Books For Christmas?

[Guest]

So, who got books for Christmas? If so, which ones? Have you started reading any yet? Would you recommend any to others?

I usually get a few books for Christmas, but only got two this year. However, the quality of them greatly makes up for getting socks, slippers and other such things as well.

I had the one I mentioned the other day (the late surprise gift, delivered by the postie). That's a horror book - a limited, signed edition of Sex and Violence in Hollywood, by Ray Garton. I can't wait to start reading it, and will as soon as I have finished my current read.

The other one I got is the one I'm reading now and it's fucking hilarious! It's Incompetence, by Rob Grant (one half of the original Red Dwarf writing team).

It's a very funny novel (as you probably guessed), and is set in the near future, in the "United States of Europe", and is a complete satirical piss-take on Brussels and where Europe is heading right now.

The Daily Mirror said this about it: 'Crime Fantasy Fawlty Towers-style' That's so true!

I've just read one side-splittingly funny chapter, and I wanna just type a bit of it out here...

The main character has been investigating some mysterious deaths at a dinner party, due to food poisoning. After a long investigation, he is able to recount what happened that night. This is one part, where he describes the events of the night:

"One of the waitresses has Tourette's syndrome: given to uncontrollable and sudden violent twitches, accompanied by equally uncontrollable bursts of filthy expletives and invective.

...

7.15 p.m. More food arrives.

...

The Tourette's waitress takes the delivery. As luck would have it, the delivery man also turns out to be a Tourette's sufferer. The delivery is late because he twitched at the wrong moment and flung his original consignment into the apartment building's fountain, shouting, "Fuck piss wank testicle bitch cunt." This handover goes relatively smoothly.

...

10.30 p.m. The guests are all seated at the table, and the starters are served.

...

A Gason bean and slow-roasted tomato soup is rejected by only one of the guests, largely because the waitress describes the dish to him as "Gascon fuck piss shit bean soup wank", which largely dims his appetite."


LOL!!!

As I said, it is a VERY funny book. Anyone who'd like to see more reviews of it, go to Amazon.co.uk

Thanks for indulging me.

Lou

 

[minsue]

I didn't

 

[oggbashan]

I'm trying to get rid of books for Christmas and the New Year.

Only a tonne to go.

Og the ex-bookdealer

 

[Guest]

I didn't

Awww! *hugs*

I'm trying to get rid of books for Christmas and the New Year.

Only a tonne to go.

Og the ex-bookdealer

And *hugs* to you, too!

I wish I could come and take some of them off your hands.

Lou

 

[shereads]

Used as a distraction during Christmas, and highly recommended for anyone who loves ancient cultures and/or was forced to read "The Ilead" in school and wondered what all the fuss was about:

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
by Thomas Cahill

Brilliant, beautiful, impossible to put down.

Caution: Do NOT be tempted afterwards to watch Brad Pitt in "Troy." Brad is a handsome boy, but the greatest warrior in history, the son of a goddess? I don't think so. His pouty Achilles is right out of a 1980s Brat Pack movie.

Great book, though.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385495536/102-9561899-1569711?v=glance

 

[Kassiana]

Not only did I not get any books for Christmas, I haven't gotten any means by which I can get books.

Well, every holiday's different. I guess this is my non-book Christmas, first one I can remember.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I got Patrick O'Brian's unfinished last Aubry-Maturin novel. It's kind of cool. It has his manuscript in long-hand on one page, and the type-set version on the facing page.

I was surprised to find that he wrote in long hand, but if you know his style, it makes perfect sense. You can even see his cross-outs and rewordings.

I'm reluctant to start reading it though. I don't know if I want to read a story I already know has no ending.

---dr.M.

 

[C's Button]

Yes!

I got a book on Australia (historyand geography), a copy of "I was a teenage Dominatrix" (it's very good), and some Laurell K Hamilton's and an annotated but unabridged Grimm's fairy tales. (Thanks snowy!)

And I have finished all of them but the Australia book and the Brother's Grimm. I think I have maybe a day or so left on the first and the latter did not get here 'til yesterday.

What was the weirdest present you got? Mine was a big old jar of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. You cannot get it that easily where I am now and I love the stuff.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I didn't get any books this year either. I'm buying my own Xmas presents, and I haven't gotten to books yet. I was lost - didn't feel like Christmas day without new books to read.

(And on a completely unrelated note, Brad Pitt and I both dropped out of journalism school at the University of Missouri - too bad he was about 10 years ahead of me )

 

[Kassiana]

What was the weirdest present you got?

Hm. Good question. I guess I'd have to choose the small stuffed unicorn my aunt gave me at my daughter's Christmas party.

 

[Boota]

This was the first Xmas I participated in in 12 years, and this was only with my girlfriend. But, she got me two books. Serial Killer File, an encyclopedia and psychological study on serial killers, and The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. I'm reading TSA right now. I love getting books, but even better than that, I have learned that at least a few dozen of my books were bought and given as Xmas gifts.

I might not like Xmas, but I sure don't mind profiting from it.

 

[alyxen]

I didn't

I take it we are not counting the multiple trips to Bookstar where purchases were made for oneself?

 

[carsonshepherd]

I take it we are not counting the multiple trips to Bookstar where purchases were made for oneself?

"To me from me" does not count. Don't you know?

 

[shereads]

"To me from me" does not count. Don't you know?

Does too.

 

[shereads]

Serial Killer File, an encyclopedia and psychological study on serial killers, and The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore.

Those sound festive.

 

[Boota]

They are festive. I guess.

