Given that we have forums for Movies, TV and Music (and cooking) I figure why not add a thread asking people what books they are reading now and those that they have read recently and offering opinions to others etc....



So I'll start, I'm reading 2 books right now....

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
2nd in a series of 12 from the Wheel of Time, it is a very good fantasy novel and picks up largely where Tolkien left fantasy. It's not a very challenging read but enjoyable none the less.


The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser
This is a fantastic biography and goes into quite some depth about the life of each Queen Consort. It is impartial which is a big plus and goes some way into dispelling the lies such as Anne Boleyn (possibly my favourite figure in history) having 6 fingers or that Mary Tudor hated her father when in fact she always held in him in great respect....

Sound interesting reads. I don't read much stuff tbh, cos I tend to spend a lot of time using books as reference guides, e.g. gardening and music, and browsing the net, so my eyes have had enough then. But my fave books are

1984 - George Orwell Best book ever :bow: No explantion needed, but so prophetic and brilliantly yet bleakly written, and plotted.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - similar to 1984, quite creepy though.

Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence - Lawrence is a bloody genius (one fo Nottinghams best just like me ;) ! Fantastic insight into relationships and class boundaries. And the master of the use of flower symbolism.

Absolute Beginners - Colin McGuiness - set in the late 50s or early 60s about the optimism of youth, against baackdrop of music and race riots.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelly - what a concept, if you don't read the book read about what led Shelly to have thsi terrifying vision where we play god over nature.

it's a play but 'Andorra' - Max Frisch - about a quiet village, showing how easy anti-Semitism takes off and manifests itself among even the most reasoned and respectable folk makes it creepy.

And a wierd classic that sticks in my mind, although not a fave is the Butterfly Collector by John Fowles. Abotu an obsessive man who kidnaps a woman.

And one day I must finish Eric Maria Remarque's " All Quiet on the Western Front". A WW1 classic.

And I read horror like Clive Barker and Stephen King for entertainment. Not literary genius as such but I like the ideas and the execution.

I am a huge admirer of Dickens but find him hard to read, but he is very good. I gave up with Bleak House as it seemed to go on forever.

I guess reading isn't all that popular :lol:

Best book ever-Clive Barker, Imajica

3 of my faves...
'the fall' albert camus :ok: :ok:
'a moveable feast' ernest hemingway :ok: :ok:
'maurice' e.m. forster :ok: :ok:

Potter's back after a one-week absence - you'll have to blame fitba manager for that!

I don't have much time to read nowadays (FM to blame - again) but here are some of my favourite books:

The line of beauty by Alan Hollinghurst: good stuff on homosexuality in the 80s...Read it very slowly digesting every word and absolutely loved it!

A spot of bother by Mark Haddon: darkish comedy by the genius the guy who wrote the Curious incident of the dog in the night time...it's aboot a rather messy family: hypochondriac retiree, wife cheating him with one of his ex-colleagues, daughter getting married with a man they dae nae approve, and gay son whose relationship with the "man of his life" is crumbling...Simply brilliant book, I think that anyone would love it...

Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend: do I have tae say anything on this? Well, as childish as these books may sound, I think that anyone who is 13 or aulder (yes, that includes adults) will enjoy it...Simply hilarious stuff...

Basically, I love comic books, really. And tbh, I'm not a big fan of Harry Potter unlike whit me username may indicate... the books are nonetheless entertaining...

I created a "Spot of bother fan club" group on Facebook and, ironically, one of its members recommended me the Wheels of time!

Is there a film cos I think I saw it. haven't read that one, but Clive Barker is really good :)

Is Maurice a Merchant - Ivory film also? If so then I've seen that years ago, t was very good :ok:

No mention of a film adaptation on Wikipedia...But the book sounds effing grand...

At the moment I am reading The Woods by Harlen Corben, it is ace :ok:

What's that about WA?

:yep: :yep: :yep:

Easily my favourite read of all time. They haven't made a film of it. Although they did make a film our of his novel Cabal. The film was called Nightbreed.

I like him as a writer WA - have you read any others?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Read this book......then read it again :D It's written in a bit of a strange style but once you get used to it it's a truly amazing book. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

The Time Traveler's Wife

Brilliant, and sweet and wonderful and slightly sci-fi - one of those books you really do need to suspend disbelief for, but i love it :)

my second fav book of all time - totally amazing - I re-read it often and it makes me cry every time :blush:

fav book - Little Women / Good Wives - another one that makes me cry :unsure:

Sten Nadolny's The Discovery of Slowness

This is a timeless classic that just draws you in. It's a fictionalised account of the life of Arctic Explorer Sir John Franklin who, "slow" from birth, experiences the world as an endless cycle of data-gathering, reflection and action based on his silent contemplation. It charts his career, first as a seaman, then as a hero at Trafalgar, as the captain of 3 expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage that instinct tells him must exist; as the Governor of Tasmania and up to the final, fateful voyage to the Arctic regions and his disappearance in 1845. I thoroughly recommend it.

Sorry SB, no there has been no film made, although i wish would as it would make an amazing movie. The main character is bisexual though so Hollywood wouldnt touch it with a barge pole!! And its too grand an idea to be made on a low budget

Yes i have seen that. Have you read Sacrement too? I had to read it twice to get it but its an awesome read too!! Cant believe you agree on Imajica, ive never even met anyone that has read it before!!