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Post by smiffy on Sept 9, 2007 7:35:42 GMT
Lots of great ideas for a good read! I will start:
Empress Orchid, by Anchee Min.
Story so far, Orchid comes from a noble but poor family. After her fathers death they walked with the coffin to Peeking. There they were taken in by an uncle and given shelter. Orchid, as the older child found work, but they were still very poor. Talk went round of the Emporer taking seven concubines. Orchid managed to be one!
The novel then goes on with detail of palace life, and how Orchid works her way into the Emporers bed.
So far, the book is really interesting. It claims to be based on real life and situations, that I will look into later!
7/10 so far!
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Post by shemlock on Sept 9, 2007 8:20:15 GMT
Hi Smiffy, I read something similar along time ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Geisha of Gion, (Memoirs of a Geisha, was based on this book). The book gave a wonderful insight into the world of the Geisha. I saw the film and found it bore little relation to the book.
At the moment I have gone back to one of my old favourites, Ruth Rendell. I find this easy reading when I am tired. I have just finished The Bridesmaid and am now reading To Fear a Painted Devil. I love mysteries and who dunnits.
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Post by Dibley on Sept 9, 2007 12:10:59 GMT
I've just read 'And Then We Went Fishing' by Dirk Benedict. (The A Team/ Battlestar Galactica/ Big Brother)
I read his 'Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy' shortly after watching him in Big Brother. That was all about his beating/surviving Cancer.
'And Then We Went Fishing' was very easy to read and very witty in places... The subject quite harrowing... it is the story of his wife's first labour (3days) intertwined with his relationship with his father, whom his older brother shot dead when Dirk was 18. Quite painful in places, but well worth a read.
Dibs xx
PS I read the wholebook on the train returning from Leicester last week.. That's the good side of living so far from the big cities... a nice long ride on the train!
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Post by Peek on Sept 9, 2007 14:45:29 GMT
I'm reading a Dean Koontz book, the third of his to feature a character called Odd Thomas, and the book is called Brother Odd.
It's set in a monastery, and Odd is staying there on a retreat, when a monk goes missing. The thing about Odd is that he helps the spirits of those who have died to leave their earthly world and move on to the next world, and although they can't speak to him, he has a gift of understanding them.He also sees bodachs , which are evil spirits which gather in numbers whenever a traumatic event is about to happen.
I'm only a third of the way through, but enjoying it immensely as it's pure escapism, and fantasy.
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Post by Dibley on Sept 9, 2007 16:12:07 GMT
I'm reading a Dean Koontz book, the third of his to feature a character called Odd Thomas, and the book is called Brother Odd. It's set in a monastery, and Odd is staying there on a retreat, when a monk goes missing. The thing about Odd is that he helps the spirits of those who have died to leave their earthly world and move on to the next world, and although they can't speak to him, he has a gift of understanding them.He also sees bodachs , which are evil spirits which gather in numbers whenever a traumatic event is about to happen. I'm only a third of the way through, but enjoying it immensely as it's pure escapism, and fantasy. They sound good Peek.. I think I'll try and get a copy.. what is the title of the first one? Dibs xx
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Post by Peek on Sept 9, 2007 16:27:35 GMT
Dibs , Odd Thomas is the 1st, I think, and the 2nd one is Forever Odd...hope you enjoy them!
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Post by Norma Leigh Lucid on Sept 9, 2007 18:18:59 GMT
I read a book by Simon Kernick yesterday called Relentless. I love crime/thriller/mystery books and this friend of ours raved about the book. How fantastic it was, she couldn't put it down etc etc.
It was good, the story line was excellent with lots of twists, but the style of writing was not my kind of thing, so although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't rave about it.
Norma xx
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Post by faeryboots on Sept 9, 2007 19:34:23 GMT
Anil's Ghost, Michael Ondaatje - bedroom. Dance, Dance, Dance -Murakami - bathroom. A Social History of Madness _ Roy Porter-car. Lucky - Alice Sebold - Sitting Room.
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Post by smiffy on Sept 10, 2007 6:33:58 GMT
Anil's Ghost, Michael Ondaatje - bedroom. Dance, Dance, Dance -Murakami - bathroom. A Social History of Madness _ Roy Porter-car. Lucky - Alice Sebold - Sitting Room. Are you ambidextrous too? ;D My friend is like you, she has a book in her bag for travel on the train, a book in her desk for lunch break (if she gets one!) then one in the living room and one in the bedroom! Me, I just carry the one around!
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Post by meltemi on Sept 10, 2007 12:39:20 GMT
Hi one & all, My current (but slow read, half of this book in two weeks) is Karin Slaughter's "Faithless" her 4th of 5 books. If you take out all of the 3 main character's angst and all that you have read and remembered about them in her previous 3 books, there may be a story...otherwise it's slow tedious going with long chapters...but then James Patterson's chapters are often too small!
