Talisman

The first book was one that was often discussed at the Wednesday Inner Journey group that I used to go to (unfortunately now disbanded), with the leader reading several chapters from it. It sounded interesting I have to say and was one that I did think about getting, so perhaps I will get hold of a copy.

No, that does make sense - a lot of people would probably say the same thing. I was lucky enough to have the chance to go to Greenland, although only for a day, when I visied Iceland for the 2nd or 3rd time (can't remmember which) in the early 90's. It was worth the cost and effort and some day I would like to go back for a proper look. One of the other books I read earlier this year was about 2 huys who did an unsupported journey across the Greenland icecap (The Long Haul by Alex Hibbert). I would highly recommend if if you have't already read it.

I am now on my 20th book for the year, which I know isn't that many compared to many people on here, but is a lot for me. I seem to be reading a lot more of late, getting through almost a book a week, which is good in many ways, although it is expensive. I will have to get that Kindle I keep promising myself! I finished Joshilyn Jackson's Gods in Alabama then last night - it was one of those books that was recommended to me as one that others had bought when searching on Amazon. It lived up to the reviews with a twist ending that I definately did not see coming. I will look out for some of her other works. The next one though will be the new book by my favourite Icelandic author, Yrsa Sigurdadottir which is entitled The Day is Dark. It is about 2 Icelanders who go missing in Greenland, and if its anything like her previous 3 will be a superb read. I am looking forward to renewing acquaintances with Thora, the lead character, but do wish they would stop putting those awful stickers all over Yrsa's books stating that she is the Icelandic Stieg Larsson - her writing is nothing like his !

About time if you ask me - I understand what people mean when they say that a lot of self published stuff is rubbish, but and I know it a big but (as opposed to butt - I have one of them as well!), it is very much subjective, and one man's junk is another man's treasure. I am not saying that anyone on here is like that, but there are a lot of people who automatically assume that anything self published must be rubbish without even looking at it - that is patently absurd. This is what I mean when I say it is about time that some of the big boys in publishing started to take us seriously, when you see that happening then you know that things really are changing.

Yes thank you too Linda, you have written far more eloquently and succinctly what I have been saying for years ! On that note, I must get round to Kindleising my own book !

It is certainly true that a writers style does develop and mature with age and as they gather life experiences, but having said this it all depends on their background. Some young people are incredibly mature for their age, while some older people can be very immature and very insular. It depends on so many different factors. I have worked with some younger people who were far more clued in than many of the older people I have known. The other thing to consider is that younger people (and this is also true the older you get) have less pretensions and can be brutally honest. I don't then believe that you can generalise. For me personally, the age of the author is irrelevant, all that matters is whether they tell a good story, have done their research and whether I like their writing style. Like most other things it all subjective anyway.

I would recommend Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, which I read last year. It's non fiction and about North Korea. The blurb is as follows: "North Korea is one of the most repressive and secretive states on earth. Spying is encouraged, the media is government controlled, Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book. In the 1990's, famine descended. Millions of people died, but the regime remained in power. Through extensive interviews, Barbara Demick has created the first portrait of life in this extrordinary country, weaving together the stories of six ordinary citizens in a gripping and vivid account of adversity and survival in the land of 'Our Dear Leader'." Demick, who works as a correspondent for the Los Angeles times, was assigned to the post of correspondent for both North and South Korea in 2001. At that time it was incredibly difficult for foreign journalists to enter the north, and those that did were assigned 'minders'. In South Korea she began to talk to North Koreans who had defected and gradually began to build up a picture of what life was really like north of the border. She focussed mainly on former residents of Chongjin, North Korea's third largest city, eventually publishing a series of articles in the Los Angeles Times. It is from these that Nothing to Envy grew.

Maybe not, but then again how much of life is permanent? Very little, as everything changes. Change is as they say the only constant and the only thing upon which we can rely, and personally I think that's a very good thing as without change there would be evolution and growth and everything would forever remain stagnant. As much as we get attached to things (books included), at the end of day it is just stuff. We may lose the ebooks that we 'own' through any number of different reasons, but the stories will remain with the impact they have had upon our lives. That at the end of the day is what matters. But of course, if we really want to, we can replace them.

