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

Hi everyone

I'm afraid the Mike-&-Jason-in-thongs thing was my fault.

I didn't make it clear to JR that thongs are NOT allowed at the Miami Dolphins cheerleader auditions. Leotards or crop-tops & flesh-coloured stockings ONLY, and don't forget your jazz shoes...

On the subject of books - Corrie, I tried 'The Da Vinci Code', but gave up on it. Seemed to me that the author Dan Brown was infecting his supposedly intelligent characters with his own ignorance & prejudices. (I notice he didn't put the standard disclaimer 'All errors are my fault' on his acknowledgement page.)

A professor of symbology who thinks that the plural of 'millennium' is 'millennium'? A professor of symbology who SHUDDERS at the mere mention of Tarot, instead of being fascinated by it? And that scene where the hero is lecturing his students (i.e. lecturing the reader) on the Golden Proportions found everywhere in nature - astonishingly wooden dialogue there.

JYY - no offence, please don't get me started on the (IM and several critics' humble opinions too) almost-illiterate James Patterson...

My own current crime reading is 'Back Story', the latest paperback by the master of spare description & snappy dialogue, Robert B. Parker.

That chapter where the hero and his therapist girlfriend plot to remove their new dog from the bedroom - it's one of the best dialogue scenes I've ever read.

Morning Everyone

Imala is in Italy! It's the San Marino GP - where the great Senna died 10 years ago.

The Red flags of Fiarri will be out in full flood, so lets hope a wheel falls off and someone else gets a chance!

Rich - I know what you mean about some authors - there are some authors I cannot read as they don't know how to construct a sentence, but there are others whose construction may not be brilliant, but the storyline is wonderful and the pages are turned into the early hours!

JYY - had real problems getting into Fatal Voyage - but its worth the slog - am nearly at the end and it's all coming together!

Anyway must as I have quite a lot to do this morning (what's left of it - thank you Kathy Reichs!) and then work this afternoon (don't normally book work into a Friday afternoon - POETS day as a rule - must have had an abberation! ah well! such is life!)

Catch you all later

Ruth

Morning again Rich !

Hey, I'm not disagreeing on the illiteracy !! But, his books are easy to read.

Jen

Hi Jen

Phew, glad I didn't offend you there. Some people probably have James Patterson as their all-time very favourite author, and woe betide anyone who criticises him.

Brand New Books time in the library this weekend, one of their occasional splurges on shiny uncreased British & American paperbacks. I'm allowed to take out 10 books at a time on my library card (three week loan period). So this weekend I'm trying the following new ones:

'The Footprints of God' by Greg Iles

Well-written techno-conspiracy-thriller which assumes an intelligent reader, though the blonde scarred German-loving American villainess is a bit of a stereotype, and she even has a name close to 'Geli Raubal', Hitler's incestuous niece!

'In My Bedroom' by Donna Hill

Psychological family drama by a leading black author I've never tried before.

'A.K.A. Sheila Doyle' by Pat Jordan

I'm a sucker for American female private eyes out of their depth.

'Leslie' by Omar Tyree

Interesting novel about a young woman trying to escape her burdensome family in the ghettos of New Orleans - labelled as an 'Adventure' novel by the librarians, but so far seems to be a coming-of-age college novel.

'When The Women Come Out to Dance' by Elmore Leonard

Short stories by one of my very favourite authors, and Tarantino's favourite too.

'The Codex' by Douglas Preston

Central American adventure novel by the co-author of 'The Relic' (movie of which starred Tom Sizemore & Penelope Ann Miller).

I think that's enough to be getting on with! There are a few more brand new books I've got my eye on (including an Ancient Egyptian thriller) but they'll have to wait until Monday.

Hi Rich,

Sorry for butting in, but I wondered if you had read " The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel.

It won the Booker Prize in 2002 and I have to read it for my Book Group.
The recommendations are wonderful: "Every page offers something of tension, humanity, surprise, or even ecstasy".

I can't get on with it. What do you think? Is it worth persevering. I keep putting it down and picking up my Janet Evanovitch.

No hope for me?

XX

Hi FBN

No, I haven't read 'Life of Pi' yet. I'll look out for it in the library, but have to admit I much prefer well-written 'genre' novels (crime, science fiction, adventure, horror) rather than supposedly-superior 'literary' stuff.

And now onto the main discussion of the morning...

I was way off-beam regarding the novel 'A.K.A. Sheila Doyle' by Pat Jordan.

Not a female detective novel by a woman; actually it's one of those male Miami crime capers featuring a host of lovable lowlife sleazeballs.

Except, in this instance, the characters are far from lovable. The villains are more repugnant than comical, and the male & female protagonists have none of the redeeming integrity you'd find in the heroes of an Elmore Leonard novel.

