What is East Dulwich reading today?

[Jah Lush]

I only really liked Ian McEwan's early stuff, pretty much gave up on him after A Child In Time which bored the pants off me. Amsterdam was OK though.

[Keef]

Did anyone ever read Ardel O'Hanlons debut "Talk of the town"? I thought it would be funny considering the author, but it's amongst the more depressing books I've read! :-S

[capt_birdseye]

I read it, what a pile of turd it was too. I think it was written before the horror that was "My Hero", which explains why I handed over real money for a copy.

[bawdy-nan]

I think Saturday is one of the most extraordinary and marvellous books I've read in a long time. Would have thrown John Banville's The Sea to the bottom of the briney though.

Recently read The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Egenides. It was ok but kind of petered out. I re-read the end a couple of times becasue I couldn't quite remember if I'd finished it.

[capt_birdseye]

I seem to be in a minority when it comes to McEwan. I just don't see what all the fuss is about, I find his work painfully contrived.

[clare]

I too thought Saturday was tedious in the extreme- loads of pages of playing squash (yawn) and buying fish (snore) . Ludicrous story line (zzzzzzz). Mind you my partner thinks it's one of the best books ever. I just don't get it. My idea of hell would be having to watch it as a film with Richard E Grant in the lead role.....

[capt_birdseye]

Aargh, the squash game! All 14 pages of it!

[James]

Yes, the squash game was horrendous. I thought Saturday had none of the universality and immediacy that made Atonement so moving - it just seemed like a smug posh man from West London writing for other smug posh men from West London, kind of revelling in its own insularity. I found it cynical and detached, not involving at all. I hope I am not disappearing up my own arse.

[Bleep]

I'm reading the latest Thomas Pynchon. Feh.

[fish]

I've just finished reading a book, borrowed from a friend and reluctantly given back, entitled 'Departures and Arrivals', which was published by the TCCA (Turkish Cypriot Community Association) and is part of the Turkish Cypriot Heritage Organisation's documentation of the Turkish Cypriots who came to England between 1934 and 1963. This book is only one part of a project, which includes a film - "I Used To Live In Cyprus", and a booklet/film entitled 'Wartime Life', which I believe is accessible through www.tcca.org, under the past projects. Photographs and information can be found at www.turkishcypriotheritage.org, but I think you may be able to purchase copies of the book and access information from the

T.C.C.A? Someone said that these books were distributed to libraries, so there may be copies in Southwark? Anyway, back to the book, it is an informing piece of social history and anyone who comes from an ethnic background will relate to the

experiences and feelings of the people who relay their stories. I was very fortunate enough to have been to one of the exhibitions, last year, and - also - saw the film. That was excellent. Most of the people who took part in this project hail from Southwark and have links to our area, so it is extra interesting and I love the introduction by Dr Tuncer, who used to work at Kings College Hospital. Also, one of the participants, Mr Suha Faiz, is a writer who has translated the works of Yunus Emre.

[fish]

To read about War Time Life on the TCCA website, you have to search in under 'About Us' and look under War Heroes. So, that's www.tcca.org, About Us, War Heroes. These are just two of the gentlemen who participated in the films and book.

[catgirl]

Ah capt_birdseye. not only do you make smashing fishfingers but you have great discerning taste in authors. I am a fellow loather of Ian McEwan and think 'painfully contrived' an excellent way to sum him up. Reading his books I feel as though he's sat there with a thesaurus and looked up the most complicated word possible to drop in every other sentence in order to make the reader feel humble 'oh I'll never be as clever as you Mr McEwan' arh!

The best (worst!) example was, I think, in A Child In Time and rather than saying something about his drink being half empty had some ridiculous phrase about the meniscus in the glass being too prominent or something.

[Jah Lush]

Dear Catgirl, I nearly died of boredom reading Child In Time.

[catgirl]

Yes, I must admit I actually gave up reading it about 1/4 of the way through as I just couldn't bear it any longer!

