to almost everyone he encounters. And a quick tempered redhead to boot. So far so good.I know I still have the book I have already read still to come,but I am enjoying these for what they are which is a gentle(ish) set of mysteries, with a logical and reasoned conclusion. If you want heart pounding action and car chases,and ginfights,forget these! Otherwise, good basic detective work, skilfully plotted. In other words, quite a good read!

I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum,that I once made it to the last eighty pages or so of James Joyce' 'Ulysses' and suddenly realised that I no longer cared what happened to anyone in it! Nor have I ever returned to it,although I often read a few lines of 'Finnegans Wake' if I am feeling especially suicidal!

I too have just finished reading the fifth book,and eagerly await the next!

I also spotted loads of music references, ranging from the 'in your face' variety to very subtle indeed. Still chuckling at the 'forks and spades and other implements of destruction line in book four!

I have the first five on my Sony Reader and am currently about sixty pages into the first one.And loving it! Just dry,downbeat humour, and a good basic 'whodunnit' plot with interesting characters and a well loved setting! Am anticipating a good few hours worth of enjoyment from these!

I saw the film first,and enjoyed it. Not what I was expecting to be honest. Then I got hold of the (e)book. Loved that too,even though a few minor things had been changed for the film,as per ususal from Hollywood! Will re-read this sometime fairly soon, and will probably rewatch the film afterwards!

I gave Gravity's Rainbow a shot,but about fifty pages in, it just defeated me. Millions rate the book so it must have been a problem I had, no complaint;just did not 'get on' with it.

Probably (I don't keep count!) around two dozen, so far.

How about the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison,for a non-military sci-fi series? Military involment IS there but kept to a minimum really!

I loved 'High Fidelity' but have failed to get along with any other Nick Hornby book! Tried a few,and especially 'Fever Pitch', as I was once a football fan, but it left me cold!

Loved it! KIng comes in for his share of criticism, but as one of the biggest selling authors, that must go with the territory? I have only found a couple in his vast output to be 'poor' (I.M.O) because,probably they did not live up to whatever expectations I may have had, prior to reading!