The Last Book You Read

[insaneasperger]

Finished Jodie Picuolt (SP) Keeping Faith which was truly awesome, and the first book I have managed to get in to in ages!!
Now about halfway through The Death And Life Of Charlie St. Cloud, which is good, Then I must read Stephen Kings Under The Dome, as it has been sat on my bookshelf for ages!!!

[cassius]

Finished reading Inside The Box by Peter Baxter. The other Test Match Special I had the pleasure of over Christmas. A very good read.

cassius

[insaneasperger]

The Life and Death of Charlie McCloud was a brilliant book.
I have since read Stephen Kings Just Under Sunset which was awesome as Stephen King usually is!

[cassius]

The Curry Companion by Sonja Patel. I enjoy her food and travel articles.

cassius

[kat]

Under The Microscope-Dave Spikey

really interesting, especially the parts about his years in the NHS, but the final chapter made me cry when he talked about his brother dying of cancer, little too close to home for me

[barnaclelapse]

I just last night finished Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep". It was awesome stuff, and I'm already moving on to the next Marlowe novel in the collection ("Farewell, My Lovely").

[Moon-Crane]

I just last night finished Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep". It was awesome stuff, and I'm already moving on to the next Marlowe novel in the collection ("Farewell, My Lovely").

Those are great books. I like The Long Goodbye, too (actually i like them all, even Playback).

[barnaclelapse]

Is Playback supposed to be disappointing? I really don't know how those books fared critically from title to title.

"The Long Goodbye" is also one of my favorite movies, so I'm eager to read the source material.

Man these Library of America books are awesome.

[Moon-Crane]

Is Playback supposed to be disappointing? I really don't know how those books fared critically from title to title.

"The Long Goodbye" is also one of my favorite movies, so I'm eager to read the source material.

Man these Library of America books are awesome.

Playback tends to get a bad rap; unfairly i'd say. Mind, some critics don't think The Long Goodbye is that good, whereas it's actually damn fine. I'd say read them all when you can.

[barnaclelapse]

Is Playback supposed to be disappointing? I really don't know how those books fared critically from title to title.

"The Long Goodbye" is also one of my favorite movies, so I'm eager to read the source material.

Man these Library of America books are awesome.

Playback tends to get a bad rap; unfairly i'd say. Mind, some critics don't think The Long Goodbye is that good, whereas it's actually damn fine. I'd say read them all when you can.

That's what's so great about these Library of America editions. I've got all of Chandler's novels, pulp stories and selection of letters and essays.

[cassius]

A History Of England by H.V. Morton. A fascinating individual account of 1920's travel and recreation.

cassius

[cassius]

The Boscombe Valley Mystery from The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.

cassius

[Moon-Crane]

The Boscombe Valley Mystery from The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.

I see the Conan Doyle estate have sanctioned an official new Sherlock holmes book.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/17/sherlock-holmes-official-sequel-anthony-horowitz

[insaneasperger]

The Pact by Jodi Picoult was one of the best books I ever read, it is a heart breaking love story

[cassius]

The Boscombe Valley Mystery from The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.

I see the Conan Doyle estate have sanctioned an official new Sherlock holmes book.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/17/sherlock-holmes-official-sequel-anthony-horowitz

Indeed. Thanks for the link, I missed the main article from the newspaper dated Monday. I hope the seed doesn't produce oddly-shaped fruit!

cassius

[cassius]

The Adventure Of The Musgrave Ritual from The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.

cassius

[barnaclelapse]

Working my way through "Farewell, My Lovely" by Raymond Chandler. I've got a ten-hour bus ride on Wednesday, so I suspect I'll be finishing it while running lines for "Frost/Nixon".

[Agides]

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Oh. My. God. What a thoroughly absorbing and beautifully constructed novel. Set in the late 70s/early 80s and written as a memoir of one of the three central characters, Kathy. The descriptions of her childhood at Hailsham School, with her fellow students (in particular, Ruth and Tommy) and her subsequent important role in society are so vivid, you could be right alongside her every step of the way.
Having seen the trailer for the forthcoming film, I cannot wait to see it as it looks as if it has stayed faithful to the book. Frankly, to do anything else would be utter sacrilege.
An absolutely exquisite and quite unforgettable piece of writing.

