The Medusa Fora

CraigBatty wrote:"Unseen Academicals" - Terry Pratchett.

In a metaphorical potpourri of no particular proportion or rank,this man, along with Stephen Fry and Sensei Phil give me hope in not only the English-speaking world, but in mankind's humanity in general.

Congratulations, Mr. Pratchett on this, your 37th (!) Discworld novel. I'm looking forward to number 40. Get on with it. Time is short.

Pratchett's Nation is this year's Christmas play at the National Theatre here, by the looks of it this should be fantastic. I hope I can talk my kids into coming, bit embarrassing to go without the excuse.
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/49671 ... ation.html

Whispering Pines: The Northern Roots of American Music... From Hank Snow to The Band, by Jason Schneider. As the title suggests, it takes us only to the 70s. But much of that is not news to me, the earlier stuff is more interesting. Like, I didn't know that Col. Tom Parker used Hank Snow & his money in their joint company as leverage in getting Elvis - but cut Hank out & kept Elvis for himself.



Hank Snow with Elvis Presley. Not pictured, COl. Tom Parker, the man who came between them.

Got Four Strong Winds stuck in my head, though.

Just finished every book in the 44 Scotland Street series after reading all (but one) of the Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith and have started the The Sunday Philosophy Club. Nice books to read in between others!

The Short Stories Of Ernest Hemingway

I liked reading of the behind the scenes interaction between these two great artists.
Reminds me how good a writer Thompson was - now I've got to dig out some of his older stuff...
Steadman has some great art for sale on his website, too.

Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child In the Final Days of the American Century - Hunter S Thompson, 2003

"We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world, a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we’ll kill you. Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush? They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us; they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them." - HST

Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol." Quite entertaining, especially if you've lived in DC and know all the locations.

Christine wrote:

CraigBatty wrote:"Unseen Academicals" - Terry Pratchett.

In a metaphorical potpourri of no particular proportion or rank,this man, along with Stephen Fry and Sensei Phil give me hope in not only the English-speaking world, but in mankind's humanity in general.

Congratulations, Mr. Pratchett on this, your 37th (!) Discworld novel. I'm looking forward to number 40. Get on with it. Time is short.

Pratchett's Nation is this year's Christmas play at the National Theatre here, by the looks of it this should be fantastic. I hope I can talk my kids into coming, bit embarrassing to go without the excuse.
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/49671 ... ation.html

You've GOT to go! Wow. 'Nation' was an incredibly moving Pratchett novel, and one of my favourite of his non-Discworld canon. To have have written such an incisive, powerful, gentle and wise tale in the 'wake' of the Boxing Day Tsunami disaster was an act of true and literal Gods-given inspiration. I'd LOVE to see that production. Take the kids. Go thee without them, if theye wish to ungaryteful wretches bee. But go.

'Unseen Academicals' was a BRILLIANT Discworld tale, yet again. A novel that can re-awaken even my faded interest and admiration of 'the beautiful game' of Foot-The-Ball is surely a good thing with pages in it. You'll laugh. You'll tear up. You'll LAUGH. You'll kick the can/ball. Go. Read.

Score: Seventeen bananas!

Clay - David Almond (found in youth section at school

Michael Connelly - Angels Flight
Michael Connelly- Chashing The Dine
Michael Connelly - City Of Bones

Only just recently found Michael Connelly books and finding them very addictive.

Razor Smith - A Few Kind Words And A Loaded Gun

Gave this a go just because of TMTCH connection, was not dissapionted as it is a great read.


Daniel Lux - Camden Parasites

Never read a more aptly titled book.

Cdn Steve wrote:

MUST get that STAT.

Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Part Six of Three: And Another Thing...

Thank YOU O great Gods for throwing this bone to Irish author Eoin Colfer (author of the execellent Artemis Fowl series). Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, The Heart Of Gold... they're all back! (Did they ever leave?)

YAY!

Grab your towel, mix up a GargleBlaster, get froody, and read on.....

This is Ragtime by Terry Waldo (Jazz at Lincoln Center Library)

The Ground Truth: The Untold Story of America Under Attack on 9/11 by John Farmer (Riverhead)

Mr Farmer was senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission. It's fair to say he knows where the bodies are buried or, more specifically, where and how Cheney and Bush buried the ugly truth. A refreshing alternative to the conspiracy theorists, Farmer deals only in verifiable facts.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon. A great book all around - pre-WWII drama, young jewish immigrant in NYC, the Golom of Prague, sexual identity... But notably this book is a must-read for anybody who ever loved comic books, as it is steeped in a love or the art form, even while recognizing it's goofy limitations. Reveling in 'em, maybe, since that's what they're for.

Thanks for the recomendation Sandyfromvancouver (must be a popular one, i requested it from the library when you recomended it to me on this thread, and it only got to me last week!)

The Happy Isles of Oceania by Paul Theroux. A non-fiction travel log of the author's adventures paddling his kayak all thru the Pacific islands. He has a hilariously dry sense of humor, and he really gives you a true sense of each place he visits, and not a glammed up, idealistic version. A must read for any armchair traveler.