What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Deano]

The Far Corner by Harry Pearson.  A warm and wonderfully funny account of a season in North East football. Coincidentally, the first season I started going to football regularly, so a nostalgia-fest for me as well as a fine read.

Courtesy of longers (I'll send you them back once I've finished).

[citoyen]

I heard the radio4 version on "Classic Serial" last year

That's what it was! What I heard, I mean. I remember it clearly now.

d.

[Nuncio]

Slaying the Badger by Richard Moore.
(Don't buy this if you want a critique of the Welsh Assembly's main weapon in their war on bovine TB. I feel such a fool.)

[Captain Zep]

Just started "Silence of the Grave" by Arnaldur Indridason.  The next book after "Jar City" (Icelandic detective fiction).  I'm only a couple of chapters in, but the translation seems a bit dodgy, though it has a brilliant (in a way) first sentence:
"He knew at once it was a human bone, when he took it from the baby who was sitting on the floor chewing it."
I like a book with a good map in it.  "The Name of the Rose" being the best in this respect IMO. 

[Feline]

In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut.

It's a bit weird but good all the same.

[Wascally Weasel]

I’m waiting to read ‘Where the bodies are buried’ by Christopher Brookmyre – Ms Weasel purchased this newly published book yesterday and I’ll get to read it after her (I tried the quite frankly pathetic “But I read quicker so maybe I should read it first?” approach but quite rightly she wasn’t having any of it).

[Captain Zep]

I’m waiting to read ‘Where the bodies are buried’ by Christopher Brookmyre – Ms Weasel purchased this newly published book yesterday and I’ll get to read it after her (I tried the quite frankly pathetic “But I read quicker so maybe I should read it first?” approach but quite rightly she wasn’t having any of it).

I'm waiting my turn of this one from the library.  I understand that it's a non-comic crime novel, so it's under the name of Chis Brookmyre, like Iain Banks / Iain M Banks?  I met him once, and asked him a question about Spammy (from Country of the Blind & Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks), sad eh?  My two brothers-in-law know him to say "hello" to from going to watch St. Mirren of a Saturday.

[GruB]

Bought the Laurent Fignon one today.

[her_welshness]

In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut.

It's a bit weird but good all the same.

Ahh that was part of my Booker Prize Reading Challenge last year. I thought it was really good.

I finished reading a book called Lying by Wendy Perriam, who attended our Reading Group to discuss it with us at the library last night. It's about a woman who wants to marry a man so much that she converts to Catholicism in order to be with him. It's loosely based on her parents life.

It was very interesting to see her reaction as to how we responded to her characters. We did not like them very much, whereas she felt that they had some saving graces to them. One member was astonishingly honest with the author, saying that she thought the dialogue was unrealistic. I don't believe that it was: I think we all have our opinions of what reality is. Anyway, I enjoyed it and the author was so personable and friendly, no standoffishness there at all 

Next month's reading group book is 'Spies' by Michael Frayn. One of the girls who has just joined us works for a drinks company so she will be bringing free bottles of wine 

[LindaG]

Flood by Steven Baxter.  I like disaster movies/books and am enjoying this one.  'Specially as it has sciency bits.

[tiermat]

Another Stephen Lawhead for me, this time Hood, a retelling of the story of Robin hood (Robin is a Welsh prince, the French are arrogant, money grabbing gits (on the whole) and life is generally hard)

[citoyen]

Whatever by Michel Houellebecq.

Never read any of his stuff before and only picked this up because I was given a freebie copy. I read the first chapter as a taster and liked it. I've also read a few reviews online and it seems to be a book that polarises opinion. Excellent!

d.

[Wascally Weasel]

I’m waiting to read ‘Where the bodies are buried’ by Christopher Brookmyre – Ms Weasel purchased this newly published book yesterday and I’ll get to read it after her (I tried the quite frankly pathetic “But I read quicker so maybe I should read it first?” approach but quite rightly she wasn’t having any of it).

I'm waiting my turn of this one from the library.  I understand that it's a non-comic crime novel, so it's under the name of Chis Brookmyre, like Iain Banks / Iain M Banks?  I met him once, and asked him a question about Spammy (from Country of the Blind & Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks), sad eh?  My two brothers-in-law know him to say "hello" to from going to watch St. Mirren of a Saturday.

