Kell
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Posts posted by Kell
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Dale and I had a couple of slices of toast - his with Utterly Butterly, mine with Lurpack Light Spreadable. Both had a nice cup of coffee with it. Lounged about in bed to have breakfast too (it was my turn to make it, but I just crawled back under the covers!).
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It's always good to have members who are MIA return. Good to see you again, Hammy!
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I used to live on Marischal Street and have got it into my head that Logan lives in my old flat No. 44a, just over the little bridge bit, on the right hand side of the road (looking towards the harbour). The dining room window looked out over Theatre Lane (where the "ladies of the night" were often to be seen plying their trade). I'd love to know Logan's proper address...
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Hi Kenny and
to the forum - it's lovely to have you here. 
Looking forward to hearing all about the books and authors you enjoy. We have a few young folks on here, so you should be in good company. Have fun! 
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Hello there, Amber!
to the forum. I look forward to hearing all about what you're reading. -
I've been notching up a few this year since I started the challenge in May this year. I'd already read 38 when I started and I'm now onto my 58th.
You can see my progress HERE.
There have been some EXCELLENT reads in the ones I've tackled so far!
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Yes, I also found the list HERE. you can copy it into a Word document, or whatever.
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Yes, I was just wondering which of the ones you've read so far you enjoyed most and why. I've only read 2 Atwood books (The Robber Bride and The Handmaid's Tale) and I don't think I quite got her, though I understand that she's rather highly-though-of, so if you could suggest another one you think I might enjoy more, I'd be most grateful.
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No! Don't mark the book! Instead, download the very handy excel spreadsheet from HERE and keep note on there. That's how I'm keeping tabs (I don't have the book myself).
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Hi Stuart! Obviously you don't go around maiming, murdering and committing random violent crimes (or at least, I hope not!), so you must have a network of contacts for research purposes. How did you go about getting in touch with people who could give you first-hand information and details for use in your novels? And do you enjoy the research side of things?
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Title: Carter Beats the Devil
Author: Glen David Gold
Publisher: Sceptre
First Published: 2001
Started: 5/10/07
No.of pages: 563
Finished:
Rating:
Synopsis:
Charles Carter, dubbed Carter the Great by Houdini himself, was born into privilege but became a magician out of need: only when dazzling an audience can he defeat his fear of loneliness. But in 1920s America, the stakes are growing higher, as technology and the cinema challenge the allure of magic and Carter's stunts become increasingly audacious. Until the night, President Harding takes part in Carter's act only to die two hours later, and Carter finds himself pursued not only by the Secret Service but by a host of others desperate to discover the terrible secret they believe Harding confided in him. Seamlessly blending reality and fiction, Gold lays before us a glittering and romantic panorama of our modern world at a point of irrevocable change.
Review:
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Title: Gulliver's Travels
Author: Jonathan Swift
Publisher: Librivox.org
First Published: 1726
Started: 1/10/07
Finished: 17/10/07
Rating: 6/10
Synopsis:
Shipwrecked and cast adrift, Lemuel Gulliver wakes to find himself on Lilliput, an island inhabited by little people, whose height makes their quarrels over fashion and fame seem ridiculous. His subsequent encounters - with the crude giants of Brobdingnag, the philosophical Houyhnhnms and brutish Yahoos - give Gulliver new, bitter insights into human behaviour. Swift's savage satire views mankind in a distorted hall of mirrors as a diminished, magnified and finally bestial species, presenting us with an uncompromising reflection of ourselves.
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Those are very interesting articles - thanks for posting the links, Kitty. I would, however, suggest that folks who haven't read the books yet don't read the articles till they do, as there are major spoilers in them - the entire plot is covered.
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One major thing I noticed from reading these two novels is the polar extremes they reach:
1984 - Complete sexual repression - sex purely for procreation
BNW - Sex with multiple partners is encouraged - sex purely for recreation
1984 - General standards of living are very low, with most of the day spent in toil
BNW - Very high standards of living with plenty of free time
1984 - People are generally kept in ignorance - information is withheld from the public
BNW - People are given at least basic education, with better education depending on caste - the public is inundated with information
However, both books use brainwashing techniques, but in different ways:
1984 - Fear and ignorance combined to force people into a certain mindset
BNW - Subliminal feeds from a very young age condition people to certain mindsets depending on caste
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Stephen King is one of my very favourite writers - I'm so glad you're enjoying Salem's Lot! I've actually not read this one yet, so I'll be interested in seeing your thoughts on it when you're done.
