What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (6 Viewers)

[Lili Marlene]

I'm starting the Great 2017 preparatory re-read of His Dark Materials

 

[hugh]

I think I might do that too.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Mrs Coulter in my head has been infected by fuppin Nicole Kidman

 

[Lili Marlene]

Halfway through The Subtle Knife right now, generally speaking it all holds up really well.

Pullman has an introduction talking about how some of the characters like Lee Scoreseby hadn't been planned in advance and work as a nice surprise for the writer; reading it with that in mind you can kind of see how some people are shoehorned in as well, Pullman furiously trying to find a satisfactory reason for a ridiculous Western stereotype to be knocking about the North Pole.

It doesn't lessen the book though - it's a novel not a piece of clockwork. I'm looking forward to re-reading book 3, I know a lot of people struggle with that one.

 

[rettucs]

meant to post on this again. Finished it a while back. Very pleasant little read, if he's a little too nice pretty much all the time. Some good anecdotes in there. Definitely worth a read I reckon.

Reading this now

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I think I'll read those Pullman books

 

[Lili Marlene]

I think I'll read those Pullman books

They are a "good read" although who knows with you. Either way i might be talking to more than meself on here.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I like everything

 

[Lili Marlene]

well that's a pity

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

At lunch time I just finished my first Farsi language book - قصه های من و بابام


Only took me four months. I enjoyed it but I thought maybe it's a little sad/bittersweet for kids, but maybe you have to be a miserable auld adult to get that out of a fun kids book.

Next I think I'll try the one about the little black fish again, it was too hard for me last year.

 

[IFF]

I've started the end of eddy by Edouard Louis. It's good so far but I don't know why but need to remind myself it is set in 1990s/2000s and not 1960s. I have no idea why my mind skips to that idea.

 

[ilovehoovering]

The Blood Miracles by Lisa McInerney. I expected a fairly ropey sequel after reading the description before publication and that's exactly what I got.

 

[travispickle]

At lunch time I just finished my first Farsi language book - قصه های من و بابام

View attachment 11936
Only took me four months. I enjoyed it but I thought maybe it's a little sad/bittersweet for kids, but maybe you have to be a miserable auld adult to get that out of a fun kids book.

Next I think I'll try the one about the little black fish again, it was too hard for me last year.

So Farsi, so good eh, eh?

 

[travispickle]

Just finished Robert Forster's memoir, Grant and I. Now on to Winesburg Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Really liking it so far.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Finished His Dark Materials (1,100 pages )

Spoiler

Overall it holds up great. There's a few niggly bits in regards plot where it doesn't fully make sense or feels a bit rushed, like the 2 chapter detour into the massive Lyra-bomb that was never mentioned before and ends up being defeated because Will's dad knew it was gonna happen because he's a... ghost-shaman or something? and then it rips a massive hole in every world that can only be healed by 2 kids getting it on (in fairness he has the decency to be a bit ambiguous there).

Then again the sheer ambition and stretching he does when weaving together his ideas about art/religion/creativity/storytelling and all that is done at such a non-literal level that imho it makes up for any plot-weak bits. Like I was saying above, it's not a piece of clockwork; and I believe that's kind of one of the points he's trying to make.

Looking forward to the new books anyway.

 

[ilovehoovering]

A Month in the Country by JL Carr. I picked this up in the library mainly because it was the smallest book I could see in the modern classics section. Just over 100 pages and I really enjoyed it.

 

[jonah]

I'm still moving really slowly with "A Little Life", its great, but I've lost my momentum after a really busy, stressful period. I tend to read more than one book at a time though, and finished this:

I thought it was fantastic, one of the most unique and disturbing things I've read in a long time.

Did we ever float the idea of having a monthly thumped book club by the way? I've tried to do them IRL and always failed because no one else is ever really interested enough, but I'd like to try reading some things out of my wheelhouse (I read almost exclusively modern literary fiction by women). Anyway thought I'd ask... I'm sure it's been asked and failed for some reason or other.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Did we ever float the idea of having a monthly thumped book club by the way?
thread upon thread, many of which you posted in

I've tried to do them IRL and always failed because no one else is ever really interested enough,
same except for my Ulysses book club where two of us made it to the end. We're probably gonna do non-Joyce next, i'll invite you.

but I'd like to try reading some things out of my wheelhouse (I read almost exclusively modern literary fiction by women).
good grief, no wonder.

Name a book regardless, i'll join your bookclub.

 

[IFF]

I'm still moving really slowly with "A Little Life", its great, but I've lost my momentum after a really busy, stressful period. I tend to read more than one book at a time though, and finished this:

I thought it was fantastic, one of the most unique and disturbing things I've read in a long time.

i read that last year, very strange novel indeed. I did like it

 

[dunderhead]

finished my first Margaret Atwood book today, Th Blind Assassin. Loved it. especially the last 100 pages. Perfect for a nothing Sunday evening. recommendations on where to go with her stuff from here?