Devi Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Sounds like you had a fantastic time Kylie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 That sounds awesome Kylie! Also a quartet called Fourplay - perfect example of the kind of humor I find often (and love) in Aussies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Yes, our humour is very high-brow. Thanks for the comments everyone. It was indeed a great evening. I noticed today that Jared Diamond (author of Guns, Germs and Steel etc) is giving a talk at the same place next month. I reckon that would be worth going to as well, although I haven't read any of his books yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Kylie That'd be neat to see an author in person . I've never met one . I have emailed 3 and they all emailed back . I was excited to get their emails ! I can't imagine meeting one in person . Exciting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 I didn't get to meet him in person, but I didn't mind. It was just exciting to hear him speak. I forgot to mention one interesting thing he said that night. I'm not sure if it's common knowledge (I suspect it is), but he's planning on writing two sequels to American Gods. Apparently he was actually starting to write the second one when The Ocean at the End of the Lane 'happened' instead. He has just blogged about his Australian trip here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) An Evening with Neil Gaiman at the City Recital Hall, Sydney ^ Did he say anything about the new Doctor Who episode he has written? Edited January 31, 2013 by Raven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 He was asked about it but he wouldn't divulge any information (except to say that it contains porridge). He gave quite a good answer, actually, which you can read in full here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 I went to a few bookshops on the weekend and restrained myself admirably: Alex Ayres The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain Italo Calvino Hermit in Paris Simone de Beauvoir All Said and Done Susan Faludi Stiffed: The Betrayal of the Modern Man Jasper Fforde The Woman Who Died a Lot Joseph Stiglitz Globalization and its Discontents Elizabeth Wurtzel Prozac Nation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I went to a few bookshops on the weekend and restrained myself admirably: Alex Ayres The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain Italo Calvino Hermit in Paris Simone de Beauvoir All Said and Done Susan Faludi Stiffed: The Betrayal of the Modern Man Jasper Fforde The Woman Who Died a Lot Joseph Stiglitz Globalization and its Discontents Elizabeth Wurtzel Prozac Nation Great haul, Kylie! I'd like to read Prozac Nation some day myself, Fforde's always recommendable reading, and I'm happy to see you found yet another Calvino title I have the de Beauvoir title myself, so I don't have to be jealous of that. The Faludi sounds like the most interesting in my opinion, quite oddly! Oh and hey, congratulations, babe, for going over 10,000 posts!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 I have been naughty. Two online bookshops recently had big sales and, well, you all know me well enough to know what happened. The books have all coincidentally arrived on the same day, so I'm currently surrounded by new books and packaging. Here's the damage: Fiction Poul Anderson Tau Zero John Boyne Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Bukowski Notes of a Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski Tales of Ordinary Madness Philip K Dick Ubik Dashiell Hammet The Maltese Falcon Christopher Isherwood Mr Norris Changes Trains Kurt Vonnegut The Sirens of Titan Non-Fiction Edmund Burke The Evils of Revolution Albert Camus The Myth of Sisyphus Miles Franklin My Congenials Walter Hadwen Premature Burial: How It May Be Prevented Jack Kerouac Wake Up: A Life of the Buddha Niccolo Machiavelli The Conspiracies Anthony Marshall Fossicking for Old Books Yoko Ono (ed) Memories of John Lennon George Orwell Why I Write John Ruskin On Art and Life Evelyn Waugh The Letters of Evelyn Waugh Virginia Woolf A Room of One's Own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I read Ubik last year (or maybe the year before). It was had some very interesting ideas, and had me googling the book afterwards to see what others thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I read Ubik a few years ago, it was complete mess-with-your-head stuff, as I recall. Since then I've come to the conclusion that Philip K. Dick and I do not get along. He is good at the ideas, but even in his more accessible books, like The Man in the High Castle, he buries the ideas in stories that are so opaque you can't see what is going on. I prefer books by the likes of Clarke and Wyndham, who are also good with ideas, but also better at the story telling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I hope you enjoy your books, Kylie . I've got Tau Zero on my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I read Tau Zero a few years back. It wasn't my cup of tea, so I hope you enjoy it more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I checked out Mutiny on the Bounty on Amazon & it sounded so good i couldn't