UK Book Club discussion

Only started this challenge in May with Dystopia/SF. Not convinced that dystopia will ever really float my boat, having now read & , both of which left me underwhelmed. Will try some SF - probably later in the month I think - being most likely.

I prefer sci-fi to biography and I read quite a few dystopian. Sci-fi a must in regard to films mind.

Despire everyone's kind recommendations, I'm really struggling to find anything in the fantasy category that even vaguely tickles my fancy.....I will keep on looking though

That's because you like serious, factual books! Pick a skinny one - Narnia?

Ian wrote: "Despire everyone's kind recommendations, I'm really struggling to find anything in the fantasy category that even vaguely tickles my fancy.....I will keep on looking though"

Download the Delver Magic series Sanctum's Breach, Throne of Vengeance, Balance of Fate by Jeff Inlo. Its free from Amazon and if you don't like it you can delete it!

There are several Newspapers that could be counted as fantasy!!!!

Too true Susan! Could just read Harry Potter so you know what the rest of the world are talking about... and if you hate it it'll only take an hour to read.

Em.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Think I'd rather chew razor blades than read a Harry Potter book. Worry ye not however....I will find one, buy it, read it, no doubt hate it and then move on. I've been watching Game of Thrones on telly the last few weeks and really enjoying it until this week when suddenly dead people came back to life and I was immediately underwhelmed and considering switching channel. Wonder if there's a book out there about Fantasy Football?

Yes Ian - fantastic things happen in fantsy, that's why they call it FANTASY!!!

I reckon there's something out there for you though I just can't think of it at the moment, fantasy that isn't! Hmmmmm...

Em wrote: "Too true Susan! Could just read Harry Potter so you know what the rest of the world are talking about... and if you hate it it'll only take an hour to read."

I will admit that the Potter books aren't at the same level of Tolkien et al but I really, really enjoyed reading them to my son when he was younger and its nice to have "books in common" with your children, so don't dismiss the Potter books entirely. I have no desire to see the movies but reading the books was really enjoyable (but admittedly mind candy)

Decision made. I'm going for a collection of short stories called as edited by Neil Gaiman

Looks good. I've just finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman for this months challenge, and I'm interested in this author at the moment.
Does he actually write any of the stories?

I think he writes one of them (of around 20 or so authors), but yhe list also includes people like Nick Hornby which is probably why it took my eye

Ian wrote: "Decision made. I'm going for a collection of short stories called as edited by Neil Gaiman"

I really liked Gaimans

The Graveyard Book- :-)

Ian wrote: "I think he writes one of them (of around 20 or so authors), but yhe list also includes people like Nick Hornby which is probably why it took my eye"

I was going to say, give Neil Gaiman a try!

Over halfway through my collection of "fantasy" short stories....the one by Neil Gaiman has probably been the best so far.

What was his called?

Helen wrote: "What was his called?"

"The truth is a cave in the black mountains"

Probably no great surprise to anyone, but found my short story collection heavy going. I did try (honest guv!!)but I don't think "fantasy" or indeed other "imagination" genres are for me. I enjoyed about 3 of the 20 odd stories, abandoned 3 and struggled to complete many of the others

Can we have some author names to voice opinion on?

They are all listed in the GR synopsis - if you click on the book cover

Read for July YA genre

Forgot to post that I read for Humour. Well actually I got part way through and gave up as it was pretty awful though vaguely amusing at times

And also read which was bleak and funny

It's the last day of the month and Magic Realism has passed me by. Sadly missed but not forgotten.

Forgot to post started Dracula for October horror but failed to finish. Just finished Our Kind of Traitor by Le Carre for November espionage. Started slowly, then I really got into it, but the ending was just poor. Felt like it needed another 100 to 200 pages and it was almost as if the author got bored and ended it as quick as possible.

Read James Patterson's short story Bloody Valentine. Very disappointing ending, but I think it is hard to do a thriller in short story form as there isn't enough time to develop charcaters and plausible motives.

Probably going to read this re non fiction for January The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Ian wrote: "Probably going to read this re non fiction for January The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins"

I have this too, another book friend said she loved it.

Giving February a miss. Travel exploration just not floating my boat with so many other good books to read.

Read The God Delusion for January. I agree with what the author says, but I found his written word tedious and overbearing.

Ian wrote: "Giving February a miss. Travel exploration just not floating my boat with so many other good books to read.

Read The God Delusion for January. I agree with what the author says, but I found his wr..."

Lightweight ;)

I'm currently sticking with it (travel/exploration that is), but I must admit, I'm finding it a bit slow. I think it might be because I'm reading so much non-fiction at the moment, I really need a good story to pull me through... Well at least mine gives me Antarctica for the 'Round the World Challenge' !!

