Ruth

Sorry ER - didn't mean to insult a film you love, but....I just don't like Keira Knightley in ANY film I've seen her in! I have nothing against her personally; she's probably a lovely person, but I just don't like watching her act. I have to agree wtih Poppy as well - I thought a lot of people in that particular version were miscast (Donald Sutherland????!!!!), BUT I like hearing different opinions...and if the film encouraged anyone to pick up the book, that can only be a good thing I did love the BBC version, although I never got the hoo-ha over Colin Firth. Lovely man, great actor, but he doesn't do it for me in 'that' way. As for Madame Bovary, I didnt like the book much, so doubt I will bother with the film. I would probably watch it if it came on the television in the fullness of time, but I wouldn't spend money going to see it. Agree that Mia is probably too pretty for Jane Eyre. I remember seeing the Joan Fontaine/Orson Welles version (which, if you haven't seen it, I probably wouldn't recommend - it cuts the bit about Jane's cousins out completely). Fontaine was stunning - far too beautiful to play Jane. Ruth Wilson is very attractive in an unconventional way, which made her perfect for the part of Jane. And I adored Toby Stephens as Rochester (or in anything to be honest!) Same here. I read so much when I was that age that my parents could barely keep up. My mum used to take me to the library regularly, and buy books to keep us (my brothers and I) reading. I do agree though that there weren't the distractions which there are now. I didn't watch an awful lot of tv - still don't really - and of course, didn't have a computer, I try to limit the amount of time I spend on the computer now, especially in the evening at home.

Christopher Ransom - I read The Birthing House, and it was beyond awful. To say the writing was terrible would be to pay it a compliment! Also Andrew Neiderman. He wrote The Devil's Advocate, which was made into a not bad film, with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. The book was truly dreadful. The film was very different from the book, which was probably why it was quite enjoyable. (Plus Al Pacino is always great) I think I've already said James Patterson; will never read one of his again! I think he's very hit and miss. HIs earlier work is dire, but some of his later stuff was really good (imo).

I Capture The Castle has been on my tbr for years. I'm glad that you're enjoying it so much. I've got it on my 'to read soon' list, so hopefully I'll get to it at some point!! I'm getting on with Starmaker, by Jay Bernstein (publicist to many big stars in the 60s and 70s, including the Rat Pack, Farrah Fawcett and others). Really enjoyable so far

I feel your pain! I might join you in being poor but happy, with loads of reading time I decided against starting Papillon yesterday; I remembered that I had a library book which needs to go back this month, so I'm reading that instead. It's 'Starmaker' by Jay Bernstein. Bernstein was a Hollywood publicist for many years, and worked for people like Farrah Fawcett, the Rat Pack and many other huge stars - it's not so much a bio, because it only really covers his years in Hollywood. Started it last night - looks like a light, interesting and humorous read

Miss Sadie Thompson - from 1953, starring Rita Hayworth, and based on a W. Somerset Maugham story. It was actually the third adaptation ofthe story; it was made into a silent movie in 1928 (just called 'Sadie Thompson'), and Joan Crawford starred in another adaptation of it called 'Rain' in 1932. I wouldn't mind seeing those (especially the Joan Crawford film) for comparison purposes. This was....okay. The trouble was it didn't know what it wanted to be. Started off as a comedy, turned into a musical, dabbled with romance, then descended into drama! Not awful, but not brilliant either.

On The Beach, by Nevil Shute This book was written in 1957, and set in 1963. Nuclear war has wiped out the Northern Hemisphere, and radioactive winds are making their way down to the Southern Hemisphere. The people living in the southernmost countries know that when the winds reach them, they too will die. There are five main characters in the book, which is largely set in Melbourne, where people are trying to go about their daily lives in as normal a way as possible. People continue to go to work and in many cases, continue to plan for a future which they know they will never see. One of the characters is American Submarine Captain, Lieutenant Dwight Towers, who was in Australia when war broke out. He knows that his wife and children back home in America must be dead, but he cannot accept it. He forms a friendship with Moira Davidson, a young woman who drinks too much and parties too hard to blot out her anger at her imminent death due to a war that her country had no part of. Peter and Mary Holmes are a young couple with a baby daughter, and the cast of characters is rounded out by John Osbourne, an Australian scientist. When Dwight’s submarine is commissioned to investigate radio signals coming from Seattle, Peter and John are part of the staff who go with him. I enjoyed this book, but can’t help feeling that it is somewhat dated now. I would like to believe that in the face of such horror, people would still remain courteous and civil, and would continue to keep living as normal a life as possible – but I just don’t see that happening. It seems more realistic to imagine that there would be widespread panic, and that chaos and anarchy would descend. All that most of these people – Moira excluded, although even she seems somewhat accepting of her fate – seem to feel is a vague sense of sadness. For example, Mary Holmes seems more concerned with the prospect of her baby daughter catching Measles than dying of radiation. And yet, it is this sense of normalcy, of routine, that lends the book a chilling air. People carry on, because what else can they do? A mother won’t stop worrying about her daughter getting an illness that can be avoided, just because a far bigger problem is on the way. There were moments of real poignancy; when John Osbourne buys a Ferrari that he can’t really handle, and takes up motor racing – because why not? (It is not giving away anything too spoilerish to say that the motor race near the end of the book was one of my favourite parts.) Dwight Towers goes shopping for gifts for his wife and children, knowing deep down that he will never be able to hand them over. It was the moments like this that really made me think. It’s always worth bearing in mind that the book was written during the Cold War, when nuclear warfare was a very real fear for many people. It did make me think – what would I do? What would you do? Try and complete some kind of bucket list, sink into a deep depression, or just try and carry on as normal? Who knows? (And hopefully, we will never have to know.) As I mentioned earlier, the book has not aged particularly well, and I found it hard to believe that most people would behave in the way that the characters here behaved. For that reason, I did not find the book as chillling as other post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels which I have read. However, for anyone with an interest in the genre, this is certainly a worthwhile addition to their collection, and I would recommend it.