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Post by tigerlily on Sept 10, 2007 15:35:22 GMT
The Book With No Name - Anonymous Human Traces - Sebastian Faulkes
Just finished The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin and loved it. He just gets better with every Rebus novel, I think.
I want to run out and buy Neil Gaiman's Stardust, as I think Aging Hippy and I will be off to see the movie in a couple of weeks when it is released and I hate seeing a movie before I've read the book.
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Post by erindawes on Sept 10, 2007 17:38:38 GMT
'Reading Mirrors of the Unseen - journeys in Iran' by Jason Elliot. A wonderful insight of the place, its people and its amazing history.
Just finished 'The Bookseller of Kabul' by Asne Seirerstad - stunning and fascinating account of the author's 4 months when she lived with an Afgan family in 2002.
Also half way through Alan Bennett's 'Untold Stories', ditto Jilly Cooper's 'Wicked'.
When not doing that, snout in a Sudoku book!
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Post by smiglet on Sept 11, 2007 12:01:37 GMT
Just started Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - my daughter recommended it and so far so good
I've just finished Lure by Bill Napier - a very tense scientific thriller - scientists receive a message apparently from intelligent beings in space, the reaction of various governments is interesting - release the message or prevent it from getting out at all costs?
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Post by Andy Gravity on Sept 13, 2007 16:59:35 GMT
Just finished re-reading 'Good Omens' by Terry Pratchett/Niel Gaiman (bedroom) - great story. Middle of 'God Delusion' Richard Dawkins (living room) - hard going 'Timewasters Letters' by Robin Cooper (bathroom) - funny Some book on ASD (can't recall the title) by Tony Atwood (work) - useful National Curriculum 2007 by QCA (work too) - new chain with which to bind us!
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Post by bsmirched on Sept 13, 2007 18:02:13 GMT
Tigerlily - have just finished The Naming of the Dead too. I only got into Rebus this year, so I'm quite gutted the current hardback may be the last!
B x
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MrsE
Apprentice TOG
old romantic
Posts: 51
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Post by MrsE on Sept 13, 2007 22:13:14 GMT
REally enjoyed "Naming of the Dead" as it brought back lots of memories of trying to organise my Dad's 80th Birthday Party in Auchterarder on the weekend of the G8! Bad timing or what?
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Post by tigerlily on Sept 14, 2007 14:05:59 GMT
REally enjoyed "Naming of the Dead" as it brought back lots of memories of trying to organise my Dad's 80th Birthday Party in Auchterarder on the weekend of the G8! Bad timing or what? ;D Terrible timing! I love the Rebus novels as I spent four years in Edinburgh, mainly around the Southside, so I know an awful lot of the places. I'm also (or certainly I was at that time) one of the few English people welcome in the Oxford Bar. Used to be a regular haunt of mine, and yes, I have seen Ian Rankin there. Made the mistake of saying hello to him once when he was scribbling furiously and got scowled at for my troubles - I'd no idea who he was! The probable last Rebus - Exit Music - is out in hardback now. I have a voucher for £5 off any book at W H Smith from 1-14 October so will probably wait till then to buy it. Rankin's not ruled out Rebus maybe returning in the future in some form, but not for a while in all likelihood.
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Post by Sharon Sharealike on Sept 14, 2007 20:46:59 GMT
Nowt at the mo, just finished "this book will save your life" by AM .......
Suggestions?!
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Post by lenityg on Sept 15, 2007 13:22:34 GMT
OK here we go. On holiday I read
The house at Riverton by Kate Morton This book was great. i was a little concerned when I picked it up but the writing is beautiful. Its about a lady called Grace who is now in here 90s and jumps back to her life as a ladies maid in the 20s. The story unfolds slowly but very cleverly dropping hints but not actually giving away the ending.
The Memory keeper. Again a two story kind of book about a doctor whose wife gives birth to twins a boy and a girl The girl has down syndrome. He gives the one with down syndrome away and tells his wife she died. It then tells the story of the family growing up and cuts to the story of the girl growing up. Its really really sympathetically told and not at all patronising.
The Revolt of the Eaglets Jean Plaidy Historical novel about the reign of King John after Richard the Lionheart dies. Good but not as good as some of Jean Plaidys
Widreacre Phillipa gregory Hmmmmm interesting. Girl grows up 17th century as a land owners daughter. Loves the land. Realises as a woman she won't inherit it even if her brother dies. Has a brief affair with a gamekeeper who suggests bumping of father. It ends up she starts an affair with her brother who is into sadomasichism. Bit strange but quite a good read if you can read a book where you have no liking for the main character. Also its written in the first person which I am never keen on in Novels.
The sound of Laughter Peter Kay His autobiography. Not as good as I would have liked it to be. Came away thinking that he may not be a very nice person which suprised me. Reasonably funny but I think I'll stick to watching him on DVD
I think that was it for my holiday..........
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Post by tde on Sept 16, 2007 9:08:07 GMT
Some book on ASD (can't recall the title) by Tony Atwood (work) - useful Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals?
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