A book about Tristan da Cunha the island.
What are you reading right now? Page 136
Peter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star. I love Hamilton, he has the same insane readability as Stephen King, but this one's 1100 odd pages. That's crazy long.
I am glad I did not buy Graham McCann's Fawlty Towers at full price when it was published in 2007. I finally found a copy in a charity shop last week and read it this afternoon. It only told me two things I didn't already know:
1. Connie Booth is now married to John Lahr, the brilliant biographer of Edna Everage/Barry Humphries and of Joe Orton.
2. The last two episodes of Series 2 had extra rehearsal/recording time because of union strikes.
Whoever edited the book must have been dozing, as certain parts are repeated. For example, on page 80, Manuel's first scene (on those trays/uno dos tres) is quoted, followed by McCann's explanation of why Basil won't sack Manuel. Then on page 152, the "unos dos tres" scene is quoted all over again, and again followed by McCann's explanation of why Basil won't sack Manuel.
Likewise, the scene where Sybil tells Basil not to kiss her is quoted on page 79 and then again on page 138.
Repetition also creeps into the book's back cover blurb, telling us "Graham McCann, Britain's best-loved entertainment writer ..." and "Graham McCann is the most admired entertainment writer at work in the UK today". It's a rum do if McCann's the best in Britain.
Rather than reveal fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes, McCann simply provides shallow synopses of each episode and tells us what makes the characters tick.
Despite these quibbles, it was very easy reading and it wasn't rubbish. It just wasn't anything special. I will read his Spike & Co book.
Part two of the current League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen story:
Quote: chipolata @ August 2 2011, 4:51 PM BSTPeter F. Hamilton's Pandora's Star. I love Hamilton, he has the same insane readability as Stephen King, but this one's 1100 odd pages. That's crazy long.
There's a burger van in Hard EVidence called Bab's Kebabs and he doesn't sell kebabs! 
Quote: sootyj @ August 2 2011, 4:12 PM BSTA book about Tristan da Cunha the island.
I could tell you anything you want to know.
Quote: Marc P @ August 7 2011, 3:32 PM BSTThere's a burger van in Hard EVidence called Bab's Kebabs and he doesn't sell kebabs!
*alerts Hamilton's lawyers*
Quote: chipolata @ August 7 2011, 11:14 PM BST*alerts Hamilton's lawyers*
But I did reference him reading Pandoras Star so I might get away with it 
or not 
Just finished After Dark by Haruki Murakami. Can anyone recommend any of his others?
Quote: AJGO @ August 8 2011, 4:14 PM BSTJust finished After Dark by Haruki Murakami. Can anyone recommend any of his others?
I've read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by him, which was pretty decent.
Quote: chipolata @ August 8 2011, 7:30 PM BSTI've read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by him, which was pretty decent.
Will check it out, thanks
Just finished 'miss wyoming' by Douglas Coupland, thought I was going to hate it and then got completely addicted
Re-read the Ceyx and Alcyone bit in Ovid's Metamorphoses (translation A.D. Melville). Made me sob like a sobbing sobby thing. Even more impressive considering it was written AD 1-AD 8.
I must go back to the Metamorphoses and read a few more than the ones set on my course. I love the Melville translations; and Ted Hughes' "Tales from Ovid" is also quite an interesting take on the stories.
Haven't read the Hughes one, thanks for the tip.
I'm so awestruck by good translations, to be able to convey the soul of something in a legible way over languages and centuries is astonishing. Peter Dale's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy is brilliant too.