This book might well not exist

[Vanwa]

Ah well, about that. I've still got to obtain the Nursery Crime series yet

[sirinrob]

Ok BJ, looks like my copy of 'The Salamander' will be here this week, and I'm itching to read it, so a review in my usual manner will appear.

[BookJumper]

Blast you both and your speediness!* Can't I, like, borrow a tenth of your respective switness?

* I love you really.

[Vanwa]

Alas it is not something I can part with. However, if it were possible, know that I would give you 50% of my speediness

[Book Fiend]

You may have already read this (and if not you will almost certainly already be aware of it!) but I heartily recommend the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. It's been about 10 years since I read it (really? that long!) so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, but I remember them being the most thought provoking, beautiful books I've ever read. They are truly the only books I have ever read that I felt actually changed how I feel about the world.

 

Failing that, I recommend The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen). These are young adult books so nothing disturbing, and they really are very good. Once again it's been a while since I read them so I can't remember details, but I do remember them being wonderful and magical.

 

Hope you find something you enjoy

[sirinrob]

Just finished 'Salamander' Thomas Wharton - highly recommended review here

[lyn]

hi Bookjumper have you read Umberto Eco? the books of his that I have read are so good.

[BookJumper]

I'm afraid I find Eco to be presumptious and tedious:lurker: sorry! He's obviously very knowledgeable but I don't think he has the knack or even the desire to make his books intellegible and accessible.

[lyn]

re: Umberto Eco: yes some of his books are very difficult to understand.

 

The Island of the Day Before - I didn't understand at all.

The Name of the Rose - I thought that was quite good.

Foucault's Pendulam - I really loved this one. I thought it was a very powerful book in some way. I read it several times.

Baudolino - I think this was a romp but I must read it again to really see what it was all about.

 

these are the only books of his that I've read and on the whole I like his style of writing. of course they are the English translations so I'm assuming the translator got it right.

[BookJumper]

The lines below my picture actually tell fibs, my copy of American Gods was stranded home after Christmas (wouldn't fit in the suitcase ) so I had to leave it there unbegun; I've recently started Alphabet of Thorn so I really should finish that first before I start on AG. I have been told - after having already bought it, clearly - that there's explicit bits in AG and am now dreading it as much as I'm looking forward to it. Evil Neil.

 

It's not just a matter of not standing the explicit bits I'm afraid, and scanning them doesn't really help - first of all because I'm a 'read-every-word-including-the-copyright-page' kind of girl, and second of all because just knowing they're there would trigger upset. I don't even need to read them, it's gone beyond that.

[BookJumper]

You'll be happy to know that Neverwhere (my favourite Evil Neil book) has absolutely no evil bits in it at all. Stardust has just the one but it's just a couple of parapgraphs at the very beginning - even I survived; Anansi Boys has a few annoying allusions but they're also survivable.

 

Incidentally, I know precisely why I get upset too, and you're right, it doesn't exactly help. And you weren't that off-topic, so I won't be exercising my Modship anytime soon .

[BookJumper]

Always glad to provide comfort let me know how you like it, it's one of those rare books I finished thinking 'Man, I wanted to write that.'