Well done Laura for kicking the blog back into life. We had been neglecting it a bit. Thoroughly recommend The Talented Mr Ripley - great book, very tense, strange ammoral central character. Made an excellent film too. I did read one of the follow-ups and wasn't so sure he's the sort of character who should have been followed up! I think Patricia Highsmith is an interesting writer, and hope I get a chance to read some before the next meeting. But until the 21st May I have all my reading mapped out as I plough through 15 authors for the Dagger in the Library award for which I am a judge.
Am really enjoying the process, if not necessarily all the authors. I think me and the other judges may have different tastes so it will be a long hard-fought judges lunch, but I've never been one to complain about a long lunch!
Monday, 28 April 2008
Catching up
Well the last time I sat down to type up a new post on the blog I was going to have a rant about Sacrifice, but then I saw that one or two others really enjoyed it, so I quietly slunk away! Actually it wasn't that bad and as a crime novel it read quite well.
It was great to get back to a book group meeting again after a gap of several months. Unfortunately meetings tend to clash with work on ocassion, but I have to say that I feel mightily privileged that my tardiness has been forgiven and I have been asked to continue as the chair of the group. I hope to make up for past meetings missed by putting in a much better attendance over the coming year.
Having said that, I wont be able to attend the next meeting - Arrgghh! As I shall be away, but I am going to read some Patricia Highsmith and will take one or two of her books to read whilst I am away, and possibly a biography as well as I see there have been several written about her.
I was checking out Patricia Highsmith on Amazon and though I knew she had written a fair few books, I had no idea she was so prolific -and reading the synopsis of various titles, a lot of them look quite good, so hard to choose really, though I shall read the 'Ripley' series. I remember attending a lecture in Bristol a few years ago all about Patricia Highsmith, it was very interesting and she was a pretty eccentric character -kept siamese cats and wrote about those too.
It was great to get back to a book group meeting again after a gap of several months. Unfortunately meetings tend to clash with work on ocassion, but I have to say that I feel mightily privileged that my tardiness has been forgiven and I have been asked to continue as the chair of the group. I hope to make up for past meetings missed by putting in a much better attendance over the coming year.
Having said that, I wont be able to attend the next meeting - Arrgghh! As I shall be away, but I am going to read some Patricia Highsmith and will take one or two of her books to read whilst I am away, and possibly a biography as well as I see there have been several written about her.
I was checking out Patricia Highsmith on Amazon and though I knew she had written a fair few books, I had no idea she was so prolific -and reading the synopsis of various titles, a lot of them look quite good, so hard to choose really, though I shall read the 'Ripley' series. I remember attending a lecture in Bristol a few years ago all about Patricia Highsmith, it was very interesting and she was a pretty eccentric character -kept siamese cats and wrote about those too.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Dead Man's Fingers
Daniel Craig most definitely - I think Ewan McGregor's too pretty though. Who's that guy that played the monk in the Da Vinci Code? He could be a minor baddie.Reading-wise, I've gone back to finish Death in Breslau after a diversion to read a few other things. Has a strange style but is rather good, kind of jaunty and not as mournfully philosophical as some of the Central European books we read.
I've also just read Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour. In this book he heads off round the world trying local dishes in exotic places (and the UK). Some time ago I read his first book, Kitchen Confidential, a tell-it-like-it-is account of being a chef in New York's kitchens. It struck a chord as I used to be a chef, and his writing is amusing and gritty, his voice (I imagine) is a New York-too-may-cigarettes-snarl. Describing a horrible meal he's forced to eat in France, watched by his apalled brother: "He looked at me as if I was gnawing the flesh off a dead man's fingers and washing it down with urine...".
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Bad Blond Men.....
I think you're onto something here Karen,with you casting suggestions ...... There are several bad blond men in the Bond films and Die Hard films who I'm sure would appreciate the work!There are also some very nice blond men such as Daniel Craig,Ewan MacGregor and Kiefer Sutherland who might relish the opportunity to play the baddie. I'm not totally decided on the female lead yet though,but I am working on a shortlist.
I'm half way through Stephen King's Misery right now - hey,how accurate was the casting for THAT film???? The first time I read the book the film hadn't been made,but when I saw the film I thought,yes,this is exactly how I imagined them. You can't beat early Stephen King for a good read,though I've not been overly impressed by his later writing. Duma Key wasn't one of my favourites.
I'm half way through Stephen King's Misery right now - hey,how accurate was the casting for THAT film???? The first time I read the book the film hadn't been made,but when I saw the film I thought,yes,this is exactly how I imagined them. You can't beat early Stephen King for a good read,though I've not been overly impressed by his later writing. Duma Key wasn't one of my favourites.
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