The December Big Read

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 23 Nov 2004, 10:07

Nominations please for the December Big Read.

The runner up last time was:

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

or traditionalists might favour The Cricket On The Hearth, which is Dickens' other christmas book.

For the whimsical there is Nostrodamus Ate My Hamster by Robert Rankin.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 23 Nov 2004, 10:10

I will go with the flow on this one, as we read a book I really wanted to read last month.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 23 Nov 2004, 10:50

I just read The Curious Incident etc a few weeks ago - so happy to go with that as it means my homework is already done! A book i'd recommend though is Running With Scissors, a memoir by Augusten Burroughs. It's quite something. Not your usual run-of-the-mill my childhood was worse than yours sort of memoir. Even though it was.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 23 Nov 2004, 13:29

I nominate "That Ole Ace in the Hole" by Annie Proulx. (Even if you haven't read any of her stuff you may have seen the film of one of her novels "The Shipping News"?)
Have read "The Curious..." so would happily go with that too......

paulw · Post by **paulw** » 23 Nov 2004, 15:00

I am reading Bridsong by Sebastian Faulks at the moment. Its pretty good so far and would recommend it for consideration

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 23 Nov 2004, 17:21

rathbone wrote:
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

or traditionalists might favour The Cricket On The Hearth, which is Dickens' other christmas book.

I'll go with the flow but err towards one of these - after all, you've only disappointed me once before, Rathbone!

DG · Post by DG » 23 Nov 2004, 17:30

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night' is a great book in my opinion, easy to read in a short time-span. I would recommend it for this month as I'm sure most people's time is more limited throughout December.

DG

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 23 Nov 2004, 18:06

you've only disappointed me once before, Rathbone!

Always happy to oblige!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 23 Nov 2004, 19:10

Just started reading 'The Bounty' by Caroline Alexander and that will probably see me through to Xmas. Picked up a copy of 'Sophie's World' at the jumble sale and no doubt Santa will have one or two new titles for me, so it could be difficult to fit in any other 'required' reading in the near future!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Nov 2004, 23:05

Cancel that. Have now discovered that Far Side has a copy of 'The Curious Incident' so I have abandoned 'The Bounty' and have started to read it instead, in anticipation of it being nominated December's Big Read. Far Side says he didn't enjoy it much, but then he's 11 so what does he know?

DG · Post by DG » 26 Nov 2004, 09:32

When will this be decided? I missed the last one as the book was sold out in most of the places I tried.

DG

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 26 Nov 2004, 10:55

Fear not, DG, the deadline is Sunday.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 26 Nov 2004, 11:13

Bellybabe wrote: A book i'd recommend though is Running With Scissors, a memoir by Augusten Burroughs. It's quite something. Not your usual run-of-the-mill my childhood was worse than yours sort of memoir. Even though it was.

I have just ordered this from Amazon - sounds like interesting book.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 26 Nov 2004, 17:32

Just realised that I bought a copy of "the Curious Incident" at the school autumn fair for 10p

First stroke of luck I've had for ages

Do the rules allow us to start before December

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 26 Nov 2004, 17:45

foxy wrote:
Do the rules allow us to start before December

Same rules that forbid Christmas avatars before December...

prombabe · Post by **prombabe** » 26 Nov 2004, 21:33

Starting the November Big Read tonight .Going to porty tomorrow Sat 27th with xmas presents and taking Dan Brown with me, maybe one day I'll catch up.Anyone is welcome to SPLADOOSH me if they can but I'll be back here on Sunday so you'll have to be quick

Was the word whimiscal meant for ME Rathbone ,if so I'll have you know theres a lot of useless information in the Hello Magazine and it comes in very handy sometimes

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 28 Nov 2004, 15:44

Assuming that ECM is prepared to dash back to Fopp and part with Ã‚Â£3 for a cheapo copy, the December Big Read will be:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

(which should please all of you who have already read it and want to skive this month.)

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Nov 2004, 17:04

rathbone wrote:Assuming that ECM is prepared to dash back to Fopp and part with Ã‚Â£3 for a cheapo copy, the December Big Read will be:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Didn't have the strength left to make it along to Fopp after starting the Xmas shopping yesterday. Picked up a copy of the above for under a fiver at HMV instead.
Might make a start on it tonight.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 28 Nov 2004, 18:24

ECM I did some Xmas shopping too on Saturday - it was hell.

Borrowed Bearcub's copy of the book.

paulw · Post by **paulw** » 02 Dec 2004, 11:49

Just started reading 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' on the bus to work this morning and its looking pretty good

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 28 Dec 2004, 09:39

Before we get on to posting comments on The Curious Incident, what books did people get for christmas?

