Current reading matter

[J.R.]

STILL ploughing through 'The Salem Witch Trials'.

(It IS a big book !)

[HerrSchnauzer]

I just finished Paddington Bear. All other books are clearly redundant.
UP WITH PADDINGTON!!!!

[sejintenej]

"In a certain opera house of northern Europe, it is the custom of among several members of the orchestra, several of whom are cultivated men, to spend their time reading books - or even discussing matters literary and musical- whenever they perform any second-rate operas. This is to say they read and talk a good deal.

Well, that can't be the Berlin Philharmonic, Cultured gentlemen no doubt but music wise in the extreme.
There is another German orchestra on UK TV from time to time whose name I forget (it is run by a man called Heine but who affects an English name) where the idea of having books beside the scores is unthinkable. The lead guitarist (yes - they even have one) would make any woman's heart race and his antics at the front besides Heine (when he is not patrolling the aisles amongst the public) would put Elvis' hip waddle to shame. There's a bloke on Sax who is pure s(a + one vowel)x - young, blonde very much man ......As for the violinists - many (?all) are women with skirts pulled up for comfort who spend half the time dancing with other musicians ........... generally they are all so up and down that they don't have time to even look at the score! As for the music - good German orchestra mixed with brass band mixed with Dixie mixed with everything else. ISTR last appearance they had 24 different nationalities amongst the musicians so plenty of scope for learning languages as well as weird instruments.

[gma]

The things you know David!!

Just re-read the two Thomas Covenant trilogies, by Stephen Donaldon, as discovered that two more books had been recently published, (some twenty odd years after the first trilogies), and wanted to 'upload' before I read them, wish I hadn't (read the new ones that is!)

[Ajarn Philip]

Just re-read the two Thomas Covenant trilogies, by Stephen Donaldon

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! You wouldn't say such things so blithely if you knew how hard it was here to come by decent books that don't cost a day's wage. And I would so love to read those again...

[J.R.]

STILL ploughing through 'The Salem Witch Trials'.

(It IS a big book !)

Have you seen "The Crucible" at all?

"Malleus Malifecarum" is also worth googling. It was the textbook used to determine what legally constituted witchcraft and the penalties to be inflicted etc. A disturbing insight into the medieval mindset.
http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

Seen the TV production.

The book is some 500 pages long and produced as a chronological diary of events taken from many many documents.

I'd really love to visit the area.

[J.R.]

'The Salem Witch Trials' by Marilynne K. Roach.

Published by Coopr Square Press, New York.

ISBN No:- 0-8154-1221-5.

It's great reading, though sometimes heavy going because the majority is reproduced directly from transcripts in old puritan English. I sometimes find I have to read certain paragraphs a couple or three times to get the correct meaning.

[huggermugger]

I'm reading A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby, an excellent read on the commute home. The preface by Evelyn Waugh is worth the purchase price alone.

Eric Newby! One of the great, eccentric travellers & travel-writers. I would love to read a biography, if anyone knows of one...

Am also v. fond of (the writings of) Bruce Chatwin, Jonathan Raban, William Dalrymple & a guy I know nothing about - Gavin Young, who wrote two great books - "A Slow Boat to China" and "A Slow Boat Home Again". OH! and my all-time favourite Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer. And anything by Thor Heyerdahl. All of them completely barking.. but I'm incredibly glad they undertook impossible, incredible journeys, survived them (often by the smallest of margins) and wrote the tale so that I can read them from the extraordinary comfort & security of my own home. With absolutely no intention of retracing their steps.

[Laura M]

It's been ages since I've written anything on this forum, I really wish I could say it was because of the all the hard work I'm doing on my dissertation but you'd probably work out that that is an untruth! (I have chronic procrastination syndrome)

Currently I'm reading a right load of twaddle called the Shakespeare Secret!! It's rather like the Da Vinci code in theres a big hidden secret which an old professor sets another professor (who specialises in occult Shakespeare) on the trail of (convieniently just before the old prof is murdered like Hamlets father), however there is a another also on this trail who will kill to get it (or stop it being discovered, I've yet to find out)!! So as you can imagine every bizarre theory about the Bard is tied together in an overly complex way with added running from library to library and excessive use of air miles! (oh what possibly makes this worse is the author is a Yank!! I have a feeling the final secret may be that Shakespeare was in fact Hank Jones from Austen Texas!)

I am also re-reading and admiring Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, yes I understand that as a graphic novel many of you will switch of but Alan Moore is a complete genius and has created a story that re-defined the super-hero genre (its ok for them to be heavily flawed and have intelligent storylines), not only is it a wonderful read but the illustrations of Dave Gibbons are brilliant dark and real yet inclusive of those elements that draw people to the superhero genre. If any of you are still in doubt that this work is static and unable to step into popular culture (i.e. not just geeks and 14 year old boys) then surely you have watched the hit series Heroes if you have than be aware that without Watchmen most of the plot would not exist, so put aside your reservations and as it says on the cover of my (signed) copy 'If you've never read a graphic novel then WATCHMEN is the one to start with.' (and yes I am excitied about the film adaptation I just hope they don't ruin it like they did another of Moores works, if you can name that film/novel you get bonus points)

[englishangel]

"From Hell", with of course the divine Johnny Depp.

[Laura M]

Yes From Hell is a Moore work but that was actually a decent film (to be fair most things with Jonny in are!!), no the film that butchered Moores work is later and stars Sean Connery and incidentally an old blue!

[Mrs C.]

Where have you been hiding Laura??

[Laura M]

Southampton I guess!! and I suppose Facebook may have stolen me away a bit!! Also I wiped my internet faves and lost my details for this site!! So many reasons, but I'm back now!! You never know I may even grace CH with my presence at beating retreat!!

[Ajarn Philip]

Yes From Hell is a Moore work but that was actually a decent film (to be fair most things with Jonny in are!!), no the film that butchered Moores work is later and stars Sean Connery and incidentally an old blue!

I claim that copy of V for Vendetta -

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"

Alan Moore is clearly completely bonkers, but if he wasn't he'd probably be an accountant.

[gma]

Challenge that - my business partner is an accountant (tax if that makes a difference!), and she is stark, staring, raving, bonkers with a heavy duty Rioja habit!!