vodkafan

This one looks like a lot of fun Paula I might get this.

I can send you mine to read if you want, if you don't mind the copies being a bit tatty. I need to make space.

Hi Frankie, yes I still have all the moves down. I just can't get out of bed for a few days afterwards these days

Laundry Fairy and I only watched this for the first time last year. It is a great film.

Ah yes that's it thanks Peacefield.

Hey coffin nail I like your avatar. Ripley rocks!

O yeah peace, 2012 was awful wasn't it. Last week I finally watched Avatar and The Hurt Locker. THL was a bit boring I found. Avatar was the plot of Pocahontos transposed into space. But I liked all the hardware and special effects and Michelle Rodriguez of course.

I am 119 pages into Lyonesse by Jack Vance, a re-read from many years ago. I have banned myself from Amazon for a week or two in order to get my TBR pile down. But I picked up a couple of charity shop books on the way to work; Trainspotting by Irvine Walsh (the full novel) and To Live Forever by Jack Vance. This was a real find! one of only three JV books that I have not read. So I had to buy it.

> Was that movie called 'Losing Chance' or something like that?< No don't think so it was a romantic comedy....JC meets a girl (in NY I think) they part and they decide if it is true love then fate will make them meet again without any effort on their parts....eventually it does. The skating rink at New Years Eve plays a part..ring any bells? > I think it was where John's wife was a soldier in the Iraq war.< Don't know this one. I will check out Beautiful Girls as Laundry Fairy might like it.

Laundry Fairy and I really enjoyed everything about Slumdog Millionaire including the song Jai Ho (not the crappy Pussycat Dolls version). So I actually did not want to read this book as I thought it would spoil the film for me. But I need not have worried. Although this book was the seminal material for Slumdog, they are two completely different stories which bear no relation to each other apart from the concept of the gameshow. The book is more like a lot of linked short stories, and there is a tongue in cheek humour. The style of the stories reminded me strongly of The Talkative Man stories by the great RK Narayan. 1. Who was your favourite character and why? I didn't really have a favourite character. Ram seemed too self possessed for a child, too piercing in his insights. But I don't feel he was meant to be realistic. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? The episode in the bar with the business man relating the story of his Haitian wife was the bit I enjoyed the most. Also the ending where everything is sewn up nicely (the true identity of Smita etc). This is a very Indian book in this respect, like The God Of Small Things; momentous events happen, everything changes but everything stays the same. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? I read lots of books about India. First one by this author. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? No 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes, very enjoyable. It is an easy read because every chapter is a separate episode. >. Why does Vikas Swarup choose the name "Ram Mohammad Thomas" for his protagonist? The names represent three different religions -- besides displaying India's diversity, what does this say about Ram Mohammad Thomas as a person?< I think it is that he is a free agent, a dispassionate viewer who sees things clearly, not biased by background/religion. I think that is what VS was aiming at. But also he is 100% Indian, a child of "Mother India".

I can't believe you girls are fans of Benny the Jet! Or even that you know about him!Back when I was 17 I had his book Training and Fighting Skills and used to practice all his moves( I was big into martial arts) that was in 1978. I would agree with Peacefield about 1408. For me it was nothing special. BJM is surreal and a great movie. Say Anything is fine as a romance movie as I remember it. There seems to be a film missing you didn't mention though-the one about chance? Can't remember the title.

Good luck with that one Frankie! I am 49 now and I have been trying to balance things in my life for as long as I have been adult. I will probably go to my grave one day (not too soon one hopes) still trying to find the right balance!

Thanks Janet!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns I said I would never read another Islamic themed book; but I am glad that this one came my way (I don't remember how...) It is a very strange and unusual book, it is one character (Changez) telling his story all the way through to a person who's responses are revealed only through things Changez says in his monologue...if you follow me. That makes the book slightly surreal, but it works so well. I think a lot of Americans will not like this book and will be unsettled by Changez' view of America and it's financial policies. However, whether the reader agrees with Changez or not, his viewpoint exists (I have talked with muslims who say the same things) for real and therefore has validity; it is at least as valid as America's own view of itself. There are always two sides to every argument. Read this book! It will make you think. But it is never boring.

book review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid After reading A Thousand Splendid Suns I said I would never read another Islamic themed book; but I am glad that this one came my way (I don't remember how...) It is a very strange and unusual book, it is one character (Changez) telling his story all the way through to a person who's responses are revealed only through things Changez says in his monologue...if you follow me. That makes the book slightly surreal, but it works so well. I think a lot of Americans will not like this book and will be unsettled by Changez' view of America and it's financial policies. However, whether the reader agrees with Changez or not, his viewpoint exists (I have talked with muslims who say the same things) for real and therefore has validity; it is at least as valid as America's own view of itself. There are always two sides to every argument. Read this book! It will make you think. But it is never boring.

Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters as with most of my reviews I will keep it general not to give any plot points away. I already reviewed the TV adaption on my member thread, and the book is generally similar but not quite; I admit that the simplified plot of the film version makes for a more coherent story and nice dramatic ending. However, the book scores in the rounding out of Nancy's character and the explanations of her inner feelings. These were the parts I liked best, it was impossible not to empathise with Nancy in her quest to be loved. The book also highlights the fragile position of women (in general) and of "toms" (in particular) in Victorian times, and the inner conflict of women like Kitty who wanted their love lives to be hidden. Some parts of the plot seemed "clunky" and a bit ludicrous, I will let the future reader decide on these bits for themselves. Some bits I found surprising: the emphasis on the thrill that "toms" enjoyed dressing in men's clothes and being able to step out as men, then I remembered it was a very rigid society, so this made sense. The sexy parts of the book (there are many) I found curiously unmoving, probably because I am not a gay female...or just getting old. I am glad that I watched the TV adaption first, because I was able to read with the voices of the characters in my head, which made me read slower than normal. Trying to get my wife to watch the DVD now. A very good absorbing book, and at 497 pages almost a doorstep challenge! __________________

book review: Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters as with most of my reviews I will keep it general not to give any plot points away. I already reviewed the TV adaption on another thread, and the book is generally similar but not quite; I admit that the simplified plot of the film version makes for a more coherent story and nice dramatic ending. However, the book scores in the rounding out of Nancy's character and the explanations of her inner feelings. These were the parts I liked best, it was impossible not to empathise with Nancy in her quest to be loved. The book also highlights the fragile position of women (in general) and of "toms" (in particular) in Victorian times, and the inner conflict of women like Kitty who wanted their love lives to be hidden. Some parts of the plot seemed "clunky" and a bit ludicrous, I will let the future reader decide on these bits for themselves. Some bits I found surprising: the emphasis on the thrill that "toms" enjoyed dressing in men's clothes and being able to step out as men, then I remembered it was a very rigid society, so this made sense. The sexy parts of the book (there are many) I found curiously unmoving, probably because I am not a gay female...or just getting old. I am glad that I watched the TV adaption first, because I was able to read with the voices of the characters in my head, which made me read slower than normal. Trying to get my wife to watch the DVD now. A very good absorbing book, and at 497 pages almost a doorstep challenge!

My daughter read the Micheal Morpugo books which are set in WWII (I think the titles have already been mentioned) I had a skim through these and they were just right. I went through this same "army barmy"stage at 11, I was obsessed with war stuff and kept drawing pictures of people being blown up and squashed by tanks. I grew out of it. I would not recommend the Sven Hassel books though. One I did read at that age which was a true story and affected me greatly (it's message is anti-war) is The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer, if you can find it. He was a young man of mixed French/German parentage who fought on the German side on the Russian Front. I recommend this highly. In fact I might try to get it for my 11 year old. edit: I just ordered the Guy Sajer book from Amazon Here are a couple of reviews: "I am able to review this early as I have unearthed an old edition. This book quite literally lives with you from the moment you open it, to the moment you finish...and then a bit longer. The story of a half-french, 17 year-old from Alsace takes you from his misguided decision to volunteer for military service, with the Nazi-German army, through the bloodiest, most ruthless and savage campaigns of the Eastern-Front. The sheer brutality, wretchedness and loss of reasonable hope is bewildering. The close knit team that develops and the esprit de corps of the Grosse Deutschland Division is inspirational. The gore and carnage they endure and inflict is awe inspiring. Such is the fierce reality of the writing, the images of battle and of frozen death, that I ended up having to keep reading until Guy Sajer (this is autobiographical) was in relative safety and comfort. I could not "leave him". Read it, you will then know what I mean. Whatever political persuasion you belive in or stand for, no 17 year old should be made to endure this. I cannot recommend a book more highly. Forget Blitzkrieg, this is Blitz-education. It batters your senses. Thank God my 5 years in the Army never came to this." "This is truly a superb book, far surpassing anything in print today. The author (Guy Sajer) portrays the hopes and fears of the average soldier of the German Wehrmacht during the most epic and hostile conflict in human history. Unfortunately our soldier joins the struggle during mid-1942, the turning point of the war. As the vision of victory slowly subsides into the realisation of defeat, the author’s interpretation of modern warfare as desensitisation separates him from the sufferings of others. The comradeship of his unit and the immense acts of bravery by fellow soldiers offer a truly inspiring scene. This piece of literature gives a clear insight into the mind of those who continued to fight regardless of knowledge that the war was already lost. The account of the battle of Memel is horrifically illustrative. For anyone with the slightest interest in the war on the Eastern Front, read this book. "

I can't remember which thread it was on and now can't find it again-but someone pointed me to the Darkest Powers Trilogy for my 13 year old..I bought her the first book (The Summoning) and she devoured that in a day...so now I have had to order her the other two and I got the first Sookie Stackhouse book for good measure. Right now she has gone to bed and is trying to choose between Marrianne Dreams, Papillon or East End Girl. My eldest daughter (15) likes a book but is not as fast a reader as her sister..my youngest son (11) only likes coffee table books with pictures of cars, tanks, ships or machine guns.

I dunno...she sneaks back in here with Milly Molly Mandy after getting us all worried....hi Giulia

Hi Haggard Hannah, great user name, it gives a picture of a well worn out person! I can identify. Welcome to the forum

Oh yes not forgetting Vikings alao discovered America!!

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