Or could you read something like Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne? It's fiction but about travel. I think it would count!

As both my fellow mods are encouraging me, I may relent "pour encourager les autres." Will have to break my Amazon protest kindle buying ban though.

Ian wrote: "As both my fellow mods are encouraging me, I may relent "pour encourager les autres." Will have to break my Amazon protest kindle buying ban though."

Or you could see if the library has it! Mine has ebooks for hire!

Just bought Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon. Most expensive kindle I've ever bought, but it's my local book group's read this month so I should be reading it anyway......didn't know till looked on Wiki that Borneo is part of 3 countries and so it may give me Brunei or Indonesia....I've been to Malaysia.

@ Lynne - thanks for the suggestion Lynne, but I've never been a borrower. I always liked to own books and I'm the same with my kindles.

Hi Ian,
I too hate fantasy, yet I'm going to recommend one, check out 'The Life in the Woods with Joni Pip' by Carrie King. I intially found it hard going then for some reason kept picking it up, I just had to find out what happened next! It is really aimed at teenagers, [well, I'm a recycled teenager!]
Everyone I know who has read 'Joni Pip'raves about it. Barry Cunningham, the guy who gave 'J.K' her chance, reckons this is better, so go figure.
All the best Paul Rix [old geezer]

Hi, me again.
While I'm here I'm going to give my first book a plug as it has just come out on 'kindle' @77p =$1 for the states.Check out 'RO' written under the name 'Timothy Pilgrim'
It is a true story, most of the bad language is in chapter one for the sensitive souls among us. You'll get a couple of odd ones reading it, The Andaman Islands, being the 'out of the way' one, I know they 'belong' to India but are more Indie than the Channel islands.
Mentioning 'Borneo' brought back memories of a month in the mud of Sarawak, a trek through North Borneo, both part of the Malaysian federation and ten days of luxury at the sultans palace in Brunei training the Gurkha palace guards to use the M.P 5. My best mates wife is Indonesian, as Tini is constantly reminding me, the big bit isn't Borneo! it is Kalimatan! or something similar!
A really exotic place, incredible wild life! everything either sticks to you, stings, bites or brings you out in a rash!and did I mention the mud!
All the best Paul Rix [oldgeezer]

Would Touching the Void by Joe Simpson count as a travel book even though it's a bit autobiographical? Most people know the ending when they start the book yet it maintains a tension throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I may read it again for my round the world list.

Hadn't thought of doing travel in fiction.

I'd count Touching the Void, I think the genre is travel and exploration and I'd say the book has elements of both.

Not a trip I'd want to take though!!

@ Paul old Geezer - Borneo and Sarawak etc remind me of collecting stamps as a kid. Malaysia/that area seemed to have the most colourful and amazing stamps back in the 60's. I remember having one that even had a bit of paper lace embossed on it. Think that may have been Indian though.

Having initially baulked at the travel genre and having now finished , I now find by accident I'm reading another one. More a documentary about being Jewish in the 21st century than a pure travelogue, the author travels to Israel a few times and then goes to live in Tel Aviv for several months in order to experience the reality of everyday life amongst ordinary people, both Jews and Palestinians. by Linda Grant who is a Scouser, so bound to be good. Am enjoying greatly at the mo'

And it was really good. Didn't change my views on the Israel/Palestinian conflict but informed and rein-forced them somewhat. It was all about what Israelis think (Palestinians not involved as I thought originally), but it was well balanced. It was certainly good to read that a great many Israelis (if sadly not the majority or the current government) believe in a just settlement of the conflict based on the Geneva accords.

Managed one of each for the March genre of romance/erotica. Hated Anais Nin's for erotica, but I'm loving by Andre Dubus III which is set in late 1960's America and although there is a lot of blues music in it, it is mainly about the relationship of 17/18 year old boy and a 16 year old girl. I think he captures the feelings of being that age brilliantly, particularly in his depiction of the main narrator Leo who is a loveable 17 year old dreamer fixated on his erections and the size of the breasts of very woman he meets. Sound familar??

April Madness/Psychiatry......I'm reading by Matthew Quick.

Funny....have read 3 books this month that deal with madness in different ways and I wasn't expecting any of them to do so when I first opened the kindle. As well as Matthew Quick's book above, have also read Julian Barne's which is essentially a tale involving three friends, two of whom are definitely not fully engaged with normal behaviour and which also has a severely deluded main character.

War is going to easy. I have several books that qualify and indeed am already reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which is partly about how Japanese Americans were all treated as potential enemy spies during WW2.

On a similar theme - David Baddiel's novel The Secret Purposes - how Italian/German Brits were sent to the Isle of Man for the duration, is a good read.

War was easy for me:

June - Western - which I loved.