Ruth

I've just finished a biography of Paul Newman, and it made me cry. Silly really; it's not as if I didn't know how it ended! It's just that the book talked so much about his philanthropy and generosity. I had a lump in my throat in the final chapters of the book.

One of my favourites - hope you enjoy it as much as I did Speaking of enjoying books, I am REALLY enjoying Shawn Levy's biography of Paul Newman. I loved this too I think everyone who has read it from this forum seems to have enjoyed it a lot.

I probably wouldn't have bothered with it, except that it was the book for this month at the local reading group. But I am glad I read it - it was worth it, and better than I expected. I hope you like it (I am also officially not buying books at the moment, but I still bought three in the charity shop yesterday!)

I hope you enjoy them

We have finished all four seasons now - brilliant! Looking forward to season 5

Ahem....yes, obviously a glitch!! Started reading Paul Newman: A Life, by Shawn Levy, this morning. I think it's going to be a great read - I very much enjoyed Levy's book about the Rat Pack, and am a big fan of Paul Newman. Oh, I'm glad you liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of it

Pure, by Andrew Miller Jean-Baptiste Baratte is an educated and enthusiastic engineer from Belleme in Normandy, who is given teh job of dismantling and disposing of the remains of the les Innocents church and cemetery, in Paris. He initially thinks it should be a routine, if somewhat unpleasant job, but it soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to the matter than he first thinks. Some of the locals who live near to the church are opposed to the destruction of the property – one in particular shows her feelings in an extreme fashion – and he realises that to find workers willing to assist in the project, he will have to call on outside help. The book tells Jean-Baptiste’s story of the year it took to clear the remains of the cemetery and the church, a year that involves, love, rape, suicide… There are certain parts of this book which I loved. It won the 2011 Costa Book of the Year Award, and I can see why. Based on real events, the writing is gorgeous and evocative, occasionally beautiful. The destruction of a cemetery did not really sound as though it would make for an interesting story, but it does work, possibly because the book is also about how the job affected Jean-Baptiste and those around him. I really felt as though Andrew Miller captured the atmosphere of the place and brought it to life. However, while I felt the scene was set beautifully, I found that it was hard to relate to or invest in any of the characters, including Jean-Baptiste himself, who I felt ambivalent about. That said however, the female characters in the book – the mysterious Heloise, the sweet Jeanne and the no-nonsense Lisa, were far more sympathetic, and a lot more likeable than most of the males. Overall though, I found myself reading the book with a sense of detachment – it never felt like a story I could lose myself in, although the writing is undeniably eloquent, and the story itself is pacey enough never to become boring. I would recommend the book to fans of historical fiction, and would probably read more by this author.

Bought it at lunchtime from the local charity shop - hope I enjoy it as much as you are doing (I also bought Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey, and Continental Drifter by Tim Moore, while I was there )

I saw this in a charity shop yesterday, and almost bought it. I wish I had now. I do like books set during WWII....maybe I will go back today and see if they still have it I hae almost finished Pure by Andrew Miller. It has been an interesting read - I can't say I love it, but it has certainly got under my skin. I have a biography about Paul Newman (by Shawn Levy; a writer who I have enjoyed in the past) and was planning on starting that next, but then I spotted a Clark Gable bio on my shelf this morning, which I have meant to read for ages, so am a bit torn!

I bought some Dean Martin, some Johnny Cash, and some Finlay Quaye recently

Stalag 17, wIth the late, great, gorgeous WIllIam Holden. TerrIfic fIlm; I'd rate It 10 out of 10, easIly. It was dIrected by BIlly WIlder, and I am fast comIng to the conclusIon that WIlder dId not ever dIrect a bad fIlm. Stalag 17 Is not even my favourIte WIlder/Holden collaboratIon - that would certaInly be Sunset Boulevard - but It Is brIllIant. Holden won a much deserved Oscar for hIs role.

Thanks I do have the second book on my tbr,, and will read it, but will read a few other things first I think!

Those spoilers - especially the second one - made me laugh out loud!! I don't think I will be reading that book, but I certainly enjoyed reading your review of it

I don't want to derail this thread but this reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend recently. I said that if I had had a bad day at work for example, I liked to watch a light-hearted film, probably a comedy, that made me laugh and didn't tax my brain too much. She said that if she had had a bad day at work, she preferred to watch something much more serious, such as Dead Man Walking or Schindler's List,because it helped her put her problems in perspective. (I personally think both of those films are terrific, but I really have to be in the right mood to watch them.) In a way, it's the same with books. A good 'comfort' author for me is Adriana Trigiani; her books are guaranteed to make me smile, but as I said earlier I tend to pick my books at random. I do have books that I look forward to reading though; I have a biography of Paul Newman on my shelf, which I am saving for my birthday week off from work, because I know I'll enjoy it (at least, I really hope I do!)