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Not at all - everyone's always welcome to bring up older threads if there's something they want to discuss. I really should read a few more Grishams - I really liked what I read in the ones I have done...
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Thanks for that link, Adam - that's a really interesting interview. It always makes me laugh to think that Stephen King is pegged as a "horror writer", because to me he's one of the great cross-genre authors! Yes, many of his books have an element of horror to them, but so do millions of other books that are NOT pegged as "horror" (take a look at anything about WWII and when you get to some of the atrocities committed by the Nazis - well, that's pure horror to me!). I find him a very versatile writer - he seems to be able to turn his hand to pretty much anything. Overall, I think he's mostly a writer who looks at the human condition and studies society as a whole - and he's a very interesting man to boot!
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I average at about 100 pages a day, more or less, but it really depends on a lot of factors including how much spare time I have, how I'm feeling, how much I'm enjoying the book, etc.
A few people have been expressing surprise that I finished The Stand by Stephen King in a week (1007 pages), but seeing as it was my week off, I was more surprised that I didn't finish it several days sooner! In the end, I had so much to do during the week that I didn't get nearly as much reading time as I had expected and ended up reading it at roughly the same rate I might have done had I NOT had the week off!
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to the forum, Servenlad! It's nice to see a few guys joining up lately. I hope you'll enjoy sharing your favourite books and authors with us all.
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I have a massive bookcase in the livingroom where I keep all my "keepers". Another large bookcase in the hallways where all the books I'm selling on or swapping out stay. Three shelves, double-stocked, are under my desk and that's where Mount TBR nestles, occasionally books jump out at my feet and demand to be read - they're quite bolshy like that!
There are also several boxes in the office room where more books for sale/swap are kept - most of these ones are my Dad's, which are being kept here temporarily till they sell (I wish they'd hurry up and get requested, coz there's so many of them sitting there, looking forlone and wanting to be taken into new, loving homes!).
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I had a full week off work, Nici - from Saturday through to the following Sunday, so I had 9 whole days. So, I just read at a pace of 110 pages per day, which is only about 10 pages more per day than I usually do (so I didn't do as much reading as I thought I would during my time off!).Loved every second of re-reading The Stand though - marvellous stuff!
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Title: The Messenger
Author: Andrew E. Shipley
ISBN: 9781430325123
Publisher: Lulu.com
First Published: 2007
No. of Pages: 292
Started: 1/10/07
Finished: 4/10/07
Rating: 8/10
REVIEWED FOR AUTHOR
Synopsis:
Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and political prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to Senator Peters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language. When the 'tongues' phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracles for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as the Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to the Messenger's true purpose, and it is determined to stop it.
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Adam, if you're enjoying King's work, you might like to check out our reading circle section - a bunch of us are currently tackling The Stand (which is EXCELLENT) and a little while back, some read The Shining too - you can always add your thoughts as we leave the threads permanently open.
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Ah yes, Mr. king is perfect for the spooky season! I also love leafing through my big book of fairytales by the brothers Grimm - wonderfully dark stuff!You can't go wrong with some of Stephen Kings' early work. -
There was one little bit of total irony that leapt out of Brave new World for me, and that was one of the character names. Linda means "pretty", but the character, Linda, was anything but - in fact, she was described as quite a repulsive character, both physically and in her lack of social graces (or her ability to fit into society).
1001 Books - To highlight or not?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
I'm certainly not going to read all of them either, Adam - there are some on that list that just don't appeal to me at all - but I think I'll most likely try the majority of them. I've picked out those that appeal most and will concentrate on those ones first. At the moment, I have to read at a rate of 19 books from the list every year, which is definitely do-able - I could just read 2 of them each month and beat that. The good thing for you is, starting young as you are, you're "yearly target" will be much lower, so it'll be easier for you to keep up with it.
I started following the list in May this year and I had already read 38 when I started. I'm currently on by 58th book, so I've managed 20 in just over 5 months (crikey - that's about 4 a month - I've been reading them faster than I thought!). I'd like to tackle another 4 by the end of the year - I think that's a pretty reasonable target.
