Morbid Hermit

Welcome! I've only been here a few weeks myself, but your splendid avatar caught my eye..!

I don't recall intentionally giving up on a book once it's been started - but maybe stopping and planning to return to it, but not getting round to doing so! There are a few books with bookmarks halfway through! But generally I like to finish them. A good thing about books of short stories is that one can dip in and out of them easier than with a novel.

Is noise allowed? The TV or the children? Usually, I prefer silence. As others have said, the television on in the background can be fine, or some music, depending on the type of book it is. If nature provides a soundtrack from outdoors, with blustery weather or a thunderstorm, then that can set an appropriate atmosphere for a lot of the stuff I like to read! Indoors or out? Morning or Evening? Always indoors for me, and any time of the day or night. My working hours are often late afternoon/evening, which means I can read during the day, and then late at night if I don't need to wake early. Do you read on sofa or do you prefer to snuggle in bed with a good read? On a sofa or other chair, generally. I don't think I've ever read a book in the bath, as some people do. I'd be too concerned about getting the pages splashed, or dropping the book completely, to be able to concentrate!

Yeah, when David Tennant first appeared I thought he was way too OTT, and thought he'd end up being a bad replacement for Christopher Eccelston - but the audience quickly warmed to him. So maybe it'll be the same for Matt Smith, despite many people's reservations about him being very young for the role and such. John Simm tends to steal the show whenever he appears as The Master though, IMO!

I haven't been following it too closely (well, I've probably seen more than I care to admit to myself..!) But I would imagine Jimmy White is in with a good chance of winning this year, or at least going far.

That seems fair enough. I can imagine an eagle-eyed member of staff being suspicious about any more than a couple of pages, though.

Yes, shame on you, sir! Seriously, thanks for the welcome.. and I like it here so far.

That's a great quote! I can identify with that in a way. (Although sometimes it feels quite the opposite, when witnessing the abhorrent behaviour of many other 'adults'..!)

All of the above! Also, although I like to watch television and films, reading a book tends to be a more intimate experience. One's own imagination is part of the creativity, in a sense. Everyone on this forum could read the same description of a character, yet would also imagine him or her in their own personal way.

Although I probably wouldn't buy it, I'm still partly intrigued to know what he's been up to since his teens!

I remember the first 2 Adrian Mole books, which I enjoyed as a youth (along with Diary of a Teenage Health Freak, and Secrets From the School Underground, also for a pre-teen/early teen audience, and written in a similar kind of way). Apparently, Sue Townsend wrote a couple of books in recent years (i.e. the 2000's) where Adrian is now in his 30's.

nefarious inhuman shapes, dancing decadently...

From their point of view it's understandable, but it makes me wonder if there's a certain cut-off point where someone has read 'too much' before that happens. I assume there isn't some sort of a legal time-limit imposed on how much someone can read something in a shop without being told to buy it or leave? Does a shop have a legal right to kick someone out if they've been 'browsing' for too long?

Well, the customer deserves a quality product for his/her money, so it's fair enough.

Fair enough then! I haven't read Gerald's Game, but from what I can gather, it seems at least vaguely reminiscent of Misery - at least, in terms of a claustrophobic tale, mostly in one room, with the main character in an incapacitated state..?

the aforementioned melancholy murderer's secret

Yeah, but they get 'em for free! Although I used to do voluntary work for a Cancer Research shop, and actually there were reasonable standards about putting anything out to sell. People probably don't realise the amount of stuff that gets donated to such places, and how much is just thrown out for being substandard. What I don't like is when book shops with brand new books have paperbacks with a break in the spine where someone's been rather too forceful in their browsing.

Did that inspire your choice of avatar by any chance..?

from beneath the ground. Digging...

Perhaps the previous owner of the book was actually a cat, who really hadn't enjoyed it..! That's certainly rather offputting, though - people usually say what the condition is like of the thing they're selling, in which case, I assume the seller had misleadingly indicated the book was in at least a reasonable condition.

hidden within my ungodly pantaloons."

Cheers KW!

I can kind of understand that, although I don't necessarily agree in all cases. If a 2nd hand paperback already has breaks in the spine, it's not quite the same as buying a brand new one - the satisfaction from the feel, smell and 'breaking it in' yourself! But to see a 2nd hand 'bruised' book that interests you, particularly one hard to find elsewhere...

Exactly, even the most avid reader is unlikely to have books in every room. Unless someone genuinely keeps books everywhere, including the airing cupboard..! A body doesn't actually have a 'soul' anyway IMO, but that's a different issue!