Raven

At their most basic level they are supposed to be inspirational stories about how the author has overcome the odds to live a normal life. As K1nS says, a lot of them seem to revolve around some kind of abuse, but they can also be about illness and loss as well. As the piece I linked to above says, the market for this type of book has grown hugely in the last few years, and most of this seems to be down to the large supermarket chains selling these books at knock-down prices. Personally, I find the genre a bit distasteful. If you are reading the books because you have had similar experiences and they are helping you to deal with it I can see they would be useful, but I don't understand why someone with no personal insight into the situation would find them interesting, it all seems a bit, err, voyeuristic? to me. Please don't take that personally K1nS, I

Nosy! I've touched on some of these elsewhere, but when I'm not reading, I also enjoy playing World of Warcraft, watching films and cult TV programs, writing, drawing (though I don

I prefer the classification "Misery Memoirs", it seems to sum up the genre a little more accurately to me - and be warned, they may not be all they are cracked up to be.

My card stopped working years ago and I couldn't be arsed to go through the lengthy procedure they wanted me to to sign up to the new version. This ship has already sailed for me!

The next actor to play the Doctor will be announced tomorrow! There is a special version of Doctor Who Confidential being screened at 5.35pm on BBC One and the announcement will be made as a part of that.

Do so, it's very good!

I think you'll find the book is pretty good!

I've not read the book, but I wasn't particularly impressed with this version - the Hitchcock version is still the best one I've seen, although the 1970's version with Robert Powell was pretty good as well.

A slight aside, but I laughed when , does that make me a bad person?!

Usually just the one, but I occasionally have two on the go if they are sufficiently different from each other and there is no danger of the plots getting confused!

Wot I Read in 2012: 01. (03/01): The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells 02. (15/01): Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowling 03. (03/02): Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J. K. Rowling 04. (10/03): Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, by J. K. Rowling 05. (27/03): Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling 06. (26/04): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling 07. (31/05): The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham 08. (21/06): The Uke of Wallington, by Mark Wallington 09. (09/07): The Good, The Bad and the Multiplex, by Mark Kermode 10. (24/08): A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin 11. (27/09): A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin 12. (14/10): A Storm of Swords: Steel And Snow, by George R. R. Martin 13. (25/10): A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold, by George R. R. Martin 14. (31/10): Apocalypse Cow, by Michael Logan 15. (13/11): The Cleft, by Doris Lessing 16. (30/11): My Legendary Girlfriend, by Mike Gayle 17. (21/12): Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch 18. (31/12): Moon Over Soho, by Ben Aaronovitch Wot I Read in 2011: 01. (11/01): Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (GN) 02. (20/01): A Murder of Quality, by John le Carré 03. (28/01): Flowers for Algernon,by Daniel Keyes 04. (10/02): Stardust, by Neil Gaiman 05. (25/02): Dance Dance Dance, by Haruki Murakami 06. (19/03): Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami 07. (21/03): Men at Work, by Mike Gayle 08. (22/04): Kraken, by China Miéville 09. (11/06): Making Money, by Terry Pratchett 10. (18/06): The Importance of Being a Bachelor, by Mike Gayle 11. (02/07): The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham 12. (23/07): Doctor Who: Legacy, by Gary Russell 13. (23/08): Moondust, by Andrew Smith 14. (03/09): The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carré 