At my nit-picking best, I noticed an array of spelling errors in this British edition, including: Mediterranian, courdouroy, lecturn, Rasteferian, Rastaferian, lavoratory (i.e. loo) and the quite spectacular "corrigated alluminum painted green and brown camoflauge"!

I shoulda been tipped off to all this by the misspelling of the word "everything" in the book's short dedication.

Of course, the publisher must take the blame for those typographical errors and the many superfluous, commas.

But what about the entirety of chapter twelve? The chapter in question seems to be meant as a biting satire on the kiddie porn industry, but it comes across as a charmless, moronic piece of exploitative trash, so clumsily-written that it's hard to believe the author has at least eight other published books under his belt.

Ahhh, I feel better for that!

Hi

Had only read a few pages of 'The Davinci Code' when I posted here. Saw the comments and started again with a critical eye, and finished it this morning. I enjoyed the book, was very interesting and has given me lots to think about.

Just started another by the same author, the one Ruth said was good.

Have a lovely day, whoever reads this!

It's meee reading this !!!

Hi Corrie

Have to admit that my slight over-reaction to 'The Da Vinci Code' had much to do with all the hype & praise heaped upon it. The little I read of it ... nowhere near as bad as the Pat Jordan novel savaged by me in the above post.

Then again, I believe an author has a duty to be faithful to the characters he has created. If the character is a renowned professor of symbology, he should appear thoroughly knowledgeable at all times. I guess I've grown up in the community of science fiction fans who are particularly finickety (?) when it comes to factual accuracy in novels.

The techno-thriller 'The Footprints of God' by Greg Iles is recommended by Dan Brown, and Iles is a great example of an author who admits when he's reached the limits of the factual and is straying into pseudo-science and fantasy.

Hi Everyone

Will give 'The Footprints of God' by Greg Iles a go after 'Angels and Demons'. Thank you. I love reading the posts on here about what you are all reading.

Essjaybee has been writing about her trip to the mountains and it's brilliant reading. She's very talented. Part one was in last week's and part two is in this week's. To read all of them click here: A2401101 and go to the following entries:

A Transylvanian Trip Part 3 - Back To Reality
A Transylvian Trip - Part 3 - In Vino Veritas....
A Transylvanian Trip Part 2 - Going Bats.....
A Transylvanian Trip

If you like them (and I'm sure you will) please leave her a message and tell her! Thank you

Hope everyone is well and happy.

Evening Everyone

Have read some other Greg Iles books and thoroughly enjoyed them - so will definitely look this one out! Am rereading some Colin Forbes books at the moment - which are good, but all follow the same theme - buy hey! if it ain't broke don't fix it! And they don't need to much thinking about - a boon at the end of a day either delivering training or writing training courses, when the brain is definitely not as good as it was!

Well off to watch the Baftas - although I don't think I'll last very long - just want to see which snippet they use for The Office!

Refill my

Catch you all later

Ruth

...hic

Hi Rich,

No offence taken !

I will look out in my local library for those books you mentioned. We have been away a few days down in Cornwall. The weather was not very good, but we got out and about. Visited a couple of RSPB sites and didn't see anything exciting. However, we spotted the Cornish Chough on a coastal path walk we did to Lands End. Apparantly they have just been released back into the wild in the Lands End/St Ives area.

First time I have ever been down that far into Cornwall. A beautiful county. I would love to live there, but couldn't afford the house prices.
Have a good day out. Your eyes ok now ?

Jen

Hi Jen

A-ha! Wondered where you'd been.

Cornwall is my mother's favourite place in Britain, though I've yet to visit there myself.

Looks like everyone had a great time at the party yesterday afternoon - 142 replies was it?! Some sort of record, especially for posts that didn't take the form of a running argument on the boards! Can't remember if I saw your name on there, so much going on.

Had a fantastic day out yesterday - bus journey through all the May blossom & docile grazing by the riverside on the road to Bures (pronounced "Bewwers") and then the gently rolling hectares of yellow rapeseed on the road from Bures to Colchester.

I felt a bit strange going into a large bookshop & seeing all the book-spines were slightly blurry, so I guess my vision still hasn't quite adjusted.

Found what I was looking for in the Virgin DVD shop - box set of those three Robert Rodriguez Mexican westerns - El Mariachi, Desperado & Once Upon A Time In Mexico, also got the Spider-Man double-DVD pack in the sale - total price: three gift tokens plus £4.98!

Only down-side of the day was the slightly cool breeze & cloud during lunch in the Castle park. But weather cheered up again after 1pm.

Great day all round I think. JW played some excellent songs & got a well deserved Country Music award for International Country Broadcaster of the Year.

Last night's 'Friends' - best wedding ever with some great dialogue for my two favourite characters Phoebe & Joey.

Have a weekend.