BookJumper

Haven't read them myself, but a quick search on Amazon returned these as the most popular one-volume biographies of lots of different inventors: The Scientists: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors by John R. Gribbin and The Lives, Loves and Deaths of Splendidly Unreasonable Inventors by Jeremy Coller and Christine Chamberlain. Hope that helps.

I actually find that the only true horrors to be found in Stephen King are the demons that abide in all of us, which some people pay more heed to than others. Take Carrie - it's not really a novel about telekinesis, ; what it is is a novel about bullying, peer pressure, intolerance, fanatism and the devastating psychological results that all of the above can have on the vulnerable teenage soul. I don't find that twisted, I find it touchingly perceptive, particularly coming from a man who can't possibly know first hand what it feels like to be an unpopular school-girl. Just my tuppence, of course as for the vampires - alas, it looks like you'll never read my book then (I kid, I kid). Things I wouldn't touch with a bargepole, in no particular order: - Chick lit casting women as air-headed gold-diggers and men as rough and rugged commodities whose attractiveness is directly proportionate to their career/bank account. - Umberto Eco, the pretentious windbag. - Dan Brown, whose works are ever more badly written than they are researched. - Stephanie Meyer, with her 500-word vocab, her two-dimensional sparkly vampires and her utter incomphrehension of the workings of high school politics. - Federico Moccia, Italian "literary phenomenon" (the guy's won awards, they've made musicals from the drivel he concocts!) who writes the most predictable teenage romances of all timein the most preposterous style of all time... and I quote/translate: "Kiss. Soft kiss, slow kiss, non-rushed kiss. Traminer-tasting kiss, light kiss, kiss of tongues in conflict, surf kiss, kiss on the wave, kiss I'm bitten, kiss I'd like to continue but I can't. Kiss I can't. Kiss there's people." or, even better: "You know mayonnaise? Yes, mayonnaise, the one in fast-food stores, the one you squeeze tubes and it comes out. I think there's nothing more difficult to do, putting together the eggs, the lemon, the salt, the oil... well, believe me, compared to that it's easier to fall in love with someone you thought you thought you'd never ever like. For real, mayonnaise is like this, it can go crazy at any moment, a second it seems perfect and the second after all the ingredients are off on their own... but if you make it there's nothing that can stop you." And no, the grammar wasn't lost in translation - it was quite simply never there.

Agreed 100%. I can't help but be reminded of the Black Books episode where Manny managed to sell someone "Ulysses, a Guide to Ulysses and a Handbook to the Guide to Ulysses" !

Victor's been my favourite novelist for the past decade; I'll admit shamefully to having never read his poetry though. Seems like I'll have to research that as well as his conversations with the dead (no fair, why did he have a direct line with Shakespeare and I don't?! *sulks*).

They are the first one is called, quite simply and helpfully, The Time-Travelling Cat.

Hello, welcome, have some cat-book suggestions : - Tad Williams, Tailchaser's Song. Absolutely fantabulous fantasy book about cats, one of my favourite books as a child (although I don't think it's actually a children's book). - Rudyard Kipling, The Cat That Walked by Himself (this is actually a short-story for children, but does it matter, when the story is this good?). - Julia Jarman, The Time-Travelling Cat (another childhood favourite). Should you like it, it's a series. - T.S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Pratical Cats, aka the collection of poetry the musical Cats is based on. - Lilian Jackson Braun, The Cat Who ... series. I plan to read at least one of these cat-mysteries at some point, as there's one called The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare. - Soseki Natsume, I Am a Cat. Haven't read this yet but fully intend to, it sounds brilliant if a bit difficult to describe. I also remember reading a really moving (fictional) book about a cat that walked an incredibly great distance to get back home to his/her owner(s?), but alas I cannot remember the author or title !

Thanks for this - I've been semipondering Charles De Lint for ages now; your recommendation has just clinched it, I think.

Thank you, Morbit Hermit. I am very selective re: memoires but Tall, Dark and Gruesome sounds fabulous. I grew up with Hammer horror films, I had all of the Lee/Cushing Dracula ones taped off the telly! ETA: Apparently, it's been adjourned to include more recent roles such as those in Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, under the new title of Lord of Misrule. I must say I did like the previous title better, but the 100 or so extra pages will hopefully make up for it... Incidentally, I think I need to get hold of Serial as well - it sounds oddly awesome.

Wahey, well done! I'm looking forward to finding Jane Eyre in the mail soon (RM permitting); in the meantime, I'll get on with re-reading Jasper - his books are so wonderfully, saturatedly complex my brain just drains information... !

Sounds like a battleplan, thank you I did intend to read Spindle's End as well anyway (Sleeping Beauty being my favourite fairy tale & Disney film). I'm also really intrigued by the idea of Sunshine but the ugly cover is putting me off .

Maybe I should just relocate to your house and make my own life easier ! Would you recommend getting both to make my own mind up then - and if so, do you think it matters what order I read them in?

It's official - I'm a genius of mashup dinners.

Aww I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sulk ! Am I odd for thinking you should have garlic mushroom waffles?

Has anyone read the Decide your Destini Doctor Who books? My sister's a huge fan of David & the series so I was pondering getting her the series for Christmas (and/or The Writer's Tale) but... are they up to the standard of the "normal" DW novels - which I know she devours?

Of course you may come round Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will complement the dinner, as OH "doesn't think" he's seen it ! I do love French onion soup though (my nan makes a killer one). And Chinese takeaway... mmm, duck! To be honest, I just love food. Except when it's got too many bits in it which are good for me .

Gammon joint, halloumi cheese, raspberry swirl cheesecake, accompanied by Kopparberg pear cider and followed by begian chocolate shells and haribo Tangfastics. Wahey !

What they said !

Got up to page 93 (close enough to the set target) of Koontz's Frankenstein 1 before lunch. Despite being a bit unsure of the beginning I'm really getting into it now, there is just the right mix of clever-clever, ironic literary tribute thrown in with the thriller. A die-hard Shelley fan, I am not in any way up in arms, and believe that to be the greatest of all compliments one could give to an off-shoot.

Read up to page 69 of Frankenstein 1 last night - that means all of 40 pages in a day! Granted, mass market paperback pages are not very long and Koontz is oh so skilled at making you want more with his three-page chapters; still, for me that's a lot of reading to be done in a single day so... whooo ! Off for some more of the same, hope to read up to page 100 before lunch and maybe a bit more during the day if I get the time.

Has anyone read both Beauty and Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley? I know they're both reworkings of Beauty and the Beast so I was wondering whether there were many differences and which one was better - or whether perhpahs they were both good in different ways?

I'd be willing to help out unless someone more experienced covets the post, in which case I'll gladly step aside.

May I go a step further and suggest that (good) books teach us so much more than just history? My favourites become my favourites because they have taight me life - to mention but two examples: at 11, The P

I actually agree with your statement, so let me elaborate what I meant is that TC does not have a satisfactory illuminating epiphany of the "You're not real, I'm not your saviour, go away ---> actually, then again, I'll believe in myself and take control of my destiny" kind. Oh dear... !