Books

[_]

Started on one of my M R James collections last night (A Thin Ghost And Others) - seen a lot of adaptations of his work on TV (the old BBC Ghost Story For Christmas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ghost_Story_for_Christmas ) but it's the first time I've read any of his work

The writing is a bit clunky and doesn't flow well and devoid of adjectives (he'd write "the house" instead of using adjectives to describe it like "the old, dark house") but the subject matter is very good and he deserves his title of one of Britain's best ghost story authors

[_]

Throttle - Joe Hill & Stephen King

Pretty good short (77 pages) story by Joe and his dad - about a gang of bikers pursued by a bad guy in a big rig (inspired by Spielberg's Duel) - anything with a character called Lemmy has got to be cool

Not sure what's next - just added all 17 of James Patterson's Alex Cross series to Calibre (I'll try to imagine dear old Morgan Freeman in the role and not the abomination of Tyler Perry) so maybe the first of those

[WhatsTheMata]

The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers, amazing book

[_]

Started the first Alex Cross book Along Came A Spider (although it was the 2nd film) - Cross is really quite racist in it

[king nothing]

I think I read the first five or six Cross books. Then got bored with the character!

[CaajScot]

Feb 23, 2015 15:22:47 GMT _ said:

Started the first Alex Cross book Along Came A Spider (although it was the 2nd film) - Cross is really quite racist in it

James Patterson the author. 

Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls
Jack & Jill
Cat and Mouse
Pop Goes the Weasel
Roses Are Red
Violets Are Blue
Four Blind Mice
The Big Bad Wolf..........

You might not like his books after that. They became too much of a repetition with the Cross character, the same story lines but with a change here and there. You would somehow guess the end storyline or work it out. I like a book that keeps you guessing then think "Fuck, it was him/her". Then at the end think "Shit. I never thought it was him/her". But any author that can write a book that keeps you guessing and sells the book(s) is better than me or you. It depends on your taste in reading author wise. Its like Jack Higgins with his Sean Dillon & Brigadier Ferguson character books. Brilliant reads for me and Higgins is one of my favorite authors but he can also write books with a different theme from Dillon & Ferguson. The Sicilian Heritage, The Eagle has Landed, The Eagle has Flown etc. Last two films were made from the book's.  

 

[_]

I agree that Patterson's books can be a bit repetitive - I read most of those listed pretty much back to back about 15 years ago and got bored - These days I try to alternate between authors - King, Herbert, Koontz, Saul, Dan Brown and now added Patterson, MR James and Joe Hill and the odd short story collection so unless it's a trilogy like Herbert's Rats or Ash series or King's Dark Tower (which absolutely needs to be done in one go) then even repetitive stuff like Patterson is a bit easier to digest

I think the similarity of each story is probably the reason there were only two original films (I try to forget the Tyler Perry abortion ) - Morgan Freeman was probably bored too

I probably won't even get round to his more recent stuff which all seems to be a collaboration with another author - to me it's either the other writer doing the story and his is a sort of editor/advisor/ideas role or the publishers are trying to generate sales for an unknown author by using Patterson's name

[Bestie]

Agreed on James Patterson being reptitive/uninspired. I can remember absolutely loving Four Blind Mice when I first read it and then delving into Patterson's entire Cross series. Got one to take with me on my trip through Italy and thought it was very bland and predictable. Haven't bought one by choice since. (Been given a couple as presents though.)

Lee Child is my can't miss author.

[CaajScot]

Feb 23, 2015 19:35:01 GMT Bestie said:

Agreed on James Patterson being reptitive/uninspired. I can remember absolutely loving Four Blind Mice when I first read it and then delving into Patterson's entire Cross series. Got one to take with me on my trip through Italy and thought it was very bland and predictable. Haven't bought one by choice since. (Been given a couple as presents though.)

Lee Child is my can't miss author.

Lee Child (aka British author Jim Grant) and the Jack Reacher series of books. Killing Floor was his first novel. Read them all bar the last book when I retired from work. Do you know what fucking pissed me off. Now Jack Reacher (in the book(s)) was 6ft 4inches tall, 50 inch barrel chest, ice blue eyes and scars all over his body. They made a film with Tom Cruise as Reacher!!!! FFS, Cruise is 5ft fucking 7 inches tall and a skinny runt. Never seen the film and fucked if I ever will. How the fuck could they class Cruise as Reacher lol.

