Books

[Thorn]

Started Proust's ' Rememberance Of Things Past' today, so far so good after a 100 pages, reckon I'm going to be alright with it. If it gets too high falutin' I can always get the Welsh out.

[nukeabuse]

Down and out in Paris and London - orwell.

Smashing through it, easy entertaining reading. I prefer homage to Catalonia but still prefer them over his non fiction.

Always makes me laugh seeing right wing people or billionaires quoting 1984 or animal farm when youve read any of his other work.

[Necro Red]

I started "Wake Up Sir" by Jonathan Ames. So far a very fun read, very witty and amusing. He has been on my list for quite some time now. I'm a big fan of the TV show Bored To Death which he wrote. If you like that then I'm sure you'll enjoy his books.

[Don Gately]

Started Proust's ' Rememberance Of Things Past' today, so far so good after a 100 pages, reckon I'm going to be alright with it. If it gets too high falutin' I can always get the Welsh out.

Yup I read Swanns Way a few years ago. I enjoyed the experience for the most part

[Thorn]

200 pages in, all very sleepy, dreamy snoozy snooze French pastoral countryside on balmy Summer days with not much happening, wondering how this nascent mother complex develops though

[Don Gately]

Wasn't that the cough syrup in father Ted

[Thorn]

  The very one!

[StoutAndAle]

Currently reading Paul Murray's "An Evening Of Long Goodbyes" which is pretty good.

Well this one shit the course about halfway through. I persevered and finished but "An Evening Of Long Goodbyes" burned up all the goodwill generated in the first third of its 500 pages. Murray seems to have a good knack for comedy but this book became so bleak (almost a fuck you to the reader) that I considered giving up with 5 chapters remaining.

I bought Murray's "Skippy Dies" the same day as this one but I'll be giving it a bit of time on the shelf before reaching for it.


Currently reading Stephen King's "On Writing" - which is part memoir and part craft manual for anyone with an interest in the creative process. Very interesting, quite funny - I'm ripping through it.

Oddly - I haven't read many of the man's books save for "Carrie", "Needful Things" and "The Talisman". As far as I can recall.

Any recommendations from the MW book club? With the caveat that I don't like fantasy books or sci-fi.

[Don Gately]

For me King's best is Misery andthe Shining.

[Eoin McLove]

I loved Misery, the film, but never read the book. I've only read IT by King and it was grand. Oh I read a cool short story by him years ago too about a dystopian future where the young men of the city/ country/ world (I can't remember the details) had to all walk for as long as they could and if you fell or stopped three times you would be shot. All the men get killed off until one is left standing, who gets declared the winner, but has descended into insanity by then. It was clever and enjoyable enough.

[Caomhaoin]

Dominic Pearse's new one on The Montrose. Shelled out 25 bar on the hardback version, preordered way in advance.

It's the first biography of the great man in a very long time, nice and readable but there's not much in the way of HOT SCOOPS considering he's dead almost 400 years.

In his own way, as astonishing as Alexander the Great. If that kind of scéal is your thing.

[Carnage]

Any recommendations from the MW book club? With the caveat that I don't like fantasy books or sci-fi.

The Shining, Misery, Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone, The Stand, It, Cujo, The Bachman Books (collection of 4 novellas), Night Shift, Skeleton Crew (the last two are short story collections). Basically you can't go wrong with most of his '70s and '80s stuff.

[Don Gately]

I loved Misery, the film, but never read the book. I've only read IT by King and it was grand. Oh I read a cool short story by him years ago too about a dystopian future where the young men of the city/ country/ world (I can't remember the details) had to all walk for as long as they could and if you fell or stopped three times you would be shot. All the men get killed off until one is left standing, who gets declared the winner, but has descended into insanity by then. It was clever and enjoyable enough.
[/quote the long walk part of the Bachman books. The Running Man wa another story as well as a school shooting story in that. Loved the Long walk read it many times.

[Don Gately]

Starting onto The Moviegoer by Walter Percy this evening. Kids and wife away and I'm looking forward to spinning a record loud, reading for a couple hours and working on a short story, bliss.

[StoutAndAle]

Book peeve.

When did used paperbacks become the new vinyl?

Following on from recommendations here - I decided to see if I could grab a few early Stephen King novels for myself. Popped into one of Cork's bigger bookshops that has a fairly large second-hand section.

Spotted "The Dead Zone" - a pretty tattered copy. €12.
"Misery" - again well-read €12.
"It" - €14

Certainly they were all over a tenner, if my memory is not 100% accurate on the exact price.
 
"The Shining/Carrie" (admittedly it was an omnibus in hardback edition) - it was over €20 and tea-stained!

Wandered over to the new book section when they had King's books in their new 21st century covers - basically the same price as second-hand!!! €12.50 for "Misery".

I know that I could probably get these titles for Kindle at 99p each or whatever but I feel that, to get the essence of them, I need a pulpy paperback (leave me to my foibles). Much like reading Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos, John Le Carre, etc.

Looking online - you can get these books brand new and delivered tomorrow for less than a tenner. This is why Amazon is winning.

Time to trawl charity shops I think.