BookJumper
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At last available in English as of April 1 2009, a peek into one of the best comic series of all time: "Dylan Dog" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dylan-Dog-Case-Files/dp/1595822062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237808833&sr=8-1).
Created by an Italian but set in London, it's about a steretypical yet not quite ex-cop turned paranormal investigator with scores of identical black suits and red shirts, a drink problem and relationships that tend not to end very well. Enough to guarantee you that this is unlike anything you've ever read before, however, should be that, no real explanation given or needed, Dylan has Groucho Marx as his live-in assistant, in all his nonsensical glory.
I'd urge anyone who loves great horrific yet very human storytelling to catch this and, if they enjoy it, pester the publisher to issue the whole back catalogue. I volunteer for the task if they're short on translators.
I'm particularly glad to see in this collection my favourite "Dylan Dog" story ever, "Johnny Freak".
It is the heartbreaking tale of a healthy boy turned into a spares-bank. When Dylan finds him, he has no legs and is missing several internal organs, cut out of him with surgical precision. The boy can't talk but is a great, moving artist. The end of his story, though slightly expected, is so beautiful yet difficult to accept it makes me cry at every read.
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My bf is addicted to Les miserables - got the book, soundtrack and seen it few times I have yet to see it.
Next time he goes, do join - please? So worth it... such a beautiful story, so beautifully told. You might not sob quite as loudly as I did, but I defy you to see that and not leave without the tiniest grain of sand in your eye.
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Mh, sometimes I see kids in the bus reading a book but mostly there are older people who read
I *try* to read on the bus (granted, I am not a teenager anymore but those times are not far behind) but noisy kids with their "music" playing full-blast on their expensive mp3 phones make it impossible to concentrate. If you say something, they laugh at you. And there goes the only slot during the day when I have time left to read...
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A necessary premise: I don't like R.L. Stevenson. The way he writes irks me and I could never finish "Treasure Island". Yet I loved this; I guess it goes to show that occasionally, a superb plot can make up for (what in my opinion are) stylistic deficiencies.
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I'd say a classic is a book (or film, or song) that succeeds in the two-fold mission of encapsulating a generation/era/moment in time and having something worthwhile to say to other generations/eras/moments in time.
In the song department for example, you could say "All You Need is Love" is a classic song because it captures the feeling of hope of the budding hippiedom of the late '60s, and yet still rings true and important to anyone wishing for peace and understanding in today's world.
In the same way, "Les Miserabl
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All I remember from the sequels (my, it was a long time ago since I read those...) is being very very very annoyed that
Jo didn't marry Laurie
!
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I'm afraid I don't "get" him either? I was given "Norwegian Wood" by my big sis ages ago, because the title is a Beatles song (I am a big Beatles fan) so she thought the song might prove crucial to the story, thus interesting me. Back then I read the first 50 pages or so and got very confused; I get the feeling from you guys' posts that that's part of the whole point (i.e. that there isn't one) but I like points in books... am I wasting my time in planning to give it another go?
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It makes me re-consider the possibility of buying it... think I might have to go to one of them big Waterstone's with sofas and just read that chapter first and see if it's subtle enough for my easily scarred mind lol! Thank you
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Since you've only just finished reading "The Gargoyle", maybe you could help me answer a teeny tiny question *is shy*?
Many people have compared this to Scarlett Thomas's "The End of Mr. Y" but that is a book I had to abandon because the graphic scenes made it too much of an uncomfortable read, even though the metaphysical topic interested me a great deal.
I'm a great reader of horror so the graphic descriptions of burns shouldn't be a problem; I was wondering how much of the other type of graphic there was?
The reason I was wondering at all is because when I picked "The Gargoyle" up in Waterstone's to flick through it I read a bit where
the protagonist talks about becoming I'm not sure whether it was a porn star or director...
and if that bit is very in-depth or there's lots like it then this might not be for me.
