Ye Olde Booke Nooke

The reason it so impressed me was because they've built it all up from a greenfield site and even built the actual stone structures themselves too!
 
I've recently finished Richie Benauds "My Spin on Cricket" and it was one of the most turgid books i've ever read, unlike Mike Athertons autobiography which was a brilliant read
 
Agree with ovverbruv about the Benaud book - how such an erudite articulate commentator produced such a dreary book is baffling.
 
Originally posted by Petticoat Power@May 9 2006, 05:18 PM
The author's obsession with erect nipples; knee high socks; guns in pockets; girls with pony tails; women wearing blouses 'with the first few buttons undone...' gets a bit tedious once you have read a few of his books.
Click to expand...
I feel I have to jump to Laymon's defence here. :D

I discussed this at length with Mrs Simmo last night and we have decided the following.

We think you made up the knee high socks bit. We've both read all of his books and neither of us can recall any of his books where this is a feature.
The erect nipples and undone buttons do feature in most of his work, however, it is generally always in a context of character development. I realise that women in general don't like it, but the sort of young men he is describing do focus on these areas. I'd go as far as to say that all men do.
I've never paid too much attention to their hairstyles, but Mrs Simmo is of the opinion that he uses bob-cut hair far more often than ponytails. This leads me to the conclusion that he actually uses a fair spread of hairstyles and personal perception picks up on one type for whatever reason.

I do, however, agree that The Glory Bus is fairly poor. In his defence, he had been dead for five years before that was published (the fourth such book to be published posthumously) and I am not at all convinced that he had very much to do with the writing of it.

Island is great. The storyline is gripping and fast-paced. The style of writing is removed to a degree from his other work due to the storyline (main character is writing the book himself as we go) and I'm not certain that too many other writers could achieve that with the same effectiveness. He could have just churned it out in a simple third person style but chose to test his mettle instead - I respect that in a writer.
 
Originally posted by Ardross@May 9 2006, 09:41 AM
I have been reading classics that I have never read . Yesterday I read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - what a brilliant little book . The story everyone knows but RL Stevenson keeps you absolutely gripped.

I am also reading Sons and Lovers by DH lawrence . I have always had rather a deep seated antipathy to Lawrence from trying to read The Rainbow when I was 17 but I am enjoying this.
Click to expand...
I went through a similar spell of reading the classics a few years back. Certainly to be recommended. The days of £1 Penguin Classics in Eason's are fondly remembered by me. Dr. J and Mr. H is brilliant alright.

I have never enjoyed DH Lawrence. Very over-rated and inclined to witter on a bit too much, in my view.
 
I recall reading the 'highly controversial' bit in Lady Chatterley's Lover, where m'lady is sporting with Mellors and feels the 'great weight' of his naughty bits in her hand, etc., etc. I'm sorry, m'lud, but I found this screamingly funny - what does she think she's doing? Weighing plums in the fruit & veg? :brows:

"I say, Mellors, I think your left one's come up a bit light, old chap!" :o
 
For me Finlay in Blood Games was Richard Laymon's most memorable wearer of 'knee high socks' (there are others in other books). The reason this was irritating is because the idea of an adult woman committing such a fashion faux pas as wearing 'knee high socks' would make most women cringe. That the reader is supposed to believe that this was an attractive feature of this character (and in every other respect we are given to believe that she is attractive) stretches credibility. Anyway, despite this minor irritation, Blood Games is one of his best books.

I did not mean to suggest that I do not enjoy Richard Laymon's books. Quite the reverse is true. I have read all of them except The Glory Bus (I got to about page 100 before I decided I had read enough). I have thoroughly enjoyed all of his books except The Island and The Glory Bus.

Although I finished The Island I felt that it was spoiled by the first person narrative. One of the strengths of his other books is that he gives the story from the perspective of all the characters, including the murderers. One of the horribly fascinating things about his books is understanding (if not sympathising with) the things that motivate the murderer. This is missed in The Island.
 
Rescuing the spectacled bear. Stephen Frys book about helping with the afore mentioned rescues.


(had to start reading it so i dont have to confess to just finishing Jilly Coopers Score for the 5th time.....)
 
Petticoat Power and I agree on phrases or descriptions which infuriate us by their repetition.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY: bloody 'crucial' on every second page, and in an era where the word was hardly ever used, especially in lieu of 'essential', 'must', 'needed', 'required' and all of the other words which it lazily and annoyingly replaced.

