Monday, September 20, 2010

Being entertained

 Pleased that I'm making and taking time to read.
Makes me feel lucky never to have experienced the things they did other than love, patriotism, sacrifice and  empathy. Who am I kidding? I identified with hero and villain if truth be told. Slow to begin with but definitely worth the read, even though that empty feeling usually present at the conclusion of a good book was missing.

Books recommended to me...
The book thief
The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society
A short history of everything
Longitude
The perfect storm...if it's anything like the film, I may not bother.
The shipping news

Go on... add to the list and give reasons why you rate it worthy of a read?

I watched something last week on TV i-player that I enjoyed immensely. I saw the very first episode of Coronation Street in 1960 and remembered it vividly even though I haven't seen the programme for over thirty years. What I watched was a drama of how it came about. Loved it! Really loved it! Warren was spot on with those early characters. It evoked so many black and white memories.

Who's on my mind? Dot, the followed (on the right) and the owner of Ryanair. One of them  a high-flyer who is planely irritating me.

7 comments:

  1. I've read The Guernsey and really enjoyed it. I adore books written in correspondence format. I haven't read the book, but enjoyed the film version of The Shipping News. I'm adding MacIntyre's book to my list. As an aside, my husband descends from a long line of McIntires.

    (thanks for your kind comment on my poetry today) xx

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  2. Thanks for the book recommendations Ken. I don't have any contemporary works to recommend right now. I'm rereading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment again. I love my classics!

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  3. Hi willow
    Thanks for the feedback on some of the books.
    They were more accurate than kind. See you at the ball.

    Hi Kelly
    The books were recommended TO me, not by me. I suspect the book you are reading is over 500 pages...which is no crime, but punishment enough for me :)

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  4. Ken, I came back to tell you about the book I just picked up from the library. The title:

    Shadow of the Swords: An epic novel of the Crusades by Kamran Pasha. I'm going to try and read it this week. Sounds captivating. I'll let you know what I think.

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  5. I've spent ages reading Kenneth Williams' Diaries - not intellectual, but a lot of fun. Having said that - it turns out that this comedian was exactly that - he was an intellectual that was well versed in matters Kantian and cerebral. He hated the rubbish in life and sought out the beautiful. A fascinating and involved man.

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  6. Hi, Ken. Now you've hit my pet subject - literature!! You MUST read The Book Thief - it's wonderful.

    Right now, I'm reading Michael Cox's only two novels: "The Meaning of Night" and "The Glass of Time". Recommend if you like Victorian mysteries. It reads like a classic and is a great story.

    I'm also reading Dante's Inferno, which (somewhat worryingly) I'm loving!! Not for the squeamish that's for sure. :)

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  7. Hi Jo. I've just realised that I haven't replied to your comment.
    I've added The Book Thief to my list. Do you read several at a time?

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