Stardust - Neil Gaiman
The tale of a young man from the village of Wall, journeying to retreive a fallen star for the woman he loves. The only problem being that it fell accross the wall in the land of Faerie, a place where there are many dangers; witches and goblins and stuff. So it's a fairy story; but one with (as one reviewer put it) 'A couple of spicy sex scenes and one epithet.'
Although written in the style of a tale for children this is a book filled with refreshingly sparkling characters showing no sign of the clichés one might expect. Instead Gaiman's wit and humour imbue the story with a dark edge that makes it worth a read whatever your age.

They're currently making a film of it with Clare Danes. I hope they keep that epithet; it made me smile.

Stardust sounds very cool. Have you read Fairy Tale by Fiest? (yeah yeah another Fiest recommendation I know). completely unlike his 'normal' action fantasy stuff. Much darker. And with some disturbing pixy rape scences. Good stuff.

It is very cool; his publishers have just re-released all his books in an updated format with extra treats: Stardust comes with a short story that was the inspiration for the novel; he started out with a prologue that mentioned Wall and then started to sketch out what the village was like and decided it was more interesting than his original story.

I haven't read Fairy Tale but any novel with pixie rape has to be worth a look.

Well, that's one of the more disturbing sentences I've read. Of course, it made me laugh out loud--so disturbing and yet funny.
In keeping with the Halloween holiday, I just finished The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It's (yet another) vampire book--although not as enthralling as Twilight. Possibly because it's about 100 pages too long. It twines together two (well, three) stories of a family that spends generations hunting for vampires. The book is properly dark, but, oddly enough, very little happens. The most interesting family member is the youngest, and she, unfortunately, doesn't get enough of a role in the final confrontation. So, 3/5 stars, I think. Worth the read in October, but not to be read again.

COUNTRY OF THE BLIND
Christopher Brookmyre

The plot: Media tycoon gets killed, 4 blokes get framed for it, get arrested suspiciously quickly, escape, go on the run, lawyers get involved, journalists (specifically Parlabane), the accused go on-the-run through Scottish countryside, Parlabane's against the clock to figure out who's framing them, politics, ex-military freakshows, local fuzz, cover-ups, porn, bluffs, tape recordings, whiskey, Slaughter, blackmail. Standard Brookmyre stuff.

The verdict: First two 'acts' are a bit drawn out. The chase through the countryside is too much build up and description and back story, which means that Act 3 explodes and is fantastic. Parlabane is a really cool character, like a greasier, journalist version of James Bond. If you persevere through the first two thirds of the book its worth it.

Reading 'The Fourth Bear' by Fforde next.

THE FOURTH BEAR (Jasper Fforde)

The second of his Jack Spratt novels, in which we see the NCD trying to unravel the mystery of Goldilocks (who has mysteriously disappeared), the homicidal maniac that is the Gingerbreadman who is on the loose again, prize cucumber-growers with nuclear intentions, the Three Bears and their strangely disparate porridge temperatures and a car which never gets damaged - sold to Jack by the even more mysterious Dorian Gray. Will DS Mary Mary finally go on a date with the resident alien PC Ashley? Will Jack get suspended for the umpteenth time by Briggs? Will Jack's wife find out he is a secret Nursery Rhyme character? And most importantly, when will Punch and Judy stop having their enormous arguments next door?

Loved this book. It fits in with my ideal reading material (and indeed Reading material - see what I did there?) as it is easy to read, very surreal, nonsensical. Still don't think they quite match up to the Thursday Next novels but definitely worth reading.

8/10

Also, keep an eye out for the new Hiaasen out this week, Nature Girl.

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More young adult literature, but hey, it's my job to keep up with the newest stuff out there for my students. Of course, I consider it a perk, but I try not to let that get in the way.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is an excellent novel. It's even more excellent if you've read Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. Basically, it's the story of Alyss Heart (the daughter of the Queen of Hearts...) and includes cards that transform into soldiers, a "General Doppelganger" that can split himself into two separate, and yet identical looking, entities, a very pale and rabbit-like tutor, and what can only be termed a Rambo in the making. It starts with the premise that Lewis Carrol got everything very, very wrong (and that his mis-interpretation makes Alyss very, very annoyed) and moves on from there. Much fun--especially if you like your traditional literature twisted and the idea of a place where anything imagined can become reality.

Also, not to suggest anyone should actually read this book, but there's a book out now titled Vampirates and it includes, well, vampires who are also pirates. And a prophetic sea shanty. And two not-so-helpless twins (orphaned by their lighthouse-watching father, of course). It's fantastic, umm, if you teach middle school or like that sort of thing. I love my job.