[_]

Feb 24, 2015 0:37:02 GMT CaajScot said:

Feb 23, 2015 19:35:01 GMT Bestie said:

Agreed on James Patterson being reptitive/uninspired. I can remember absolutely loving Four Blind Mice when I first read it and then delving into Patterson's entire Cross series. Got one to take with me on my trip through Italy and thought it was very bland and predictable. Haven't bought one by choice since. (Been given a couple as presents though.)

Lee Child is my can't miss author.

Lee Child (aka British author Jim Grant) and the Jack Reacher series of books. Killing Floor was his first novel. Read them all bar the last book when I retired from work. Do you know what fucking pissed me off. Now Jack Reacher (in the book(s)) was 6ft 4inches tall, 50 inch barrel chest, ice blue eyes and scars all over his body. They made a film with Tom Cruise as Reacher!!!! FFS, Cruise is 5ft fucking 7 inches tall and a skinny runt. Never seen the film and fucked if I ever will. How the fuck could they class Cruise as Reacher lol.

Yes - I was going to say something similar - I know we are supposed to suspend belief sometimes when it comes to films but Cruise as Reacher was taking the piss (a bit it a reach if you will ) - all they were interested in was the cash they would make because it was a Cruise film - Surely there is a half decent actor the size of the fictional Reacher? - Ron Perlman?, Jon Favreau? even Roddy fucking Piper if you are desperate

That's what really annoys me about modern films - actors are chosen because they appeal to a certain demographic and not because they can act or even vaguely resemble the character from the book or script

Probably why I like the old films so much - it was all make believe but it also believable (a paradox?) Can you imagine Cruise replacing Cagney in White Heat, or Bogey in The Maltese Falcon? Or even John Wayne?

It's madness - MADNESS I TELLS YA!

It's been a day for rants

[Bestie]

Feb 24, 2015 0:37:02 GMT CaajScot said:

Feb 23, 2015 19:35:01 GMT Bestie said:

Agreed on James Patterson being reptitive/uninspired. I can remember absolutely loving Four Blind Mice when I first read it and then delving into Patterson's entire Cross series. Got one to take with me on my trip through Italy and thought it was very bland and predictable. Haven't bought one by choice since. (Been given a couple as presents though.)

Lee Child is my can't miss author.

Lee Child (aka British author Jim Grant) and the Jack Reacher series of books. Killing Floor was his first novel. Read them all bar the last book when I retired from work. Do you know what fucking pissed me off. Now Jack Reacher (in the book(s)) was 6ft 4inches tall, 50 inch barrel chest, ice blue eyes and scars all over his body. They made a film with Tom Cruise as Reacher!!!! FFS, Cruise is 5ft fucking 7 inches tall and a skinny runt. Never seen the film and fucked if I ever will. How the fuck could they class Cruise as Reacher lol.

Cruise's production company bought the rights to One Shot and the other Reacher novels is how.

I watched the film eventually. Couldn't not as such a big Lee Child/Reacher fan. It's a travesty. A genuine affront to the quality of the novels.

[king nothing]

I haven't read any of the Reacher books but have seen the film, which was ok. I particularly liked the blonde whose name escapes me, maybe she could make an appearance in the famous women appreciation thread.
I'll check out Mr Child on hols.

[Bestie]

Rosamund Pike.

And the film was an abomination. Didn't even rate it as a generic action flick, nevermind a Reacher film. Definitely read the books though. I actually started with 'The Enemy' which is like a flashback episode and of course I didn't realise!

[_]

I couldn't even be arsed to continue with the Patterson last night even with raging insomnia - got to sleep around 7am

[CaajScot]

Feb 24, 2015 11:57:08 GMT Bestie said:

Rosamund Pike.

And the film was an abomination. Didn't even rate it as a generic action flick, nevermind a Reacher film. Definitely read the books though. I actually started with 'The Enemy' which is like a flashback episode and of course I didn't realise!

Thats the first book I read of Reacher when he was a Major in the Military Police. I got hooked then and checked up on his books. Then I read 'Killing Floor' and then realised that 'The Enemy' was, as you said, a flashback. Have not read his 19th & 20th book in the series but will get around to it, 'Personal' & 'Make Me'. When I was working I started to read all the other books from 'Killing Floor' onwards. I got one of my security guards hooked on Reacher books and once I read them I would pass them onto him. I still have 'Killing Floor' in my book collection in the back room. I won't go into much detail about 'Killing Floor' in case I spoil it for anyone else who will get around to read it. But getting back around too that knobhead Cruise who acts as Reacher, does this sound like him (picture below). I said in the previous post Reacher was 6ft 4. I was wrong, he is 6ft 5. Cruise is 5ft 7. Someone like Clint Eastwood who is 6ft 4 would have been better acting as Reacher.