What are you reading now... II!

[SiHart]

The epilogue was very, very odd. I just ignored it!

[Alex]

I sometimes like it when authors appear in their own work (Grant Morrison turns up in Animal Man 26 to have a chat with the main character to great effect) but here it felt a little...unneeded? And I'm still not quite sure why he thought it was a good idea...but I am enjoying pondering why he made such a decision...

But yes, I think I'll enjoy the novel more in hindsight by just ignoring that last part...

[Rob McCow]

I'm reading 'Smut' by Alan Bennett. Although technically it's Alan's Yorkshire accent I'm hearing in my head, so in a way he's reading it to me. It's like a talking book of the mind.

Anyway, it's a fun, quick and easy read - plus being extremely perverse.

[Stuart Wallis]

By coincidence I've started his An Uncommon Reader!

[SiHart]

I'm starting Smut by Alan Bennett. Unfortunately I left it at home today, so i started the next reading group book- Tiger, Tiger. It's going to be horrible.

[Rob McCow]

I finished Robin Ince's 'Bad Book Club' at lunch, about the rubbish books he's found at charity shops.

Sadly, it was pretty poor in itself. It started off exciting enough, but by the end my eyeballs were sliding down the page...

[Paul Monk]

That always going to be the problem with do a book on bad books isn't it?

Jody finished the Paul Magrs book last night and is eagerly wanting another one.

[Rob McCow]

Give her Verdigris!

[Alex]

I finished Robin Ince's 'Bad Book Club' at lunch, about the rubbish books he's found at charity shops.

Sadly, it was pretty poor in itself. It started off exciting enough, but by the end my eyeballs were sliding down the page...

I saw Ince doing stand up once where he read from Sid Little's autobiography. It was very funny stuff, but I can't imagine ever wanting to read the book itself.

I'm reading Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and really enjoying it, I've had it on my bookshelf for ages and have no idea why it's taken me this long to pick up...

Jody finished the Paul Magrs book last night and is eagerly wanting another one.

Which book was that, Paul?

[Paul Monk]

Give her Verdigris!

That would work! I think the cover might give it away though.

Which book was that, Paul?

Erm, I can't remember. Si? Steve?

[SiHart]

I belive it was The Bride That Time Forgot

[Paul Monk]

Yes thats the one. I've reserved the first two of the series for her at the library.

[Alex]

Ah, is this part of your secret plan to finally turn Jodes in to a sci-fi fan?

[SiHart]

She picked it off our shelf without any prompting. Yes, really!

[Stuart Wallis]

Give her Verdigris!

No don't, I suffered from that once...

[Paul Monk]

She picked it off our shelf without any prompting. Yes, really!

Yep I had nothing to do with it. And she's a huge fan of Brave New World so she already likes sci-fi even if she won't admit it.

[SiHart]

Reelin' in the Years by Mark Radcliffe.

[Rob McCow]

Oh yes - after finishing The Coming of The Terraphiles, I chose Alex's Adventures In Numberland. Much better! It's a pop science book about interesting ideas in maths and it's very readable.

[Alex]

I have no recollection of those adventures at all!

I absolutely adored Black Swan Green, it's one of those rare books that you never want to end. I really must read more David Mitchell as I loved Number9Dream too...

[Dirk Gently]

I started to read Doctor Who Pocket Essentials last night.

IMO Mark Campball comes across as an opinionated twit & stats his opinions as fact. I know this book came out in 2000 but he makes himself look like an idiot in the second paragraph, "And all this for a show that is quite clearly - .... - dead."(para)

He goes on to talk about how Doctor Who is an ex-programme & is quite clearly not coming back. He also mentions a good TV programme using Doctor Who to comfort one of the main characters, (Queer as Folk).
"Like it or not, things have moved on (for the worse), and Doctor Who just doesn't seem to fit in with today's current multichannel, multi-rubbish world."

I'm sure he didn't intend me to read his introduction laughing but what the hell.

[Stuart Wallis]

Tim, would it surprise you to learn that he's brought out a new, updated edition since the series came back...?

[Rob McCow]

Finished with Alex's Adventures In Numberland, though no mention of Mr Finch that I could see! There was this hotel with an infinite number of rooms that had big problems when a larger infinite number of people turned up.

Next up is this month's Interzone.

[Paul Monk]

Next up is this month's Interzone

I got that on a whim recently. I do that every so often and usually enjoy it then forget about getting for months and months.
I've finally finished Black Butterfly, after a rather large break from it reading the second half of A Writers Tale, and it was good fun although nothing amazing. Definitely the worst of the Lucifer Box books. Am just about to start The City and the City by China Mievelle

[Si Hunt]

IMO Mark Campball comes across as an opinionated twit & stats his opinions as fact. I know this book came out in 2000 but he makes himself look like an idiot in the second paragraph, "And all this for a show that is quite clearly - .... - dead."

I'm sure I used to half-know him years ago when he ran a fanzine! Be warned, that book gets oddly re-issued and updated about every 6 months with a new cover. So you could very easily unwittingly buy it again.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

Cheers, Si. Angela got me the 2007 hardback 4th edition, only cost about £2.99 from The Works or some such shop.