Vladd

Makes you wonder about the ones that didn't make the list.

A recent survey on-line has apparently produced a list of the 50 'funniest' jokes http://vladdsviewoftheworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/top-50-funniest-jokes-of-all-time.html

Except most paper is made from trees in specially planted and maintained plantations of woodland not just any old trees

THE DEALER by Tony Royden Published by Shotgun Publishing Ltd ISBN 978-0-9561253-0-9 Hard-core East London villain, Danny 'The dealer' Dempsey, has settled for a quiet country life in the rural village of Buntleyford, but wakes one morning, in his heavily secured home, to find a letter resting on his pillow. He is bewildered by how it got there, as there are no signs of an intruder, or a break in. The mystery of who the letter is from - and what it contains - is something The Dealer will not share, even with his closest friends, or his dear sister Sally. The Dealer, normally a clear lateral thinker, is suddenly behaving out of character; and so begins a crazy 12 - hour period, in which he succeeds in ruining his sister's wedding, disrespecting other gangland leaders, and turning his hand to gambling on ludicrous bets. Slowly but surely, The Dealer is dangerously offending and taunting everyone around him. Could The Dealer be on the brink of self-destruction? Or will he somehow succeed in saving his own skin at the final hour - while revealing to all the secrets of the letter that has clearly been dictating his bizarre behaviour? What looks at first glance to be a typical crime novel soon turns out to be something completely different, with a collection of great characters,(a blind bodyguard a cross-dressing Colonel and the unhinged, pot-smoking, Harley Davidson-riding Vicar of Buntleyford) a quirky novel full of British humour and a great surprise ending, although I had my suspicions, it is an enjoyable and easy read.

Richard Burton reading Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood was amazing also James Marsters reading the Dresden files

Stephen J. Cannell, one of television’s most prolific writers and series creators, whose work encompassed the “The Rockford Files” and “Wiseguy” to “The A-Team” and “The Greatest American Hero,” died Thursday at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 69. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/arts/television/02cannell.html

Out soon from Osprey the military book people http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zombies-Hunters-Guide-General-Military/dp/1849083959/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286298836&sr=1-1

You may want to give these people a miss then http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/?gclid=CN2wqNnTtKQCFWMA4wodW0Bn1Q

I used to read voraciously, I would regularly visit the library and spent a fortune in bookshops. But recently I seem to have lost that desire to read so much. I have a stack of books to be read but I always seem to find other things to do. I'm not sure when it happened but I seem to have lost my reading mojo

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. - George Orwell, 1984 The year 1866 was signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. - Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Just thought it might interest you http://www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/48031/people-who-became-nouns

Edgar Allan Poe springs to mind or maybe Jane Eyre

Gray for me as well

Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove Published by ROC ISBN 0-451-45915-6 The year is 1597. For nearly a decade, the island of Britain has been under the rule of King Philip in the name of Spain. The citizenry live under an enforced curfew - and in fear of the Inquisition's agents, who put heretics to the torch in public displays. And with Queen Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower of London, the British have no one to unite them against the enemy who occupies their land. William Shakespeare has no interest in politics. His passion is the theatre, where his words bring laughter and tears to a populace afraid to speak out against the tyranny of the Spanish crown. But now Shakespeare is given an opportunity to pen his greatest work - a drama that will incite the people of Britain to rise against their persecutors - and change the course of history.... The man called "The dean of alternate historians" (Is it just me or does alternative sound better than alternate?) brings us another of his what ifs. Only this time it is in Elizabethan England after a successful Armada conquers England. Starting with the pageantry and spectacle of an auto-da-fe he brings us everyday life in London under Philip II. Not only do we get to sample the everyday life of William Shakespeare, we also get to meet some historic Elizabethan characters such as Lord Burghley and his son Robert, Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe, Richard Burbage and Francis and his older brother Anthony Bacon. Adding to Shakespeare's problem is his friend and Spanish officer Lope de Vega sent to infiltrate the theatre looking for treason. Written somewhat in the language and style of the era Turtledove finds many ways to insert Shakespearean quotes into the story to good effect. In the notes Turtledove states that Lope de Vega was Spain's Shakespeare who actually survived the Armada, I'm sure anyone here with a knowledge of Spanish Literature will recognise the name. All in all a fun read with a bonus for Shakespeare fans of spot the quote, or more often misquote.

It's not just Fiction, there are now so many books out there about peoples abusive childhoods etc that instead of putting them in the autobiography section some book shops have a section labeled TRAGIC LIVES. Oh and a little moan of mine with all the multitude of genres in fiction you see in bookshops these days what ever happened to Westerns? If there is now a section for even ROMANTIC HORROR if I want to I want to be able to walk into a bookshop and buy a Zane Grey, his son Romer, Louis L'Amour or even an Elmore Leonard. I know, I know, it's a dying genre and bookshops only have so much space, but if shops don't stock them people can't buy them and I know they are mostly pulp novels but sometimes you don't always fancy the Ribeye with all the trimmings sometimes you just fancy a cheap burger with mustard and relish.

Using the OP's argument why watch TV or a Movie if you are never going to write a script, why listen to music if you are never going to write a tune, why play a computer game if you can't be bothered to program your own. I could go on but that would just be feeding the Troll.

If you like self pitying whining how it wasn't his fault and he didn't know what was going on. Mind you there was a small piece in it that struck me as sad. After the war while they were in Spandau Hess was stocking up on lots of books but never read any, Speer asked him why and Hess replied that he was saving them for when he was left there alone. It just struck me as sad that Hess knew he was going to be the last one left and was building the mother of TBR piles to get him through the years.

Well as a kid I remember seeing Kenneth Williams read the books on Jackanory and I had a couple of the books too.

Does Agaton Sax count?

I found with his books that like the Wheel of Time books you get to a stage where you just never get around to reading the next book.

A classic example I saw in a local book shop, I couldn't believe they had actually put zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance with the car maintenance books. I thought everyone knew what it was about.

When I read a hardback I tend to use the flaps of the dust jacket as book marks. I start with the front flap then when I get further into the book I switch to the back flap. A bad habit I know but there are worse.

Isn't that meant to be the time between a traffic light in New York going green and the driver behind you hitting their horn?

Reminds me of my leave allowance in the Revenue although we got 10 and a half bank holidays and priviledge days as well as flexi.

This just seems wrong http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/29/oed-third-edition-unlikely-print