Thanks you in advance for any help; I really hate buying books which I then can't read!
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Glad you enjoyed "Witches Abroad"
! I do love Pratchett's witches, best characters on all Discworld along with Death in my opinion. -
Me, I'd never heard about Jasper Fforde at all - then I find "Something Rotten" in Waterstones, buy it because it's got a shiny cover with Hamlet in a sportscar on it, take it home, understand precious little then discover it's the fourth in a series! That pretty much obligated me to find the other three, but it was a worthwhile obligation.
I even lent "The Eyre Affair" to my mum one night when I was home a few holidays ago and she returned it the morning after saying it was brilliant; and considering my mum is the one who's just had to replace a whole bookshelf because it literally split under the weight of too many good books, I think that's some reccomendation.
In other news, I want to read some Walter Moers today, but I need to study. I don't seem to be doing either because I'm on here. Help?
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It also impresses me that the idea for this story was hatched for a "competition" - Mary Shelley & friends had a bit of a bet on to see who could come up with the most frightening tale, and she chose to explore the abysses human ambition can plunge us... I think she did rather well, don't you? I just think it's fascinating and a bit scary to think that if it hadn't been for that spot of friendly rivalry, we might not have this stupendously moving, harrowing tale now.
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Your list is really well-organized.. good luck with it!
I've always been slightly OCD in my file keeping and listmaking - if only you could see my bookshelf (each shelf is reserved for a different topic, within topics by genre, within genre by amount of humour and within that by author and, wherever possible, volume size)!
I noticed lots of Jasper Fforde on your list.. I'm going to get my hands on The Eyre Affair as soon as I get to Hong Kong its multiple libraries... Would love to know your take on her.There's lots of Jasper Fforde because I've enjoyed the first two and a half Thursday Next books so much he has acquired "trustworthy author" status, i.e. I'll buy anything with his name on the cover (which is why "Shades of Grey" is on there, even though it's not even been published yet!)
For my take on Thursday Next & "The Eyre Affair", I'll copy/paste my very own Amazon review - my views haven't changed since then and it saves me having to retype it! Here goes:
The Eyre Affair
(Thursday Next 1)
Jasper FfordeIf, like me, you like books that celebrate books, words, language, other worlds - this is for you.
Admittely, Jasper Fforde's book isn't easy to get into at first; his alternate 1985 is a bit complex to take in all in one go. It is, however, definitely worth the effort.
If you let this book grab you, you'll get to travel in time, in books, confront a villain you'll love to hate, fall in love with all that that entails, and so much more.
Fforde's erudition borders on the insane. He's read so much you can't possibly hope to get every single quote, reference, pun etc. - but if you're mildly well-read (and don't mind keeping a notebook to hand to jot down titles to check out), you will find yourself giggling inanely at the jokes you do get. Fforde's chummy "nudge nudge, wink wink, aren't we clever, Mr. Reader" attitude is so in your face, so unashamed, so obviously the attitude of someone who loves his subject and is having the time of his life writing this, that you can't help but find him witty and charming.
Maybe not histerical; though I do believe that (as some reviewer had it) "Douglas Adams would be proud", this is not one where you're bent down double and can't breathe from stitches. It will, on the other hand, make you smirk, snort, and (dare I say it again?) giggle.
A book for people with a brain who want to let their brain hang loose and go sideways for a day; a book that may be difficult to get into but, when you do, is unputdownable.
A note on Thursday Next: a shower of slaps on the back to Jasper who, though a man, has somehow managed to write a believable heroine. Most female writers fail at that it's so difficult, yet here's a woman who's brave and clever yet sometimes messes up; a woman who strives to juggle career and (a very complicated!) family life; one who's got the guts and determination to save the world yet can be impulsive and silly and... in one word, very human. A hugely positive role-model i.e. not an unattainable one.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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when I learned of the alternate ending to the movie, which is true to the original story, I had to rent the DVD and watch the movie again
Ooh I didn't know they'd filmed the original ending to "I am Legend" (and then not included them, 'cos they're silly that way), I'd quite like to see Will Smith try his hand at that. I might have to acquire the the DVD as well!
