Quote: DaButt @ 5th August 2017, 1:07 AMA fictional book written by a privileged white woman shows how it feels to be black in America? Surely a non-fictional book written by a black person would be better suited?
Since you're apparently an expert on everything, I'm sure you must be right.
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 5th August 2017, 8:35 AMDon't you think that if you killed someone and Miss Marple was around, you'd kill her too, just to be on the safe side?
That was the theme of a Viz Top Tip many moons ago. Something like: "Manor house murderers, if you're planning on committing a murder and Jessica Fletcher is among the invited guests, kill her too or you will invariably get found out."
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 5th August 2017, 8:38 AMI read the first Billy Bunter book and I really didn't like it - padded, unfunny and a tad malicious. There's a very interesting George Orwell article but you probably knew that already (http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/boys/english/e_boys). Give me William or Jennings any day.
Bunter does have a few weak entries, including the first, but the books do have a certain addictive quality. Especially when Coker of the fifth or the splendid Arthur Augustus D'arcy become central characters.
My Problem Child Albert Hofmann
The inventor of LSD.
The fascinating story of the Sandoz chemist that accidentally invented LSD.
He tried it on himself first but took too much and was hallucinating for four days...
Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 5th August 2017, 8:38 AMThere's a very interesting George Orwell article but you probably knew that already (http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/boys/english/e_boys). .
Indeed. And this is Charles Hamilton's (Frank Richards'), published a few weeks later:
http://www.friardale.co.uk/Ephemera/Newspapers/George%20Orwell_Horizon_Reply.pdf
Interesting that Orwell was criticising from a left-wing angle (per his final paragraph) and Hamilton, in the first part of his response, states: anyone who disagrees with Orwell's left wing views is considered by Orwell to be "either an antiquated ass or an exploiter on the make". Sounds like many an exchange of views on these very forums!
None other than Bob Monkhouse wrote, in the foreword to "Greyfriars for Grown-Ups", "Frank Richards is not simply the best in his field. He is the field. He created it. He found the soil barren. Sowed it with fantastic invention. Fertilized it with schoolboy dreams and gave the world a unique harvest of glorious, obsessional fiction. He is a Magnet. He is a Gem. He is the boyhood I would rather have had. I love him."
Years ago I wrote a Miss Marple sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq09jGKxU3s Thanks for those links - very interesting, not least because it's hard to imagine today's writers going to such lengths. Nowadays you'd probably get a bitchy Tweet or two... My problem with Bunter is the style is too repetitive and the character is too unsympathetic, though I know that's part of the humour. Willian and Jennings are decent guys who have a reverse Midas touch.
I have just finished 'Pandora's Box'. It is total and utter f**king shit. I'm hardly a male chauvinist myself, but honestly, give a girl a beauty case and say, Don't open it? What the f**k you think she's gonna do, leave it in the corner and read a good book instead? Silly wanker.
I love autobiography.
Loving reading stories of transformation and also I'm interested in seeing how people got to where they are so lots of musician/sportsmen autobiographies.
Also got into crime/psychological/thriller fiction.
If that's you thing I highly recommend the Kathryn Dance series by Jeffrey Deaver
My mother is writing her fellatio memoirs. It should be a blow-by-blow account.
About 115 pages into Stephen Fry's autobiography and I'm finding it incredibly dull.
Long winded and often uninteresting anecdotes with mar more description than needed, no structure and sometimes a bit incoherent with a lot of name dropping.
Aren't there two? I think I read one about his younger years which was amazing, but I haven't read the more recent one yet.
Quote: zooo @ 25th August 2017, 7:26 PMAren't there two? I think I read one about his younger years which was amazing, but I haven't read the more recent one yet.
Yeah that's right. I heard that one was good but haven't read it
Just read Trevor Lock's short but sweet 'Empty Words'. It's very silly in a uniquely odd but delightful way. Bought if off him at the fringe (is every post I post going to be about the effing fringe....probably). When I saw him I was appointed note-taker/reality checker and he read what I wrote aloud to everyone in the audience. I was sat on stage as well, so I can now say with some certainty that I've gotten some good laughs (sort of) performing at a Fringe show. I'm vaguely proud. I talked with him afterwards and had a nice chat, then I saw him again about a week later and he remembered my name and that I'm from Oregon, which I was tickled by. I think I may have caught a disease from him though. (just a cold, and not in a naughty way ;P )
And yeah, I think there are at least two, re: Fry. I read one of them. It was a bit dull. Can't even remember the title.
Quote: zooo @ 25th August 2017, 7:26 PMAren't there two? I think I read one about his younger years which was amazing, but I haven't read the more recent one yet.
There are three. Each worse than its predecessor. His novels (Mendacious Hippo) and Paperweight make much better reading, especially when you're about 13 years old.
I liked the first one.
I remember a part where he was a teacher and had to cane a boy.
It upset him so much, he never did it again.
Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 26th August 2017, 1:42 PMhad to cane a boy.
It upset him so much, he never did it again.
I'm sue he did.
I flicked through one of them and enjoyed but, but I was just using the index to research the parts I was interested in (Young Ones, etc). I'm not sure I could read it cover to cover.
Overheard: 'I've been listening to extracts from The Bell Jar on the radio, and I find it very uplifting.' - 'The Bell Jar uplifting?' - 'Yes! You see, I'm going through a similar depression and I'm thinking, If she can survive it, so can I.' Ouch.