Really enjoyed the latest Brookmyre; for me I think it is a brilliant return to form (in that I personally enjoyed some of the more recent books less than some of his others YMMV).  I think the last one I previously really liked was ‘A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil’, the ones that followed were just a bit too ranty for my personal taste.

I’m now starting on to James Kelman’s ‘You have to be careful in the Land of the Free’.

[Flying_Monkey]

I’m now starting on to James Kelman’s ‘You have to be careful in the Land of the Free’.

Love, love, LOVE James Kelman.

[Deano]

Aye, James Kelman is one of my favourite writers. 

I'm currently reading the Maltese Falcon.  I thought I'd read it already, but I don't think I have.  Mind you, much of the plot and dialogue for the film was lifted directly from the book, so it is very familiar. I'm mainly noting the differences, but I'm enjoying the terse style as well.  Hammett was damn good.

[Peter]

much of the plot and dialogue for the film was lifted directly from the book

This is getting regrettably rare, especially since the legal requirement that all screenplays are written by Andrew Davies.

[Aidan]

Mark Beaumonts   Man who cycled the Americas.  A good read so far

[Deano]

much of the plot and dialogue for the film was lifted directly from the book

This is getting regrettably rare, especially since the legal requirement that all screenplays are written by Andrew Davies.

I'm not sure it's such a good thing - see Lord of the Rings, much of the horribly stilted dialogue remains.  It's only a blessing they didn't leave in the damn poetry.

With the Maltese Falcon, I think it gives the movie a rather formal air, and though it works well in that case, I can think of another Humphrey Bogart movie of the same era which needed to be made into a screenplay - Key Largo.  it was adapted from a play, and it shows.  Obviously, having Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, Lauren Bacall etc in it means it has star quality, but it really needs to break away from the constraints of its source material.

[Peter]

much of the plot and dialogue for the film was lifted directly from the book

This is getting regrettably rare, especially since the legal requirement that all screenplays are written by Andrew Davies.

I'm not sure it's such a good thing - see Lord of the Rings, much of the horribly stilted dialogue remains.  It's only a blessing they didn't leave in the damn poetry.

With the Maltese Falcon, I think it gives the movie a rather formal air, and though it works well in that case, I can think of another Humphrey Bogart movie of the same era which needed to be made into a screenplay - Key Largo.  it was adapted from a play, and it shows.  Obviously, having Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, Lauren Bacall etc in it means it has star quality, but it really needs to break away from the constraints of its source material.

Good points.  My beef about Davies, who is otherwise excellent, (especially in his original stuff like "A Very Peculiar Practice",) is that he tampers unnecessarily with accepted classics, as if he doesn't trust the public to stay with the production.

Also, (OT) all Bogart films must be in black and white!

(Now go to bed and rest for tomorrow.  Good Luck!)

[Deano]

Such as the gratuitous Colin Firth dripping wet coming out of the lake in Pride and Prejudice. 

[Rapples]

Just finished re-reading Marathon Man.  I must have read it back in the late 70's before I saw the film.

Highly recommended, but if you've not seen the film read the book first!

[AndyK]

Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass.

[Flying_Monkey]

Just finished Wireless by Charles Stross. Being a short story / novella collection, it was a bit of a mixed bag - I don't think he's always as funny as he thinks he is, but there was enough that was really good to make it worthwhile.

Am now starting Point Omega by Don De Lillo, despite the fact that I thought Falling Man was a pretentious failure.

[clarion]

Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass.

A fascinating book, giving an insight into the unspoken part of American history.  I'm by no means convinced that it is all true, because there are certain inconsistencies, but there is no doubt that it is largely based on his experiences.

And he has some unusual political viewpoints.

[Ian H]

Just starting on Patrick Leigh Fermor's Between the Woods and the Water.

I knew that Magyar belonged to the Ugro-Finnic group, part of the great Ural-Altaic family, "Just", one of my new friends told me,"as English belongs to the Indo-European." He followed this up by saying that the language closest to Hungarian was Finnish.
"How close?"
"Oh, very!"
"What, like Italian and Spanish?"
"Well no, not as close as that..."
"How close then?"
Finally, after a thoughtful pause, he said, "About like English and Persian."