Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846684 times)

billplumtree · « **Reply #3425 on:** 30 July, 2014, 09:04:26 pm »

Bridget Jones - the Edge of Reason. Was v.g. See, was away on singleton hols with only Thomas Dickens and Charles Hardy to read but needed cheering up. Saw this in Oxfam shop. Totes amazing, to think was read before me by prob someone in Africa! Maybe Masai warrior!! Oh, flyleaf - "To Jean, you are my Bridget. Love, Jack x". Is better than Masai warrior, is true-life working-class romance!!!

Ruth · « **Reply #3426 on:** 30 July, 2014, 09:08:20 pm »

Quote from: billplumtree on 30 July, 2014, 09:04:26 pm

Bridget Jones - the Edge of Reason. Was v.g. See, was away on singleton hols with only Thomas Dickens and Charles Hardy to read but needed cheering up. Saw this in Oxfam shop. Totes amazing, to think was read before me by prob someone in Africa! Maybe Masai warrior!! Oh, flyleaf - "To Jean, you are my Bridget. Love, Jack x". Is better than Masai warrior, is true-life working-class romance!!!

Sequel https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=342.msg1583808#msg1583808

Love lovely Bridge. Love lovely wine.

jogler · « **Reply #3427 on:** 30 July, 2014, 09:10:33 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 July, 2014, 08:24:36 pm

Three of them die...

Divorced: Beheaded: Died
Divorced:Beheaded:Survived

billplumtree · « **Reply #3428 on:** 30 July, 2014, 09:20:25 pm »

Quote from: Ruthie on 30 July, 2014, 09:08:20 pm

Sequel https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=342.msg1583808#msg1583808

My posts are so derivative

Blame blurry good port

andrewc · « **Reply #3429 on:** 30 July, 2014, 09:23:25 pm »

Just finished The Secret Worlds of Stephen Ward , a very in depth look at Ward's relations with high & low society and his "alleged" involvement with the security services. Not a particularly admirable chap, but if the book's half way accurate he was royally shafted by the establishment.

Of course you'd never get politicians indulging in such sordid behaviour nowadays..woman-arrested-for-posting-photo-of-george-osborne-at-prostitutes-flat

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #3430 on:** 31 July, 2014, 07:21:30 am »

Quote from: citoyen on 30 July, 2014, 08:49:36 pm

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 30 July, 2014, 06:11:53 pm
Citoyen, this was done specially for you...

https://soundcloud.com/auntie-helen/german-view-of-book

Oh, that is brilliant! Totally made my day. Thank you!

The Germans saying squirrel is also great - I used to have great laughs making my students say squirrel when I worked in a French secondary school (though they got their revenge by making me say "écureuil")

Here is the longer track where I am trying to get him to say your magic words: https://soundcloud.com/auntie-helen/scheisbuchfertigstellungbedurfnis

He was being deliberately obtuse (I had the words written down on the phone so he knew what to say). And when I referred to you, Citoyen, as a 'nice young man' he decided to believe I was referring to him. Which I clearly was not, as he wouldn't say 'squirrel' for me either and only said Eichhörnchen!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3431 on:** 01 August, 2014, 12:17:10 pm »

Abattoir Blues ~ Peter Robinson. DCI Banks #22.

Someone gets killed utterly to DETH with a captive bolt, which should please the Sheddi among us. However, a Deutz-Fahr Agrotron tractor will not fit in anything that could reasonably be described as a "van".

tiermat · « **Reply #3432 on:** 05 August, 2014, 10:34:27 am »

"On Gold Mountain" by Lucy See, the tale of her family's immigration into the US, from China (the Gold Mountain of the title) and how they progressed through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Her great grandfather was a bit of, as us Brits would say, a cad.

It is full of interesting history and facts, such as the fact that the US is one of only three countries in history to ever have banned citizenship based on race (the other two are way more publicised and known)

tiermat · « **Reply #3433 on:** 10 August, 2014, 05:02:52 pm »

As well as the above, on my ebook, I have started a dead tree book, one I have waited 3 years to get a hold of.

The Revolt of the Catalans by John Elliot is considered to be the definitive work on Catalonia during the 14th to 17th centuries. Whilst not a light tome (weighing in at ~700 pages) it is very well written and easy to read (unlike another book I read on Catalan history and culture which felt like a trial to read)

mattc · « **Reply #3434 on:** 12 August, 2014, 05:42:12 pm »

Just finished this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Piano_Teacher_%28Lee_novel%29 (pbk, sorry I don't have other details handy)

It has a Richard-n-Judy sticker on the front, which is probably why it was a "World Bestseller". It's certainly not due to the page-turning pace or the lovable characters. I was very bored. Nothing happened until p70. Then another 100 pages until WWII broke out - which wasn't really a surprise, but did at least force a few events on the characters.

The only good bit was the pivotal character (but not the lead) Trudy, a sort of Holly Golightly transported to 1941 Hong Kong. It has adultery, wars, and concubines, but I never knew why anyone did anything.

Oh well, I tried - I know not to read this sort of thing now, I think it's just not written for the likes of me ...

Bledlow · « **Reply #3435 on:** 14 August, 2014, 11:28:53 pm »

"On the Map" by Simon Garfield.
It's about maps, & their history. I love maps. I like the book.

I wish the proofreading was better, though.

Bledlow · « **Reply #3436 on:** 14 August, 2014, 11:29:28 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 30 July, 2014, 08:49:36 pm

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 30 July, 2014, 06:11:53 pm
Citoyen, this was done specially for you...

https://soundcloud.com/auntie-helen/german-view-of-book

Oh, that is brilliant! Totally made my day. Thank you!