[Dorset Girl]

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Oh. My. God. What a thoroughly absorbing and beautifully constructed novel. Set in the late 70s/early 80s and written as a memoir of one of the three central characters, Kathy. The descriptions of her childhood at Hailsham School, with her fellow students (in particular, Ruth and Tommy) and her subsequent important role in society are so vivid, you could be right alongside her every step of the way.
Having seen the trailer for the forthcoming film, I cannot wait to see it as it looks as if it has stayed faithful to the book. Frankly, to do anything else would be utter sacrilege.
An absolutely exquisite and quite unforgettable piece of writing.

Cheers Agides, here's me trying not to spend any money, and now you come up with the title of a book that I now really, really want to buy!

[Agides]

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Oh. My. God. What a thoroughly absorbing and beautifully constructed novel. Set in the late 70s/early 80s and written as a memoir of one of the three central characters, Kathy. The descriptions of her childhood at Hailsham School, with her fellow students (in particular, Ruth and Tommy) and her subsequent important role in society are so vivid, you could be right alongside her every step of the way.
Having seen the trailer for the forthcoming film, I cannot wait to see it as it looks as if it has stayed faithful to the book. Frankly, to do anything else would be utter sacrilege.
An absolutely exquisite and quite unforgettable piece of writing.

Cheers Agides, here's me trying not to spend any money, and now you come up with the title of a book that I now really, really want to buy!

Do you have any secondhand bookshops or charity shops near you?? If so, it's worth looking there first, as I often see it in ones here. I think it's because the blurb on the back leads you to believe it's quite a gentle read but it's such a powerful story, written in such a novel style, that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

[Dorset Girl]

Hmm, I'm off to Swansea tomorrow. There's an Oxfam bookshop near the station, I'll have a peek in there - good idea, ta! Maybe I should join a library...

[Agides]

Hmm, I'm off to Swansea tomorrow. There's an Oxfam bookshop near the station, I'll have a peek in there - good idea, ta! Maybe I should join a library...

I have one of those in the town next to where I live now and I love it! I have made some amazing discoveries in there. One of my favourites is a leather-bound, gilt-edged collection of poetry by one of my favourite poets, Shelley, dated 1890. Purchased for the princely sum of £1.50 - what a bargain!

[Dorset Girl]

Hmm, I'm off to Swansea tomorrow. There's an Oxfam bookshop near the station, I'll have a peek in there - good idea, ta! Maybe I should join a library...

I have one of those in the town next to where I live now and I love it! I have made some amazing discoveries in there. One of my favourites is a leather-bound, gilt-edged collection of poetry by one of my favourite poets, Shelley, dated 1890. Purchased for the princely sum of £1.50 - what a bargain!

Wow! Unfortunately (or fortunately, for the charity, I suppose!) the Swansea branch is very geared up to spotting early editions and rare books. I bought the most expensive book I've ever purchased there - a rare dustjacketed copy of Enid Blyton's 'The River of Adventure'. It was £80 but I really, really wanted it, to complete my set.

I have a rare book that I picked up at a secondhand 'junk' type shop a while back - I paid a quid for a whole box of books. Most of them were worthless, but there was one in there 'My Life on Lundy Island', first edition, hand-numbered, dust jacket, which is apparently worth about £600. A shop in Hay-on-Wye has expressed an interest, but they want to see it first, and can't guarantee to buy it from me - fair enough, but there's no way that I can take a trip that far on the off-chance, and they're not interested in doing it by post.

[Agides]

I always suspected my Shelley book was priced up by someone on work experience as it did seem a little cheap!

Your rare 'Lundy' book sounds amazing and what a wonderful find. If the bookshop in Hay doesn't want it, there are plenty of rare book dealers elsewhere who would, I'm sure.

Oh, and btw £80 for something you really, really want is a tiny price to pay.

[Dorset Girl]

I always suspected my Shelley book was priced up by someone on work experience as it did seem a little cheap!

Your rare 'Lundy' book sounds amazing and what a wonderful find. If the bookshop in Hay doesn't want it, there are plenty of rare book dealers elsewhere who would, I'm sure.

Yes, I really should look into the possibility of selling it - I'm not sure the economic climate's right at the moment though, maybe I'll wait a while.

Oh, and btw £80 for something you really, really want is a tiny price to pay.

When I bought it, £80 was easily affordable. Now, unfortunately, that would have to pay for a week's food shopping instead. Never mind, I still have the book, and it still gives me pleasure to look at it.