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

Antic Hay (1922) by Aldous Huxley

Chapter four or five is a scene in a restaurant/bar where
young intellectuals gather to discuss Life, The Uni et al.

It reminds me of many h2g2 threads. Genius and arty and very
literate expression of ideas with lots of good natured put-downs
and trash-talk. And the arguments about god and art and politics
are very much the same as they are today. There's a long argument
against Communism that I may just cut and paste next time Edwardo
starts one of his Marist rants.



~jwf~

Hell...please do.
It's not like
I'm
not
open to argument.

But would
you just be
C&Ping a convenient
put down
or would it be something
you'd actually thought about?

I've just started The Remains of The Day. Enjoying it so far. I've never seen the film so it's all new to me!

>>...or would it be something
you'd actually thought about? <<

It was just a thought.
And mainly because Huxley said it so well 90 years ago.
Interestingly, it being 1922, there was no chance of
Godwin's Law being in play. Lenin was the bad guy then.
Even Stalin hadn't got with the pogrom.

~jwf~

I'd be genuinely interested to read the passage, actually. The criticisms may or may be based on a proper understanding of Marxism.

And - trust me - I'm as critical of Lenin as anyone. I'm currently blogging on some fundamental errors in his understanding of Dialectical Materialism. As one does.

I loved remains of the day. Anything by Ishiguro. Never let me go is the saddest book I've ever read.

Currently reading Wayward Girls and Wicked Women by Angela Carter.

The Dove of Death by Peter Tremayne. It's subtitled A Novel of Ancient Ireland, which I think must be on all the books in the series, seeing as this one is set in Brittany. And doesn't AD 670 count as Mediaeval rather than ancient?

Anyway, it took me a while to get into it, but I always like historical crime books. The sleuth Fidelma is interesting - a nun who is also lawyer at the court of her brother. This worldly role, and the fact she's married, doesn't chime well with the Benedictine order that's spreading on the continent.

I've got four John Wyndhams on their way to me I can't wait to read them again. And hopefully I'll be able to persuade the children to read them too.

Meanwhile, I'm working through to the end of the Chalet School series (again) just to occupy my eyeballs.

Mol

American Gods
and somehow sucked into more teen-angst with the Rachel Vincent series starting with My Soul to Keep

Have now completed entire Wallander catalogue. Can't think why I enjoy reading about overweight, bad-tempered, middle aged bloke - but there you go!

Tried to read "Care of wooden floors" which seems to be about yobby bloke flat-sitting for ocd type mate. Disasters ensue. Uncompelling.

Am reading, and commend to you, "While Flocks Last" by Charlie Elder. Bloke gets unplanned mid-life crisis and decides to travel the country trying to spot the 40 rarest/endangered birds on the 'Red List', much to consternation of his family. Entertainingly educational. If you can tell a tit from a finch, you will enjoy.

Speaking of American Gods, I've finally started on the Sandman series.

I'm also reading "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand", which totally isn't my usual reading, but I'm enjoying it very much anyway.

Ohhh, me too, Mal!

(Sandman, that is)

somehow (thank you Kindle special offer of the day - NOT) I've been sucked into reading another YA-series which is advertised along the lines of "if you loved the sparkly vampires you'll love this" and... well, I did and I do.

Anyway it's by Rachel Vincent, the series is called soul screamers, and I think the first one is called My Soul to Save or something like that. I devoured one and two, now got sucked into 3 and 4 and I hear there are 5 and 6 to go...

If I saw a novel with the title 'The Care of Wooden Floors', I'd immediately not pick it up. It's one of those contrivedly 'interesting' titles, isn't it? Like 'Chocolate for Tractors in the Yemen'.

I'm alternating between 'V for Vendetta' and 'Why Marx Was Right' by Terry Eagleton (nnn...some good ideas but he's neither as clear nor as witty as he thinks he is.)

Just bought 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Mohsin Hamid. I'd been aware of it for a while, but it cropped up again on R4's 'A Good Read'. That programme's a major source of book buying inspiration.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v8jn

@Mal:

I was going to start Sandman but picked up V instead. I don't tend to read graphic novels.

The graphic novel thing always put me off the Sandman too.

It's not so much that I'm put off as that I...just don't.

Speaking as an avid graphic novel reader, why is that an element which is off-putting? Is it because of the perception that they're 'just comics'?

(and yes, get Sandman. Seriously. Also Watchmen)

Currently flitting between Part 2 of A Storm of Swords, The 4-Hour Body, and a Conan anthology.

In the past I've been a big fan of 'Love and Rockets'. I even have an Ape Sex t-shirt that I had made to order.

Come ca http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_owOIcuY21Gc/S-lLlVe4xRI/AAAAAAAADDI/f_WwyVvb9NI/s1600/picL%26RJaimeCover-784357.jpg

No, it has nothing to do with 'just comics'. It's just not my thing. I find comics hard to read.