Steeeeve

That does seem a bit odd. You'd especially expect the librarian to know what she was talking about. Having said that my copy is *goes to check* just under 900 pages long with quite small text. I understand the need for shorter versions for people who want them but it should always be labelled clearly if it's an abridged version. They do shorten modern books. Especially for stuff like Readers' Digets anthologies. Personally I'm like you. I only want the full version. If the author wrote it then I want to read it...although there are more than a few books I've read that could do with having vast chunks removed.

I'm really glad you liked it. I like the way they sort of seemed to run out of professional shop fittings as you get higher up. It just gets a bit more tatty and messy. Or maybe I'm misremembering it. The book magic is warping my mind! I'm going to try and go down to London tomorrow to get some books. Is it worth going to the Piccadilly Circus one or are they much of a muchness for book selection? I have a feeling the character of the Gower Street one wins out.

I'd agree with all of the above and add to it the people that have conversations with their friends in doorways/across aisles/across pavements/anywhere where it's obvious most people will need to walk. Whta makes it worse is if you walk towards them, they move out the way and when you pass they go back to their original stupid position. Just get out of the way!

Just got past page 100 of When True Night Falls. I am now going to treat myself to an early night. If you still see me on here in thirty minutes you have my permission to punch me in the face.

I just hope you're not disappointed now. I hate getting peoples' hopes up. I was just so surprised by it. It has a Costa coffee shop in the basement. I never use them but I guess it's nice that you can sit and read in there if you like. And a Ryman's if you want to...buy staples and stuff. I'll probably be there on Monday. If you go down I'll be the one giggling as I roll about on a pile of books.

Oooh interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing how I find it. Also looking forward to hearing your possible criticisms Raven and seeing how much I agree. Just started When True Night Falls. After half a week of not reading her stuff I forgot how quickly she can suck you in with her writng. I haven't even finished the Prologue. Edit:

Heheh. It is a good idiot to be. And I wish my council tax was

People who say "Cheap at half the price" when they find something that's good value. I should just clarify that they're not saying it as a joke either. Maybe I'm being stupid and that actually is the saying but if something's good value then surely the saying is "Cheap at twice the price". The first saying seems to have started as a joke and then just stuck in everyones' head. Yes. It would be cheap at half the price. IT WOULD BE HALF THE PRICE!!!!!!!!!!!

I remembered today that I'm an idiot. I thought the council tax started up again this month but it's not till next month! Yay! Next week I'll be going back to Waterstones and spending the money I should be saving.

That's kind of a shame about the second book being the best. Makes me look forward to it more but I wish the trilogy would finish on a high. Well maybe the end is good but it would be nice...oh you know what I mean! Work in eight hours. Crud.

It's ok. It's not as if I've cried myself to sleep each night waiting for a reply I may start reading the second one along with the book I'm reading at the moment.

Read a bit of Why Does E=mc2 by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw. Spent a lot of the day resisting spending money on books. Nearly spent

Ahh dammit. Now I'll have to go down there too. My local Waterstones will seem so lame in comparison now. I have two days of holiday left this year. One for each shop? And yes the shop is just down the road from UCL. I must have walked past it so many times when I've been going to the British Museum. And that is ok. Couldn't help but share my excitement I need to win the lottery.

Ok here we go.

How the fudge have I never known about the giant Waterstones in London?!?! It's...giant!!!!!!!!! Do you go there Giulia? If so I can understand why you spend nine hours in there. If it's not the one you go to then you definitely should. But be prepared to lose weeks of your life. It's on Torrington Place off Gower Street. Three storeys plus the basement. I spent about an hour in there and I'd consider that quick. I had no money to spend. I was just walking round like a slack-jawed cretin at the amount of books they had. If I was looking to buy I'd still be in there when they're shutting. Oh also they have a second hand section. The books are a bit tatty but that's still kind of good but the most impressive thing to lil old me is they have a remainder section too. Brand new books that would usually be

Hahahaha. Fantastic. I agree it did get insanely boring for the middle third of the book. How many countryside scenes did they need to be awed by? How many bits of paper did they need to find that would lead them to books that would lead them to other bits of paper that would tell them about a monk who might have written the first bit of paper?

SOULS!!!!! Actually just books if they're included. I don't have enough room to collect anything. I'd like to collect something like antique pocket watches but I'm yet to find a money tree.

Thank you for your misplaced confidence in me . But yeah you're right. I have some books by him and he always makes it easy to understand what he's on about. The lectures are more complicated but I think there's supposed to be a lot the layman can understand too. Some of the videos of Feynman on youtube are great. Especially when he's talking about appreciating beauty. I have QED by him so if I can understand that maybe one day I'll treat myself to his lectures. But he's not about Astronomy so sorry for taking it off topic. Brian Greene's stuff is supposed to be good. I have The Fabric of the Cosmos by him but couldn't get through it when I tried to read it years ago. Will try again one day soon hopefully.

I tend to read popular science books if I read any. Partly because I wouldn't understand it if it was too in depth but also I don't know that there is much of a middle ground. It's either popular science or it's hardcore stuff where you need a degree to get through it. At the moment I'm reading Why Does E=mc2 by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw. I know it's not what you want but I can only recommend popular science so Death by Blackhole by Neil DeGrasse Tyson Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait (which I especially like since it tears apart the conspiracy theorists' claims that we haven't landed on the Moon) Death From the Skies by Philip Plait about all the impressive ways the Universe could kill us. Also Michio Kaku writes good stuff and there are classics from Carl Sagan like Pale Blue Dot, Cosmos and The Demon Haunted World. I would love this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feynman-Lectures-Physics-Definitive-Extended/dp/0805390456/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268500481&sr=1-2 but it's not really about Astronomy and I would understand almost none of it. Oh, and it's very expensive.

Aaaand I'm done. Would have been done early yesterday but life got in the way of reading. Loved it! Hohum. I'll just put this in spoilers because I'm not sure what will give stuff away. Looking forward to the next one! After I've had a break and read something completely different.

Something I was thinking about as I was reading this morning:

Ah yes I've just got past that bit. They've just left camp and are on their way to meet the enemy. That's the bit I was referring to with him sort of being...the opposite of a tempter I guess (I'm sure a better word exists than tempter). That's a shame about not getting to see how bad he can really be. It's hinted at a lot but it would be nice if it could have been shown. To muddy the waters a bit. Damien hates him so much and is intent on not letting him live but Friedman has almost made him too likeable. So much so that you can't really agree with Damien as much as you feel like you should so it would be nice to see Gerald do something truly horrible. Maybe I'm just morbid I hope his personality doesn't get diluted like Hannibal Lecter did. I'm not comparing the two! I just mean that Hannibal was such a popular character but to make it alright for people to like him it ended up being that he only killed "baddies" or people that deserved it. I know what you mean about building up expectations. I try never to do it with films or books. Don't worry. Your enthusiasm inspired me to buy the books but it's the book itself that's getting me excited. If the end doesn't live up to the set-up it'll be the author's fault not yours