mesco m - yes, I totally agree, F S of G was badly written, repetitive and a poor message for young women. I’m not a prude and I’ve read other porn but this was just trash with a huge marketing campaign behind it. I read where the two authors deliberately set out to plagiarise the Twilight novels and market it as mainstream literature - and they succeeded and it made them a fortune. I was curious too but I didn’t even finish it.
RJ - I have an ipad which has a ‘CANDLE’ app (Kindle for those who know better :)) and also a Sony e-reader which I don’t use much anymore now I have the ipad. I mainly use it for travelling and waiting rooms etc and still buy plenty of “proper” books both new and used.
'My partner and I are both avid fans of detective novels, mainly British and Scandinavian - don’t like most of the American writers. I also like biographies of historical and literary figures. And general authors such as Sebastian Faulks, Penelope Lively, Joanne Trollope, Joanne Harris etc. Wouldn’t know what to do without books to read.
Thank you chums for the helpful hints for books to read. In a previous life I was a book store manager, (1970-73) & met many authors when they came to publishers organised book signing sessions. Most were pale shadows of their literary alter egos , anxious to get away, even bored with the proceedings.
The exception to all this was Leslie Thomas, who was charming and very grounded, years later we corresponded briefly concerning a shared interest.
I have read a couple of Joanna Harris books and enjoyed them very much. Going back to the 1970s I was a big fan of Jean Plaidy & her historical novels.( Not Victoria Holt her name when writing fiction)
I have just reread George Orwell’s The Clergyman’s Daughter, Coming up for Air and Keep the Aspidistra Flying. The first I still enjoyed, the latter two much less than I did when I first read them in my 20s but still good books if a little depressing and dated. I haven’t decided what to read next but have downloaded Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables as a possibility. I started 50 Shades of Gray but abandoned it before I even got to a ‘naughty’ bit it was so appallingly written. If anybody wants the ebook version I will happily pass it on.
I still buy secondhand books from Op shops but new books (and some library books) are always on my Sony ereader. I have a tablet which I have tried using as a book reader but frankly it is too big and I think the lit screen is more tiring to read than my Sony. I am not much of a tablet fan I still prefer my now aging 10" netbook as a travel computer or my Sony as a book - battery life seems to be the only thing the tablet has going for it.
Have to disagree with you on that one, Bruce, We ditched our big laptop for a small laptop then that for the ipad and would never go back to a notebook for travelling overseas. I find the ipad quite comfortable for reading now and the advantage is being able to download directly and instantly whenever you want a new book. I still take the Sony overseas but now quite happy to read from the ipad too. They are also much more immediate to access email and internet and easier to carry and have less cabling and plugs etc.
My partner is a great fan of Leslie Thomas so I told him and he was pleased to hear what a nice fellow he was.
I also liked Jean Plaidy’s books - read them many years ago as a book-mad only child because my mother also read them. I am proud to say that Joanne Harris hails from and still lives in my home town of Huddersfield! Have you tried Phillipa Gregory’s historical novels - she wrote ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ which was filmed and her many books are very well researched.
Tried reading JK Rowlings ‘grown up book’ couldn’t finish it couldn’t even get into it. Sooo many characters and all so much of a muchness I couldn’t remember them next time I picked up the book.
Get all my books from a very good library. I have now got a book by Alan Titmarsh, I didn’t know he wrote novels.
What an engaging set of responses to my plea for an antidote to my jaded literary palate !
I feel energised to revisit some of my early favourite authors…
In my book shop days I always kept in stock the LADYBIRD books published at the time by Wills & Hepworth. There were hundreds of titles in fiction & non fiction.
For many years they came with dust jackets & were priced at 2/6 (12.5pence). Collectors items nowadays.
There was a number of childrens stories and compilations published by DEANS (I think) Ilustrated exquisitely by the twin sisters Janet & Anne Grahame Johnson. They shared the work , Janet specialising in the ponies & other animals & Anne , the characters. ANne unfortunately died at an early age, victim of a motor car accident. Her sister carried on taking on board both jobs.
Collectors items too.
A Crime Novel called Dead Simple by Peter James…Sheeeze it has you on the Edge of your seat. A great Read for those who like real Life Semi Horror. I downloaded it in Audio, but I expect you can get it in Ebook Form too.
I like all Peter James’s detective series. His earlier ones are probably better than his more recent ones. We had a great bit of luck two years ago on a trip to Paris to spot a notice on the window of W H Smith that he was speaking there that evening so we went back to hear him (and have a glass of French bubbly). He was very interesting and talked about how the Brighton police help him a lot with his facts.
I thought the new J K Rowlings (Casual Vacancy) was interesting but I agree it did have a lot of characters. I finished it but it wasn’t as good as I expected.
I’ve not heard of Peter James but I love crime novels so will look out for him on Kindle where I buy most of my books. I rarely buy non e books these days although I have subscribed to a hardback series of all the Agatha Christie books as my old paperbacks are mostly falling apart. They have reproduced the original jackets for the series from The Crime Club with the original prices in old money !
What an interesting thread, I like talking about books and the movies that are based on them.
I’m a’fantasy freak’ myself, Sara Douglass is one of my favourites and 'Battleaxe 'the first of the Axis series was the book that got me hooked on the genre,but I also like crime, gangsters, lawyer stories etc, I think if a story’s well written almost anything can be made interesting. bbl:)
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My parents had one book shelf, back in the 1950s & displayed on it were a book club set of AGATHIE CHRISTIE, belonging to my dad’s brother & my rascally namesake Robert Senior who lived with us when he was ashore.
I can still"see" them lined up & as far as I can recall nobody ever read any of them.
As an adult I borrowed a few from the local library & was disappointed to find them old fashioned & pedestrian. Thirty years have passed & I find myself to be old fashioned & pedestrian too, so now could be a good time to re read them.
Dog Lover - you might have come across the recent TV series based on Peter James’s novels. His detective is Inspector Roy Grace and Steven Tomkinson played him. I think there were about 14 episodes. Apparently ‘Dead Simple’ is to be televised shortly with Hugh Bonnneville as Grace.
if you like James’s books you’d aslo love Peter Robinson’s series set in Yorkshire with Det Alan Banks - there are about 20 of them so plenty to get your teeth into.