I was given Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Co by David Stark, which is a history of Honeyman and Keppie, the firm which Mackintosh worked for and which still exists. There is an interesting chapter on St. Philip's at Joppa which was designed by John Honeyman.

DG · Post by DG » 28 Dec 2004, 10:11

Ian Rankin 'Mortal Causes','Let it Bleed', and writing under the name of Jack Harvey 'Witch Hunt' and Jeffery Deaver 'The Vanishing Man'.

Adding them to next years reading list. I'm reading 'The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency' by Alexander McCall Smith - really good. About a woman who sets up a detective agency in Botswana.

So, now I can say that I really loved reading The Curious Incident... The author displays a great insight into the life, understanding and mind of a child with Asperger's Syndrome. I really liked all the equations that show how Christopher arrives at logical decisions. A great read in my opinion!

DG

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 28 Dec 2004, 14:56

DG wrote:
So, now I can say that I really loved reading The Curious Incident... The author displays a great insight into the life, understanding and mind of a child with Asperger's Syndrome. I really liked all the equations that show how Christopher arrives at logical decisions. A great read in my opinion!

DG

I loved this book too. It's astonishingly well written from the prespective of the autistic child and has given me a new insight into the illness

Friends of mine have a 10 year son with "mild" Aspergers and his behaviour is almost exactly like the character in the book.

I am ashamed to say that I have always found his behaviour mildly annoying and often thought that his parents should just be firmer with him.

Hopefully I will now be more tolerant

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » 28 Dec 2004, 15:09

Another books which deals with these themes is the wonderful Speed of dark by Elizabeth Moon. Absolutely gripping, and completely unexpected from a pulp science fiction author.

bearcub · Post by **bearcub** » 28 Dec 2004, 19:00

'Fleshmarket Close' by Iain Rankin. And still have Ã‚Â£30 worth of book vouchers that I've saved since my birthday at the beginning of December - looking forward to spending them in the January sales

CatzVP · Post by **CatzVP** » 28 Dec 2004, 19:13

We got sent books from the UK from my good friend

My Wife got
'The line of Beauty' by Alan Hollinghurst (its about the Thatcher years)

I got
'How to be a Canadian' by Will and Ian Ferguson (

)

and my Wife got me

'The Fly in the Ointment and Dr Joe & what you didnt know' both by Dr. Joe Schwarcz
and of course the "Guinness book of Records" which I've been getting since I was 7 (I must start reading them!!)

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 28 Dec 2004, 19:25

Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani - which is great started it an finished it yesterday. Also got Jordan's autobiography - really like her and thought she was dead down to earth when she was in I'm a Celebrity...

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 28 Dec 2004, 21:28

I was given 'Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary' by Vivian Cook.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 28 Dec 2004, 22:11

I've read the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and thought it was mince - sorry! I got something about Ruby Tuesday (can't remember the exact title!) and so far it seems quite good.

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 28 Dec 2004, 22:24

Ben Elton's latest - 'Past Mortem'. He may have sold out but he still spins a good yarn.

I loved 'The Curious Incident'. Very funny and touching.

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 28 Dec 2004, 23:56

I got a Gordon Ramsey cookbook and "Bad Dirt", Annie Proulx's second collection of Wyoming short stories. Not enough people buy me books

Devoured the "The Curious...". A great read, with a well observed account of Asperger's Syndrome.

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 29 Dec 2004, 13:42

Unfortunately I didn't get any books from Santa

Are we having a January Big Read?

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 29 Dec 2004, 13:43

Ive just started Curious, its got me.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 29 Dec 2004, 16:03

I really enjoyed Curious. Very touching, very funny - often for all the wrong reasons, and very well written. The graphs, equations, maps, pictures and lists were used to great effect - still can't work out the Monty Hall Problem though.

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 30 Dec 2004, 00:37

ecm wrote:I really enjoyed Curious. Very touching, very funny - often for all the wrong reasons, and very well written. The graphs, equations, maps, pictures and lists were used to great effect - still can't work out the Monty Hall Problem though.

Half way through now and engrossed. Unlike the Da Vinci thing, I am inclined so far to believe the snippets of facts, even if I do wonder where on earth he went to research them! I think I'm on the side of the academics on the Monty Hall Problem. Irrespective of your starting odds, once you are down to a 2 horse race you MUST be on a 50/50 chance? But I need someone to tell me I'm right.

(don't we all)

Talk Porty ~ Portobello

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