^^^I agree that she was such an interesting character - very determined and resourceful. She was flawed - but who isn't? - and I think flawed characters are generally the most interesting to read about. Sometimes I found myself disliking her, other times I couldn't help but admire her. Did you know that the character was originally going to be called Pansy? Pansy O'Hara doesn't have quite the same ring to it! And I'm sure I read somewhere that Melanie was originally going to be the heroine of the story, but as Margaret Mitchell kept writing, she realised that Scarlett was inevitably going to be the main character. In any event, it's a fantastic novel. Often when books are so big, I think that parts of it could have been cut out, but I really can't think of any of GWTW that wasn't necessary to tell the story. Wonderful book, wonderful film

Almost finished On The Beach (I'll easily finish it at lunchtime). I really like this book - parts of it seem very dated and unlikely, but it has a way of getting to you. I picked up Papillon by Henri Charriere (sp?) this morning. According to LibraryThing I have had this on my tbr at least since July 2007 (when I joined LT), and I'm trying to get to some of my older books, so this will be my next read.

I tend to read sequels, but sometimes not whole series. It seems that sometimes authors get contracts to write so many books a year, so they end up just churning them out.

Great review of Farewell, My Lovely I have read The Big Sleep, by Chandler and enjoyed that a lot. How did you find The Maltese Falcon? I have it on my tbr. Actually I often get Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler mixed up - both crime-noir (is that a genre?!), both hard-boiled detective story writers - and both of their main characters were played by Humphrey Bogart in films!! I was interested to read your review of Sons and Lovers...I tried reading Lawrence once - I think it was Wives and Daughters, but I'm not sure because it was years ago - but I couldn't get along with it and abandoned it fairly early on. Tastes do change though, so maybe I might give him another try one day.

Great review for De Profundis I really like the sound of that book. I'm another one with an aversion to Madame Bovary. I finished it, but didn't really enjoy it. I have an aversion to Keira Knightley as well. I'm sure she's probably a lovely person, but I just don't like her acting. At all. And she was TOTALLY WRONG for Lizzie Bennett!!! She only seems to have one facial expression, which is jutting her jaw out in a defiant manner. That all said, that Mia Wasikowska is a good actress; she was good in Jane Eyre (not as good as Ruth Wilson though). But I still couldn't be persuaded to watch that film.

Thanks Julie I'll be looking out for her other book(s).

I have it on my tbr, where it has been for...well, a very long time!! Glad you're enjoying it I'm still reading On The Beach, by Nevil Shute. This book has got under my skin somehow. It's gripping but very sad. Would like to see the film to compare (can't believe I haven't actually seen it, as three of my favourite actors are in it!)

Hope you enjoy it Laura It had been on my tbr at least since July 2007 (I know because that's when I joined LibraryThing, and entered that book), and I eventually picked it up because it was book of the month from the reading group I go to. I was glad I finally got around to it!

Hello, Dolly! with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau (and directed by Gene Kelly). One of the last big musicals in Hollywood, until the more recent ones such as Chicago, Moulin Rouge! etc. I liked it a lot, although it is quite long for a musical. Lovely singing and dancing. There was lots of tension on set though - Matthau detested Streisand and refused to talk to her unless the script demanded it. He and Michael Crawford (also in the film) went to a horse race during filming and Crawford put a bet on a horse because it was called Hello Dolly. Matthau refused to place a bet on the horse because he said the name reminded him of Streisand, and after the horse won, he refused to talk to Crawford for the rest of the shoot. Thinking about it, it's not wonder Matthau always looked so grumpy!!

I have Glue on my tbr, although admittedly I only bought it because I spotted it ridiculously cheap in a charity shop. Irvine Welsh was on BBC Breakfast last week, talking abut his new book - he read a bit from it, although I imagine he struggled to find a part without swearing or drug references (the bit he read could only have been about three lines at most!). He seemed like a very intelligent and nice man. I wouldn't mind reading Trainspotting, but the phonetic writing puts me off a bit. One to consider for the future probably.

