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Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 15, 2014 20:15:17 GMT
Do you ever find it's a bit feast and famine with finding something to read? For a week or so now I've not had anything new so been scrabbling about trying to find something I want to read. Then yesterday I collected this week's 3 new Panini title and the DWM special. Then today I recieve these:  Wallowing in our own Weltschmerz TF Masterpiece Guide Judge Dredd Case Files 23 So I'm now overflowing with things to read and don't know where to start! |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 28, 2014 18:19:20 GMT
I've been enjoying re-reading some of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, and would like to share an extract:
___
Secombe and I share a room. Disaster. I am neat and tidy, Secombe is not. He hits the room like an exploding shell. One drawer a vest and a comb, a shoe wrapped up in an Army shirt, a broken bottle of Brylcreem wrapped in newspaper, a shaving brush with three hairs in a box, a towel shot with holes, mess tins stuck with toothpaste. If a Red Cross official had been present he would have been declared a disaster area. Secombe was a mass of nervous energy, he went in all directions at once - you needed a man-size fly-swat to catch him. Whichever part of the room you went, he was there first; if you looked in a mirror, he was looking back at you. He gave off long bursts of garbled conversation, interspersed with raspberries and bits of songs. His record for staying in one place was three seconds. Having spread his kit like a plague around the room he was massaging his head with Brylcreem, and singing, raspberrying, insane laughter, and babbling: 'Rome, Rome, ha ha ha, lovely Rome, ha ha ha raspberry... Pretty girls pretty girls... ha ha ha, scream, raspberry' and was gone...
Around about midnight I have written several letters and am reading an anthology of British Verse printed in Italy. I'm skimming through Shakespeare's Sonnets and in comes staggering L/Bdr Secombe, ha ha, he has that huge grin with revolving teeth. 'Hello, hello, hoo! up! scream! raspberry: Whoops.' He gets up again. 'Spike, do you like beer?' Yes, he empties a bottle of it over me, screams with laughter, falls back on the bed, which collapses, and goes into a deep cross-eyed grinning sleep. Thank God, he's unconscious. I strip off my sodden pyjamas, take a shower, and when I get back he's gone!!! No, no, he's hammering on the door, he thought he was going into the bathroom and went into the hall. I let the chattering farting thing in, he lets go with a few top C's and vanishes into the bathroom. There's a great crash as he does something or other. I put my beer-soaked pillows on his bed and take his.
He didn't come out of the bathroom. Next morning I found him asleep in his bath, an idiotic smile on his face and one boot off. God, Wales has a lot to answer for.
___
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Sept 28, 2014 19:06:55 GMT
I've been enjoying re-reading some of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, and would like to share an extract: ___ Secombe and I share a room. Disaster. I am neat and tidy, Secombe is not. He hits the room like an exploding shell. One drawer a vest and a comb, a shoe wrapped up in an Army shirt, a broken bottle of Brylcreem wrapped in newspaper, a shaving brush with three hairs in a box, a towel shot with holes, mess tins stuck with toothpaste. If a Red Cross official had been present he would have been declared a disaster area. Secombe was a mass of nervous energy, he went in all directions at once - you needed a man-size fly-swat to catch him. Whichever part of the room you went, he was there first; if you looked in a mirror, he was looking back at you. He gave off long bursts of garbled conversation, interspersed with raspberries and bits of songs. His record for staying in one place was three seconds. Having spread his kit like a plague around the room he was massaging his head with Brylcreem, and singing, raspberrying, insane laughter, and babbling: 'Rome, Rome, ha ha ha, lovely Rome, ha ha ha raspberry... Pretty girls pretty girls... ha ha ha, scream, raspberry' and was gone... Around about midnight I have written several letters and am reading an anthology of British Verse printed in Italy. I'm skimming through Shakespeare's Sonnets and in comes staggering L/Bdr Secombe, ha ha, he has that huge grin with revolving teeth. 'Hello, hello, hoo! up! scream! raspberry: Whoops.' He gets up again. 'Spike, do you like beer?' Yes, he empties a bottle of it over me, screams with laughter, falls back on the bed, which collapses, and goes into a deep cross-eyed grinning sleep. Thank God, he's unconscious. I strip off my sodden pyjamas, take a shower, and when I get back he's gone!!! No, no, he's hammering on the door, he thought he was going into the bathroom and went into the hall. I let the chattering farting thing in, he lets go with a few top C's and vanishes into the bathroom. There's a great crash as he does something or other. I put my beer-soaked pillows on his bed and take his. He didn't come out of the bathroom. Next morning I found him asleep in his bath, an idiotic smile on his face and one boot off. God, Wales has a lot to answer for. ___ Martin Ah great stuff, a much missed comic genius. Andy |
