Ben

Hey guys, so I know we don't normally let members post asking for help with 'homework' but this is more of a 'throw-some-ideas-into-the-hat' type thread - I won't pick off someone's idea and use it entirely, I just want to see if there's anything that can unlock some ideas in my own head. However, if this thread isn't suitable, moderators/admin(s) feel free to delete.. Now, today I've had a bit of a disaster. I've just found out that on by Thursday midday I have to submit two dissertation proposals. Now, this would be all well and good and I would have spent ages thinking about it, but because of illness I missed the meeting where we got the forms, and this is the result. I'm a little thin on ideas, which is mildly irritating because I'm reasonably widely-read and should have a good pool of authors to pick from. So what I want to know is what you think you'd write about if you had to a 10,000+ word essay on some aspect of literature. What themes do you think you'd want to cover? Amongst the authors I've considered so far are Oscar Wilde, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath. I've also thought about some sort of travel writing aspect (Kerouac's On the Road, a mixture of Orwell's books). Or even some kind of mental illness/breakdown aspect in literature (Plath's The Bell Jar, 'The Yellow Wallpaper', etc.) But at the moment these are a bit vague and insubstantial. I mean, we only need a brief title like 'gender and how it's changed through time', because the proposals aren't needing to be fleshed out yet, I'm just a bit wary. I know it's up to me to pick what I'd like to write about, I was just wondering what things you guys might come up with if it were you..

Thanks bobbly, Atonement is definitely next up when I get around to reading more McEwan.

That's great, I hope you two have oodles of fun discussing the hours away over tea. I've made some of my closest friends and confidants over the internet, but have sadly never had the chance to meet any of them in the flesh. This, I feel, is one of the best communities on the web by far, and I'm quite sure that many of you would be even lovelier in person than you all comes across on here. Hope you have a great time.

So last night I finished Sweet Tooth and I must say I enjoyed it very much. There's something about McEwan's writing that I adore - he's got such a wonderful way with words, and his attention to detail across various, often very different subjects, is marvellous. I have still only read this and Saturday but I feel like I'll almost definitely get around to more of his work at some stage. Review Sweet Tooth tells the story of Serena Frome ("rhymes with plume") and her various romantic attractions. She has an unquenchable thirst for reading, rattling through a few novels every week (reminded me a lot of some of you guys *laughs*). Intelligent at school and with a talent for mathematics, she gains entrance to Cambridge but struggles with her studies there. Instead she immerses herself in her novels and ends up with only a third. While there, however, she meets professor Tony Canning, and there begins an affair that acts as the catalyst for the rest of the novel's events. The professor abruptly calls of the affair, but not before grooming Serena for a shot at an MI5 interview. It's low level, mundane, but our narrator finally gets a chance to prove herself when she's called in to operation 'Sweet Tooth' - an attempt to counter Communist propaganda coming out of the Cold War. She must meet and offer financial services to the young writer Tom Haley, who's short stories she falls in love with - then the man himself. It's a romance based on betrayal and it doesn't take long before things start to unravel. McEwan writes with a polished touch, describing anything from the intricate politics surrounding the Cold War and the inner-workings of the secret service, to the sometimes delightful moments of romance and love that Tom and Serena share. With money being provided by the agency, our young writer is free to write without pressures, working on his first novel whilst at the same time frivolously throwing money at champagne and oysters. Serena is haunted by the abrupt ending of her relationship with Tom Canning, and there's more to the story than even she knows. In a web of lies and deception even as she leads a double life with Tom, Serena herself is also in the dark. McEwan here explores the seventies wonderfully - the strikes, the political crisis, and threats of terrorism looming overhead. At times the history might seem heavy-handed, the Cold War exploration a little too detailed. Yet the suspense is there in abundance, and never quite knowing who to trust makes for a gripping narrative. The author's 'stories within stories' type of novel blurs the lines between fiction and truth. The novel at heart isn't even about espionage in the proper sense, rather deception and the power of literature. Peppered with references, this multi-layered novel is clever in its execution, and genius in its dénouement. Tightly constructed, the reveal acts as a wonderful twist. The general consensus may be that this isn't quite McEwan's best novel, but in this readers' eyes, it's certainly worth the read. ★★★☆☆.

The posting guidelines sound good to me. I'm probably going to pop in here now and again to post little progress reports, statistics, and general comments on how I think the books are going so far. I'll probably do mini-reviews at the end of one if I finish it, and any longer reviews I'll keep to my reading thread. I finished one of my current reads last night, so just Crime and Punishment to finish in the next couple of days and I'm ready to go. I'll also probably only start reading midnight Thursday too, just to keep everything neat and in the three day period..

