Fantastic... and so informative.

The JAG IN SPACE group of books. Good courtroom drama!

GREG

If you enjoyed 'Iris and Ruby' you might also enjoy 'The Cupboard' by Rose Tremain, which I've just finished. If it wasn't on my Kindle I'd pass it on to you.

I've taken advantage of the holidays to read Der Zauberberg (the Magic Montain) by Th. Mann. I knew what to expect so I wasn't put off, but as fascinating the analysis and the insight of Mann's writing can be, it is a hard piece for the general public nowadays. For people with vivid interest in modern history, it's a must have read. To me, this book is a fabulous interpretation of the 20th century's cultural-political history.

Thanks- I'll get it on my Kindle. The Thread was excellent - about the ethnic cleansing of the Jews from Tessalonica by the nazis. Would pass it to you, by sil has taken it back to UK with her last week-end. (what are you doing next week - Yverdon meet?).

Reading David Yallop's "Unholy Alliance" - his first novel, which is certainly a "can't put it down" but rather frightening in its implications : he also wrote the controversial book regarding the possible killing of Pope John Paul I.

Nostalgia! I must have read that 35 years ago. A classic. Reminds of John Berger's brilliant "Ways of Seeing", another book about art fom the same period. Being a communist who practices what he preaches, he has lived as a peasant in Haute Savoie, not far from Geneva for many years.

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher. Really recommend it.

Melnitz by Charles Lewinsky. Finding it an enjoyable challenge..

I decided to see by myself how scandalous the Swiss writer Jacques Chessex actually is. He is famous for three scandals, three books, the other books of his being just a little bit less scandalous:

- Un juif pour l'exemple, about a true story the Swiss didn't want to be reminded of (antisemitic murder in Payerne anno 1942). It's meant to be a documentary in literary form, and it just does that. Well done Mr. Chassex.
- Judas, le transparent, known for bringing plain blasphemy and mystical eroticism into Swiss literature, about a christian fundamentalist sect, good and evil, but more about evil, pure erotic evil. For a Swiss, really well done, Mr. Chassex.
- Le dernier crâne de M. de Sade, known for being censored for under 18 and sold only sealed in a plastic cover, about not only the last days of the marquis but also his legacy by the symbolic of his skull and what happens to it after his death. Psychology of a character and of a culture, our culture, it's totally crazy and flamboyant at the same time. Very well done, Mr. Chessex.

But no, there is nothing to make a scandal in either of these books. It's deep, it's not entertainment yet entertaining in a smart way. Chessex doesn't pamper us nor makes it easy for us, and that's what far too few writers do nowadays.

__________________
Es wird nichts ausgelassen, um mich hier herauszuekeln. Ein Lehrbuch. False accusations and attacks continue. There is no stopping righteous people when they are wrong.

J. K. Rowling has a new book out next week, "The Casual Vacancy" which is based on a village on the English / Welsh border where Rowling grew up.

The plot starts with the sudden death of a local politician and the need for a local election. You can order the book from www.amazon.co.uk
The review I read indicates it is a very adult book, and is not suitable for teenagers! Not a bit like Harry Potter!

Unfortunately the main family are chaves and use my family name! How do I explain they are no direct relation?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0....html?ir=Books

I just bought this to see what all the fuss was about (honest!), and have managed the first few pages so far. Even the characters' names are laughable (Christian Gray and Anastasia Steele), and I agree, seems pretty badly written.
I'll keep ploughing through it though, for research purposes only, you understand .

in the latest issue of Playboy ( which I bought purely for research purposes ) there is an interview with Lee Childs who is the author of the Jack Reacher novels and he mentioned he has a new novel so I've bought and am reading that on Kindle.

( Jack Reacher novels -- pure trash, no redeeming value, but a good laugh )

(( some would say like me here, pure trash, no redeeming value, 'cept I don't go about killing people... well at least not yet ))

Sometimes I think it's good to read something you don't have to think about too much, we can't be intellectuals all the time .

If you're a fan of LOTR series or fantasy in general, I'd highly recommend 'The Magician' by Raymond E. Feist. Only halfway through, but thoroughly enjoying the read.

Just reading "It isn't Success you want - It's Happiness. The way to the happiness Breakthrough." by Swiss author.

My Godness, finally a book that puts all the "crapy": have a family, eat well, exercise... in the waste box & tells the core of why we are here, on this planet. There is no other goal for any human being on this planet but to see you are NOBODY & the whole life is an illusion. I really enjoy this book & I can't wait to finish it. An absolute must-read for those who are asking themselves: is this all? is this what we call happiness: having children, getting a job, being successful, believing in one God (& all the others are wrong)...

The Help, by Katheryn Stockett. And Sherlock Holmes.

I just read 'The Help', great book, loved it!

Well, I finished Fifty Shades of Grey, and I am thoroughly ashamed to say I have now got the next in the trilogy. There is a kind of storyline, and the **** author leaves you hanging () at the end of the book. I had to buy it to see what happens to the characters (honest ).

Reading Dick Devos - Rediscovering American Values