Dan's lists 2009

[DanC_84]

I will add it to my ever growing TBR pile, sounds like my kind of book Have you read Fear & Loathing?

 

No I haven't. I will definately have to check it out though.

[Kimmy619]

It is well worth a read. I read it after seeing the film and really enjoyed it.

[DanC_84]

It is well worth a read. I read it after seeing the film and really enjoyed it.

 

Kylie said they were making a film from 'The Rum Diary' as well? That should be pretty interesting.

[Kimmy619]

If they do as well as they did with Fear and Loating it should be good! Think that I am going to see if I can get a copy of The Rum Diary now.

[DanC_84]

If they do as well as they did with Fear and Loating it should be good! Think that I am going to see if I can get a copy of The Rum Diary now.

 

LOL, I'm pretty sure your boy Depp is playing the lead if I remember correctly.

[Kimmy619]

Probably becuase he did such an amazing job with Fear & Loathing!!

[DanC_84]

Yep, he is. Here is the IMDb link:

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/

 

Should be good. I think Depp would be great in this role. I am actually a really big old-school Depp fan but not such a fan of his newer stuff. This looks like it would be right up his street though, looking forward to it.

[Kimmy619]

Looks brilliant! I love all of Johnny's films, but I must admit that I do prefer his earlier stuff. I really love What's Eating Gilbert Grape (DiCaprio is good in that too) as well as Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Fear & Loathing & Sleepy Hollow! There are so many to choose from. He choses which films he does well I think.

[DanC_84]

Looks brilliant! I love all of Johnny's films, but I must admit that I do prefer his earlier stuff. I really love What's Eating Gilbert Grape (DiCaprio is good in that too) as well as Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Fear & Loathing & Sleepy Hollow! There are so many to choose from. He choses which films he does well I think.

 

I just loved 'Blow'. That was one of my favourite films right through my late teens.

 

Scissorhands was great too though, loved Depp in that film.

 

I don't really like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I dunno, I just think he is a bit over the top for me in those films, I never really got into them.

 

That other new one he is in coming up looks good though.

[Kimmy619]

The one where he is a train robber? My b/f doesn't want to see it, but I think that I may have to force him!

[DanC_84]

The one where he is a train robber? My b/f doesn't want to see it, but I think that I may have to force him!

 

Yeah that's the one. I saw a preview for it the other day, it looked like it had potential.

[Kimmy619]

Definately. I saw the trailer, but it just said 'Coming Soon', so I am not sure when it is actually out. I will be definately be seeing that and Harry Potter next I think.

[DanC_84]

I finished 'Ralph's Party' by Lisa Jewell over the weekend. I really raced through the last 200 pages, I really got into it as it went on.

 

It was just a really fun book to read. The characters were really engaging and I love books like that that manage to run two plots alongside each other that have a tenuous linkage so effectively. Really cool stuff. I also liked the way the author managed to make you like and dislike a character at the same time, which is I think a bit unusual for this type of book.

 

 

I particularly liked the way she didn't feel the need to arrange it so that Karl and Siobhan ended up together.

 

 

I rated it at 8.5/10. I would definately recommend it to anyone that likes chit-litty stuff. It was another Beth recommendation, so thanks a lot Beth!

 

Next up for me is 'The Crimson Petal and the White' by Michael Faber, which will take me quite a while I think as it is an absolute brick.

[Ben]

Hey Dan, hope the readings coming along okay. Just thought I'd drop you a message as I've left school today - which means more time to get this '34 books read' moving a little.

[DanC_84]

Hey Dan, hope the readings coming along okay. Just thought I'd drop you a message as I've left school today - which means more time to get this '34 books read' moving a little.

 

Awesome Ben, are you done with school for good now?

 

Reading is going well, except that I am buying books a lot faster than I am able to read them and the pile next to my shelf is growing and growing.

[Mac]

Reading is going well, except that I am buying books a lot faster than I am able to read them and the pile next to my shelf is growing and growing.

 

Snap! My bank balance is dropping at the same speed as my pile gets higher...

[DanC_84]

Snap! My bank balance is dropping at the same speed as my pile gets higher...

 

Haha. I am hopefully just about to be laiden with a mortgage so I am trying to stock up now while I have spare money!

[Kylie]

Good luck with that, Dan. I thought getting a mortgage would be the end of my book-buying (hence I also stocked up when I had the cash) but nothing changed at all!

[Ben]

Awesome Ben, are you done with school for good now?

 

Reading is going well, except that I am buying books a lot faster than I am able to read them and the pile next to my shelf is growing and growing.

 

Yeah that's me done now.

 

And yeah, I have the same problem. But hopefully now I'm out of school for the next few months, that leaves me plenty of reading time.

[DanC_84]

Good luck with that, Dan. I thought getting a mortgage would be the end of my book-buying (hence I also stocked up when I had the cash) but nothing changed at all!

 

Haha, hell is most definately freezing over a long time before you stop buying books Kylie!

[bethany725]

Glad to see you made it through 'Ralph's Party' okay, Dan!

Let me know how you get on with this Faber book.. You know it's on my list, too.

 

BTW, I'm starting one of the books we talked about - 'The Luxe' by Anna Godbersen - now so I'll update you as I work my way through it.

[DanC_84]

Glad to see you made it through 'Ralph's Party' okay, Dan!

Let me know how you get on with this Faber book.. You know it's on my list, too.

 

BTW, I'm starting one of the books we talked about - 'The Luxe' by Anna Godbersen - now so I'll update you as I work my way through it.

 

Awesome Beth, I will be interested as I already ordered the first one of them from the Book Depository.

 

I really enjoyed Ralph's Party, thanks a lot for the recommendation.

 

I am about 160 pages into the Faber book now, just started Part 2. Going really well so far, but I seem to pretty much love every book set in 19th century London!

[bethany725]

Haha so you're not much of a critic, are ya?

Just playing.. I'm sure you'll be a reliable source, as usual!

[DanC_84]

Haha so you're not much of a critic, are ya?

Just playing.. I'm sure you'll be a reliable source, as usual!

 

LOL, I am a terrible, terrible critic Beth. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

[DanC_84]

So I finally finished 'The Crimson Petal and the White' the other day.

 

 

All up it took me around 3 weeks, which is far and away my longest read of the year. Not only was is over 800 pages but the margins were slim, writing small and content quite dense, so it certainly was a long read.

 

Overall I would say I enjoyed it. I rated it an 8/10, so I wasn't completely in love with it but still a very interesting and engrossing read. The thing that most stood out for me in this book was the strange feelings I had towards most of the characters. In the case of all but one of them I was confused as to my actual feelings towards the characters. It was really odd.

For instance, it wasn't until very near the end of the book that I began to truly hate William, which, looking back on it, I should have been doing the entire time.

 

 

I guess this was a show of skill by the author, because it certainly kept me pretty intrigued throughout. I liked the writing style overall, and have added a couple more Michel Faber books to my wishlist.

 

Next up for me is 'Come Again' by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees - a very light book.