15. (13/11): Use of Weapons, by Iain M. Banks 16. (04/12): Matter, by Iain M. Banks 17. (12/12): Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J. K. Rowling 18. (24/12): Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J. K. Rowling (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I Read in 2010: 01. (21/01): A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami 02. (01/02): Unseen Academicals, by Terry Pratchett 03. (25/02): Doctor Who: The Writers Tale: The Final Chapter, by Russell T. Davis and Benjamin Cook 04. (13/03): One Day, by David Nicholls 05. (14/05): Black Sun Rising, by Celia Friedman 06. (23/05): The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland 07. (12/06): Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby 08. (19/07): The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien 09. (03/08): M*A*S*H, by Richard Hooker 10. (24/08): Chicks Dig Time Lords, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O'Shea 11. (04/09): The Death of Grass, by John Christopher 12. (11/10): The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick 13. (22/10): Call for the Dead, by John le Carré 14. (08/11): Pavane, by Keith Roberts 15. (25/11): The To-Do List, by Mike Gayle 16. (26/12): Generation X, by Douglas Coupland Wot I Read in 2009: 01. (08/01): JPod, by Douglas Coupland 02. (12/01): PvP At Large, by Scott Kurtz (CS) 03. (29/01): What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami 04. (06/02): South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami 05. (28/02): Doctor Who: The Suns of Caresh, by Paul Saint 06. (17/03): The Midwich Cuckoos, by John Wyndham 07. (03/04): The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells 08. (30/04): Future Perfect, by Jeff Greenwald 09. (06/05): Life & Soul of the Party, by Mike Gayle 10. (14/05): PvP Reloaded, by Scott Kurtz (CS) 11. (01/06): Star Trek: Countdown, by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (GN) 12. (08/06): Mr Commitment, by Mike Gayle 13. (20/07): Doctor Who: Prisoner of the Daleks, by Trevor Baxendale 14. (03/08): 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington 15. (09/08): Band of Brothers, by Stephen E. Ambrose 16. (10/09): The Magicians' Guild, by Trudi Canavan 17. (11/09): Serenity: Better Days, by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews (GN) 18. (01/10): Trouble With Lichen, by John Wyndham 19. (21/10): Boogie up the River, by Mark Wallington 20. (09/11): After the Quake, by Haruki Murakami (CS) = Comic Strip Collection (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I read in 2008: 01. (09/01): Starter for Ten, by David Nicholls 02. (11/01): The Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison 03. (21/02): Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland 04. (24/02): World of Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy: Dragon Hunt (GN) 05. (24/02): World of Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy: Shadows of Ice (GN) 06. (25/02): World of Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy: Ghostlands (GN) 07. (29/02): Cowboy Bebop: Volume 2 (GN) 08. (01/03): Cowboy Bebop: Volume 3 (GN) 09. (19/03): After Dark, by Haruki Murakami 10. (01/05): Thud! by Terry Pratchett 11. (12/05): When the Tripods Came, by John Christopher 12. (27/05): The White Mountains, by John Christopher 13. (02/06): The City of Gold and Lead, by John Christopher 14. (11/06): The Pool of Fire, by John Christopher 15. (04/07): Slaughterhouse 5, by Kurt Vonnegut 16. (17/07): Sputnik Sweetheart, by Haruki Murakami 17. (24/07): Wish You Were Here, by Mike Gayle 18. (02/08): His 'N' Hers, by Mike Gayle 19. (11/08): Chocky, by John Wyndham 20. (19/08): The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells 21. (28/08): Turning Thirty, by Mike Gayle 22. (18/09): The Hardest Day, by Alfred Price 23. (30/09): Dinner for Two, by Mike Gayle 24. (18/11): Enigma, by Robert Harris 25. (25/11): Doctor Who: The Writers Tale, by Russell T. Davis and Benjamin Cook 26. (11/12): The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham (GN) = Graphic Novel

