Ersatz TLS discussion

Maybe your New Year’s resolution is to post more, start posting, have your say, talk about the latest popular book, stop being a lurker, well here’s a place for you. Of course, you are welcome to post on any of the other threads and topics as well!

Did you buy or receive any special Christmas books? or
Who is your favourite author, character? Excerpt from a book that stays in your mind? Poem? An imaginary place that you would like to visit or a real place that you have read about? How about non-fiction? Plays? A book you hated? Remember any from your schooldays? Have you reread any and changed your view ?

No frequent posters allowed here so off I go and leave this space for you to enjoy.

Thanks for the invitation to stop lurking, come out from my bookshelves and into the light, Margaret!

I am reading J.G. Farrell’s THE SINGAPORE GRIP at the moment which reminds me, I must actually put it onto the Good Reads ‘reading now’ shelf, of course.
J.G. Farrell is probably what you might call ‘marmite’. A very special kind of humour (which I like) and dealing with ‘the Empire’ in a way that perhaps my English husband might feel a bit ... what’s the word.... ‘irreverent’? Farrell certainly uses a good deal of ‘quiet sarcasm’ which I quietly enjoy.... ((Oh dear, I think I go back to lurking again.)

THE SINGAPORE GRIP was recently made into a television series by ITV. But not for the first time, the television series has got very little to do with the novel that I am reading. I pick up a bit of the history of the WWII in that part of the world in the novel, some of it reflected in the series, but still not enough. Much of what I think essential, well, I don’t think that was to be found on the screen. The humour! I don’t think I ever raised a smile while watching the series.

I have also read the two other novels in Farrell’s ‘Empire Trilogy’, ‘TROUBLES’ and ‘THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR’. Both highly enjoyable, perhaps even more so than ‘THE SINGAPORE SLING’. But I am only half way, and should get back to lurking and reading till I’ve got more to report.

P.S. A trip to the local library on Monday! ‘MOOMINLAND MIDWINTER’ by Tove Jansson awaiting pickup! Last time I read it was about sixty years ago! A re-read will be interesting! So much that’s ‘for children’ is actually better enjoyed as an older person!

I did not receive any books for Xmas-indeed, I prefer not to, but I did give 2. The roommate of a close friend, who happens to be Finnish (the roommate), requested a thriller, so I gave her an Elizabeth George, with a loan of one of my Inspector Lynley DVDs. I got her daughter, aged 5, "Where the Wild Things Are".

I got another friend "The Satapur Moonstone", because Americans are in general so clueless about India. It is set in the Princely States, which they know even less about than the Raj, Modern India, buying cheap weed in Nepal..... or my pet loathe, Mother Teresa, who wasn't even Indian.... I will borrow it once she has read it!

Toril wrote: "Thanks for the invitation to stop lurking, come out from my bookshelves and into the light, Margaret!

I am reading J.G. Farrell’s THE SINGAPORE GRIP at the moment which reminds me, I must actually..."

"Moominland Midwinter" is a lifelong favorite of mine! I still re-read it regularly. I was discussing with my brother-we are both Moomin fans- and was taken aback that it only just stuck me that one reason I love it so much is that it describes perfectly the emotional bleakness of my growing up Indian in the UK in the 60s and 70s and the unending racism I experienced at school. My world was dark, bleak, and lonely, just like the winter world Moomintroll finds himself in. The illustrations are so perfect too! Yet Moomin comes to terms with winter in the end and as he says "I have the whole year now".

Sandya wrote: "I did not receive any books for Xmas-indeed, I prefer not to, but I did give 2. The roommate of a close friend, who happens to be Finnish (the roommate), requested a thriller, so I gave her an Eliz..."

#4 - The fact that she's Finnish leads me to ask you to consider - Deep River which won the Washington State Book Award in 2020 (Aah my first use of last year). Also you tube has three videos with Marlantes talking about the book.

Any fans of Elizabeth Haynes here in the ether? Into a free online talk? Sign up at Jarrolds here - https://www.jarrold.co.uk/events-diar...