resist adding it to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Thanks for your thoughts on my last book haul, folks. A mixture of reviews there! I visited my parents' place this weekend. Their town has an annual Shakespeare festival, so I went up to check it out. My English friends might be tickled (or not) by some of the connections to England...The festival is held in a small, picturesque town called Gloucester. On the way there, I drive through an even tinier town called Stratford, which sits next to the Avon River. Yes, really. I wonder if that's why they chose to hold the Shakespeare festival in that area? I attended a production of Romeo and Juliet, where most of the roles were played by young, talented teenagers. It was a contemporary telling, so it was set in a caravan park on the north coast. In the scene where Juliet traditionally stands on a balcony, in this production she was standing at the window of an unattractive toilet/shower block with a towel wrapped around her head. It was a bit sad to see that I was one of very, very few people under the age of 60 in the audience, but the town is a place for retirees, I guess, so I shouldn't be surprised. On my way home today, I finally checked out a book sale that I have been meaning to visit for ages. It seems to be a charity sale that is run by volunteers, and it's held in a random building on the side of the road (hehe, I love country towns). My Mum had been there once and didn't think much of it (I don't think the books were in any order when she went there), but I found the selection quite good and the books were ridiculously cheap! I managed to get a hardcover copy of Keith Richards' Life autobiography for $4, and it looks brand new! Here are the rest of the books I bought (the prices averaged out to $2 each): Woody Allen The Insanity Defense Ernest J Gaines A Lesson Before Dying Stephen Hawking A Brief History of Time Patricia Highsmith Nothing that Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories Patricia Highsmith The Two Faces of January Michel Houellebecq Lanzarote Daniel Keyes The Fifth Sally Rohinton Mistry Such a Long Journey Keith Richards Life Oliver Sacks The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Robert Silverberg The Book of Skulls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) Stephen Hawking A Brief History of TimePossibly the book with the highest proportion of non-finishers of all time?? It's a great book and I really enjoyed what I read, but I got to a point where I realised I understood every word, but just couldn't get my head around what he was talking about: the concepts were just way beyond my ability to comprehend. Offspring, studying physics at Masters level, did finish it, and said that it was 'one hell of a read' - but even he struggled in places. Edited March 10, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 That's good to know, willoyd. I'm not sure how much I would understand of it, though I have some knowledge on physics (I better, considering my master's study name has got physics in the title XD). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 A few exciting purchases today (effectively freebies because I had a book voucher): Richard Dawkins The Selfish Gene Alain de Botton The Consolation of Philosophy & Status Anxiety Jon Ronson The Psychopath Test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I have The Psychopath Test on my wishlist. Just waiting for it to come down a bit in price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 I have The Psychopath Test on my wishlist. Just waiting for it to come down a bit in price. I was in the same situation! But I couldn't resist splurging on the full price book seeing as I had a voucher. I'd really like to read Ronson's Lost at Sea, too, but it's only a recent release so I have to wait for the smaller paperback version to be released (and a smaller price). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I haven't tackled A Brief History of Time, but my husband enjoyed it. I really enjoyed The Psychopath Test though, I will read more of him, for sure. I love your list. I've read lots of Highsmith, but not those...but they're on the shelf waiting for me to get in a Highsmith Frame of Mind again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 You've only really succeeded with A Brief History of Time if you can a) remember what it was all about after putting the book down and b) you can explain it to someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I have The Psychopath Test on my wishlist. Just waiting for it to come down a bit in price. I have it on my wishlist too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 I went on holidays for a week and read three books and bought 10 more: Anthony Burgess Honey for the Bears Simone de Beauvoir Adieu: A Farewell to Sartre Simone de Beauvoir The Mandarins Hans Fallada Alone in Berlin Jonathan Franzen How to be Alone Thomas Keneally Schindler's List CS Lewis Surprised by Joy Charlie Pickering Impractical Jokes Terry Pratchett The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch Danuta de Rhodes (aka Dan Rhodes) The Little White Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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