Official Book Discussion and Last Book You Read Thread

[Tannhauser]

Book thread, cool.

Over the summer, I read:

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. Apparently Shirley was considered a man's name until this book? Charlotte Bronte chose to give her heroine a masculine name to go with her somewhat masculine personality, and it caught on as a girl's name.

I love this sort of regency stuff - all a bit twee at first sight, but behind the curtseys and the lace caps, the knives are out.

Private Memoirs of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. A very strange book, half of ithe dialague written in impenetrable scottish dialect. OK as a prot-Gothic novel, but not something I'd rush to read again.

Them by Jon Ronson. A journey through the mad world of extremists and conspiracy theorists of all sorts: from Omar Bakri to White Supremacists, Alex Jones to David Icke. Right up my street this one, and he has that whole Innocent Louis Theroux schtick going on (in fact, I wonder if Theroux got it from him). Very cool and funny.

Currently back onto gothic and reading Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. Emily has wept bitter tears every page for the past 80 pages or so, and it's taken 200 pages to get to the castle. What you might call a slow burner.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

Book thread, cool.

Over the summer, I read:

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. Apparently Shirley was considered a man's name until this book? Charlotte Bronte chose to give her heroine a masculine name to go with her somewhat masculine personality, and it caught on as a girl's name.

I love this sort of regency stuff - all a bit twee at first sight, but behind the curtseys and the lace caps, the knives are out.

Private Memoirs of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. A very strange book, half of ithe dialague written in impenetrable scottish dialect. OK as a prot-Gothic novel, but not something I'd rush to read again.

Them by Jon Ronson. A journey through the mad world of extremists and conspiracy theorists of all sorts: from Omar Bakri to White Supremacists, Alex Jones to David Icke. Right up my street this one, and he has that whole Innocent Louis Theroux schtick going on (in fact, I wonder if Theroux got it from him). Very cool and funny.

Currently back onto gothic and reading Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. Emily has wept bitter tears every page for the past 80 pages or so, and it's taken 200 pages to get to the castle. What you might call a slow burner.

I read that for my degree, not my cup of tea either.

[Carl1174]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

Book thread, cool.

Over the summer, I read:

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. Apparently Shirley was considered a man's name until this book? Charlotte Bronte chose to give her heroine a masculine name to go with her somewhat masculine personality, and it caught on as a girl's name.

I love this sort of regency stuff - all a bit twee at first sight, but behind the curtseys and the lace caps, the knives are out.

Private Memoirs of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. A very strange book, half of ithe dialague written in impenetrable scottish dialect. OK as a prot-Gothic novel, but not something I'd rush to read again.

Them by Jon Ronson. A journey through the mad world of extremists and conspiracy theorists of all sorts: from Omar Bakri to White Supremacists, Alex Jones to David Icke. Right up my street this one, and he has that whole Innocent Louis Theroux schtick going on (in fact, I wonder if Theroux got it from him). Very cool and funny.

Currently back onto gothic and reading Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. Emily has wept bitter tears every page for the past 80 pages or so, and it's taken 200 pages to get to the castle. What you might call a slow burner.

I might give this a look up, I love Louis Theroux's style...

Carl.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

I read that for my degree, not my cup of tea either.

Although I have to say I was flipped out - in a good way - when James Hogg appears in his own book. 19th century post-modern.

[Carl1174]

I always found the dialect hard going in the Irving Welsh novels that i read...

Carl.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by Carl1174

I might give this a look up, I love Louis Theroux's style...

Carl.

Then I'm sure you'll like it.

There's this scene where the KKK are comparing the material used in their cowls/hoods. It's so surreal that it needs no commentary or judgement, the absurdity sort of speaks on its own account. And that's the way it's presented, by and large; Ronson never demonizes the people he is investigating.

If I remember correctly, all Alex Jones' dialogue is written in upper case because he SHOUTS ALL THE TIME.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

Them by Jon Ronson. A journey through the mad world of extremists and conspiracy theorists of all sorts: from Omar Bakri to White Supremacists, Alex Jones to David Icke. Right up my street this one, and he has that whole Innocent Louis Theroux schtick going on (in fact, I wonder if Theroux got it from him). Very cool and funny.

Sounds interesting. I'll have to take a peak on Amazon.

[Carl1174]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Sounds interesting. I'll have to take a peak on Amazon.

I think getting myself a Kindle is long overdue !!!

Carl.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Carl1174

I think getting myself a Kindle is long overdue !!!

Carl.

I'm thinking about it. My bookshelves look pathetically overstuffed. I am always look to read from books that I can't find.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by Carl1174

I think getting myself a Kindle is long overdue !!!

Carl.

Before you do, take a good read through the negative user comments on amazon, as well as reading the positives; from what I've read, screens are not overly robust, and aside from other issues, they seem to have edited versions of books so they don't follow the printed version word-for-word, though that may just be in their freebie range, but even so. They also have problems being read in sunlight due to contrast etc.

I've kind of summed it up there