iamnotreal

I think there's a new Stephen Fry book out this year, if that's of any interest to you. It's the second part of his autobiography.

There are many books that I keep putting off for various reasons. I keep putting off The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale, and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro because they all seem a bit boring. I've read reviews that say that they're excellent books, but I just get the impression that I'll be asleep before I get past the first chapter. I've also been putting off Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke because it's such a big book. I do most of my reading on the bus, on the train or at school, so lugging around such a large volume is impractical. I'll read it eventually. Maybe.

There's a book that I've been trying to track down for quite some time now, but to no avail. It is a fantasy book that I read probably in about 2003. I can't remember much of it, because I don't think I actually finished reading it. All I can remember is that the people of the fictional world in the book all have crystals growing out of their backs and they can all (I think) control the earth. The only parts I remember are the first bit where the guy is being consoled by his sister (I can't remember why) and the other part where they're both flying through a canyon on the back of some winged creature or other. That's all I can remember, I'm afraid. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm guessing it doesn't, but I will be eternally grateful to anyone who can give me any information about it.

I almost never read books in store. I generally have a look online at what books are out, so that I know what I'm going in the shop for. However I can never buy just the one book - even if I know what I'm looking for, I'll almost always see another book that interests me. I won't read any of the book, but I will read the blurb. If it interests me, I either buy it then or make a note of the title on my phone so that I don't forget about it. Also, as a rule of thumb, if a blurb makes me laugh I'll buy the book. P.S. I can't stop commenting on these old threads.

I've done this before. I somehow ended up with two copies of The Dresden Case Files: Grave Peril. No idea how. I have two copies of some other books too, but that's because I bought them originally in VERY cheap paperback and wanted a nicer edition of them.

Which of his books would you say are the best? Retromancer is the first of his that I've read... I didn't know it was a sequel to Brightonomicon.

I've got one more suggestion. It's the book I'm reading at the moment, Retromancer by Robert Rankin. There's something insanely funny about it, but it's hard to describe what it is. I think it's just the way James (main character) talks and the things he says... it's funny! I was reading it on the train this morning and it's a good job I was the only one in the carriage or I would have got some really weird looks!

I usually use train tickets as bookmarks. They're handy because there's always one to hand. I did buy a nice brushed aluminium one the other day, though. It has '50 books to read before you die' on it. It's nice. :-) I also bought a Mr Men one the other day, haha. Mr Cool, of course!

Same! I read the book first and thought it was amazing, but then I saw the movie and it was absolutely magnificent! I think it's probably the only film that's better than its book (at least, any I've read ).

I'm not too bothered by hype, probably because most of the time I'm blissfully unaware as to which books are popular and which aren't. This was the case with Harry Potter - I think I was 10 when I first started reading the Harry Potter books, which were bought for me by my parents as a Christmas present. I absolutely loved them, but I had no idea of the hype surrounding them until the fifth book was released and I saw people queuing for hours outside bookshops. Sometimes I am a little put off from a book because of the hype, but it's mainly because, as some people have already said, it's all you hear about. You're constantly bombarded by the same book: people talking about it, it's on the TV, etc. and it just gets annoying.

Hi! Has anyone read "Gentleman's Relish" by Patrick Gale, or "The Infinities" by John Banville? Both of them are sitting on my TBR pile and I can't make my mind up about which one of them I want to read first.

If you like funny (light) fantasy, try anything by Tom Holt. I read "You Don't Have To Be Evil To Work Here But It Helps" not long ago, and it had me in stitches. There's also "Gods Behaving Badly" by Marie Phillips. I stole this synopsis from Amazon:

I'm also a bit of a book Nazi. I never used to mind, but since I've started reading properly, I make an effort not to crack the spines on books. What really annoys me is when you finish reading a book and it looks brand new but then you lend it to someone and you get it back looking like it's been dragged backwards through a hedge! I can never lend books to my mother - she's a spine-breaker. I'd much rather buy her a copy of her own than lend her my pristine copy. What has to be the most annoying thing, though, is when someone picks up one of your brand new books and says, "Ooh, this looks good." And then opens it up to a page somewhere in the middle (I don't get why people do that) and they crack the spine in the process! AH!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. ^.^

Hi! I'm Scott, and I can't believe I haven't joined a book forum before! This is actually the first forum I've ever joined, and I'll admit that it took me a while to figure out how to work this thing. Contrary to what my username suggests, I am actually real. I chose that username from 'The End Of Mr. Y' by Scarlett Thomas - it is one of my favourite books, after all. My father and I are the only ones in my family who read, but I find it difficult to discuss books with him as our tastes in books differ hugely between us. So, I came here to discuss books, gain recommendations, and hopefully post reviews of books as I trudge through the hefty TBR pile that litters my room. So... Hi!

I don't really follow authors anymore, since all the ones I used to follow have finished their series, so aren't really any books I'm waiting for. Having said that, I've just remembered that the new Skulduggery Pleasant book is out in April. It's a kids book, but it's somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. Ooh, I'm all excited now. Can't wait!

This is one of my favourite books. I read it last September, but I'm itching to read it again. I found the physics/maths/thought experiment element of the book hugely appealing, though it did take a while to try and comprehend what on Earth a wavefunction was. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, though. It may be the best book I read last year.

I try to read one at a time, but I'm usually reading two at a time. I was literally reading two books at a time before: I had both Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (reread) and Twilight in front of me and I was switching from book to book. I read two at a time because it tends to help me get through books quicker. If I really want to get through books, I don't let myself read any more of book-A until I've read X-amount of chapters in book-B.

'Course we still read books! I'm seventeen, and I try to read as much as I can. Admittedly, the amount I've been reading has lessened over the past year due to excessive amounts of school work, but my New Year's resolution this year was to get through the ever-growing pile of books I want to read. Most of my friends are avid readers, too. We all lend each other books, and it's nice to be able to go out as a group and hang out in a coffee shop or something and discuss the books we've been reading. In regards to bookshops, I do most of my book shopping in Waterstone's (since Borders is now closed ) and so do my friends. However I must agree with what you said - most of the time, there are hardly any teenagers in bookshops. Which is sad, really.