Whatcha reading?

[tepista]

3) Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham. Audiobook. 1951. An excellent post-apocalyptic novel about most of the world going blind and then get attacked by giant walking plants. Totally and brilliantly straight-faced in its approach, it is a definite influence on the zombie movies and TV shows that have since proliferated. Believable characters in a situation that rings true. Very much recommended.

I read that years ago, LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Seen every film adaptation as well. (one feature and 2 BBCs) The author also wrote Midwich Cukoos, adapted as Children of the Damned, and a short called Consider Her Ways, which was filmed as a fucking brilliant episode of Alfred Hitchcock Hour

[Silent Majority]

3) Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham. Audiobook. 1951. An excellent post-apocalyptic novel about most of the world going blind and then get attacked by giant walking plants. Totally and brilliantly straight-faced in its approach, it is a definite influence on the zombie movies and TV shows that have since proliferated. Believable characters in a situation that rings true. Very much recommended.

I read that years ago, LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Seen every film adaptation as well. (one feature and 2 BBCs) The author also wrote Midwich Cukoos, adapted as Children of the Damned, and a short called Consider Her Ways, which was filmed as a fucking brilliant episode of Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Simon Clark wrote a sequel that I read as a teen and it was pretty good, but this one is something special.

Yeah, I'm going to get to them Midwich Cuckoos real soon, excited to read it. I'll not sleep on that Alfred Hitchcock Hour. A little while ago, that I watched the ep with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen (?) gambling over the lighter based on the Roald Dahl story and it was one of my favourite bits of 2021 TV.

[Marky Dread]

3) Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham. Audiobook. 1951. An excellent post-apocalyptic novel about most of the world going blind and then get attacked by giant walking plants. Totally and brilliantly straight-faced in its approach, it is a definite influence on the zombie movies and TV shows that have since proliferated. Believable characters in a situation that rings true. Very much recommended.

I read that years ago, LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Seen every film adaptation as well. (one feature and 2 BBCs) The author also wrote Midwich Cukoos, adapted as Children of the Damned, and a short called Consider Her Ways, which was filmed as a fucking brilliant episode of Alfred Hitchcock Hour

I watched the 6 part drama series the BBC did in 1981 based on Wyndham's book and enjoyed it.

[tepista]

3) Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham. Audiobook. 1951. An excellent post-apocalyptic novel about most of the world going blind and then get attacked by giant walking plants. Totally and brilliantly straight-faced in its approach, it is a definite influence on the zombie movies and TV shows that have since proliferated. Believable characters in a situation that rings true. Very much recommended.

I read that years ago, LOVE LOVE LOVED IT! Seen every film adaptation as well. (one feature and 2 BBCs) The author also wrote Midwich Cukoos, adapted as Children of the Damned, and a short called Consider Her Ways, which was filmed as a fucking brilliant episode of Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Simon Clark wrote a sequel that I read as a teen and it was pretty good, but this one is something special.

Yeah, I'm going to get to them Midwich Cuckoos real soon, excited to read it. I'll not sleep on that Alfred Hitchcock Hour. A little while ago, that I watched the ep with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen (?) gambling over the lighter based on the Roald Dahl story and it was one of my favourite bits of 2021 TV.

speak of the devil, coming this year, a Midwich Cuckoos mini-series
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14245846/? ... flmg_act_1

[Silent Majority]

5) Classic Scrapes - James Acaster. 2014. Audiobook. Acaster is a comedian who can make me laugh. He wants to present himself as a light entertainment Dave Gorman figure, but I can see the darkness and depression he has to fight in this book of "scrapes" or anecdotes where he comes out on bottom. I think he's either going to quit comedy or become one of the greats who embraces and communicates his struggles outside of the inoffensive niceboy persona.

[Silent Majority]

6) Windswept and Interesting - Billy Connolly. Audiobook read by the author. 2021. I've said before, Connolly's VHSs used to keep me company all through childhood and adolescence and I've read his wife's biography of him and also his recent paper back collection of routines. So there's little new in this autobiography, apart from a little bit of him being essentially alright in his retirement in Florida, the same old rebellious Billy making fun for himself out of the mere materials of the world around him, continuing to live against the beige and the begrudgers that surround us all, despite his Parkinson's. It's nice to hear his voice in your ear, aged and slow, but still capable of being very funny and still materially the same voice that rocked theaters all over the world. The best part of the audiobook is when he's reading a story that he's told a hundred times before and breaks up into real and uncontrollable laughter. You read of his contentment, charisma and the good times he's enjoyed and compare it with the abuse he suffered as a child and you can't help but be satisfied. It's nice that this guy is still out there, declining as we all must, but still burning bright.