On a more adult note, You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore answers the eternal question of what happens after you turn your minion into a vampire and suddenly realize that now there's no one around to run errands during the day. Much hilarity ensues. This book is a sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends and a good time.

(p.s. the first Charlie Bone book is Midnight for Charlie Bone)

Yup, been there, done that. Was OK but too much happened off-screen for my liking.

Just finished Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Took about 3 days over my ski holiday.

It was a great book though, given the hype I had heard, not as awsomly great as I had hoped. Great insight (if accurate) into the Autistic mind although some of the maths seemed rather old hat to a compsci.

A great book as a glimps into a world but not a particularly remarkable story.

Book called "Cloud Atlas". It's a section of short stories interlinked over the course of about 300 years. Starts in 1800's goes to apocalyptic future and back again. Beautifully visual and quite quite brilliant. Someone else read it and tell me if I just got wrapped up in a nice idea or whether the content really does count for something. Can't remember the author.

For all you anglicists out there "The stories of english" by David Crystal. A scarily long book. I red 4 pages and had to stop due to simply too many ideas, too much good infomration and to many relations to other things under discussion in my own little philosophy group (A bunch of Consipracy Theorists, Alien chasers and Old men who reckon they know everything, and me telling them it's all bollox and that none of it matters cos we can never see the answers to anything until the end of everything and by then it's too late so why bother trying to work it out in the meantime? let's just enjoy urselves (That's calle dNihilistic Optimism by the way, my own personal Philosphy adn it actually has a basis of continuous theme from early Greek Phils too. Ahh how good am I?)

Book 11 of wheel of time Robert Jordan. Can I really be bothered? yes but only cos i hat enot knowing how things end (unless it's complete SHIT like Tarka or Mill on the Floss, both of which casued me to fail exams btu I am not sorry because Shit is Shit and that's that. I'd be a weaker perosn now if I finished them im sure)

Also reading the Hatful of Sky type books from pratchett. Lovely stuff, big words nice and simple, makes me feel like a 4 year old again. Maurice and his educated rodents: you remember The Rats of Nimm? like that but typically pratchett, great.

Cant think of any more. I think this was my biggest post EVER! Whoop

David Mitchell apparently. I'll rent it and let you know.

Let me know too - sounds like something I'd enjoy. Currently reading "The 5 People you Meet in Heaven" - not particularly promising. Supposed to be one of those 'uplifting' books. Bollocks.

I'm trying to find some decent audiobooks (mp3 format). Anyone have any? It's part of my new plan to keep me intersted while running! Perhaps King you could read that book out loud and keep a recorder handy nearby... =)

Jasper Fforde is touring his new book soon (select dates below) and I’m thinking about going to the Reading talk (short hop on the train from Blackwater for me) I don’t suppose anyone else wants to come with but I thought I’d mention it in case any other ffans are in the vicinity…

Friday 6 July
7pm EVENING TALK: READING
WATERSTONES
89a Broad Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2AP
Tickets £3,
Contact the store on 0118 958 1270


Saturday 7 July
2pm LUNCHTIME SIGNING: SWINDON
WATERSTONES
25/26 Brunel Plaza, Brunel Shopping Centre, Swindon SN1 1ND
(t) 01793 436465
Free signing.


Monday 9 July
1pm LUNCHTIME SIGNING: LONDON
FORBIDDEN PLANET
179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR
(t) 020 7420 3666
Free signing but to reserve an advanced copy go to
www.forbiddenplanet.com/store/Signings.htm


6:30pm EVENING TALK: LONDON
THE GALLERY, FOYLES BOOKSHOP
113 - 119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB
(t) 020 7437 5660
This event is free to attend but please email
events(at)foyles.co.uk to reserve places (they are limited!)

Am def interested but will most likely try to get in to the Charing Cross one.

Big up the Fforde massive

Yes I thought this may be the case. Obviously that one is as inconvenient for me as the Reading is for you...

Very interesting but none are feasible for me I'm afraid.

Nothing to do with fforde but I have been reading (nothing to do with Reading) some Christopher Brookmyre recently and it is really quite good.
Recommend "All fun and games until somone loses an eye."

