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I regularly dream about events that I've read in novels. I become so absorbed into the writer's world, that sometimes it's as though I've assimilated part of their own mind! Like Spock! That sounds weird, doesn't it? Yes, sometimes I do dream about the books I read. I could have just said that!

*crunch crunch crunch* Thanks, Charm. Just what I needed.

I went through a phase of reading James Herbert and consider Haunted to be really very good. I also loved The Magic Cottage and, in particular, The Dark. I've read all of his, I think. Are you a fan of Ol' Jim Jam, then?

Oh my God! I can't get into any new book! I finished Bad Things by Michael Marshall and just can't concentrate on any new books! *sobs* It's the one way I can escape from things, dammit. It's been nearly twenty-four hours. I'm going into toxic shock.... My problem is, is that I don't want to pick up my staple favourites (Lee Child, Murakami, etc.) because that breaks my 'rule'. I need to see a head doctor - I think I'm a bit odd...

You're very welcome. It's an excellent book. I'm really pleased you liked Atonement. Have a good...err...evening? Afternoon? Oh, I don't know, all these different time zones...

Spaced was, indeed, one of the greatest tv programmes. It so suited our generation! Now that's comfort telly...

Absolutely brilliant. Anyone who can act with moobs is worthy of praise, in my book... I've just worked out that OH means Other Half! How slow am I?

Mmmm, the Bonham Carter girl. How ace was she in Fight Club? In fact, she's great in pretty much everything. Fight Club. There's one. "The first rule of (robot) Fight Club is you do not talk about (robot) Fight Club. The second rule of (robot) Fight Club is you DO NOT TALK ABOUT (ROBOT) FIGH...oh, hang on...there's no smoking..." Spaced - Robot Wars

Man, when I first saw Transformers, I was blown away! I can wait for the next one to come out. God bless Michael Bay. He does what it says on the tin!

Hey Kelly. I finished Bad Things today. Loved it. Have you read any of his other stuff? Bloody great, it all is... Hmmm, why sound like Yoda, do I? Tired...

I love loads of films. I watched some cracking good ones last weekend in fact. In Bruges, Dead Man's Shoes, No Country For Old Men and Rock'n'Rolla. These were great. One of my all-time favourites is the directors cut of Cinema Paradiso. Marvellous. I've got comfort film's n'all, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In stark contrast to this, another comfort film is Serenity by Joss Whedon. Go figure.

So do I, Sarah. I really think Michael Marshall (Smith) is right up your street. Have a great evening!

Don't check out the thread McRecommends, then, Lucy, because I wax rhapsodic about stuff all the time on there...

Sorry, Lucy. I'll camouflage it next time I post something!

I just updated again. Roxi, I think that you'll love Murakami. I've not yet known anyone to dislike him.

Bad Things by Michael Marshall On a beautiful summer's afternoon four-year-old Scott Henderson walked out onto a jetty over a lake in Black Ridge, Washington State. He never came back. John Henderson's world ended that day, but three years later he's still alive. Living a life, of sorts. Getting by. Until one night he receives an email from a stranger who claims to know what happened to his son. Against his better judgement Henderson returns to Black Ridge, unleashing a terrifying sequence of events that threatens to destroy what remains of everything he once held dear. Bad things don't just happen to other people - they're waiting round the corner for you too. And when they start to make their way through the cracks in your life, you won't know until it's far too late... Back in 1994 I read a book called Only Forward by a brand new author called Michael Marshall Smith. This transpired to be one of the best novels I had ever read and went on to win many awards. I have followed this author's work over the years, never feeling disappointed by any of his new releases. He now mostly writes as Michael Marshall (much in the way that, when Iain Banks writes his Sci-Fi novels, he writes as Iain M Banks, which you'll already know). These are crime fiction. Bad Things reeled me in from the very start. Michael Marshall paints a dark picture, using insightful yet sombre tones to describe his feelings on paper. Throughout the book, I found many passages that I would wish to quote, but two in particular leapt out at me: "It's odd the things people remembered about you, that however much you tried to be someone in particular you might always be defined by acts that had been unintentional." And; "Good things never change the world. Nothing is different after you drop coins into a charity box, lend your arm to an old lady, or help build a school in some doomed, Third World disaster area. You may get a fleeting kick out of some of these deeds but nothing in you is actually altered. You can never define yourself through actions you know witnesses would find admirable. They're too easy. They don't count. After you do a bad thing, however, everything is altered." As you can tell, there is an element of nihilism running through this book, but not at such a level as you might find in Chuck Palahnuik's or Glen Duncan's work. I think Michael Marshall is possibly more accessible, as he does retain a modicum of optimism. He still gets me thinking about things, and I still look forward to him having his next novel published. If you check out the thread McRecommends, I'll list there his other works. He's well worth having a look at. I thought this book was great. I think Sarah (Chrysalis_Stage) will like this very much. 8.5/10