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Post by legios on Dec 4, 2014 22:03:41 GMT
My library seems to have availed itself of picking up a large number of the recent reprints, and newer books, in the "Wild Cards" shared universe line. I've always had a soft spot for the "Wild Cards" setting - it manages to take a reasonable stab at how history might be changed by an event in 1948 which means that both physically mutated individuals, and those with what we might term superpowers, without disappearing into the mires of "grim and gritty" completely. Sure, bad things happen (the HUAC Commission is not kind to the superpowered "Aces" once it changes its focus away from Communist subversion), but there is still a certain amount of absurdity which happens as well (and sometimes the absurd things run straight into the bad to great dramatic effect). But I think the thing I really like about "Wild Cards" is when it is working well it shows the "shared universe" concept at its best. The first anthology remains wonderful both from a point of view of world-building and from the sheer array of talent gathered together on one project. It is rare to see a time when names like Roger Zelazny, Walter Jon Williams and George R R Martin are not just writing material under the same book cover - but doing so in a setting which is designed around each author being able to use everybody else's toys. I will be curious to see how well the whole thing holds up once I reach the later sets of books, a lot of which are only being printed over here because of the success of Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" (Ironic really, as it was the writers block on that when it was just going to be one book which led indirectly to the birth of "Wild Cards" in the first place - I guess one way or another it works out as a favour being called in).
Karl
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Dec 9, 2014 18:33:36 GMT
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 2, 2015 9:08:00 GMT
In the latter months of 2014 I mostly read library books, primarily John le Carre novels featuring George Smiley, plus Frederick Forsyth who is awesome, and one or two Tom Clancy books, though I think I've had enough of him now. He's just too annoyingly good a writer for someone whose political views I'm opposed to. But more Forsyth definitely on the reservation list for 2015.
Martin
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 7, 2015 3:06:50 GMT
Nearly read all Frederick Forsyth's novels now. Currently on 'The Fourth Protocol' and wondering whether the Michael Caine film adaptation of it is worth watching. Next up is 'The Devil's Alternative'. Also recently read a couple of Bernard Cornwell's non-historical novels, which were pretty good.
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 7, 2015 17:15:21 GMT
It does have a young Pierce Brosnan as a Russian operative...
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 7, 2015 20:31:59 GMT
Other Pierce Brosnan films are available.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 7, 2015 20:39:04 GMT
Goldeneye and Thomas Crown for a start.
But definitely not Mama Mia!
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 8, 2015 8:28:35 GMT
The version of The Tailer of Panama that he was in was excellent.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 12, 2015 19:33:32 GMT
For my birthday I have received the very nice hardcover Tolkien collection of Tom Bombadil tales.
It may take a while to read.
Andy
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 12, 2015 20:04:02 GMT
Recently read Yevgeny Zamyatin's We. Very enjoyable and interesting novel. The Kaptain is next in line for a read of it.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 12, 2015 20:10:27 GMT
what a lovely gift!
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 12, 2015 20:11:19 GMT
It will be lent around to others afterwards... Andy |
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 13, 2015 17:23:19 GMT
For my birthday I have received the very nice hardcover Tolkien collection of Tom Bombadil tales. It may take a while to read. Andy Good times, chum! -Ralph |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 16, 2015 22:55:59 GMT
Dreadful times.
Andy
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 17, 2015 7:21:23 GMT
I have got you a gift that I am almost certain will bring great delight to offset Ralph's. It has been making me chuckle already!
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 17, 2015 22:16:40 GMT
You are too kind.