Wihtout a doubt I would have to say The Clan of the Cave Bear, which was an absolute disaster from start to finish, with no proper dialogue, just grunts which consequently made it impossible to follow. After that disaster, I am not surprised that (to the best of my knowledge) no further films from the Earth's Children series were made.

Finished a Norwegian book entitled Out Stealing Horses a few days ago, by Per Petterson (very atmospheric it was too), and last night I started a new one - The Drowning People by Richard Mason. I have read 2 1/2 chapters so far and it seems interesting.

I would tend to concur with Nollaig.

HP Part 2

Maybe, but it is an interesting question nevertheless !

I think perhaps a better question would be, are the most popular books in general the best ones and leave specific authors out of the equation completely, for with books as with life, it is the message that matters rather than the messenger.

I get involved in the stories because so many of the characters resonate so deeply with things that I have experienced, or sometimes would like to experience in my own life, or wish that I hadn't !

I haven't read a great deal this year compared to many of our members, but my personal favourites so far have been Independent People by Halldor Laxness, Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks and Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea. They are all very different books, but for me each of them was brilliant.

a nice cup of decaf tea

Interesting thought Aralia, and one that I would also tend to agree with. It may not be such a leap to suggest that this has been done before, in ancient civilisations that we know nothing or very little about. At the church I used to go to (I use the term church very loosely here) one of the guardians once commented to me that he had had a vision whereby people would file into the Sanctuary and the one who was taking the service would sit there without saying word, transferring his thoughts into the minds of those who sat there. They do say that we only use 10 percent of our brain, so who knows what we are capable of. As fo wives having minds of their own - don't we all !

I finished When God Was a Rabbit a few days ago, and although I found it a bit slow to get going, it was a book that I really enjoyed. A coming of age tale with a twist that explores love in all its different facets, husband and wife, sister and brother, best friends and even the love of hurting others, for this too is a form of love.

RIP Peter.

The trouble is you have to have the money to get it edited in the first place - that's the reason why a lot of indie writers don't, because they just don't have the funds. It is then not a reflection on the writing par se, but more an indication of how expensive it still is to self publish in the first place - take it from me, as I have done it. The costs are endless. I don't know about other authors, but my own bank balance is certainly not a bottomless pit. Not so long ago, I was holding down 3 part time jobs just to try and make ends meet and I wasn't managing that very well. Personally I think that anything that helps the indie authors and levels the playing field has to a good thing - it has always been the case that you have to weed the wheat from the chaff even with commercially published books, as not everyone likes the same thing, and writing is very much a subjective thing anyway. You know what they say about one man's junk being another one's treasure. At the end of the day, writers need money in order to keep on writing, and anything that increases their meagre earnings and enables them to do that has to be a good thing, for both them and the reader - and don't forget that authors are readers too - they have to be in order to find out what works and what doesn't.

I tend to agree - the only books published on paper will be reference books like dictionaries and the like, and things like road atlasses and maybe cook books.

Yes I have heard about this - it will be good for those who used to use the mobile library and is being talked about here as one of several possible alternatives. This assumes of course that such people a) have access to a computer, b) can afford a Kindle or other device and c) can figure out how to use it. Despite the fact that we have a computer group aimed at such people up here (which Coran volunteers at) there are still a lot of people up here who wouldn't have a clue, not to mention the fact that the majority of pensioners wjo tend to use the mobile library couldn't afford a Kindle anyway. I know I can't at the moment, and I work full time, admittedly in a low paid job.

I did look at some of hers, including The Land of Green Plums, and it definately isn't that one, but I didn't look at The Appointment, so will check that one out.

Some time ago, a year ago, maybe more, I remember seeing a book in Waterstones about a girl in Romania (possibly Bucharest). The book is set during the times of Caucescu, and the girl has seen some terrible things, until one day she walks around the corner and sees something that is even worse and changes her life forever. I have searched all over the Internet for such a book, but to no avail, and having no recollection at all of the authors name or the book title, thought I might as well try on here? Does anyone have any idea what this book might be. It wasn't a very big one from what I recall.