I finished The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd yesterday. Enjoyed it a lot, although there were an awful lot of cliches and stereotypes. I thought the author really got into the psyche of a child though; the narrator - a 14 year old girl - was excellent. Started reading On The Beach, by Nevil Shute. This has been on my tbr for a couple of years, and I was inspired to pick it up after reading a bio on Gregory Peck, who starred in an adaptation of the book. So far I am enjoying it.

The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd In the mid-1960s, Lily Owens is 14 years old, and lives with her unforgiving and remote father on a peach farm in South Carolina. Lily has grown up with the knowledge that when she was 4 years old, she accidentally killed her mother. Lonely and sad, her only friend is the black maid Rosaleen. When racial tension explodes into ugly violence, Lily and Rosaleen run away, and end up at a home in Tiburon, where they stay with three sisters, August, June and May, who keep bees, and make and sell honey. As Lily grows to enjoy her new life, she learns not only about keeping bees, but also lessons about life, and her own past. I really enjoyed this book, although there were some aspects of it which could have put me off. The story is narrated by Lily, and the author’s ability to speak in a child’s voice is astounding and entirely convincing. Lily is honest – sometimes painfully so, and to her own detriment – but she is a very believable character. I also thought that Rosaleen was an excellent character, combining pride and honesty with a humorous lack of decorum that makes Lily (and sometimes me) wince. August – the sister who is the driving force behind the honey making business – is a very likeable person, but perhaps just a little too perfect, although this is counterbalanced somewhat by her angry sister June, and her emotionally unbalanced sister May. The book balances moments of tragedy and anger, with times of friendship and joy, and all of it was captivating reading. However, the book does have a number of cliches running through it. The Daughters of Mary group – a set of (mainly) women who come to worship at August’s makeshift church seem very stereotypical, and I had a job distinguishing the characters in the group from each other. Also, Lily’s father T. Ray, is very one-dimensional…he’s cruel and without redemption, although a slight effort is made to explain his behaviour. The book only really scratches the surface of racial tension and ugly bigotry that happened in the era described, but as the book is told from a naive child’s point of view, this is understandable. (This book cannot begin to compare to the child’s narrative in the excellent To Kill A Mockingbird, although I cannot help wondering whether this book was in any part inspired by that particular classic.) There was also a strong religious thread running through the book. Although I am not religious, this did not bother me, but it may bother other readers. Despite the flaws though, this is an enjoyable and easy to read story of a young girl’s awakening, and I would certainly recommend it. I would definitely be interested in reading more by Sue Monk Kidd.

I am Lily Owens, and am in the Deep South, learning life lessons and how to keep bees.

Thanks for the recommendation - I Googled it, and have now ordered a copy. Looks like something I would definitely enjoy

I'm very much enjoying The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, at the moment. It's been on my tbr pile since pre 2007 (according to my Library Thing), and I'm reading it now because my f2f reading group have it as their book of the month. It's great though; I wish I'd read it earlier. Being a fan of celebrity bios (I mean proper celebrities, not the kind of person who appeared on X Factor or Big Brother once and thought the world would like to know their life story), I've bought Baby I Don't Care, by Lee Server - a bio of Robert Mitchum from Amazon this week. Have also ordered William Holden: Golden Boy, by Bob Thomas, as I really like William Holden and it's supposed to be a good bio. Went into a charity shop today and picked up De Niro: A Biography by James Baxter, but according to Amazon, it's not a great bio. I only paid a little bit for it though, so I'm not too bothered. I also bought The Last Family In England by Matt Haig, from the same charity shop - seduced by the cute black Labrador on the cover (reminded me of my dog)...only to realise that I already have a copy of this book. But again, I only paid charity shop prices for it, so I don't mind. Aahhh, one of my very favourite books, AND films Hope you love the book as much as I do!

David Bowie wrote a song called 1984, about George Orwell's book (actually I think he wrote a number of songs about the book, but that was the only one with the same title). Radiohead had a song called 2+2=5, which was also about Orwell's 1984. Woody Guthrie had a song called Tom Joad, which retells The Grapes of Wrath

Thanks for the heads up Janet I've read a couple of books by Danny Wallace, and really enjoyed them, so I shall look out for this one.

Hi VF No it's not a remake, it's more of a continuation. It takes place after the original series (basically this series is set just leading up to and during the beginning of WWII). It's at the same house, but with different people - the family living there now are somehow related to those from the original series, but I forget how exactly. They did a 3 episode series at Christmas 2010, which Rose came back for. She appeared briefly in this latest series, but the actress had had a stroke in real life, so wasn't able to do more than a few brief scenes. She has said that if they make another series, she would be in it full time. I like it a lot; however, I never saw the original series, so don't have that to compare it to.

I think I know the Kevin Bacon film you're referring to, and why you might not want to talk about it here. I do agree though that it is a very under-rated film. Kevin Bacon is a pretty under-rated actor in general as well.