[On the Road by Jack Kerouac]

I disagree. I find Beat literature fascinating and I think it's a very worthy and important addition to the canon of literature.

 

Aren't Naked Lunch and Junky considered to be Beat literature?

[Funny books]

I've been thinking of reading some Jeeves and Wooster books (I wonder where that idea came from! ). Do they need to be read in order?

 

I believe each book works as a 'standalone' and they don't necessarily need to be read in order, but perhaps someone who has more experience with Jeeves and Wooster can shed some light on that.

 

How many Adrian Mole books are there? I bought a second-hand copy of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole back at the end of last year, I think. I'm sure I read it when I was younger but I really don't remember much of it. Has it dated at all?

[Visualising scenes when you read]

I also build the scene from scratch. I can't think of any instance where a real place from my life has popped up in a book. I know I would also find it frustrating though!

[What's on your ipod/iplayer etc?]

where did you download the beatles from as I cant find them on itunes?

 

Mine all came from CDs.

[My books - radjack]

I finished The Thirteenth Tale a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I haven't gotten around to writing a proper review yet.

[What's on your ipod/iplayer etc?]

But what else could you possibly have to concentrate on right now, Kell? I hope you're feeling better today

[Funny books]

Thanks, Poppy. I've been eyeing off the DVDs recently but I'd like to read some of the books first. Does each episode relate specifically to a certain story?

[What's on your ipod/iplayer etc?]

We have some similar tastes there, Shelbel. I have a huge Beatles catalogue on my iPod, plus just about every Kinks album, and most of Cat Stevens too. I also love the John Butler Trio.

 

I have way too much music to even begin listing here (over 15,000 tracks), but some of my favourite artists include:

 

The White Stripes

Franz Ferdinand

The Fratellis

Squirrel Nut Zippers

The Mamas and the Papas

Simon & Garfunkel

Frank Sinatra

Dean Martin

Elvis Presley

The Monkees

Bob Dylan

Donovan

The Living End

Jet

Judy Garland

Peggy Lee

The Rolling Stones

Status Quo

Cream

David Bowie

The Velvet Underground

The Band

The Beach Boys

The Bee Gees

 

etc. I love music.

[Kylie's Literary Adventures in 2008]

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl

 

Rating: 6/10

 

Published: 1973

Number of pages: 137

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Charlie has won the chocolate factory, and sails off in his strange new means of transport to take possession. But somehow the elevator goes into orbit and Charlie, Mr Wonka, and all the grandparents have to save themselves and three gallant astronauts from a mob of vicious space monsters.

 

Comments:

Another enjoyable read by Roald Dahl, but nowhere near as good as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My edition has been illustrated by Faith Jacques, and while the illustrations are nice, it's just not the same as having it done by Quentin Blake. Surprisingly, I found this had a definite impact on my enjoyment of the story. That said, there were some humorous parts (including the stuff that was politically incorrect and which I probably shouldn't have laughed at), and overall it was a decent read. Not one of Dahl's best, but worth a read nevertheless.

 

 

Started: 4 July 2008

Finished: 7 July 2008

[Funny books]

Please excuse double post.

 

OK, so I couldn't wait until after Christmas. I just went out and bought Thank You, Jeeves. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

[How Many in your TBR Pile]

Ooh, you have a tricky question on your profile...I can't see your shelf .

[Funny books]

Poppy, I can't wait to get a hold of PG Wodehouse. I have a feeling he's an author I'm really going to enjoy. I was browsing books the other day and noticed his works are being re-released (the covers looks great), so now looks like an ideal time to be getting into them! I'm going to try and hold off until the post-Christmas book sales though, because if I'm going to get them all, the cost will add up!

 

I also found George Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody to be very funny.

[Hi, I'm new to the forum]

to the forum, Toria! Look forward to discussing books with you.

[Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll]

I reread this last year and really enjoyed it too. I also followed it up with Through the Looking Glass and enjoyed that one even more!

[On the Road by Jack Kerouac]

I really enjoyed On the Road. I think it's one of those books where you need to be at a certain period of your life, or in a certain mindset, to fully enjoy it. I've read that a lot of people read it when they're young and absolutely love it, and then hate it upon re-reading it many years later.

 

I would love to read the original scroll version - just waiting for it to come out in paperback.

[hi!]

Hi Sammy and to the forum!

[Funny books]

Anything by Bill Bryson

[I'm new!]

Hi Sara and to the forum! Any specific authors or genres you enjoy?

[How Many in your TBR Pile]

I have finally gotten under the 300 mark in my TBR pile . I was considering putting my TBR books in a separate bookcase when I was organising them, but seeing as they make up almost half of my entire collection, they would have taken up an entire bookcase on their own, and that's just too daunting.

[Musicals]

I have several of those musicals in my TBW pile

 

I've gotten right into Gene Kelly recently. He's just terrific, isn't he? I watched An American in Paris the other day. I confess to getting a little bored during those long dream sequences though. In fact, I may have skipped through some parts

[What's for Dinner Tonight?]

I think I'll have a ham and cheese omelette. Because I'm living by myself now I have to get used to buying enough food just for me. Seems I've been buying too much so I've been basing my food decisions on whatever is going to go out of date next

[Orson Scott Card - what to start with?]

I haven't read any OSC to date, but I believe Ender's Game is one of his most popular books (it's the first in a series). I have this on my TBR pile.

[The 39 Steps by John Buchan]

I read this last year and enjoyed it. Here's what I wrote in my review:

 

This is an enjoyable read that requires the reader to somewhat suspend their disbelief because there are so many amazing coincidences and escapes that are so conveniently timed that it becomes a little distracting. However, because this is one of the original thrillers, I can forgive all that and enjoy it for the fun read that it was - not too heavy or taxing. Recommended.

 

I haven't seen any movie versions yet but I'm on the lookout for them, particularly Hitchcock's take, although I understand it's fairly different to the book. According to IMDB, there is a new version slated for release next year, although there doesn't appear to be many details available (it's on the 'back-burner'), so who knows when it'll come out.

[Pontalba's Books Read - 2008]

Thanks for the tip! I didn't realise it was part of a trilogy.

[Pontalba's Books Read - 2008]

I read The Book of Evidence earlier in the year and loved it (thanks to your recommendation!) I've since gone out and bought Athena, Doctor Copernicus, Kepler, Mephisto, and The Sea. Can't wait to read them all.