I don't often re-read books, because like Janet said, there's so many unread ones waiting on my shelves. I have, however, re-read certain favourites - notably F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby which I've read more times than I can remember. I've also got a soft spot for re-reading 'easy' reads when I'm stuck in a bit of a slump. Anthony Horowitz, Jonathan Stroud and Darren Shan are my go-to authors for that.

Interesting that you didn't enjoy it, for some reason I've never been tempted. Definitely think The Prisoner of Heaven is a valuable addition to the canon though.

Welcome to BCF Ally.

Decided to make a start on McEwan's Sweet Tooth alongside my current read. I was going to wait until I finished Crime and Punishment but it's heavy and I don't always feel like dipping into it. Hence, reading this lighter read at the same time. Synopsis: The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. Britain is being torn apart by industrial unrest and terrorism. Serena Frome, in her final year at Cambridge, is being groomed for MI5. Serena is sent on a secret mission - Operation Sweet Tooth - which brings her into the world of Tom Haley, a promising young writer. First she loves his stories, then she begins to love the man. Can she maintain the fiction of her undercover life? And who is inventing whom? To answer these questions, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage - trust no one. Really enjoyed Saturday for class and I have Atonement waiting on Kindle, so shall see how I get on with this.

You can never select too many books. I'm still considering my choices but I'll spend more time on it this week. Hopefully going to have my current two reads finished by then so can dip into my TBR at will. I'm definitely over-excited for this now.

Books like that are never great for the wishlist/TBR though.

Suppose I should update the first page with my third buy of the year - Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan added to the TBR. I'm very interested in reading this one so should imagine I'll get around to it after the last couple of hundred pages of Crime and Punishment. Which, all being well, shouldn't take me that long..

Can't wait to see what you make of this one Claire, almost picked it up in Smiths today but didn't bother in the end. No actual reading for me today but I did manage to pick up Ian McEwan's new novel Sweet Tooth and from a quick read of the first few pages I think it'll be one that I'm going to enjoy. Other than that I'm still tackling Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and have about two hundred pages to go. Slow going, but I'm taking my time on purpose. Very rewarding read thus far, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes and how it ends.

Welcome to BCF, Dave, I'm sure you'll love it here.

I was sure I'd posted in this thread after I'd finished Beloved but apparently not. *shrugs* I've only read the one of her books, but I thought it was excellent. It's a struggle, yes, but by giving the attention that I think her writing deserves, I found that I eventually settled in - if that's the right word to use. I studied it for class and found it particularly moving, striking and thought-provoking. She's certainly a very talented writer and I've no doubt I'll get around to some of her other novels sooner rather than later.

Can't believe I forgot BVB. Had them down to win the Champions League from the start (despite their tough opening group) and I love the way they play.

Ooh. Well, I watch a lot sport. Football: Manchester United. England (*sigh*) Soft spot for Germany, too. Cricket: England (all formats). Fan of the IPL too, but no specific team support as yet. Rugby: Leeds Rhinos. England. Basketball: Miami Heat (huge fan - stayed up until 5am watching them in the Eastern Confrence Playoffs this morning.. it's a dream of mine to go watch them). I'm sure I've forgotten lots off the top of my head but it's usually England internationally.. unless it's something obscure like beach volleyball (highlight of the Olympics) in which case it's usually whoever the underdogs are.

It reminds me of all my NaNoWriMo plans each November, except thankfully on a smaller-scale (I can definitely only go through that kind of planning once a year). I plan on reading probably on my bed for comfortability, and I'll only take time out for meals, checking up on you guys' progress (only now and again though, so as not to distract from the actual reading) and for bowls which I'll most likely have on the Saturday. Other than that I hope we have some nice weather, which is unlikely if this hail is anything to go by..

Oooh, *toddles off to go make lists*..

Any weekend is fine with me. I'll no doubt have some things to do during all of them but I'll probably throw myself in at the deep end and make an entire weekend of it as opposed to just one of the days.

I was thinking that Smith, Tennant and Hurt being in the anniversary special might be explained by the fact that Matt entered his own time-line in the season finale. There's bound to be repercussions from doing that.

I like this idea, I might try something a bit more out there than usual. I've been thinking about this all day.. don't worry about dates with me, I'll find some way of joining in.

I'm in. I'm free for a big chunk of the next few months (obviously with certain dates where I'm not) but this sounds great. I don't sleep much anyway and it'd probably do me good to have a short-term reading goal so just let me know what you decide and count me in.