Wrong film daft git, Sumatran seems the ideal type to play the fake vicar. The views expressed in my posts are not necessarily mine.
Yes, they can be difficult to get into but usually pay off and sometimes spectacularly. Loved Atonement, both film and book. I hadn’t read anything of his before seeing the film but enjoyed it so much that I read the book, which encouraged me to read more.
Just finished David Meylers “When Tigers Roared “ it was ok ,never really learnt anything new about his time at city .
Last day of 11 in the Canary Islands. Holiday reading has been: Under the Dome - Stephen King (Very long) The Humans - Matt Haig (Good idea but fizzles out) Johnson at 10 - Anthony Seldon (Jaw dropping) The Eye in the Door - Pat Barker (Part 2 of The Regeneration Trilogy. Superbly written) And the incessant squabbling on here, which in the absence of football has kept me amused).
I worked my way through the "Slough House" books by Nick Herron last couple of holidays and really enjoyed them. Ages since I've read any spy novels.
I've read those too, I was always hoping that the 'next' one would make it clear to me why they're held in such high regard. It never did. I just can't take the characters seriously, are they meant to be caricatures, comic characters or what?
Just finished The Amazing Adventures Of Kavilier Clay - incredible read. Will restart Ulysses by James Joyce
Isn't the point that they're not held in high regard but are all losers and **** ups? With the possible exception of Lamb who's a washed up ****-up. It's certainly not a gritty realistic Len Deighton style I agree. I think the characters are meant to be comic caricatures, there is certainly a lot of humour in the books.
I was meaning the books are held in high regard, ie both the characters and the stories. I thought the storylines were plausible but the characters spoiled it, for me anyway. Down to taste. And Lamb farting every 5 pages doesn't help!
I haven't read your recommendation, but I cancelled going to a wedding dinner (did the ceremony with the book in my hand) of a indirect family member of my wife to read 'Game, Set, Match', which I'd started on the plane over and couldn't put down. It still occasionally gets brought up in heated discussions over twenty years later.
Ah I see what you mean. The farting made it for me which proves your point about taste or lack of it I'm a fan of Coilin Bateman too though. While his storylines are a lot more OTT his characters are also on the larger than life side.
I've also enjoyed Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London books recently. They're more Urban Fantasy though maybe not every ones cup of tea.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Collins Classic version, published 1719. Page 10, during the fictional Cusoes first ever sea voyage from Hull to London, when he was ship wrecked just off Yarmouth he wrote, 'Had I now had the sense to have gone back to Hull, and gone home, I had been happy...' He didn't, he carried onto London via road and caught another vessel to Guinea where the story begins.... Read this book at school obviously, great story in those days, without the religious input of this Defoe version being so prominant. Defoes original surname was simply 'Foe' and his family were humble traders so he added the prefix to make him sound more continental and sophisticated. He was a staunch Catholic and his religious beliefs and sermons are heavily interwoven into this original version, which are basically be thankful for what you've got, and pray a lot, or that's how I read it. A far better tale of personal survival marooned alone on desserted island than any of your modern day 'Survival or I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' television tosh we are fed on today. Having said that, perhaps a modern day version of Crusoes eventual escape and voyage back to England would make good telly..... For example when he was finally rescued, or should I say when he finally made it back to England by sea then over land via Europe his little party fought off a pack of 300 wolves in France, 300? and Crusoes Man Friday fought off a wild bear by, after speaking to it in English, shot it in the head. Follow that Ant and Dec. One question I would like to ask Daniel Defoe would be, what happened to Friday? Crusoe seems to have given him the bums rush when he arrived back in Blighty. Good read for a quid, coutesy of Sye Ryder Charity Shop to where I will be returning it.
