vodkafan

ha, the author Nikolai Gogol is featured in the film The Namesake, I didn't realise he was a real person!

Good plan Johnny. Modern life and computers makes us all stay up late and keep weird hours to our detriment.

I am wrapping two books up ready to post for a swop right now. I love this forum!

Oh no that's not a very good recommendation of WH Frankie . I think I will pass on that one it is not often you do not say something good about a book. Thanks to you and others I bought The Lovely Bones off Amazon might start that today. Hey sure was quiet on here the weekend.

Restoree was my favourite Anne McCaffrey book I read it years ago. Remember it being very much a female fantasy quite different to all the male scifi I had read. Liked Ship who Sang also but the Dragon books were all poo-the one I managed to read anyway

Book Review: How Opal Mehta Got Kissed Got Wild And Got A life by Kaavya Viswanathan This is a young adult book-actually my daughter's. But both myself and Laundry Fairy have picked it up on numerous occasions to sneak a look so I read it properly. It is written by an 18 year old-no mean acheivement. Sometimes it does show in a couple of the passages, but as she is writing for her own age group she gets away with it I feel. Other times the author shows a mastery of dialogue to set a scene that shows great promise in my opinion. She follows the Golden rule of writing: that is, write about something you know well. In her case two things, high school and being an Indian teenager in America. The story bowls along at a cracking pace and is always fun to read, if just a little predictable. The lead character Opal has been groomed and pushed from an early age by her well meaning parents for one goal- to get into Harvard University. They have followed the plan exactly (HOWGIH- How Opal Will Get Into Harvard) but in her primary interview Opal falls to pieces when she doesn't know how to answer a simple question- what does she do for fun? With her whole future hanging in the balance her parents invent a whole new plan: HOWGAL (How Opal Will Get A life) But putting it into action brings unexpected results for Opal which make her question everything she has taken for granted. This young author writes enthusiastically and the book is very funny.

Ah not English then. Say Johnny did anything useful come out of that SB society thing yet?

Who is Pacman Johnny? Not been up on the boxing lately. I take it you are staying up to watch? Have a beer for me.

Its 0:50 am I am at work. There is no canteen and I am eating a cold cornish pasty and a can of vimto and not enjoying either

I will be interested to read waht you think of the Zadie Smith book. I haven't read any of hers but I read one critic who said she was a one-trick pony.

I like to believe that some people are inherently good....

No this only means you haven't read the Lyonesse trilogy Noll

Laundry Fairy and I are both ill today and are both off work. So I have finished the Opal Mehta book. I have no energy for anything except reading so I will likely start something else. A Scanner Darkly came through the post the other day but like most of my TBR pile it is at work in my locker.

Kat the basic premise of this book was so awful a subject I don't know how the author could think about stuff like that and turn it into a story.

I only buy books to read and so don't care what condition they are in. `The best compliment you can pay a book is read it and then pass it on to others and so on until it falls to pieces.... The thing I like best is to find a great book in a charity shop for next to nothing that I have never heard of but then get to love.

Agreed. But I still don't like reading about it. Perhaps because I can't do anything about it.

Cookie Cookie! PLease take a look at my swop list and see if there is anything you want? I am not even bothered about getting a book in return I just want them to go to someone who appreciates books....

I don't understand the mooching thing. And book rings seem like I could be waiting ages for a book to get round to me. I set up a swop thread but no one seems interested. As I have no room for too many books I will end up just donating them back to the charity shop I bought most of them from!

Well, fair comment Rob. All are oppressed. And (some) men then take that out on their women. But in that Islamic culture there are no checks and balances in the law to protect women. Islam IS the law. Things not going too well with the economy? God must be displeased. Must be the women's fault then. Better come down on them a bit harder...

I ordered A Scanner Darkly and The Lovely Bones from Amazon. First one is the Reading Circle Group choice and I have heard so much good stuff about the latter book I had to do it and it was only 76p....

if you have a good book 15 minutes can make a difference to your whole day.

Guilia, is the work you are writing steampunk? I haven't read any of the books but I know the genre well from another angle- I play steampunk games (also called Victorian scifi).

Book Review: Model Behaviour by Jay Mcinerney This was a fun quick read I did a while back after slogging through ATSS. I really enjoyed it. It is set in the 1990s but I bet this particular subculture has not changed overmuch. Connor McKnight is a celebrity magazine journalist. His life is a whirl of cocktail parties and meeting celebrities. But this life is kind of false and deep down he is not sure he is up to it. His steady girlfriend is a beautiful fashion model who aspires to be an actress. Connor worships her and can never really believe his luck. As the story is basically simple there are a couple of little sub -plots going on to keep interest up . The family meal in the resteraunt is a scream. And his teenage fan/stalker. Good book. This will be in my swop list if anybody wants it.

Book Review: Model Behaviour by Jay Mcinerney This was a fun quick read I did a while back after slogging through ATSS. I really enjoyed it. It is set in the 1990s but I bet this particular subculture has not changed overmuch. Connor McKnight is a celebrity magazine journalist. His life is a whirl of cocktail parties and meeting celebrities. But this life is kind of false and deep down he is not sure he is up to it. His steady girlfriend is a beautiful fashion model who aspires to be an actress. Connor worships her and can never really believe his luck. As the story is basically simple there are a couple of little sub -plots going on to keep interest up . The family meal in the resteraunt is a scream. And his teenage fan/stalker. Good book.

Hi all . I faced reading this book with a bit of prejudice . Why? Some while back my wife read the Bookseller of Kabul and she was spitting fire after she finished it. I read it after her and it was horrible. You see I genuinely like women and I don't like to read about them being ground down by such an oppressive existence. It doesn't matter whether you call it religion, culture or tradition . It makes no difference to a little girl who is not allowed to go to school and grows up with no hope at all . I think the author wrote it with the best of intentions though. Anyway on to the questions 1. Who was your favourite character and why? I guess Laila for being on the ball and always trying to turn the situation to her advantage. 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? Mariam doing some impromptu gardening practice on Rasheed's head was satisfying. The part during the Soviet occupation seemed to be the most hopeful part of the book as far as the whole country was concerned. 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? First by this author, I mentioned I had read Bookseller of Kabul. I won't be reading any more. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I struggled all the way through to be honest. Could not get passed the basic injustice of it sorry. Although it is fiction I know this all happens for real. I saw the real life video of the woman being executed by AK47 on the football field and I thought of this at Mariams death. Mariam was kind of everywoman. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? No. One other thing. The part under the Soviet occupation. It seemed better. I wonder if this is just the authors opinion or a genuine refelection of the feeling during that time? As the West (and in large part the US) was responsible for funding the Mujehaddin and creating the Taliban as a counter to the Russians, would it have been better for Afghanistan (and the world) if they had just left well alone?