chesilbeach Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) I'm just hoping that any pages you read now will have to be re-read when you're sober as you won't have remembered anything! It would give me a chance to catch up a bit tonight Edited July 18, 2012 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Drunken posting! Superb!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 How's the head? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 How's the head? Better now thanks. I lost a days reading time I could not even look at a book this morning. However I have just finished The Woman In Black. Now 25 books to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Did you enjoy The Woman in Black, vodkafan? I thought it was a great little book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Did you enjoy The Woman in Black, vodkafan? I thought it was a great little book. I did Ooshie. It was a reread for me, and still far superior to the recent film in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I did Ooshie. It was a reread for me, and still far superior to the recent film in my opinion. I haven't seen the film yet, but I found it difficult to imagine how they could make it live up to the book. I'm hoping to reread it over the Christmas holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 I haven't seen the film yet, but I found it difficult to imagine how they could make it live up to the book. Sold out to Hollywood. They changed everything and added more horror and jumpy bits. Sorry I really disliked it. I just finished Sexing The Cherry by Jeanette Winterson. 24 books to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) Going to catch up some reviews; Across The Universe Beth Revis This YA book was recommended to me ages ago by Abbielle Rose. It was a quick read with the pace of action not flagging anywhere. The most powerful written scene for me was the beginning chapter where Amy the 17 year old heroine is placed in suspended animation after watching her parents go through the unpleasant process. The rest of the book for me did not live up to that as far as evoking emotion went. It is basically a teenage action romance. I liked it better than The Knife Of Never Letting Go. The story has several elements that are needed in a good YA book, a teenage heroine (or hero), a love interest , Emotional loss, personal danger, a conflict and a strong moral dilemma. It fulfills all those, and the author put some thought into the design of the space ship. The plot fell down for me as a scifi novel on some points: as a generation ship able to support a population for hundreds of years the ship design was way too small and the population (2000) as a gene pool too small also. However the author did acknowledge this and put forward a way around this (Eldest injecting extra genes into embryos) but this was too simplistic and also it did not make sense that this was Eldest's job, and not a scientists. Also: on a ship that size where everybody knew everyone else it was ridiculous that the first Elder could have escaped detection, killed someone else and taken his place without someone knowing. Also: the ending where Eldest was killed was very weak in my opinion However apart from my grumbles above I enjoyed the book as much as any Andre Norton story I read as a thirteen year old. Edited July 21, 2012 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) Dunkirk The Men They Left Behind Sean Longden This is quite a unique book that differs from all other books about Dunkirk; It is not about the ones that got away but about the 41 000 soldiers who were taken prisoner and marched to Prussia and Poland into prison camps. Of those who survived most would not see freedom until 5 years later. This staggering number of prisoners equated to 1 man taken prisoner for every 7 that got away. The British government supressed all news of them at the time as it was considered bad for morale. So their story slipped unseen into history and never got told until now. This book discusses the prisoners in different groups; the Officers and NCOs ; the Medical personnel who opted to stay behind and by the rules of war were supposed to be sent home but were not; the wounded, some of whom received no medical treatment at all and whose wounds burst open even 2 years later ; and the "fit" men who were marched more than a thousand miles on starvation rations, beaten, abused and sometimes killed on the way. This book also busts the myth of the Hollywood version of POW camps which were something like Butlins with barbed wire and guards, which remains in the popular imagination but was not true. Anybody who is keen on WWII history should read this book it is a real eye opener. Edited July 22, 2012 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 The Woman In Black Susan Hill I read this a long time ago but after seeing the recent Daniel Radcliffe film I wanted to re-read it . I really enjoyed it , and this is still my favourite "version" of the story. Although it is without all the jumpy bits I think it has great atmosphere , is very well written and creepy. Hard to believe this was written 29 years ago! For those not familiar, Arthur Kipps, an unsuspecting junior solicitor is given the job of attending a deceased client's funeral in a remote location; he is then to visit her (even more remote) house and stay a day or two to sort through the old lady's papers in order to settle her affairs. But before he even gets to the house he becomes more and more uneasy at the reaction of the local people to his presence and purpose. And then he sees a mysterious woman in black... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) Sexing The Cherry Jeannette Winterson What to say about this book? It is short. It is very abstract and reads a bit like an adult fairy tale, so don't expect something conventional. That extends to all the relationships in the book too, so be warned if you don't like reading gay stuff. I liked the freedom of the whole thing, the way the author sees time as not linear ( a belief touched on in her autobiography, and used excitingly here) and the way she looks at human relationships. I liked the story of the 12 dancing princesses ( which seemed to me to be an allegory of women's different experiences of marriage), and my favourite character was the dog woman, so powerful and yet innocent. It is sort of set in 17th century England , but the whole point is that linear time doesn't really exist so it is about now too. Just read and enjoy. I will keep this one to read again sometime. Edited July 22, 2012 by vodkafan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 I finished The Venus Fix, which was a crime thriller. Now about a quarter of the way through The Rome Prophecy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon9 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) Please ignore this post since I was commenting on something said 10 pages back and had not realized that I was not reading the most recent page. One thing though, woman, you read like a train! Don't you have a job or do you just not sleep? Edited July 24, 2012 by Argon9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Please ignore this post since I was commenting on something said 10 pages back and had not realized that I was not reading the most recent page. One thing though, woman, you read like a train! Don't you have a job or do you just not sleep? I'm a bloke Argon ! I do have a job and I sleep sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon9 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Oh dear, pardon me, sir. My apologies. I assumed you were a girl because of your Seven Of Nine profile picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 No worries I have made the same mistake on here lots of times. How are you getting on with Sherlock Holmes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon9 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) I lost my copy on a trip to the city the other day. T,T I called the bus company asking if they had found it the day after. They were so nice to look through the bus for me but it wasn't there. Maybe someone else has it now and hopefully he or she enjoys reading it. People care so little about books these days they might have thrown it away. I really don't want to think about that. I've already ordered a new one since I had a bit of money to spend this month. I'm getting a nice leather bound copy with a ribbon bookmark containing every single Holmes story Doyle wrote. I have to wait 2 whole weeks until it arrives though so its going to be "Collected Ghost Stories" by M,R, James until then. Edited August 6, 2012 by Argon9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 That is a shame about your lost book. I thought I had lost one last night, I was not too bothered as I had just finished it. But I found it today wedged between the car door and seat. It must have fell out of my rucksack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Finished The Rome Prophecy . 22 books to go. Didn't really enjoy the last 2 books so next one will be a non-fiction: I Chose To Live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon9 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 That took you just a little over 2 days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm down to 10 now, but you've read six books to my four since we last compared. I realised that I still have that 800 page doorstop to go in among my 10, so I think it's gonna be close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) your reading at quite a rate at the minute Edited July 25, 2012 by lauraloves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 That took you just a little over 2 days? Well it was a bit boring I had to keep putting it down..should have finished it in one. I won't get much reading done tomorrow it is a day with the kids....friday and saturday are good reading days, should see me get through a book a day as long as they are not doorstops. I agree with you Chesil it is an amazing feeling to see the bookshelf emptying..5 of mine are massive doorstops though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 I just finished I Choose To Live. 21 books to go. Next up is A Short History Of Nearly Everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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