timebug

One of those 'must read' books,that I tackled at around the age of seventeen or eighteen;it failed to 'work' for me. I could not engage with the characters or the plot. I finished it, but it left a void in my mind,that I had somehow 'not got it' or understood it properly. So I attempted to read it again in my thirties. I found it deadly dull and unmoving,and abandoned it for something I would enjoy a lot more!

I tried to read it twice in the past,and failed both times. The sad,disjointed memoirs of a madman.

I posted in the 'Aotobiographies' section that I have recently read this,and thoroughly enjoyed it!

In the last three weeks I have read Autobigraphies by David Mitchell (The TV actor and comic),Lee Mack, Paul Merton and John Cleese.Plus the two books by Danny Baker,that the TV series 'Cradle to Grave' was (Very) loosely based on. A mixed bunch and I loved the Baker books and the Paul Merton one. The John Cleese was better than I had expected as he is usually such a grouch in interviews,but the Lee Mack one left me thinking that had I met him in person, I probably would not have taken to him! But I mostly like his TV work,so it is a double edged sword!

I have enjoyed all the Bill Bryson books, and all of the Mark Wallington ones too. A slim paperback I often re-read is 'One Man and His Bog' by Barry Pilton. This is a well written volume, concerning a middle aged (and out of condition) man's attempt to walk The Penine Way.Which for those outside the UK, is a mountainous hike of two hundred and thirty miles (give or take) from Edale in the Midlands, to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland.

The Old Man and The Sea was my first,and (at school,way back in prehistoric times!) it was a revelation. We had been force fed stodgy classics from the Victorian era, and the brevity of the prose knocked me out. Later read all the rest, but the first one is still my favourite!

I am also a fan of the series,and have (so far) read them all twice. I saw the film 'Master and Commander' first and then came across the books a short while afterwards. I managed to get the full set, and dived right in and worked through them.Superb stuff, like 'Hornblower' but with added layers of grit and realism!

I have liked all of King's novels, on different levels. I think I have read all of his works, and the earlier 'instant scare' stuff is fine for what it is,whilst to me, the later books explore more of the turmoil in 'ordinary life'?. Certainly from his perspective,as an author who must be deluged with crank 'fan mail' and all kinds of weirdness, from people who identify with his various 'screwed up' characters?

My son suggested the film to me first,and I watched it and was gripped. So naturally I read the book afterwards (and several more by the same author). I loved both. I know films always get knocked for 'changing things from the book' but the narrative structure of the film worked well I.M.O and I was equally pleased to have read/seen both!

A nasty little book I read once called 'Let's Go Play At The Adams' by Mendal Johnson. That one stayed with me ever since. I looked the author up online,and apparently he was a very disturbed sort of individual anyway,so no wonder the book gave me the creeps.

A ten minute walk from my home to our local Library. Three 'outlying' smaller branches have been lost over the past ten years or so,and the main Library now has less opening hours than in the past.

As I have bought a lot of my books from Charity Shops over the years, I have found a few 'interesting' things inside some of them. A Five pound note once, a pound note (remember those?) an envelope with a stamp and a written address,unused,and containing no letter. Bus tickets by the score, presumably used as bookmarks,and once, a pressed flower.

I often re-read 'Three Men In A Boat' by Jerome K Jerome, and 'Diary of A Nobody' by George and Weedon Grossmith. The Douglas Adams 'Hitch Hikers' series (and anything else by him) usually raises a smile and a chuckle. Spike Milligan's 'Puckoon' actually almost caused me injury when I first read it. And Neil Munro's 'Para Handy' Trilogy always cheer me up.Plus Jeeves and Wooster of course, and the Blandings tales!

I generally read one at a time nowadays, but as a younger person I often had three or four on the go at once, to suit my mood at the time!

I found both 'War and Peace' and 'The Stand' easy to read and follow, as the characters are gradually introduced,and soon settle into their 'space' in the narrative. The Stand was in fact, the first Stephen KIng book I ever read, having seen a colleague reading it, who suggested I might like it. I soon caught up with the rest of his (then) output and eagerly awaited the subsequent ones! Curiously though,I have never felt the urge to read any more Tolstoy, although I loved 'War and Peace'!

I prefer silence,but in our often busy household, if my Wife is watching something she likes,I can continue to read and just 'tune out' the noise in the background! And with a real page turner, I can overlook little things like mealtimes, and bedtime!

About every ten years,I sift through my books and decide which ones I actually WILL read again at some stage,and those that I will not. The 'Will Not' pile generally get carted off to the local charity shops for others to enjoy.

Hello all members.I am Timebug and have just joined the forum. I am an avid reader of both 'real' books and ebooks,and read on average three books a week. Look forward to getting to know you all in due time!