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What's top of your reading list?

Started by Ed, December 29, 2008, 06:05:13 PM

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delboy

Yes, I love Chandler, too. I have that book - The Simple Art Of Murder. That opening essay is great.

I read loads of Clive Barker way back - the Books Of Blood, Hellbound Heart, Weaveworld, and a host of others. I was always really impressed with his vision and also his style. Must get back and read some more, sometime. I bought his biography but couldn't get through it - it started off okay but soon turned into just a book by book review. I was hoping for a little more insight into the man, rather than the work.

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Caz

Quote from: Rev. Austin on July 07, 2009, 02:50:30 PM

I was hoping to see the film of Let The Right One in when it came to my local cinema recently - except they had it for 5 days only arrghhh I've heard it called a 'modern fairy tale', would that be accurate, Caz?

It is a work of fantasy and in many ways does resemble a modern fairy tale, a grim fairy tale at that. Lots of monsters.
I was wondering if the film had been out already...damn it, missed it. I'll be keeping an eye out for the DVD.     
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.

Woody

.
#92
mustn't have my stuff here, ed keeps it.
___________________________________________________________
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Rev. Austin

Quote from: Woody on July 07, 2009, 05:07:08 PM
as in the Good Guy (Kill Me Instead), he gets you into a character, then tells you they're going to peg it and then you just have to read on so you get past that bit in order to have some surprises.

I really like Koontz, and hate it when he does this.  In fact, I don't like it when any writer does this (King did it in Duma Key, so I spent the entire book waiting for that particular character to die) unless there's some amazing point or twist to the character dying.
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delboy

One of the first(*) ever "writing" books I bought was Dean Koontz'z "How To Write Best Selling Fiction". It remains one of the better how-to books on my shelf, too, though this section always makes me feel guilty:

"Writing, especially in sessions lasting six hours or more, is exactly what's needed to prime the idea pump that lies deep in the subconscious.

"I can almost hear the screams of protest from those of you who are not yet fell-time writers and whol hold down mundane jobs in the 'real' world...

"...if you want to become a full time writer badly enough, if you positively ache for it, you can find two six or eight hour blocks of time every weekend. Then there are holidays, vacations... For a couple of years prior to becoming a full time novelist, and for many years after, I spent 90% of my weekends at a typewriter..."

(*) The railway ticket to Manchester Piccadilly that is tucked inside the book and has been used as a bookmark is dated 1984

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

How many times has Koontz been married? I think the only way I could get six hours of uninterrupted time at the keyboard is if I killed my wife and put the kids up for adoption. Even then, I'd probably just sit down to write when the police turned up ::)
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Pharosian

Quote from: Ed on July 10, 2009, 09:43:12 AM
How many times has Koontz been married? I think the only way I could get six hours of uninterrupted time at the keyboard is if I killed my wife and put the kids up for adoption. Even then, I'd probably just sit down to write when the police turned up ::)

Apparently just once, to his high school sweetheart. Sounds like a similar situation as Stephen King...

desertwomble

I think there's a big danger in saying this is how to write because such-and-such a celebrity author says so.

The bottom line is that all writers are different and have differnt ways of getting the job done - just as smokers find different ways to give up smoking.

As far as writing goes, one size doesn't fit all, although Mr Koontz and Mr King et al might try to tell us so.

As an example, Graham Greene used to write 350 words per day, stopping mid-sentence if need be. So is that the way to write to be successful? It was Mr Greene's way!

Personally, I try for a couple of hours of total concentration a day, if I can, with background noise - I can't work without it. After two hours, the focus slowly goes, so it's better that I stop.

DW :cheesy:
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delboy

Cool !! Mr Greene's my new hero.

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Rev. Austin

Finished Pronto by Elmore Leonard, which was ace.  My review: BREEZY.
Struggling a little bit with The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker.  Some of it is extremely boring, a fact made worse by the intermittent flashes of genuine excitement.  I don't think it helps that the core characters are rubbish, compared to the 'real' characters, who are interesting.  Hmm.
facebook.com/waynegoodchildishaunted
Stay in touch! I don't mean that in a pervy way.

delboy

I've finished Cinnamon Skin by John D MacDonald. Rare to get anything but brilliance from the great man but I was a bit disappointed in this. The writing was great, the subtle touches of description and characterisation spot on, but... the story was lacking. The bad guy never appeared until the last few pages, and there was never any danger. Normally JDM is a master at putting his characters in a lot of trouble. Here they simply drove and flew around the country searching out the bad guy. And found him. Job done.

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Caz

Not sure if I'm going to finish the book I'm reading at the moment as it has a fair few typos, misplaced words, spelling mistakes, and at one point one of the characters was talking to and looking at himself, this wasn't suppose to be the case. Whatever happened to proof reading. :tdoff: It's one thing for amateurs to get it wrong but I picked this novel up in waterstones and expected better. :bangh: The story's not that bad but it's bloody annoying to keep stumbling over mistakes.   
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.

delboy

I know what you mean, Caz. One of the many books I'm currently reading is Fear In A Handful Of Dust by Gary Braunbeck and there are so many mistakes in there from a typesetting perspective I swear no one could have proofread it.

Also halfway through Graham Greene's The Quiet American (I've read it several times before. It's great), the huge and mightily brilliant Seven Basic Plots, and... Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, as recommended. I'm reserving judgement on this last book. Don't want to dismiss it too soon, but so far (page 82) I must admit I'm struggling.

Cheers,
Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Woody

Quote from: Caz on July 28, 2009, 02:10:21 PM
Not sure if I'm going to finish the book I'm reading at the moment as it has a fair few typos...

Which book Caz?
___________________________________________________________
Writers Anonymous(http://www.writersanonymous.org.uk)-a source of sinister anthologies
Perception is nine tenths of the look. Brave Dave the Feather in Caribbean Conspiracy

Caz

Quote from: Woody on July 28, 2009, 06:21:26 PM

Which book Caz?

It's called Skarlet, not a spelling mistake, and is by Thomas Emson. I read one of his books before, a werewolf tale, enjoyed it and didn't notice anything wrong with it. I think that's why I'm so disappointed by this latest one. I read a bit more of it last night and found more errors. Very poor.

Quote from: delboy on July 28, 2009, 03:35:57 PM

Also halfway through Graham Greene's The Quiet American (I've read it several times before. It's great), the huge and mightily brilliant Seven Basic Plots, and... Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, as recommended. I'm reserving judgement on this last book. Don't want to dismiss it too soon, but so far (page 82) I must admit I'm struggling.



Must admit, I could never read more than one book at a time. I would just get too lost with all the differing characters and plots.
I hope Let The Right One In picks up for you, I thought it great but then we're all different with different tastes. That's the trouble with recommending books. As I mentioned before I bought one that Stephen King said was brilliant and ended up giving it to the local charity shop unfinished. Can't win them all.
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.