Andy
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 18, 2015 9:08:20 GMT
No chum of mine shall be left behind.
Been sorting piles of books I've bought over that last few months in preparation for moving flats next week. I appear to have bought quite a lot once you put them all together. Some really interesting ones in the pile that I really should make some time for.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jun 8, 2015 18:25:18 GMT
I've been guzzling Frederick Forsyth fiction this last year, and am now just a few paperbacks (all acquired) away from having read all his published fiction. It's brilliant.
Also still reading and enjoying a John Le Carre and a Bernard Cornwell here and there, and just nearing the end of the Sebastian Faulks 007 novel 'Devil May Care'. They're all good, but as thrillers go, Forsyth is the tops.
Would welcome recommendations of other authors in the same genre for when I've finished with Forsyth.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 12, 2015 12:53:49 GMT
Recently read non-fiction tomes on the battle at Waterloo, the assasin who did in Franz Fredinand and also discovered that comics pro Larry Hama may be the most awful prose novel writer I have come across in quite some time. Also got round to finally reading Monkey Planet (the basis of Planet of the Apes) so now I know where the stupid ending from the Tim Burton version sort of came from. Hmmm.
Started Trigger Mortis. I don't usually bother with Bond spin-off books but quite enjoying it so far.
Hooray for libraries.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Oct 12, 2015 18:21:52 GMT
Recently read non-fiction tomes on the battle at Waterloo Not the recent Bernard Cornwell one perchance? Martin |
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 12, 2015 18:50:11 GMT
Nope. The recent Tim Clayton account.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 14, 2015 8:10:03 GMT
Finished Trigger Mortis. Really enjoyed it. Only niggle was that Pussy Galore's appearance was little more than a spit and a cough and is more of a distraction than adding anything. Overall though I thought it was a rip-roaring adventure and great fun.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Oct 14, 2015 20:00:39 GMT
Doh bugger, I forgot that was even coming. This is the next official Bond? I'm keen to see what Horowitz can do with the character given his Alex Rider series borrowed so heavily from Fleming.
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Post by legios on Oct 14, 2015 20:14:06 GMT
I've got an Anthony Horowitz sitting in my "to read" pile at the moment - his Sherlock Holmes novel "House of Silk". I've sampled the first chapter of it one lunchtime last week and it feels like he has the captured the tone for that quite well.
It has to take a number though - I have another prose novel and the comics adaptation of "All you need is kill" in the queue ahead of it.
Sadly I'm not sure when I'll next be able to return to my "to read" pile - every time I try my conscience *tuts* at me and says "You should be reading more Librarianship resources." A conscience can be a terrible thing to have...
If only I could read on buses. Unfortunately cars and buses are the only forms of transport on which I can't actually read - rather a shame now that I am on buses for three hours most days.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 15, 2015 13:40:27 GMT
Doh bugger, I forgot that was even coming. This is the next official Bond? I'm keen to see what Horowitz can do with the character given his Alex Rider series borrowed so heavily from Fleming. I haven't read a Horowitz book before so I don't know his usual style but he's got Fleming down to a tee here. Absolutely spot-on. Bond "stabs an eggs until it bleeds" and sees "the kind of table from which wars are planned" etc. -Ralph |
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Post by Pinwig on Oct 15, 2015 21:16:40 GMT
He's quite versatile, writes children's fiction as well as adult. Predominately children. I rate him quite highly among the authors writing for the 9-12 age group. He knows how to write, which isn't necessarily true of a lot of authors at the top end of the junior market. The Alex Rider books started a boom in pre-teen/teen spy stories that peaked before the glut of vampire/dystopia books of the last ten years. I've successfully used the first one, Stormbreaker, as a set text with Year 7 pupils for a long time.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jan 18, 2016 7:03:35 GMT
So far this year I have been reading:
- Dead Letter Drop by Peter James (finished)
- The Incredible Hulk: World's End by Stan Lee and Herbe Trimpe (Marvel pocketbook) (finished)
- The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran (part-way through)
Waiting to be read:
- The Mark of Dimitrios / Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler
- Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
Martin
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