Wot I Read in 2017: 01. (11/02): The Nakano Thrift Shop, by Hiromi Kawakami 02. (08/06): Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris 03. (02/07): Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett 04. (11/08): The Severed Streets, by Paul Cornell 05. (15/09): Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett 06. (08/10): Star Trek: The Final Reflection, by John M. Ford 07. (14/10): The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch 08. (31/10): Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch 09. (14/11): Moon Over Soho, by Ben Aaronovitch 10. (19/11): Whispers Underground, by Ben Aaronovitch 11. (24/11): Broken Homes, by Ben Aaronovitch 12. (30/11): Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch 13. (04/12): Rivers of London: Body Work, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 14. (05/12): Rivers of London: Night Witch, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 15. (15/12): The Hanging Tree, by Ben Aaronovitch 16. (24/12): The Furthest Station, by Ben Aaronovitch (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I Read in 2016: 01. (06/01): Deadpool: Dead Presidents, by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn & Tony Moore (GN) 02. (25/01): A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan 03. (04/02): Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami 04. (16/02): After Dark, by Haruki Murakami 05. (25/02): Doctor Who: After Life, by Al Ewing & Rob Williams (GN) 06. (21/03): Doctor Who: Four Doctors, by Paul Cornell & Neil Edwards (GN) 07. (18/04): Rivers of London: Body Work, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 08. (25/04): Civil War, by Mark Millar & Steve McNiven (GN) 09. (26/04): Spider-Gwen: Most Wanted? by Jason Latour & Robbi Rodriguez (GN) 10. (27/04): Thor: The Goddess of Thunder, by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman & Jorge Molina (GN) 11. (03/05): Thor: Who Holds the Hammer? by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman & Others (GN) 12. (11/05): Doctor Who: Terrorformer, by Robbie Morrison & Dave Taylor (GN) 13. (19/05): Suicide Squad: Kicked in the Teeth, by Adam Glass (GN) 14. (23/05): The Walking Dead: Volume 1: Days Gone Bye, by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore (GN) 15. (30/05): xkcd: volume 0, by Randall Munroe (CS) 16. (05/06): The Mighty Thor: Thunder in Her Veins by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman (GN) 17. (07/06): Spider-Gwen: Greater Power by Jason Latour & Robbi Rodriguez (GN) 18. (23/06): Strange Weather in Tokyo, by Hiromi Kawakami 19. (15/08): Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne (S) 20. (25/08): Consider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks (part K) 21. (22/09): The Holy Machine, by Chris Beckett 22. (16/10): Enigma, by Robert Harris (K) 23. (29/10): The Ladybird Book of The Meeting, by Jason Hazeley& Joel Morris 24. (18/11): Stiletto, by Daniel O’Malley (K) 25. (23/11): The Hanging Tree, by Ben Aaronovitch 26. (26/12): Doctor Who: Dead of Winter, by James Goss (GN) = Graphic Novel (CS) = Comic Strip Collection (S) = Script (K) = Kindle Wot I Read in 2015: 01. (09/01): When Worlds Collide by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer (K) 02. (20/01): Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch 03. (31/01): The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells (K) 04. (12/02): Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers, by Brian Michael Bendis (GN) 05. (17/02): A for Andromeda, by Fred Hoyle and John Elliot 06. (19/02): Sorrow's Isle, by Jen Williams (K) (S) 07. (05/03): Guardians of the Galaxy: Angela, by Brian Michael Bendis (GN) 08. (05/03): Guardians of the Galaxy/All New X-Men: The Trial of Jean Grey, by Brian Michael Bendis (GN) 09. (03/04): Mort, by Terry Pratchett 10. (27/04): Pulp, by Charles Bukowski 11. (27/05): The Secrets of Station X, by Michael Smith 12. (01/07): London Falling, by Paul Cornell (part K) 13. (23/07): Destination Lapland, by Mark Wallington 14. (30/07): Murder Most Unladylike, by Robin Stevens (K) 15. (10/08): Sad Cypress, by Agatha Christie 16. (24/08): Doctor Who: Engines of War, by George Mann 17. (24/09): Seeing Other People, by Mike Gayle 18. (26/10): Too Much Information, by Dave Gorman 19. (07/11): The Ladybird Book of Dating, by Jason Hazeley & Joel Morris 20. (16/11): The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne M. Harris 21. (30/12): The Iron Ghost, by Jen Williams (K) = Kindle (GN) = Graphic Novel (S) = Short Story Wot I Read in 2014: 01. (12/01): You're all Just Jealous of my Jetpack, by Tom Gauld (CS) 02. (14/01): The Rook, by Daniel O'Malley 03. (21/01): Adventures With the Wife in Space by Neil Perryman 04. (04/02): The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle 05. (07/02): Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 06. (13/02): The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 07. (20/02): Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen by Terrance Dicks 08. (10/03): A Day at the Office, by Matt Dunn 09. (22/03): Turning Thirty, by Mike Gayle 10. (25/03): Turning Forty, by Mike Gayle 11. (05/04): Post Office, by Charles Bukowski 12. (12/04): Factotum, by Charles Bukowski 13. (29/04): Doctor Who: Illegal Alien, by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry 14. (11/05): Wasp, by Eric Frank Russell 15. (19/05): 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington 16. (03/06): Broken Homes, by Ben Aaronovitch 17. (30/06): Hatchet Job, by Mark Kermode 18. (15/07): The Day Job, by Mark Wallington 19. (02/08): Skunk Works, by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos 20. (06/10): The Copper Promise, by Jen Williams 21. (27/10): The Darwin Elevator, by Jason M. Hough 22. (19/11): Beyond Band of Brothers, by Major Dick Winters 23. (08/12): The Ice Dragon, by George R. R. Martin 24. (29/12): The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham (K) Abandoned: 01. (08/14): Star Trek: Forgotten History (A Department of Temporal Investigations novel) by Christopher L. Bennett (after 146 pages). (CS) = Comic Strip Collection (K) = Kindle Wot I Read in 2013: 01. (13/01): Whispers Underground, by Ben Aaronovitch 02. (14/01): Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Volume 1, by Hayao Miyazaki (GN) 03. (03/03): The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling 04. (19/03): The Stag and Hen Weekend, by Mike Gayle 05. (01/04): Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By, by Dan Abnett 06. (01/05): Doctor Who: Shada, by Gareth Roberts, from a story by Douglas Adams 07. (20/05): Delicacy, by David Foenkinos 08. (28/05): What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard P. Feynman 09. (02/06): Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness by Roberto Orci and Mike Johnson (GN) 10. (25/06): The Inside Track by Jake Humphrey 11. (27/06): Batgirl: Volume 1 The Darkest Reflection by Gail Simone (GN) 12. (14/08): A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin 13. (06/10): A Dance With Dragons: Dreams and Dust, by George R. R. Martin 14. (17/11): A Dance With Dragons: After the Feast, by George R. R. Martin 15. (04/12): Charlotte Street, by Danny Wallace (GN) = Graphic Novel