Right, well yesterday I went to see Jasper Fforde talk a bit and sign some books (which was nice). He talked for about 40 mins on stuff in general and answered questions until no more were forthcoming:

Subjects included how he writes his books (he starts with a general idea and muddles along adding lame jokes and refining it all once he's reached a conclusion; no careful planning for him), how he's worried that reality is becoming more and more like fiction (his new book has a throwaway joke about a reality TV program in which 10 renal failure patients compete for a healthy kidney, written before Endamol's 'spoof' show) and other such stuff.

It was all interesting and amusing and I can recommend the experience. Best of all though was meeting Jasper and having a little chat (where I naturally got all nervous and couldn't produce fully formed sentence of dry, laconic wit - so unlike my usual self). I got him to sign both the new book and The Eyre Affair and showed him a photo of my Nextreme Surfing adventure, which you may not remember but jogged his memory nicely. It also gave us something to talk about and something to make the dedication more personal than my name followed by his name.

I'll attach a photo of the stuff I got once something is done by those lovely Badgerfest administrator fellows.

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Cheers Pete

Guaranteed NO SPOILERS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Well I've finished it; it took me longer than I'd have expected mainly because I was actually socialising on the weekend and couldn't really read it at work...

Anyway the book is very good; it brings the saga to a satisfactory and conclusive end. On the way secrets are revealed, questions answered (and new ones raised) and wild theories are borne out or shown to be wide of the mark. The tale starts off in the manner introduced in ...Phoenix and pretty quickly kicks into high gear. There's a little bit of sagginess around the middle (after the first mission if you like) but once it gets going again the plot builds and builds to that final climax, shedding characters along the way (some of them in a slightly perfunctory manner). Ah yes, the final climax: It'll require a re-read to fully appreciate the twists and turns laid down over the series and it also needs a reasonably heavy chunk of exposition to explain how it all works...but it does work. People get their chance in the sun and others get their comeuppance. I think it may turn out to be one of my favourite of the series. We'll see after that 2nd/3rd read-through eh?

I agree; Harry Potter 7 was worth the read. It wrapped up the series and all of the characters' loose ends. I loved the small details that Rowling included--things like how Ravenclaw students get into their common room, or what sort of stories wizarding children are read at night.
Excellent book.
Also excellent is the newest Thursday Next (First Among Sequels). I've picked up the newest Brookmyre to read next.

Has anyone read any Malcolm Pryce?

Is he any good?

I think Chris has the Aberystwyth one but I've never got round to it.

And the new Fforde is excellent, if very definitely the first in a new series of Next books.

Island of the Sequinned Love Nun - Christopher Moore

I picked this up partly because Jennie says he writes good books but mainly because this one is blessed with a particularly choice title. The book follows a loser whose life is turned upside down by a supernatural entity. He eventually turns out to have been changed for the better by his experience and by meeting a strange but beautiful woman. In fact, this (admittedly rather loose) description could equally apply to the last book of his I read (Coyote Blue) and almost any Tom Holt book. In fact, so far, I'd say that his books have been just like Holt's except with Americans. This isn't by any means a bad thing; many of Holt's books are pretty good, it just feels rather too familiar to stand out. Perhaps it's just coincidence and the rest are more individual. I'll continue to pick his books up if they appear in the library or on the bookshelves of friends.

The Gift (Pellinor) - Alison Croggon

The Gift is the first book in a 'young adult' fantasy epic about a civilisation, purportedly in existence before the last ice age, run by magic wielders known as Bards. In fact the author has gone to some length to give the impression that hers is merely a translation of texts found in Morocco and ends the book with appendices of the history of the land complete with a (presumably invented) bibliography.
The story follows a young slave girl called Maerad who is found and rescued from her lot by a passing Bard called Cadavan. As he takes her with him on his journey he they discover the depth of her 'Gift' as they encounter various evils culminating in the imminent return of The Nameless One.
As with almost all fantasy the book owes much to Tolkien (though the style is much easier on the eye), complete with a vanquished evil returning to threaten peace in the world and a trusted elder turning out to be slightly rotten. However there is a distinct lack of orcs, elves or fellowships and, while her concept of magic comes straight from Earthsea, the rest is about as original as you get in the genre. Worth checking out the rest of the story I reckon.

The Garden - Elsie A Aidenhoff

The Garden is the story of Adam & Eve from Eve's point of view. In this version Eve is curious and lively, Adam innocent and easily distracted, the Serpent a wise and benevolent teacher (he raises Eve himself) and God impatient, awe-inspiring and slightly selfish. It is an interesting look at the well-known tale from a different angle that manages to stay light in tone and doesn't descend into theological torpor.

"theological torpor"

Mikey, where on earth do you get these from?

