blinder999 Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Ant Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> I liked Microserfs, and Generation X; the rest> weren't anywhere near as good imo. A bit> disappointing.I think these two are the most original of his books, but Girlfriend in a Coma, Life After God and All Families Are Psychotic have got more heart. After that, I think his fiction went down hill a bit, though I did enjoy his odd but marvellous one-man show in Stratford-on-Avon a couple of years ago.Another favourite is Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle in particular float my boat. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11229 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend, inside of a dog it's too dark to read."Groucho Marx. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11231 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Just finished that Iain Banks. The ending was a little wet. Bloody updated Greek tragedies. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11240 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mockney piers Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Hang on, isn't the book* you leant me something of an updated greek tragedy. tsk*Donna Tartt's The Secret History Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11246 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I stopped reading Iain Banks's stuff after the The Crow Road or was it Espedair Street and I've never been into his science fiction stuff as most sci-fi bores me to tears, besides I prefer to read the classics from the 19th century whether it be English, French or Russian, for example, Dickens, Hardy, Baudelaire, Zola, Du Maupassant and De Balzac, Dostoyevsky, Gogol and Tolstoy. I read voraciously and obviously I enjoy a lot of more contempory stuff too and there is a lot to recommend but maybe I'll get back to you on that at another time. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11248 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Ineed, all good worthy stuff. I remember the dark corner of my education that they populated! :))Did you ever consider the relationship between Dickens and Eastenders? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11291 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Well, basically I had a lousy education and came to them later on in life and perhaps that's why I have enjoyed them so much rather than have had them ramned down my throat at school.And, no I haven't or is there a punchline coming there Hugenot? Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11297 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keef Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 My other half loves a bit of Dickens..... In fact, she loves reading full stop, which is why our flat has more bookshelves than your average library!!!!!!!!!Still, at least I can always find something to read :)) Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11298 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 A home is not a home without bookshelves loaded with good books Keef. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11300 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keef Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Yes, but it helps to be able to move around them ;-) Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11301 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 This is true Keef. I can barely move in my flat for books, records, CDS and tapes, the place is overflowing and I need to move to bigger premises as to throw any of them out would be like losing a limb. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11302 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMacGabhann Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 PiersIs that Donna Tartt book worth persevering with ? It just became one of those books I lugged around for a month but never enjoyed reading so a 30 min bus ride would go by and I would have read 2 paragraphs Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11304 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mockney piers Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Well I'm quite enjoying it as it goes so far (about half way through). Quite an easy read, good sense of humour and things are clearly going to get pretty dark pretty soon.It's reminding me a little bit of the film Very Bad Things which was hilarious in a feeling guilty about laughing sort of way. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11308 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Jah Lush, no punch line on Dickens vs. Eastenders!I was once told that he wrote his books as episodes for weekly magazines, for young Victorian mums to vicariously live their lives through.. in much the same way that the role is filled by Eastenders now.Apparently it accounts for the slightly formulaic feel to his narrative, and those endless decriptions about the weather reflecting the emotional state of the protagonists. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11311 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keef Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Thing is, much as I love a lou of the classics, they all seem to ultimately stick to a pretty rigid formula, with just a few different bits between start middle and finish. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11312 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 He did indeed Hugenot with illustrations too and the worse case of that was in his first one, The Pickwick Papers. Apropos of nothing I grew up in Pickwick Road in the Village. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11313 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 You need to read some Milan Kundera then Keef, who often starts in the middle and goes off into other tangents back and forth betwixt the beginning and end. Try "The Unbearable Likeness of Being." It's absolutely brilliant. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11315 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polly D Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Keef - I have two copies, you can have one. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11316 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huguenot Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 That's dedication Polly D - one for each eye! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11317 Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_birdseye Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Donna Tartt's the little friend is an amazing book. I found it much more enjoyable than the Secret History, hard to believe it's the same author really. Not that the Secret History was bad though. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11319 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polly D Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Then I'd look like this (6) or maybe this ;-)More like presents from two different people and never quite got round to returning the second. If Mrs Keef lets you have some room, it's all yours. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11321 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I sense the start of a book club here. Nice one Polly. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11323 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keef Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Cool, cheers Polly! I'll check through Mrs Keef's collection first, but if she doesn't have it, I'd be very grateful for your spare :)) Trying to think which Dicken's Mrs Keef was laughing about recently, because 2 characters who are basically sh!ts have Merde within their names! Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11325 Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_birdseye Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Tale of Two Cities is ace. Great Expectations less so, partly due to the main character "Pip" being such a twerp. Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11334 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jah Lush Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 If you want something quick and easy to read in your lunchbreak I'd like to recommend to anyone who's interested Joseph Roth's "The Legend Of the Holy Drinker.":)-D Link to comment https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/467-what-is-east-dulwich-reading-today/page/2/#findComment-11339 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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