Great review of Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs, Poppy I have this book on my shelf and it stares at me reproachfully (I swear it does), when I walk past it, because it's really been there too long. Literally left on the shelf!! Looking forward to reading it now

Oh, that's an interesting question. I tend to pick my next book at random, but if I've just read something long or heavy going, I'll opt for something a bit light hearted. Sometimes I just get in the mood for a certain genre.

The Gunslinger, by Stephen King This book follows Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger of the title. As the book opens, he is chasing a mysterious figure known as the man in black (it’s not Johnny Cash, unfortunately). As the book tracks Roland’s journey so far, bits of his background are revealed, as well as more about the world which he inhabits. It is a world which is similar to earth in many ways, but there are some glaring differences. Indeed, there is something other-wordly and mystical about it, almost as though it is a parallel universe. As for Roland’s background, we learn that he was brought up in the ruling classes of his world, but that that world has all but disappeared now. Roland’s journey to track the man in black will lead him to his ultimate destination, The Dark Tower… This book is the first in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, and while I quite enjoyed it, I was left with an overall feeling of confusion, and that the book raised more questions than it answered. I can accept that in one way, as presumably any questions will be answered in subsequent books in the series. I quite like the dystopian feel of the book, but my main problem with it is that I never felt that the characters were particularly well drawn. I got a sense of Roland’s character, but he remained resolutely distant – it was impossible to engage with the character on any level. Also, the glimpses of Roland’s childhood still didn’t really explain how he had come to be in the position he was in – of the last gunslinger. Again, I assume that this will be revealed in a subsequent book. The writing certainly flowed easily and I found myself able to read huge chunks of the book at a time. I quite enjoyed the almost dreamy like quality of the writing, and while I was left a bit non-plussed when I finished the book, my attention was caught enough to read at least the next book. However, I would not recommend this to someone wanting to read Stephen King for the first time – I don’t think the book is anywhere near as good as say, The Green Mile. It’s worth bearing in mind however, that King was just 19 years old when he started writing The Gunslinger, and he himself has said that it is some of his worst work. Give it a try if you like dystopian fiction – it’s not for everyone, but you just might like it!

Finished The Gunslinger - hmmm, not sure what to make of it, but about five people have told me not to judge the rest of the Dark Tower series by this book, and that the others are much better. I have the next one on my tar shelf, so will definitely read it at some point. Started Pure by Andrew Miller - only 17 pages in, but I already like the writing.

Saw Jaws at the cinema in the week - I'd never watched it, and my husband had only seen it on the small screen. Great film At the weekend I watched a Doris Day/Rock Hudson film - Lover Come Back. Very light-hearted and frothy, with lots of laughs!

I'm liking it so far The Green Mile is one of my favourite books - hope you like it as much as I did!

The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, by Alison Weir There have been several individual biographies written of the six wives of Henry VIII. Here, Alison Weir has pulled all of their stories together, and has created a biography of all six women, and their marriages to King Henry. The events are told in chronological detail, which is a great help, as the timeline for his marriages can sometimes seem confusing! Alison Weir writes so fluidly and eloquently that despite the huge amount of facts crammed into this story – dates, names, places – it never gets boring. All the details are here, but the book never feels bogged down in them. Indeed, it is such an engaging story that it sometimes reads almost like a novel. As well as the six very different women who he married, the book also gives huge insight into Henry’s reign, and offers a more realistic portrayal of the man, rather than the gluttonous lech that he is often portrayed as. As cold hearted a man as Henry VIII could undoubtedly be, it is worth remembering the times in which he lived, when such things that seem abominable to us today, were viewed as quite normal. It is also clear that he could be a very generous and charismatic man, and that certainly, he loved his country and took his role as head of that country very seriously. The author gives a balanced view of all the wives, as well as Henry himself, and indeed, his children. I felt that I really got to know the characters, and the distinct personality of each wife was clearly described. The book has clearly been extensively and exhaustively researched, with sources listed clearly at the back of the book. I would have no hesitation in recommending this remarkably well written and readable biography.

I have FINALLY finished The Six Wives of Henry VIII. An amazingly good book, but I can't remember the last time it took me so long to read a book. I'm going for a comp,ete change now, so will be starting The Gunslinger by Stephen King tonight

Two films at the weekend: Royal Wedding (aka Wedding Bells) from 1951, with Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. Cheesy story, and the supporting cast were awful, but the dancing and singing were great, and there was some nice comedy. Niagara from 1953, with Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters. Very obviously influenced by Hitchcock. It was an enjoyable thriller.

That is a brilliant film with such a great cast. It's also the only film of Jude Law's that I have enjoyed.

In the order I read them, my 4.5 and 5 star reads of this year are: (5 starrred books in bold): A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch Gene Kelly: A Biography, by Clive Hirschhorn Shakespeare On Toast: Getting a Taste For the Bard, by Ben Crystal The Legend of Colton H Bryant, by Alexandra Fuller Starmaker, by Jay Bernstein My current read - The Six Wives of Henry VIII, by Alison Weir is shaping up to be a 5 star read, as well