THE NO.1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY et al: 'little white van'. Yes, yes, yes, I KNOW she drives a little white van - shut upppp! By the sixteenth time I've been told about Mama Ramotswe's little white van, I want to vandalize it with a can of red paint! "Not so bloody white now, is it?" :teeth:
 
Surely the whole point of the reptition in the No 1 L D A is to attempt to replicate the way Botswanans (?) would speak among themselves - ie, usng eveyone's full titles and repeating certain phrases.

I think it add a lot of ryhthm to his prose and is, in fact, what defines his style and makes it different.

But there you go - if we all liked the same thing, boredom would rule!
 
The phrase 'little white van' isn't used as part of the characters' dialogue, though, Songs - it's the narrative. McCall doesn't go on and on about other features in the books (and I've read four or five of them by now), and his writing otherwise is pretty straightforward. There's nothing wrong with the conversations, they seem pretty authentic, just the literary tic of the little white van.

The Little White Van (to the tune of The Little White Bull)

There once was a van, a little white van
Chorus: (little white van)
Driven by a lady and not by a man
Chorus: (little white van)
And when it was good
It went how it should,
But when it broke down
Miles out of the town
Mama Ramotswe took a petrol can
Chorus: (a petrol can)
To that little white van
Chorus: (little white van)
And sprinkled the petrol and quickly ran
Chorus: (and quickly ran)
And that was the end of the little white van
Chorus: (the little white van)
And the people stood
And threw on some wood
They clapped and cheered
And some of them jeered
And that was the end of the little white van
Chorus: (thank f*ck for that,
It won't be back, the little white van...) :)
 
For those of you who like books at bargain prices, can I point you in the direction of The Book People.

Don't jump to the conclusion that it's a club, it isn't. They produce a monthly catalogue of books at very good prices.........10 Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus books for £9.99 this month.

There is no pressure to buy anything at all.

The selection is quite limited and there will be months when there is nothing that appeals to you.

They are very good for children's books.

They can be found on line at http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk

..............and even though they are based in Wales, I am not on commission!! :D
 
Originally posted by krizon@May 12 2006, 10:28 PM
The phrase 'little white van' isn't used as part of the characters' dialogue, though, Songs - it's the narrative. McCall doesn't go on and on about other features in the books (and I've read four or five of them by now), and his writing otherwise is pretty straightforward.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I missed your valued response to this! I get your point but I would sort of disagree with it because his narrative effectively emphasises the repetitive/rhythmic style of semi-formal Botswanan speech patterns - ie always using the full name of the person being spoken to or about, even if they are well-known to you. I have no idea how reflective this actually is of everyday speech patterns in Botswana but I see where the author's coming from.

It is very much a form of writing which either irritates or soothes, I reckon!
 
The dialogues were semi-formal and quite authentic because most Africans are very polite in the way they address each other (apart from during the odd genocide, when manners slip a bit), and always very respectful of authority, elders, etc., having been brought up in hierarchical, tribal systems. They get a lot looser once they're urbanized and lose their roots (as do most of us). I can go along with all of that. I am happy to be reminded every now and then that Mama Ramotswe is a traditionally-built woman (a lovely phrase, which I personally endorse), but I think 'tiny white van' is an authorly tic, like 'crucial' in The Remains of the Day, and they drive me bonkers. When I read the same description 27 times in one slight book, I almost long for a Henry James master class.
 
Originally posted by Colin Phillips@Jun 1 2006, 10:34 AM
For those of you who like books at bargain prices, can I point you in the direction of The Book People.
Click to expand...
I've bought books from them in the past. They came into their own last Christmas when I managed to buy really nice books as presents for each of Daisys twelve cousins for around £50 in total. I saved an absolute fortune and will definitely use them again this Christmas.
 
Very interesting Mike - are they recent titles? That offer sounds too good to be true - any idea how long it is on for?
 
No idea Dom, looking at the inside pages they range from 1988 to 2004 titles, i have only heard of 1 of the authors of the 7 i have bought but hopefully they will all be great.
While on the same subject, Cancer Research and Oxfam both have hardback books for 50p
 
Read some decent books lately - ploughed through a few of Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series - they're pretty good. Stuart MacBride's Granite City, Jack Kerley's The Death Collectors & Mark Billingham's Buried were good as was Richard Montanari's The Rosary Girls. Brian Freeman's Immoral was very good. At the moment I am just finishing Edward Rutherfurd's Dublin which has been excellent and is written in the same style as his novels London, Sarum & The Forest (haven't read Russka yet).

Next will be Mary Renault's The King Must Die, Steven Pressfield's The Gates Of War, Giles Tremlett's Ghosts Of Spain, Phillipa Gregory's The Constant Princess or Mike Gayle's Brand New Friend - I bought such a stack of books at the weekend to add to the growing pile that I can't make up my mind what to read next!
 
Back
Top