The Talking Balls Book Club

[pds]

I really wanted to just put "this" at the bottomof this post, but instead I'll agree that Bryson's books are very good and NfaSI is my favourite as well.

Really enjoying this and I will definitely be buying more of his stuff.

Just had a look on Itunes (forgive me for my sins) for Notes From A Small Island - £18.99 :icon_eek:, think I'll have to stop being lazy and buy a physical copy.

 

[Matt_B]

Really enjoying this and I will definitely be buying more of his stuff.

Just had a look on Itunes (forgive me for my sins) for Notes From A Small Island - £18.99 :icon_eek:, think I'll have to stop being lazy and buy a physical copy.

If you want a travel book I preferred the Austalia one of his, but NfaSI is good also, as is the Europe one. My favourite of his though is A Short History of Nearly Everything, or his autobiogrpahy, something about Thunderbolt Kid

 

[Blue Maniac]

If you want a travel book I preferred the Austalia one of his, but NfaSI is good also, as is the Europe one. My favourite of his though is A Short History of Nearly Everything, or his autobiogrpahy, something about Thunderbolt Kid

All superb books. I read Notes from a Big Country (again) recently, it's just as funny the third time :icon_cool

 

[fcukcov]

If you want a travel book I preferred the Austalia one of his, but NfaSI is good also, as is the Europe one. My favourite of his though is A Short History of Nearly Everything, or his autobiogrpahy, something about Thunderbolt Kid

This has been on my bedside table for a year, really must get round to looking at it.

 

[From Gradel to Grave]

This has been on my bedside table for a year, really must get round to looking at it.

Brilliant book. One of my all time favourites.

 

[Macky]

Brilliant book. One of my all time favourites.

It is excellent.
I would also like to urge every poster on talkingballs to read Bryson's 'Mother Tongue'. Actually I demand it, you illiterate ****wits.

 

[Blue Maniac]

It is excellent.
I would also like to urge every poster on talkingballs to read Bryson's 'Mother Tongue'. Actually I demand it, you illiterate ****wits.

Seconded. Hilarious and educational book.

 

[Cate Fox]

Seconded. Hilarious and educational book.

I shall know who to blame then if it isnt :icon_bigg

 

[beaumontfox]

Just re-read Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kaye for the umpteenth time.
His Fionavar Tapestry trilogy is next on my list- again not for the first time.

 

[pds]

I find it strange that people can re-read books and re-watch films. How can you enjoy it if you know what's going to happen?

 

[MKFox]

It is excellent.
I would also like to urge every poster on talkingballs to read Bryson's 'Mother Tongue'. Actually I demand it, you illiterate ****wits.

Seconded. Hilarious and educational book.

I shall know who to blame then if it isnt :icon_bigg

It is fecking awful.
The one tome of Bryson's which I would never read again

 

[beaumontfox]

I find it strange that people can re-read books and re-watch films. How can you enjoy it if you know what's going to happen?

Because I can?

I re-read LotR at least once a year, The Hobbit and the Sil at least every other year, plus I hve a lot of 'sets' of fantasy fiction that I re-read because I quite like the stories.


Are you saying you don't have certain films that you will watch again and again if they are on tv etc?

 

[pds]

Because I can?

I re-read LotR at least once a year, The Hobbit and the Sil at least every other year, plus I hve a lot of 'sets' of fantasy fiction that I re-read because I quite like the stories.


Are you saying you don't have certain films that you will watch again and again if they are on tv etc?

I wasn't dismissing the idea just purely stating that I couldn't do it my self. My girlfriend is the same always re-reading stuff.

With regards to the last bit, no I can honestly say I wouldn't read/ watch something I have seen before no matter how much I enjoyed it the first time.

 

[Matt_B]

I wasn't dismissing the idea just purely stating that I couldn't do it my self. My girlfriend is the same always re-reading stuff.

With regards to the last bit, no I can honestly say I wouldn't read/ watch something I have seen before no matter how much I enjoyed it the first time.

Surely there is no point in buying DVDs then? And what about songs? You know how the words are going to go and the melody, just hum it!

 

[Blaby blue blood]

Started reading Imajica by Clive Barker while away in Spain last week, very good, strange and a little dark, but that's good, gets the imagination flowing and its a hard book to put down!

Going to take me a while to finish it tho, not a big reader and at sixty odd chapters its a bit of a task :icon_conf

 

[From Gradel to Grave]

Started reading Imajica by Clive Barker while away in Spain last week, very good, strange and a little dark, but that's good, gets the imagination flowing and its a hard book to put down!

Going to take me a while to finish it tho, not a big reader and at sixty odd pages its a bit of a task :icon_conf

I'm sure you'll be fine. :icon_wink

 

[Blaby blue blood]

I'm sure you'll be fine. :icon_wink

Oh crap! :icon_redf

I meant chapters obviously :icon_lol:

 

[SwedeFox]

International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on Serbia vs Kosovo.

http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/141/15987.pdf

Just started it, will report back with ratings.

 

[The Major]

Half way through 'My shit life so far' by Frankie Boyle. Not all the jokes work but there are some real lol moments. Only a fiver at The Works, well worth it.

 

[Ian Marshall]

Re: Scarborough's Rate and Review Thread

Marcus Zusak - The Book Thief.

9/10.

That's a genuine 9/10 too. I don't tend to give books I read extremely high marks and so many don't seem worth the time investment once you've finished them. This one however left me feeling completely satisfied with it and all the happier for having read it. It amused, entertained, interested and touched me in equal measure.

I'm not really familiar with Zusak's work (borrowed this off the future mother in law) but within a few short chapters he had me caring about each and every one of the characters introduced.

The plot itself is based on a fairly interesting premise which sounds a bit gimmicky, but actually works very well. Without giving too much away, it is actually narrated by death. It enables some quite light, but entertaining and worthwhile moral and philosophical postulating from a narrator who can genuinely claim to be 'timeless' in his omniscience.

I read it on holiday, which is definitely the best way to read a novel in my opinion, especially one so concerned with building up an affection and affinity for the characters involved. It does have nice short chapters though, so does lend itself to reading in short bursts if necessary. When I do do stints of commuting to London, I like to have a good book with short chapters with me for those train journeys, tube bits and the odd bit of waiting around for meetings.

Overall, not life changing, but just a little life affirming. I'm still sort of smiling thinking about it now, which is a great success for the book, but something of a failure for my life I suppose!