(preemptively: yes, yes I've been to the torpor shop but they had flat run out of the theological variety)

Dan, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you...

Phrases like that appear in my head fully formed when pontificating on paper (there's another), this is possibly one reason why English teachers seemed to like me so much.

Bad news for anyone hoping for a conclusion to the Wheel of Time series; Robert Jordan dies aged 58. He was in the middle of writing book 12...

Well, shit. That would have been quite the epic battle.

Maybe he has them all outlined somewhere.

He'd been ill for a while and (in the words of the Empire Blog) "there is some suggestion that he's left notes and had extensive discussion with family about finishing it for him, [but] there remains the ghastly prospect that we'll never know how it ends."

Yeah, that's sad, poor guy. Some rare blood condition that made the walls of his heart thicken.

His books started to annoy me with their infrequency but I'll likely read them all again...*if* the last book is finished.

I'm sure they'll release it though - may be after a few years after his kids have squandered their inheritance and realise that this was an easy way to make a few squid.

I'd be very surprised if it was very good though. I bet he had a few scifi/fantasy author mates. They should just get Fiest to finish it for him. That would be a marketing coup! All the Fiest fans would then HAVE to read Wheel of Time.

I should be a publisher. =)
Dan

Just thought this looked pretty cool:
http://www.librarything.com/

Not tried it myself yet but some of you big readers might enjoy checking it out.

A little late Danny...

For those of us who were upset when Robert Jordan's death left his series unfinished.

A new author has been chosen.

haha - i must say i had the slightly sinking feeling that someone had already posted it - but I couldn't be bothered to go through the whole thread...

and..i...er forgot there was a search function =)

Thought I'd link to this rather brilliant article in the NY Times which goes into which Sci-Fi classics US politicians should claim to have read.

Among my favourites:





Check it.

Opened my LibraryThing account. Hours of book collecting fun to be had. Actually think I might use this thing properly, I like it.

Jennie, King, what are your usernames?

thanks to Dan, I have just read The Man Who Loved Only Numbers. It's by Paul Hoffman and a lot of fun to read. It's the story of the mathematician Paul Erdos who, aside from refusing to learn to do anything remotely menial (he couldn't tie his shoes until fairly late in his life and never learned to cook or use a washing machine), seems to have been a wonderful man and fantastic mathematician.
The book does an excellent job of interspersing mathematical equations with the story of Erdos' life. He traveled everywhere and only ever owned enough possessions to fill one suitcase--he gave away almost every penny he earned and frequently turned up without any warning on the steps of fellow mathematician's houses and worked them to exhaustion for a few weeks before moving on to the next house.
Fun read.

Dan--
The master of magical realism is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Someone who takes the battiness just that much farther is Haruki Murakami. My favorite Marquez book is "Love in the Time of Cholera" but his most famous is "100 years of Solitude".

I agree, good stuff.

Carl Hiaasen's newest book has recently come out in paperback: Nature Girl. It appears to involve telemarketers and the normal hijinks.
He has also been interviewed by Stephen Colbert.


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It's okay, and it is clear where Hiaasen gets much of what he focuses on in his books--it ends abruptly though.

Two Nick Hornby efforts (neither of them novels) that I have read recently:

31 Songs

This is a pretty simple concept really. Hornby picks 31 of his favourite songs and talks about them. Very nice it is too.

The Complete Polysyllabic Spree

This time Hornby talks about books because, as he himself states, "books are, let's face it, better than everything else". This is a compilation of his 'Stuff I've Been Reading' articles for The Believer magazine in the US. Every month (chapter), he lists the books that he has bought and the books that he has read. He then talks about the reasons for each and what he thought of the ones he read. Except that he isn't allowed to write about the books he didn't like (or mention them by name). Zadie Smith probably sums up Hornby best thus: "Hornby believes that beautiful songs, beautiful books and yes, the beautiful game, are the great redemptive forces. He loves good stuff so much that one might call him the European Ambassador of Goodness". For the record, I agree with Hornby on beautiful songs and books, though not the beautiful game (unless he means cricket, which I doubt).

Both these books are great for people like me who love making lists of things other people (particularly strangers) like and seeing if I like them too.

Hornby's blog is also worth checking out. I was pleased to see from it that he puts Michael Frayn's Spies (reviewed in this thread) in his top 13 books of the last 25 years.


By the way, I have been buying books at a rate of knots recently. This is because I have realised that I haven't read anywhere near as much as I should have over the last 4 years. Therefore in order to stop my brain from rotting I will be reading many books and making posts. Watch this space.

