altariel | Weekend

Current Mood: sleepy

Weekend

The friends planning to visit us had to cancel at the last minute, which left us with a clean house and an unanticipated empty evening. We used it semi-profitably watching The Bourne Identity and then the end of the Sly remake of Get Carter which ends with Sly killing Michael Caine, saying a fond farewell to the daughter, and driving off into the sunset. Abominably wrong.

In town on Saturday I had book binged, picking up (on 3 for 2) Life of Pi (my reading group's next choice; anticipating ambivalently), The Lovely Bones (recced by

kathyh; anticipating greatly), and Eats, Shoots and Leaves (quick read, enjoyable enough). Also Le Guin's new book about planes, and Guy Kay's Sailing to Sarantium. Welcome to the pile. At the moment I'm reading a bunch of crime books by David Peace, set in Yorkshire during the 1970s - pretty bloody brutal and depressing, to be honest; Get Carter is invoked in one of the reviews on the blurb.

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the end of the Sly remake of Get Carter which ends with Sly killing Michael Caine, saying a fond farewell to the daughter, and driving off into the sunset.

Nooooooo!

{weeps}

Nooooooo!

{weeps}

That was our opinion too.

...we have 400 kilos of beef stew in the freezer which will keep us going in the event of a new ice age or similar global catastrophe.

Ooh, posting now?

Sly remake: Aaaaaaargh. I knew there must be a reason I hadn't watched it. It's just... Wrong.

I think a mutual RL friend has been recommending The Lovely Bones, as well. Hope you enjoy it.

I read a few snippets of Eats, Shoots and Leaves in Borders, but I couldn't work up enough enthusiasm at the time to buy it. Is it worthwhile? I do like a collection of her weekly columns from a few years ago, called Making the Cat Laugh.

I read a few snippets of Eats, Shoots and Leaves in Borders, but I couldn't work up enough enthusiasm at the time to buy it. Is it worthwhile?

I imagine you would share her wrath, but to be honest it's pretty slight. Borrow my copy - it'll take you a Sunday afternoon to read.

Borrow my copy - it'll take you a Sunday afternoon to read.

Thanks, A. I'll take you up on that. So long as you don't mind if the Sunday afternoon in question takes a while to come round. ;-)

No problem ;-D - the book is currently in the pile slowly teetering up to Altariel height.

The Lovely Bones (recced by kathyh; anticipating greatly)

I used to make it a policy never to rec books, but since I've been on LJ that seems to have changed. Hope you enjoy it (though I'm not sure enjoy is quite the right word).

and Guy Kay's Sailing to Sarantium.

That gets a recommendation as well.

At the moment I'm reading a bunch of crime books by David Peace, set in Yorkshire during the 1970s - pretty bloody brutal and depressing, to be honest;

I don't know those. The DH is a big Reginald Hill fan. Is there any similarity apart from the Yorkshire setting?

The Lovely Bones (recced by kathyh; anticipating greatly)

I used to make it a policy never to rec books, but since I've been on LJ that seems to have changed. Hope you enjoy it (though I'm not sure enjoy is quite the right word).

I used not to rec books much either, understand your concern! I was interested in what you had written about it on your LJ, and it gave me an excuse to do a 3 for 2 at Borders. I plan to start it tonight, although I gather it's something of a page-turner.

I'm reading a bunch of crime books by David Peace, set in Yorkshire

I don't know those. The DH is a big Reginald Hill fan. Is there any similarity apart from the Yorkshire setting?

I haven't read Reginald Hill, but these books are brutal, violent, and absolutely not for the squeamish or the faint at heart. It's a quartet about corruption and perversion of justice in the north of England throughout the 70s and early 80s (as reflected in the titles: Nineteen Seventy Four, Nineteen Seventy Seven, Nineteen Eighty, Nineteen Eighty Three).

As I say, it's a quartet and I'm only half way through, so I'll reserve comments on whether or not they work until I've read the last two. But they are by no means pleasant to read. Bent coppers doesn't even begin to cover it.

I plan to start it tonight, although I gather it's something of a page-turner.

I certainly thought so. I think I read it almost *too* quickly.

these books are brutal, violent, and absolutely not for the squeamish or the faint at heart.

Thanks for the warning. They sound more the DH's sort of thing than mine, though not much like Reginald Hill.

I think I read it almost *too* quickly.

I'm a shocking skim-reader, I must try to slow down on this one a bit.

the Sly remake of Get Carter which ends with Sly killing Michael Caine, saying a fond farewell to the daughter, and driving off into the sunset. Abominably wrong.

Oh, I don't know. I saw a print of the Mona Lisa with a scrawled-on Groucho Marx moustache, and I thought it was a vast improvement over the po-faced original.

Did it have "This is a fake" written on it in felt pen?

Guy Kay's Sailing to Sarantium.

That gets a recommendation as well.

Do you know if the follow-up is out in ordinary paperback yet? It's on Amazon, but wasn't in Borders, and I don't want to have the trade paperback annoyance again.

Yes, just beside the bar tab from some Soho establishment for a Mr T. Baker

the bar tab from some Soho establishment for a Mr T. Baker

That must have been in teeny tiny writing. The Mona Lisa is not a very big picture.

Do you know if the follow-up is out in ordinary paperback yet?

Yup. "Lord of Emperors" has been out in ordinary paperback a while, which is probably why Borders hasn't got it any longer. A new book of his has just come out in America but I don't think it's been published here yet. I'm going to have to resist the trade paperback (hate the things) over that one!

Thank you - sounds like I need to have a poke around some of the other bookshops. Or FP. Or it's an excuse for an Amazon binge ;-)

Have fun *g*.

My New Year's Resolution was that I wouldn't buy any new books until I'd made substantial inroads into my current unread piles. Huh.

Been there, done that, also failed completely *g*. I managed not to buy a book for four months once, but it was completely counter-productive because when I did allow myself to buy one again it somehow turned from one to ten, and the TBR pile was back to its original height again. All my suffering and dedicated walking past bookshops was for nothing!

I'm a shocking skim-reader too, but I found the style of writing used in "The Lovely Bones" lends itself very well even to skim reading (I only once had to go "huh?" and turn back 2 pages). I think it's written in a very inclusive way, which can be rather uncomfortable given the story itself, but it's completely mesmerising. Un-put-downable! Enjoy.

How'd you like "The Bourne Identity"? I loved it, although my enjoyment may have been enhanced by never having read the book. Refreshing to have a film of this type without the clutter of vast numbers of special effects obscuring the story.

More proof that moderation is best in all things.

I'm certainly hurrying through it (although I had to put it aside in Pret a Manger earlier because it was making me want to cry - the bit with her father and his ships in bottles).

Thought it was lots of fun - interesting plot, great chases, and I really like Franka Potente.

Completely oft topic, but have you heard of Keith Hopkins´death? Cantabrigian classical historian, sociological approach?

I hadn't heard, no.

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Weekend

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On the plus side...

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death by biro

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OT

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