I really didn't like the Golden Compass film - I was really looking forward to watching it and felt really let down.Though I haven't read the books myself yet, I remember my fourterrn year old cousin going on a rant about how much they dared change the book for the worse, which QED-ed that books are better than their films - that conversation restored my faith in the future of mankind.
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That I can clearly remember, Stephen King's "Carrie" kept me up a whole, single night; then the first three "Harry Potters" I read in the same sitting and the fourth in another single sitting.
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At the bookfair I recently went too, I rejected several books because they had the movie covers, which I hate on a book
I feel you... I've been dabbling with the idea of buying Cornelia Funke's "Inheart" for some time now but all bookshops seem to stop is the movie tie-in, which is something I abhor... the enormous, shiny hardcover is what I'm after, will probably have to get it used on Amazon or something!
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Just scoffed a whole Chicago Town Cheesilicious Garlic Bread thing. Healthy, I know.
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Giulia's Mount TBR, adjourned (Restricted to Fiction, because if you saw Peak Non-Fiction you'd probably huddle in a corner to cry on my behalf).
Book I am Actively Reading:
Neil Gaiman, "American Gods"
Books I Intend to Read/Finish Soonish:
Charlotte Bronte, "Jane Eyre"
Terry Pratchett, "Unseen Academicals" (Discworld 37)
Jasper Fforde, "The Well of Lost Plots" (Thursday Next 3) [half-read]
Jasper Fforde, "Something Rotten" (Thursday Next 4)
Jasper Fforde, "First Among Sequels" (Thursday Next 5)
Jasper Fforde, "The Big Over Easy" (Nursery Crime 1)
Jasper Fforde, "The Fourth Bear" (Nursery Crime 2)
John Connolly, "The Gates"
Eoin Colfer, "And Another Thing" (official 6th installment of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy")
Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt, "Dracula The Undead" (official sequel to "Dracula")
Walter Moers, "The City of Dreaming Books" [partially read]
Plus any others I can manage from the lists below.
Entirely New Books
Alan Campbell, "Scar Night" (Deepgate Codex Book 1)
Michael Hoeye, "Time Stops For No Mouse" (A Hermoux Tantamoq Adventure Book 1)
Michael Hoeye, "The Sands of Time" (A Hermoux Tantamouq Adventure Book 1)
Robin Jarvis, "The Oaken Throne" (The Deptford Histories Book 2)
Robin Jarvis, "Thomas" (The Deptford Histories Book 3)
Jan Siegel, "Prospero's Children"
Margaret Mahy, "Maddigan's Fantasia"
N.E. Bode, "The Anybodies"
Cornelia Funke, "Inkheart"
Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, "Sorcery and Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country"
Hope Mirrlees, "Lud-in-the-Mist"
Robert Holdstock, "Mythago Wood"
Karen Russell, "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves"
Thomas Wharton, "Salamander"
Sophie Masson, "The Tempestuous Voyage of Hopewell Shakespeare"
Sophie Massn, "Malvolio's Revenge"
Elizabeth Garner, "The Ingenious Edgar Jones"
Peter Ackroyd, "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein"
Peter Ackroyd, "Chatterton"
Peter Ackroyd, "The Plato Papers"
Enrique Vila-Matas, "Bartleby & Co."