[Jah Lush]

Is anyone here a re-reader? Are there any books you've enjoyed so much that you've returned to them again and again? Or do you feel life is too short as there are so many other books out there to be enjoyed? I can only think of a dozen or so books I've read more than once and they are...off the top of my head: -

Saturday Night And Sunday Morning - Alan Silitoe

Billy Liar - Keith Waterhouse

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

The Master And Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov

Crime And Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Strange Life Of Ivan Osokin - P D Ouspensky

The Scarlet And Black - Stendhal

The Beautiful And The Damned - F Scott Fitzgerald

Down And Out In Paris And London - George Orwell

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Lord Of The Flies - William Golding

Keith Richards, The Unauthorised Biograghy - Victor Bockris

I'm sure there's a few more but can't think of them at the moment.

Anyway, anyone else a re-reader?

[Keef]

I've re-read a few, but usually because I've finished a book, and need something quickly to read on the bus.

No harm in it at all though.... You could spend your whole life watching film after film, but we've all got favourites that we've seen a few times... Why should books be different. :))

[TillieTrotter]

I certainly am Jah. Here's a few of mine:-

Sebastian Faulks - Birdsong / Audrey Niffenegger - Time Travellers Wife / Jeannette Winterson - Powerbook / Boccaccio - The Decamoron / Jane Austen - Emma

And many many more. I actually really like to reread. Like visiting an old forgotten friend.

[Ant]

Catcher in the Rye was different every time I read it. (I read it at around 11, 17 and 24.) It would probably be different again if I were to read it now.

[TillieTrotter]

Youve just set yourself a challenge Ant

[Ant]

Heh! It'll have to join the queue. (Currently contains a Tom Holt, the latest Iain Banks and a big stack of Moomin books.)

[Keef]

A couple of mine..... Bit of a mix bag! :-S

Magician - Raymond E Fiest

(and probably others of his... I think Magician is one of the best Fantasy books ever, and the early ones that followed it were very good. His more recent stuff is getting a bit stale I think).

Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

Lord Of The Flies - William Golding - Did it for GCSE, and liked it, so reread it a few years back, and still liked it.

1984 - George Orwell - Did this for GCSE, and found it incredibly dull!!!!! Reread it about the same time as LOTF, but to be honest, still found it pretty dull...

Much ado about nothing - WS - My favourite WS (that I've read.... I've read a fair few though).

Mr Commitment ? Mike Gayle ? His books have been described as the male answer to Bridget Jones? Nice easy reading and nice stories that I found myself smiling about in a relating kind of way. Again though, he?s done 5 or 6 now, and the formula is starting to get rather tired!

Mrs Keef is a huge reader, and a big believer in re-reading things! Think she?s currently re-working her way through lots of Dickens.

[MadWorld74]

I am reading 'Misadventures in the Middle East'....an amsusing and insightful read into two 'artists' travelling across the desert plains, and the people/encounters they have along the very strange way.

[georgia]

Some of my favourites:

To Kill a Mockingbird (did it for 'O' level and have read it loads of times since)

Bridget Jones' Diary and The Edge of Reason (seem to be able to relate to a lot of stuff Bridget does!)

Diary of a Nobody - by G Grossmith / W. Grossmith - (very funny and recommended)

Pride and Prejudice

Tend to read a lot of crime stuff - Martina Cole, PJ Tracy etc. Raj is getting very worried and has hidden the kitchen knives...

[Bellenden Belle]

I also love To Kill a Mockingbird.

And Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited which is just beautiful, evocative and heartbreaking.

Julian Barnes Talking it Over and Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal are terrific too.

And War Crimes for the Home by Liz Jensen

Adn Dan Rhodes - Timolean Vieta come home- is wonderful too.

I could go on...

Great to hear some anti-Ian McEwan sentiment - I don't know what all the fuss is about him, and have always felt a little guilty for not liking him.

[mockney piers]

Reading Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas at the moment. Good stuff. The Spanish Civil War is one of those scabs I can't stop picking it. See also Tierra Y Libertad, Pan's Labyrinth, Belle Epoque, For Whom the Bell Tolls (rubbish btw).....