h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I finished 30 hours ago...

B

Jasper Fforde - start with The Eyre Affair. The books are a series, and it's best to read them in order, although they are reasonably self-contained.

Just finished HP6 (snif) and I'm now going back to finish Carter Beats the Devil (two books about magicians).

Finished HP6 earlier tonight after getting it in the very early hours of Saturday morning; I really couldn't put it down.

I finished it too - wow! But it seemed to me to be a bit different to the others, I can't really explain it, almost as though JKR's style has changed a bit. Perhaps it was my imagination. Not as good as OOTP, but still very good.

I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest last week too, which was very good. I was pleased to realise that the film, which I'd already seen, followed the book reasonably closely.

Just over three quarters of the way through the Half-Blood Prince. Can't stop reading!! Currently trying to multitask typing and reading. Taken me ten minutes to write this post!!



Taz

*Wonder what book the next two pages of messages will mention*

Well, it's HPVI for sure - bought it early Saturday morning, it was on offer, so I couldn't resist, but only 114 pages read yet, I was too busy on Saturday to start it right away.

Anyone *not* reading HP6?

Actually, I heard it's not as turgidly written or poorly plotted as HP5

Anyway, I'm reading a book for grown-ups: Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm alternating with brief bursts of Eliot's collected poetry.

So there!

Well, I'm not reading HP. Not through 'adultness' though, I just haven't bought it yet .

I'm reading Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. The only thing about him is that I can only read him in small doses. Something about his writing style grates on me after a while, although there's some good observations in there. I know that's blasphemy to a lot of people ...

finished HP6. fantastic, as ever. a few unexpected twists and a lot darker than the other books. extremely unputdownable.

Taz

I'm reading 'Clerkenwell Tales' by Peter Ackroyd. Very enjoyable, as are most of his historically set books (though not as good as Chatterton).
I don't know if I am sad or glad that I have never read a Harry Potter book. Maybe, one day, I will catch up with the books; probably when my oldest son gets to that age (he's 5 now, so probably not long to go).

I too will buck the all -too-predictable HPVI trend.

I'm presently readin Eion Colfer's rather brilliant 'The Supernaturalist', which is a wonderful book in so many ways, but mostly because it's good, intelligent SF, proving there is life in kids literature beyond magicians, pixies and the like.

I've just read J.G. Ballard's "Crash", and am about to begin A.M. Homes' "Music For Torching". Looks like I've come back onto a fiction kick.

decided I'm not going to read HP6 bec 5 was so awful, but now I may be changing my mind... well, when the 600 or so holds that are on the library books finally cease, perhaps I will get around to it. (Although I'm currently mad at her for apparently making Snape a bad guy.)

Right now I'm in middle of reading Hemingway. Anyone here a Hemingway fan and critic who could explain a few of his more cryptic stories to me?!

Also reading Where Eagles Dare, by somone who's name I can spell offhand. WAs told its a surprise ending like in The Theif. I liked The Theif, wlthough not the sequel.

Finished HP6 last night. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Now back into reading Small Island but I can't remember who by.

Oh, but Small Island is a wonderful book! I love the way it makes you look at Britain with fresh eyes. And (I hope this isn't a plot spoiler) I was incredibly moved by the guy's reaction at encountering a cinema segregated for GIs. And it was great the it way portrayed the husband's reactions to his horrific experiences and the anger and bigotry it left him with. I've long had a theory that the post-war generation had a lot of undiagnosed PTSD.

The cinema incident reminded me of a story told by Anthony Burgess in one of his volumes of autobiography. The village in Lancashire where he taught was near a US army base. During the war, there has some racial tension between GIs, so the authorities told all the pubs that they had to segregate. Immediately every single pub put up a sign saying 'Black GIs Only'

Oh yeah...I've also just read Burgess's 'The Enemy In The Blanket' - the second part of his Malayan Trilogy. I'm trying to decide whether he's just another colonial writer, simply in the dying days of empire, or whether he's more subtle than that.

The only white writer I can think of who's really pulled off anti-colonialism is Doris Lessing - but then, she's a genius.

"If you don't eat your meat you won't get any pudding".


Just finished 'A Hat Full of Sky'by TerryPratchet All about 'wee blue scotsmen (Nac Mac Feegle)and an apprentice witch,'pockled 'it from my daughter who thought it was rude!

But she just wanted to read the Potter.!!!
Got Going Postal (Hardback) too to keep me going >

Maybe oneday I'll get into Potter but Its only for the middle classes and snobs (discuss)

Like having a frog ringtone!!!
Well the Author is the greatest living Scotswoman

I thought that was Muriel Spark. Or Helena Kennedy. Or Lulu.

Kirsty Wark.

By the way...has anyone seen photos of Lulu recently? According to my googling, she's 57...but well fit! Either she's had tons of very high-class work done or she's got a painting in her attic that looks like s**t.