Andrew Motion, "The Invention of Dr. Cake"
Travis Holland, "The Archivist's Story"
Jeremy Mercer, "Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs"
Rief Larsen, "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet"
Terry Pratchett, "Reaper Man" (Unseen Library Edition)
Debi Gliori, "Deep Trouble" [fourth in a series; need to acquire the others]
John Connolly, "Nocturnes"
Michael Chabon, "Gentlemen of the Road"
John Ajvide Lindqvist, "Handling the Undead"
Elizabeth Bear, "Ink and Steel" (A Novel of the Promethean Age: Stratford Man 1)
Elizabeth Bear, "Hell and Earth" (A Novel of the Promethean Age: Stratford Man 2)
Peter Ackroyd, "The Lambs of London"
Danny Wallace, "Yes Man"
Linda Gillard, "Star Gazing"
Emma Tennant, "Pemberley"
Ben Okhri, "Astonishig the Gods"
Clive Barker, "Cabal"
Julian May, "The Many-Coloured Land" (Saga of The Exiles Book 1)
Commenced and Finished in 2009
Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair
Jasper Fforde, Lost in a Good Book
Jonathan Lethem, As She Climbed Across the Table
Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road & The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street
Tom Raabe, Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction
Daniel Waters, Generation Dead
I Won't Scare You with my Wishlist...
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My kitchen (as well as the rest of the house, my room and the shower excluded) is being repainted and refurnished* so all I have at the moment is fridge and microwave... I'll join you on the ready-made frozen meals marathon Julia *laughs*
Noooooo! That will make two of us with an upset stomach!
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Welcome to the dark side of the bookshelf, I'm sure you'll like it here. We have coffee.
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The Eagles spring to mind as an appropriate soundtrack:
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!
Welcome to the [sic] BookClubForum
It's such a lovely place, such a lovely place
Plenty of room at the [sic] BookClubForum...
Welcome, you doomed Binary Digit you!
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every time I am quickly drawn into the world of this lovable young man
I commend you for actually finding Harry loveable - I wish I could have; it probably would have made the final books (which, apart from the change of style that was my main problem, are more Harry-centric than the first three or four) more pleasant to read.
Personally I found him (as he got older) to be in turns whiny and a reluctant "woe is me" hero (a bit like a young Thomas Covenant), and a stubborn, arrogant, "I don't need anyone" brat who thinks he can do it all on his own.
My favourite characters, the ones that made me enjoy the first few books so madly, were the Weasleys (particularly the twins,
I was so sad and yet so proud when they defied the Umbridge regime and went out with, literally, with a bang
), Snape (whose dry wit I love, especially if delivered deadpan by Alan Rickman), the stilishly villainous Lucius Malfoy, Sirius Black (
I was so cross with JK when she offed him, I cried for hours
)... people like that.
But maybe it's just me.
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Bookjumper, do you ever feel in your heart, Geoffrey Rush, he seems sad for real?
His acting in Les Mis was indeed very good and moving. Just to my mind, John Malcovich's stony face is perfect for the pre-revelation Javert than any I've ever seen.
The "Eragorn" film was, I concur, unwatchable, to the extent it put me off reading the book. But if you all promise it was nothing like it, then I might have to give it a go.
A film I actually quite enjoyed at the movies which was completely ruined for me when I discovered how the book originally ended, was "I am Legend" with the very good Will Smith.
The book ends with the protagonist realising that, far from him being the hero who hunts down the evil vampires, he is the monster that terrorises the vampire community, the bogey-man figure which vampire mothers use to scare children. Whoa, what an ending, and what a feat of acting such a realisation would have been. Personally I believe Will could have pulled it off. However, in the film he discovers the "antidote" to the vampire virus, manages to deliver it to a last community of men that did not exist in the book, and thus he becomes a legend for the mankind he has saved - rather than the legend of awe and terror he symbolised for the vampires in the book. How depressing, flattening, mainstreaming, chickening an change is that?!
/rant.
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As far as I'm aware, the Penguins Classics with the black covers are some of the best translations out there, swiftly followed by Vintage Classics.
"Dylan Dog" makes it to England at last!
in Horror / Fantasy / SF
Posted
But it's got real people in it...! Wouldn't it have made more sense to make an animated movie? There also seems to be no Groucho, which would anger and indignate me beyond belief.