What Are You Reading?

[Eleena]

I'm reading 'What fresh lunacy is this' A book about Oliver Reed in collaboration with close family by Robert Sellers. Brilliant a for, shame about the booze.

[Cloverjo]

Sounds interesting, Eleena.
I’m reading about an introvert who decides to be an extrovert for a year. I might try that myself, but it feels quite exhausting.

[Eleena]

I've been trawling youtube on anything about him. His appearance years ago on 'The word' was car crash and very cruel.

[Eleena]

This is fantastic, what a physically beautiful man he was. His son called this film his 'swansong'

[ummmm]

Kitchen confidentia! - Anthony Bourdain.

I also have Kennith Williams diaries.

[Eleena]

Hi Clover, ha! what's the book called?

[sunny-dave]

I've just finished "The Shepherd's Crown" - the last book completed by Terry Pratchett before his death in 2015.

I've had it on my bookshelf since then - but couldn't bear to read it - he was such a great author (an a wonderful man too) - the thought that at the end of the book there would just be no more was too sad.

But I decided a couple of weeks ago that it was time - and am glad I did - probably the best of his books since what he called his 'buggeration' (PCA dementia) took hold and a fitting way to end his writings. I'm not ashamed to say I cried as I came to the very end.

[ummmm]

Very sad, Dave

[Eleena]

Hi ummmm, I think I’ve read Kenneth Williams diary, or wanted to. Didn’t he try to suppress his homosexuality?

[naomi24]

Among others .... ‘Sapiens’ – A brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

[Eleena]

Dave, I’ve never read anything by him. I remember an interview with him though, he seemed a very decent man.

[Eleena]

Naomi, sounds really interesting, my kind of read.

[Eleena]

Back later, things to do.

[ummmm]

Yes, I haven't started out yet. My OH has and said it was good. The print is too small for me to read in the Sun so I'll start it on the flight back.

[Stephen_G]

Deeds Of Darkness, book 4 of a set from Edward Marston.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/64405-home-front-detective

Set during World War 1, it focuses on Inspector Marmion and detective Keedy, trying to solve Murders in and around London. I've mentioned Marston before, for his Railway Detective series

https://www.goodreads.com/series/122037-the-railway-detective

Sometimes he gives you the killer on page 1, but most of the time he throws in so many red herrings, you have no idea who is responsible for the crimes until the final few pages.

[ToraToraTora]

I just started "a confederacy of dunces" - John K Toole.

[Cloverjo]

This is my introvert book
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[andy-hughes]

ummmm - // I also have Kennith Williams diaries. //

I read the diaries a few years ago - fascinating insight into a very unhappy man.

His stock phrase when dealing with his showbusiness friends was "I'll put you in my diary …" and he did, with very many of them.

Williams' diary was the confidante he never had personally - and it recorded all his frustrations as an actor, and his distaste for the homosexual he was, and tried to suppress. Tragically his unhappiness finally got the best of him - a sad loss.

[andy-hughes]

I have just re-read two John Peel books, the Olivetti Chronicles which is a collection of the huge amount of writing he did for a variety of outlets including the Radio Times and The Observer, and Margrave Of The Marshes, his autobiography which was half-completed when he died, and completed by his wife Sheila.

He was a wonderful man in so many ways - I spent a delightful evening with him in Manchester over an interview and dinner, and he was wonderful company, being exactly the same off air as he was on - dryly humorous, modest, and all-round entertaining.

I still miss him on the radio, he can never be replaced.

[agchristie]

I too have read the KW diaries.He was very close to his mother and when she passed on he virtually gave up.

Some great anecdotes.When he was really pained he would comment on the rigours of life such as 'the squeezing of the toothpaste' to 'tying up shoelaces'.Everything became an effort in the end.

Another great,Charlie Hawtrey,died a month after him...

[andy-hughes]

ag - // Another great,Charlie Hawtrey,died a month after him... //

By all accounts, Charles Hawtrey was not a pleasant individual - again very bitter about what he perceived as the wonderful roles he was never awarded, and a propensity to be a shrewish drunk off, and on set.