Quote: zooo @ July 29 2009, 8:48 PM BSTTales of a fourth grade muffin
Ha! She wasn't 9!
Oooops
Ahem.
I'll change that. 
Books you read as a child... Page 7
Quote: roscoff @ July 29 2009, 8:56 PM BSTAnd Ellie. The Hobbit is not like a bad fairy story! It's damned good. Bend over and be spanked right now
I think it was me that slagged off The Hobbit. But you can save the spanking for Ellie. 
Wish I could chime in on this thread, but as a kid (and even now), I've never really got on with books - far too time consuming - and if you get recommended a crap one, you've lost 3 days of your life.
As a wee nipper, comic books had a much larger influence on my reading habits then anything else.
I've never read a Harry Potter novel in my life but I won't slag them off. They've actually got kids reading again. No one ever lined up at midnight in fancy dress to get the latest Judy Blume.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ July 29 2009, 9:31 PM BSTI've never read a Harry Potter novel in my life but I won't slag them off. They've actually got kids reading again. No one ever lined up at midnight in fancy dress to get the latest Judy Blume.
Because they weren't hyped then. You mainly got books from school, libraries and swapsies back then.
Books that got a lot of hype have always had queues on release date. Liiiike... Lady Chatterly's Lover, or previously banned books, etc.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ July 29 2009, 9:34 PM BSTBecause they weren't hyped then. You mainly got books from school, libraries and swapsies back then.
Whilst I would agree that there is a certain amount of hype, she (J.K. Rowling) must be doing something right, as both boys and girls love the damn things. You could hype the first but do it over 7 (?) novels is no mean feat.
Speaking of which, like a lot of blokes, I was totally confounded by the response to the 'Twilight' movie that came out last year. I'd never even heard of these books.
Me neither!
Anyone remember the old Storyteller books, with the audio tapes? There's still a whole buch of them in my mum's loft. Gobbolino the Witche's cat was a favourite of mine.
Quote: zooo @ July 29 2009, 9:49 PM BSTMe neither!
Me threether!
Did anyone else have the collections of Peanuts comics? Those were/are fantastic.
I had a few books of Peanuts, they are ace.
Quote: roscoff @ July 29 2009, 8:56 PM BSTAnd Ellie. The Hobbit is not like a bad fairy story!
No, you're right, it's not.
It's a shit awful steaming pile of shit story.
Heee.
Quote: Aaron @ July 29 2009, 10:11 PM BSTNo, you're right, it's not.
It's a shit awful steaming pile of shit story.
It's influence on contemporary culture can't be denied though. Same with Ian Fleming's novels.
Quote: Aaron @ July 29 2009, 10:11 PM BSTNo, you're right, it's not.
It's a shit awful steaming pile of shit story.
I feel your career as a literary critc to be blossoming as we speak 