Comments on: Unfinished business

By: CW

CW — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:50:26 +0000

Sheena, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who couldn’t read that book (GoSMT). I wonder what I should read this Easter break…

By: Sheena

Sheena — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:44:47 +0000

I couldn’t read The God of Small Things either, I found the writing too self-conscious and the story just too sad, though I think I would have made it if any of the characters had appealed to me enough to wonder what happened to them. Also I tried The Satanic verses, but I couldn’t work out in the first couple of pages what was happening - the author seemed to be teasing the reader hovering between what was real and what wasn’t, and it was too much work. Ulysses and Midnight’s Children are on my list of things I should read but haven’t got around to yet. The best way to make myself read things is to have an exam coming up on a not very interesting subject - suddenly the most unreadable books seem fascinating!

By: Belongum

Belongum — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 05:32:01 +0000

Yeah - pretty spoiled I know - but a 15 month old son won’t let me do it at home… it interrupts his ‘reading’ (read ‘playing’) time!

The bus I catch dawdles along to the east of the city, where I work on those days. It’s a nice leisurely pace, and as I get first dibs on a seat, I’m relatively ‘pest’ free!

Looks like I lucked out… of course this will change when the train line gets up and running down our way… bugger!

By: CW

CW — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:05:48 +0000

Tom, you've read Ulysses? *bows before the Great One in awe*

And jl, I think Midnight's Children has to go on The List now, too...

Belongum I wish I could read on my commute too.

Tom, d'you reckon you'd hate W&P?

By: Tom Goodfellow

Tom Goodfellow — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 03:24:14 +0000

Belongum, I wish I could read on my commute. I do have a trip to England on my own coming up, and I’m pondering whether to give W&P a go. The problem is that if I hate it, I’ll be stuck with it all the way to Heathrow…

By: Belongum

Belongum — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 02:47:50 +0000

Ummm… well, ahem - Harry Potter etc got read and Captain Correlli’s Mandolin as well… I want to read Ulysses, War and Peace, and a couple of others there - and finally I might have my chance. I have a hour long bus trip each way for three days a week - on my way to work. YAY!!!

Reading time is now mine to enjoy!

Cheers

By: jl

jl — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 02:19:07 +0000

I’ve read The Satanic Verses; i really enjoyed it but found i had to really focus on what i was reading. Midnight’s Children was excellent, too, i thought.

I haven’t read the other books on the list, but they haven’t really appealed. I think i’m the same as you in regard to the ‘must read’ notion; that simply brings out the contrarian in me who then filters out the titles on the shelf.

By: Tom Goodfellow

Tom Goodfellow — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 02:17:40 +0000

I can’t remember the last time I’ve failed to finish a book, although I had to re-start The da Vinci code several times.

Ulysses is brilliant, honest. So is Crime and Punishment and, by the way, Midnight’s Children.

The best bit of lit crit ever is Father Ted on C&P: “the crime was alright, but the punishment dragged on a bit.”