It is a film, released in 1997, according to imdb!

Wot I Read in 2021: 01. (16/01): To Be Taught, if Fortunate, by Becky Chambers (N/K) 02. (20/02): The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino, by Hiromi Kawakami 03. (11/03): Rivers of London: Tales From the Folly, by Ben Aaronovitch (K) 04. (21/03): Rivers of London: What Abigail Did That Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch (N) 05. (23/03): I Can Make You Hate, by Charlie Brooker (part K) 06. (25/03): Rivers of London: Action at a Distance, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 07. (10/04): Rivers of London: Body Work, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 08. (13/04): Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata (K) 09. (20/04): Rivers of London: Black Mould, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 10. (22/04): Rivers of London: Detective Stories, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 11. (29/04): Rivers of London: Cry Fox, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 12. (02/05): Rivers of London: Water Weed, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 13. (02/05): Rivers of London: Night Witch, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 14. (03/05): Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 15. (18/05): Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett (K) 16. (01/07): The Railway Adventures, by Vicki Pipe & Geoff Marshall 17. (29/08): The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn 18. (03/10): The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry (K) 19. (13/11): The Long Good-bye, by Raymond Chandler (part K) 20. (19/12): Rivers of London: Monday, Monday, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 21. (26/12): The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien (K) (N) = Novella (K) = Kindle (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I Read in 2020: 01. (13/01): Falling Towards England, by Clive James 02. (29/01): The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy (K) 03. (13/02): May Week was in June, by Clive James 04: (29:02): Rivers of London: False Value, by Ben Aaronovitch 05: (04/03): Rivers of London: A Dedicated Follower of Fashion, by Ben Aaronovitch (SS) 06. (21/03): The Last Wish, by Andrzej Sapkowski 07. (31/03): Hear the Wind Sing, by Haruki Murakami 08. (06/05): The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind, by Jackson Ford 09. (27/05): Pinball, 1973, by Haruki Murakami 10. (30/06): Inversions, by Iain M. Banks 11. (22/09): Doctor Who: At Childhood's End, by Sophie Aldred (K) 12. (22/10): Sword of Destiny, by Andrzej Sapkowski 13. (22/12): 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington 14. (25/12): Rivers of London: The Fey and the Furious, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) Abandoned: 01. (01/12) Velocity Weapon, by Megan E. O'Keefe (60%) (K) = Kindle (SS) = Short Story (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I Read in 2019: 01. (09/01): A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (K) 02. (11/01): I Tried to Run a Railway, by Gerard Fiennes 03. (28/01): The High Window, by Raymond Chandler 04. (29/01): Rivers of London: Water Weed, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 05. (21/03): The Elephant Vanishes, by Haruki Murakami 06. (12/04): The Lady in the Lake, by Raymond Chandler (K) 07. (12/05): The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett 08. (09/06): The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett 09. (15/06): The October Man, by Ben Aaronovitch 10. (30/06): Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch (K) 11. (12/07): The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham (K) 12. (13/08): Who Killed Sherlock Holmes, by Paul Cornell (K) 13. (13/08): The Shepherd, by Frederick Forsyth 14. (18/09): True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole, by Sue Townsend 15. (21/09): Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, by John le Carré (K) 16. (30/09): The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler (K) 17. (18/10): Just One Damned Thing After Another, by Jodi Taylor (K) 18. (05/11): The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (K) 19. (25/11): Rivers of London: Action at a Distance, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 20. (25/12): Unreliable Memoirs, by Clive James (K) = Kindle (GN) = Graphic Novel Wot I Read in 2018: 01. (02/01): Rivers of London: Detective Stories, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 02. (04/01): Rivers of London: Black Mould, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 03. (11/01): The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells 04. (11/02): The Massacre of Mankind, by Stephen Baxter 05. (15/03): Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett 06. (11/04): Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami 07. (16/04): Asterix & Cleopatra, by Goscinny & Uderzo (GN) 08. (17/04): Asterix the Legionary, by Goscinny & Uderzo (GN) 09. (19/04): The Mansions of the Gods, by Goscinny & Uderzo (GN) 10. (23/04): Asterix & the Great Crossing, by Goscinny & Uderzo (GN) 11. (12/05): A Spy in the House of Love, by Anaïs Nin 12. (04/06): Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor, by Steven Moffat 13. (13/06): The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham 14. (17/06): Rivers of London: Cry Fox, by Ben Aaronovitch & Andrew Cartmel (GN) 15. (24/06): Doctor Who: Rose, by Russell T Davies 16. (08/07): The Mermaid, by Christina Henry 17. (21/07): Record of a Night too Brief, by Hiromi Kawakami 18. (06/08): Men Without Women, by Haruki Murakami 19. (16/08): The Man I Think I Know, by Mike Gayle 20. (22/09): Redshirts, by John Scalzi 21. (30/09): The Three, by Sarah Lotz (K) 22. (18/10): The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler (K) 23. (24/10): The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾, by Sue Townsend (K) 24. (28/10): The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, by Sue Townsend (K) 25. (16/11): You Had me at Hello, by Mhairi McFarlane (K) 26. (02/12): Lies Sleeping, by Ben Aaronovitch 27. (09/12): Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler (GN) = Graphic Novel (K) = Kindle