Cool: I shall be reading your post with interest. I might even try and join in with some reviews of my own...

I'm currently looking forward to 'A Snowball in Hell' by Christopher Brookmyre which brings back Simon Darcourt from 'Big Boy...' and also the next in the 'Temeraire' series which is fun if not high-art.

Edit: Obviously I meant I'll be reading your posts with interest...but maybe I'll sneak a look at your mail as well...

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

Continuing my mini theme of books about reading, this small but perfectly formed story imagines the Queen becoming addicted to books and letting her reading get in the way of her Royal duties. Lovely stuff, as you'd expect from Bennett.

Seconding the Spree as an excellent read. If we are on a "books about books" stint, Michael Dirda's "Readings" is much along the same lines:a collection of his column from a newspaper. He has several books out, but that one is by far the best.
There's a re-issue of a series of wonderful books coming out after the holidays. It's called "Godstalker Chronicles", and it's by PC Hodgell. It went out of print, but she is writing a new book, and they're reprinting the older ones.
The original books were called God Stalk and Dark of the Moon. They tell the story of Jame, a girl who has managed to fight her way out of "Perimal Darkness"--she is carrying with her her father's sword and ring--which she has to get back to her twin brother--and three "magic" items that belong to her people.
Of course, on the way she manages to make a city burn up and flood, become a thief, find her brother (who, although he is her twin, is somehow now about ten years older than she), lose her knife, get lost, find her way again, and acquire a variety of odd accomplices.
They are very, very well-written. It's in the "high fantasy" style made familiar by George R.R. Martin and others, but the writing is much more down to earth, funnier, and, well, better. The world is more complete than Robert Jordan's (and with less, flat, female characters). It also focuses on a central character, which really puts the reader on Jame's side and gives a better understanding of how all of the events in the books connect to her. Well worth looking out for when they come out. (I've been a fan of these books all of my life--I am very happy that she found someone to publish her newest novel).

Blockbuster - Tom Shone

A history of Hollywood blockbusters from 1975's Jaws to date (or nearly). Shone's book is basically a rebuttal of Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls which argues that Spielberg and co destroyed Hollywood's capability of making good films. Shone is convincing and engaging. Plus, he loves Jaws, Close Encounters..., Raiders... and E.T., which in my book makes him undeniably correct in pretty much everything he says.

Fascinating. Now, I have to get Biskind's book to see what Shone took exception to.

Just picked up a new series-- The Chronicle of Aleria-- by Jim Butcher. They are high-type fantasy, but the main character does NOT posses the magical wielding abilities of the rest of his countrymen. Everyone else can, weakly at least, call upon the elements to fly, or throw fire, or make earthquakes, but Tavi cannot and must rely on what seems an innate ability for falling into trouble and tunneling out of it again. I've really enjoyed the first books in the series and I like the concept of the main character very much.

Is it worth picking up a copy of Watchmen to read over the trip? Apparently, I missed it when it first came out.

Yeah, I think so. It's certainly one of the more complex and compelling comics around (though I'm not sure the art's to my taste). The story and world is deep enough to bear repeated readings. I think it'll make a great film if done correctly. £18 is a bit much for what amounts to a really short novel though.

Didn't it come out in '86? I think you could be excused for missing it at the time.

Boo, I'd go for a copy of 'Y the last man' if you want a good comic book. It is a series of 10 books though, so might be worth just picking up the first one if you haven't read it before.

I didn't get to grips with watchmen because its in the old 'shoddy' art style. I struggle to get into a story if the art is shoddy.

Sam, here is the info. If any of you are so inclined, one of my favorite authors is doing a signing in London.
Robin McKinley is having a London bookshop signing on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 6 pm, followed by an informal Q&A.

Hosted by
Murder One
76-78 Charing Cross Road
London WC2H OBD

Location: http://www.murderone.co.uk/acatalog/Shop1.html

excelllent

I have got a big strategy day at the LSE on Thursday followed by going to see Hot Chip at Brixton Academy in the evening so I will try and squeeze it in. I'll see what I can do.

Well, it looks like Random House will be offering some free books through one of the iPhone's e-readers. Check out the details here.
I tested it (on Pete's iPhone), and it was pretty good. Decent page loading (much better than the Kindle I played with) and some good free books. (The Man Who Was Thursday is awesome, as is "Free Range Chickens".)
Of course, none of this would stop me from buying books. But for those times where it is more appropriate/easier to have it on the iPhone, it seems a good option.