best book you've read

[GUT]

Dave I'm amazed at the books content and to think that a serving president could have involved himself in such things is beyond believe the guy was light years ahead in the polls he would have been re-elected anyway there was no need for any of what went on

Appeared to be no need at all, and just think he was leader of the free world [as they used to say].

[Archaic]

Evelyn Waugh

Anybody else love Evelyn Waugh's work?

'Brideshead Revisted' is wonderful. If you enjoyed the sumptuous 1981 BBC adaptation do yourself a favor and read the book.

And then there are Waugh's wickedly sardonic books like 'Vile Bodies' from 1930.
Stephen Fry made a film of it called 'Bright Young Things' after its original title which Waugh changed because he felt it was too cliched.

Here's a good blog post about 'Vile Bodies': http://congenitallydisturbed.wordpre...s-vile-bodies/

Archaic

[Robert]

Bunny, it was an ITV adaptation.

[Archaic]

Hi Robert.

I thought it was BBC. Over here it was shown on non-commercial Public Television, PBS, as part of 'Masterpiece Theater' which was generally composed of BBC period dramas.

(Nowadays it's called 'Masterpiece', but I can't seem to get out of the habit of calling it 'Masterpiece Theater'.)

'Brideshead Revisited' sure was a fantastic adaptation; I've watched it multiple times.

I think we had a talk a long time ago about John Gielgud's brilliant dinner table scene with his son Charles.

Thanks,
Archaic

[Chris]

I think we had a talk a long time ago about John Gielgud's brilliant dinner table scene with his son Charles.

"Such a lot of nonsense!"

(Still not as good as Moby Dick, though.)

I think there's scope for a parallel thread about the favourite books of the rich and famous.

The funniest I remember was that Tony Blair's was Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", which perhaps reflected his education at a Scottish public school.

And John Major's favourite author was Anthony Trollope, if I remember correctly. It could have been worse. The BBC did some very good Trollope adaptations, including the Pallisers, strangely enough featuring Anthony Andrews as the son of a Duke and Jeremy Irons as his best friend from college, who was in love with his sister.

[Robert]

I loved the Barchester stuff with Donald Pleasance and a pre-Bucket Clive Swift.

Here's a link for Brideshead :

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083390/companycredits?ref_=tt_dt_co

I can't resist telling again the story of Osbert Sitwell's rather crusty father. He heard Osbert say something about being 'blotto' and, being interested in American expressions, he asked Osbert what it meant. Osbert said something like "Er - it means tired."

Later, some guests came to visit and Sitwell senior came down in the evening after a nap. He apologised for his lateness and explained "I was feeling rather blotto."

[Robert]

One of the funniest lines delivered by Gielgud has to be in the stabbing scene in Murder on the Orient Express. They're all taking turns stabbing Widmark, saying " for my daughter," "for my wife" etc. Gielgud has to say "for my gentleman."

[pinkmoon]

Just finished "all the presidents men" it was a fantastic read also I found it quite unsettling to say the least.

[GUT]

Just finished "all the presidents men" it was a fantastic read also I found it quite unsettling to say the least.

Top book Woodward and Bernstein, read it when it first came out a bit scary what goes on at the top.

[Archaic]

I can't resist telling again the story of Osbert Sitwell's rather crusty father. He heard Osbert say something about being 'blotto' and, being interested in American expressions, he asked Osbert what it meant. Osbert said something like "Er - it means tired."

Later, some guests came to visit and Sitwell senior came down in the evening after a nap. He apologised for his lateness and explained "I was feeling rather blotto."

Hi Robert.

I sincerely hope I'm not rather crusty too, because I say "blotto" all the time!
It still is used to mean "extremely drunk", as in "They got blotto at the party", but nowadays it's also used to mean "totally exhausted".
Example: "I felt blotto all day."

Guess it's a later generation slang usage of a slang term.

Has 'blotto' worked its way into Rhyming Slang yet?

Cheers,
Archaic

[GUT]

but nowadays it's also used to mean "totally exhausted".
Example: "I felt blotto all day."

Fair dinkum?

I haven't heard it used that way, might be we're just lagging a bit behind the Yanks.

[alkuluku]

The geekiest thing I've ever done--one time I got up at 7 am, settled myself into a comfy papasan chair with a thermos of tea and some sandwiches, and starting reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and 24 hours later I finished The Return of the King. Only bathroom breaks and thermos refills.

That's hard to top, but I think my story is pretty geek as well.

I was at Tuska festival (a metal music festival in Helsinki, Finland) and I was sitting under a tree reading One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey ',The Kid', Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player. I was drinking beer though.

Later that day I was at the backstage area reading that book (and drinking more beer obviously) because Dimmu Borgir (a Norwegian "black" metal band I don't like) was so loud it was better to be behind the PA speakers.

[alkuluku]

The first time I read that Stuey book, it felt awesome. Read it again couple years ago and didn't feel that great anymore.

Here's five I really enjoyed:

David Bodanis - E=mc^2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
William S. Burroughs - Naked Lunch
Albert Mudrian - Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore
Simon Singh - Fermat's Last Theorem
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

[Steadmund Brand]

Fair dinkum?

I haven't heard it used that way, might be we're just lagging a bit behind the Yanks.

As you always do.....USA USA USA hahaha


Steadmund Brand--

[Steadmund Brand]

The first time I read that Stuey book, it felt awesome. Read it again couple years ago and didn't feel that great anymore.

Here's five I really enjoyed:

David Bodanis - E=mc^2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
William S. Burroughs - Naked Lunch
Albert Mudrian - Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore
Simon Singh - Fermat's Last Theorem
Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Wow Burroughs made a list!!!!... I personally enjoyed Burroughs "Nova Trilogy" more than Naked Lunch ( Soft Machine, The Ticket that Exploded, and Nova Express) they could be considered the follow up to Naked Lunch...but those are the books I feel Burroughs found his voice (even if there is a bit too much of the "cut up" at times) but truth is, most people have only read Naked Lunch.. pitty it's really not his best work by a long shot.

Steadmund Brand-- An Agent of interzone!!