The Stupidest Angel is about a dumb angel charged with granting a Xmas wish to a child. He happens to find a child who just witnessed Santa Claus getting his brains bashed in with a shovel, so the child wishes that the angel would bring Santa back from the dead. Santa comes back, but as a brain eating zombie.

Hijinx ensue.

 

[English Lady]

I got one book for Christmas and I can highly recommend it. Mum bought me a brand new NIV version bible as mine was falling apart at the seams!

The book I read over Christmas was one mum had form the Library "White Wolf" by David Gemmell. Amazing heroic fantasy which I reckon even no fantasy lovers might enjoy. The Joy of Gemmell is all his heroes are human not god like folks who never loose. If you're not big on blood and guts hough read with caution. there are a few gory bits

 

[Guest]

i got a book from my girlfriends ex husband... a bit startling but very warm gesture
it is
The Bush Survival Bible
250 ways to make it throught he next four years without misunderestimating the dangers ahead, and other subliminable strategeries.

will be reading this on the plane tomorrow. its a bit short, but a promisingly fun read.

i wanted to get Jon Stewart's America The Book, but its not out on ebooks yet and i prefer to read ebooks while travelling since they are easier to carry.

 

[matriarch]

I gave many books as gifts......but surprisingly......for the first time I can remember, never received one. Not even a book token, which is usually my mother's standard gift.........along with the chocolates, handkerchiefs, and items of underwear which will NEVER grace even my poor body. *shudder*.

I did buy myself one, a history of the area where I live, beautifully illustrated with paintings done at the time. Wonderful way of really getting the feel of the place as it WAS, not as it is, even though it is the most beautiful place on earth even today.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Only one, not counting the one from me to me. 'Schott's Original Miscellany', within the covers of which I found - among other eye-opening trivia - the names of Santa's reindeer; fielding positions in cricket; how to measure bra size, and some quotes from Dr. Johnson, the most apt of which would appear to be the following:

'No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.'

Made me think, so I've sent a couple of non-erotic stories off to magazine competitions!

Alex

 

[Sabledrake]

I got:

The final 3 Dark Tower books
King's book about the Red Sox
LIFE EXPECTANCY by Koontz
ROBOT SANTA, also by Koontz
A Spider-Man novel
The "Red Dwarf" RPG companion book
The "Little Horrors" gaming book
The latest Sholan Alliance novel by Lisanne Norman

And then my in-laws brought by a bunch they'd finished with, including some Dan Browns (I liked ANGELS & DEMONS much better than THE DA VINCI CODE), a Janet Evanovich, and some Elizabeth Peterson.

And then I've still got December's and now January's selections from the Leisure Horror Book Club stacked up, and three library books that are due back on Friday.

My TBR pile is scary. I love it!

All this is because I've spent the past couple weeks re-reading all the Harry Potter stories while working on this damned fanfic ... forget "The Boy Who Lived;" this is "The Fic That Wouldn't Die!"

Sabledrake

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I managed to get my hands on a book on Tropical Fish, an empty journal themed after the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the first Harry Potter book. Odd collection given my usual tastes.

Q_C

 

[Liar]

i wanted to get Jon Stewart's America The Book, but its not out on ebooks yet and i prefer to read ebooks while travelling since they are easier to carry.

You can actually read ebooks? What do you read them on? Laptop? Geez, I get a headache if I try to read anything long with the backlinght and crappy resolution of a computer screen.

I got America The Book. It kicks ass.

#L

 

[SensualCealy]

I recieved The Da Vinci Code, I got it Christmas morning and finished it on the 2nd of January. It was a book I couldnt put down if I was sitting down relaxing.

Now I have heard that it wasnt so great, so Id like to get some of the other books that the people are saying are better than this one to judge for myself.

Hubby got a Stuart McLean book that we didnt have, he is a Canadian author that writes about the family life of a family he created. Funny stories...

For example, Dave and Morely the couple in the story are expecting their first baby, Dave is terrified. So to practice, he has the crib up and decides the only way he will know what to do with the baby is to practice on the cat. Morely walks past the nursery to see Dave putting something in the crib. She smiles and walks past quietly. To her suprise the Cat smells of talcum powder and there is a diaper in the nursery with cat hair in it!!

Continuing on his journey to be the best father, he decides to fill a bag with five lbs of margerine to see what it would be like to have the baby sleep with them.... Morley wakes up with Dave sitting sitting straight up, hands stretched to the heavens covered in Margerine saying, ' I killed her! I killed her!' ... so okay its funny to read it in the book! lol

Stuart McLean has numerous books for the whole family to enjoy, my kids love them too!
C

 

[Guest]

I got:

The final 3 Dark Tower books
King's book about the Red Sox
LIFE EXPECTANCY by Koontz
ROBOT SANTA, also by Koontz
A Spider-Man novel
The "Red Dwarf" RPG companion book
The "Little Horrors" gaming book
The latest Sholan Alliance novel by Lisanne Norman

And then my in-laws brought by a bunch they'd finished with, including some Dan Browns (I liked ANGELS & DEMONS much better than THE DA VINCI CODE), a Janet Evanovich, and some Elizabeth Peterson.

And then I've still got December's and now January's selections from the Leisure Horror Book Club stacked up, and three library books that are due back on Friday.

My TBR pile is scary. I love it!

All this is because I've spent the past couple weeks re-reading all the Harry Potter stories while working on this damned fanfic ... forget "The Boy Who Lived;" this is "The Fic That Wouldn't Die!"

Sabledrake

That's my kind of list.

Thanks for your input in this thread, everyone. I had an inkling books would be popular among us lot.

Lou