Wot I've Read in 2022: 01. (06/02): The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (K) 02. (17/02): Playback, by Raymond Chandler 03. (03/04): The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien (K) 04. (11/04): Rivers of London: Amongst Our Weapons, by Ben Aaronovitch 05. (18/04): Rivers of London: Miroslav's Fabulous Hand, by Ben Aaronovitch (SS) 06. (02/05): V2, by Robert Harris (K) 07. (15/05): The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks (K) 08. (21/07): The Honourable Schoolboy, by John le Carré (K) 09. (20/08): Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman (K) 10. (20/08): How the Marquis Got His Coat Back, by Neil Gaiman (K) (SS) 11. (17/09): Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey (K) 12. (06/11): Caliban's War, by James S. A. Corey (K) (K) = Kindle (SS) = Short Story

Now that's not a phrase you see every day! I love London; I just get a real buzz out of being there and from the energy of the place. I was actually up there on Monday and found myself with some time before my train home so I walked from Trafalgar Square down The Mall, past Buck Palace to Victoria. I think it is the first time I've ever done that, certainly the first time at night, and I really enjoyed it. I think another part of liking London is that you never know what you are going to find around the next corner - I spent a good part of Monday looking around the second-hand book shops in Charing Cross. In books, I'm struggling to think of many I've read that feature London to any great extent. The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes both feature London quite heavily, as do quite a few of Mike Gayle and Nick Hornby's books. I started reading London Fields a few years back, I really should try that again. For anyone interested in the history of London, I can recommend Peter Ackroyd's London, a very interesting read

And you post on this forum?! Get out!

I enjoyed The Stainless Steel Rat, it was an entertaining read, but parts of it don't seem hugely original because so many other things have copied from it since it was published in 1966. I have the next book in the series, and will probably read further, but I'm not sure I'll end up reading the whole series (I have been told they get better as they go along though, so who knows!). I also enjoyed Chocky, but not as much as I have enjoyed some of John Wyndham's other novels (it's no Triffids or Cuckoos!). I think, like all Wyndham, the premise is interesting, but in the case of Chocky it has dated badly (it's amusing the way the father in it interacts with his children - he keeps calling the boy "old man" and his treatment of his daughter almost boarders on child abuse

I know a couple of people in "real-life" who read regularly, but we have very little over-lap in tastes so discussion is fairly limited. I have found this forum to be useful in spurring me along, and there are a couple of other - non-book related - forums that I post on that have active book sections that are more in line with the type of books I read.

I think the films have got better as they have gone along, and although Watson is a pretty poor actress, I'd have to say Radcliffe has improved vastly since the first film. I'm, a, a, a, a wiz-ard?! *Cringe* I should have a stab at re-reading the books as well, although I'm not sure I'll make it through The Order of the Phoenix again . . .

You never forget your first . . . If someone was coming to Pratchett new, I wouldn't recommend Thief of Time, good though it is, as a starting place, as I think you will get more out of it if you are already familiar with the supporting characters who are introduced in earlier books.

The Vietnam special was pretty good, but the funniest thing I think they've done in recent weeks was James May's "Best Chat-up Line" in the previous episode - haven't laughed so hard in years!

Yes, it's long overdue - well done Sir Pratchett!

Don't touch the precious things!

One, usually. There is so much out there to read that if I come across an author who's work I take a dislike to I don't tend to go further with them. Dan Brown, I'm looking at you . . .