The Germans saying squirrel is also great - I used to have great laughs making my students say squirrel when I worked in a French secondary school (though they got their revenge by making me say "écureuil")

Try getting Japanese to say squirrel.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3437 on:** 14 August, 2014, 11:33:36 pm »

Or "Shakespeare". According to Dr Larrington this comes out sounding more like a mangled pronunciation of "Sex Pistols"

Bledlow · « **Reply #3438 on:** 14 August, 2014, 11:39:57 pm »

Mrs B doesn't seem to have a problem saying Shakspear.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #3439 on:** 15 August, 2014, 06:39:31 am »

Shakespeare is a new one - I will try it! I got a German lady 960km round the HBK Audax to say squirrel (and recorded it). Is that a bit mean?

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3440 on:** 15 August, 2014, 07:47:44 am »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 15 August, 2014, 06:39:31 am

Shakespeare is a new one - I will try it! I got a German lady 960km round the HBK Audax to say squirrel (and recorded it). Is that a bit mean?

Yes. Yes, it is.

I, OTOH, acquired a certain cachet with Christina's German chums through being able to pronounce "Eichhörnchen" korektly, even after a Several of BEERS.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #3441 on:** 15 August, 2014, 02:20:46 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 15 August, 2014, 07:47:44 am

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 15 August, 2014, 06:39:31 am
Shakespeare is a new one - I will try it! I got a German lady 960km round the HBK Audax to say squirrel (and recorded it). Is that a bit mean?

Yes. Yes, it is.

I, OTOH, acquired a certain cachet with Christina's German chums through being able to pronounce "Eichhörnchen" korektly, even after a Several of BEERS.

I have had so much practice at saying Eichhörnchen I've now got it pretty decently sorted and the tame Germans say it's a very good rendition, as is my Süchtelner Höhen (a major difficulty - both in terms of hilliness and pronunciation).

The lovely Birgit was happy to say 'Squirrel' for me as I had cooked her some food and been generally nice and friendly. She didn't look too knackered either!

citoyen · « **Reply #3442 on:** 15 August, 2014, 02:58:36 pm »

Hmmm, I wonder if there are any languages in which the word for squirrel is not difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce. (edit: apparently very few!)

Anyway, in the meantime, I am reading The Girl With The Thingummy Wotsit. It was either that or Cloud Atlas and frankly, I fancied something from the less taxing end of the literary spectrum. It's actually better than I was expecting so far. The prose is a little clunky in places but I suspect that's a function of the translation.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #3443 on:** 16 August, 2014, 08:08:47 am »

I tried 'Shakespeare' on my tame German yesterday and he had no probs - I think maybe I misread Bledlow's post and it was Japanese people who can't say it.

My latest experiment with Germans is to see if they can say 'antidisestablismentarianism' and none of them can, they get halfway through and it all goes wrong. It seems the section 'mentarianism' is impossible for them to stress correctly in speech. It's good fun watching them try.

We now know that I can't pronounce the word for peach, Pfirsich, or parsley, Petersilie.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3444 on:** 16 August, 2014, 10:58:01 am »

Quote from: Auntie Helen on 16 August, 2014, 08:08:47 am

I tried 'Shakespeare' on my tame German yesterday and he had no probs - I think maybe I misread Bledlow's post and it was Japanese people who can't say it.

Sorry, I should have made myself clearer, it was indeed the Japanese whom Dr Larrington reports as having prombles with The Bard.

Ruth · « **Reply #3445 on:** 17 August, 2014, 12:52:15 am »

And The Mountains Echoed by Khalid Housseini. About two chapters in.

So far, so brilliant.

fuzzy · « **Reply #3446 on:** 18 August, 2014, 08:58:35 pm »

Life after Vietnam- when Chucky comes marching home by Col Chuck Sanders.

A story about being a Marine during the Vietnam war, or more exactly, returning from the war. Booze, Drugs, infidelity, being in a biker gang, religion etc.

Bought from the dude himself at Hilo market, Hawaii Island where he runs a stall. Had a chat withe him and also bought some Kona coffee (delicious). He writes like he talks so the book can be a bit hard to follow at times. Worth it though (in my opinion as an ex squaddie).

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #3447 on:** 19 August, 2014, 01:00:38 pm »

The Chessmen, by Peter May. Third in his Lewis trilogy. I enjoyed the first two.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3448 on:** 19 August, 2014, 04:58:50 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 19 August, 2014, 01:00:38 pm

The Chessmen, by Peter May. Third in his Lewis trilogy. I enjoyed the first two.

About time I revisited them...

citoyen · « **Reply #3449 on:** 22 August, 2014, 01:10:23 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 15 August, 2014, 02:58:36 pm

Anyway, in the meantime, I am reading The Girl With The Thingummy Wotsit. It was either that or Cloud Atlas and frankly, I fancied something from the less taxing end of the literary spectrum. It's actually better than I was expecting so far. The prose is a little clunky in places but I suspect that's a function of the translation.

Beginning to wish I'd gone for Cloud Atlas. I'm ploughing on with the Girl With The Thingummy Wotsit but my god, it's dull. I'm only carrying on in the hope that something will actually happen eventually. Quite enjoyed Lisbeth Salander getting her revenge on her guardian, but that's about the only moment of excitement so far.

Some of the descriptive prose is beyond banal. One line that really caught me off guard for its utter bizarreness was when a character's apartment is described as being 49 square metres. WTF?

Also, I'm as much of an Apple fanboy as the next media luvvie, but give over with the product placement already.

Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846684 times)

Ruth

Ruth

fuzzy