[Silent Majority]

7) Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka. Audiobook. 1915. Salesman wakes as a bug. Just so fucking good. Funny and sad with (this is becoming increasingly important to me) perfect sentences. I've not read any analysis of it but it strikes me as the guilt and illness under capitalism. Kafka just sears out his uncomfortable soul across the page. The prose shows complete control of his subject and his theme. Which would suggest the kind of cerebral writer with no guts that I fail to identify with, but it's the same control as controlled fury. It's carefully organised passion, which seems oxymoronic but there's the genius

[Kory]

7) Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka. Audiobook. 1915. Salesman wakes as a bug. Just so fucking good. Funny and sad with (this is becoming increasingly important to me) perfect sentences. I've not read any analysis of it but it strikes me as the guilt and illness under capitalism. Kafka just sears out his uncomfortable soul across the page. The prose shows complete control of his subject and his theme. Which would suggest the kind of cerebral writer with no guts that I fail to identify with, but it's the same control as controlled fury. It's carefully organised passion, which seems oxymoronic but there's the genius

My favorite Kafka shortie is Passers-by.

[Silent Majority]

8) The 39 Steps - John Buchan. 1915. Audiobook. A superb old school thriller, lip firmly and stiffly up, tongue nowhere near cheek. All the excitement of a good action film with some superbly absurd moments which he pulls off by lampshading them.

[Dr. Medulla]

8) The 39 Steps - John Buchan. 1915. Audiobook. A superb old school thriller, lip firmly and stiffly up, tongue nowhere near cheek. All the excitement of a good action film with some superbly absurd moments which he pulls off by lampshading them.

Wow, I had no idea the story was that old. I only know the Hitchcock film and I guess I assumed it was contemporary.

[Silent Majority]

8) The 39 Steps - John Buchan. 1915. Audiobook. A superb old school thriller, lip firmly and stiffly up, tongue nowhere near cheek. All the excitement of a good action film with some superbly absurd moments which he pulls off by lampshading them.

Wow, I had no idea the story was that old. I only know the Hitchcock film and I guess I assumed it was contemporary.

I haven't seen the film - will be getting to it now.

[Dr. Medulla]

8) The 39 Steps - John Buchan. 1915. Audiobook. A superb old school thriller, lip firmly and stiffly up, tongue nowhere near cheek. All the excitement of a good action film with some superbly absurd moments which he pulls off by lampshading them.

Wow, I had no idea the story was that old. I only know the Hitchcock film and I guess I assumed it was contemporary.

I haven't seen the film - will be getting to it now.

It was remade a few times after, too, but Hitchcock's is the only one I know.

[Silent Majority]

9) The Gunslinger - Stephen King. Audiobook. I started out really digging this, finding it super un-King and exceeding my expectations, but the middle came and I continued to find it un-King and also devoid of his overriding merit - his readability. It became a chore to return to, even considering its relative brevity and the fantasy elements and language grated on me and I found the characters and dialogue less than believable. Had I not been working on my personal project to read all the guy's novels, I would have put it down. I was won back over eventually with an ending that means I won't be putting off the next Dark Tower book for too long, but if that doesn't wise up, the rest of the series will go to the back of the queue. On the whole, patchy. Christine next.

[Dr. Medulla]

9) The Gunslinger - Stephen King. Audiobook. I started out really digging this, finding it super un-King and exceeding my expectations, but the middle came and I continued to find it un-King and also devoid of his overriding merit - his readability. It became a chore to return to, even considering its relative brevity and the fantasy elements and language grated on me and I found the characters and dialogue less than believable. Had I not been working on my personal project to read all the guy's novels, I would have put it down. I was won back over eventually with an ending that means I won't be putting off the next Dark Tower book for too long, but if that doesn't wise up, the rest of the series will go to the back of the queue. On the whole, patchy. Christine next.

My former buddy's a massive King fan and he turned me on to a lot of SK's work. I read The Gunslinger and really couldn't get into it. Unfortunately for you, after, like, Book 3, it gets really lame (according to the friend).

[Silent Majority]

9) The Gunslinger - Stephen King. Audiobook. I started out really digging this, finding it super un-King and exceeding my expectations, but the middle came and I continued to find it un-King and also devoid of his overriding merit - his readability. It became a chore to return to, even considering its relative brevity and the fantasy elements and language grated on me and I found the characters and dialogue less than believable. Had I not been working on my personal project to read all the guy's novels, I would have put it down. I was won back over eventually with an ending that means I won't be putting off the next Dark Tower book for too long, but if that doesn't wise up, the rest of the series will go to the back of the queue. On the whole, patchy. Christine next.

My former buddy's a massive King fan and he turned me on to a lot of SK's work. I read The Gunslinger and really couldn't get into it. Unfortunately for you, after, like, Book 3, it gets really lame (according to the friend).

Well, that confirms my half-plan to return to the Dark Tower after reading all his non-Gunslinging books.