Jasper Fforde Ffan

[Maud Fitch]

No review forthcoming yet, Fran, but I'd like to share this little snippet.

Thursday Next has met Regional Commander Braxton Hicks at a new restaurant . . .

"Now, how does this work? I've never been into Yo!Toast before," said Braxton Hicks. Thursday explained that you could either have the highly skilled toasti-chef make you something special, or just simply choose something as it came round on the conveyor. "Hmm," he said, helping himself to a couple of rounds of white bread with peanut butter as it moved past, "never thought toast would catch on - not as a restaurant, anyway. Did you hear that a topless toast bar is about to open in the Old Town?" Thursday replied "Tooters, it's going to be called. My daughter Tuesday is picketing the opening night." "Good for her." Extract TN7 The Woman Who Died A Lot.

Toast does have a certain appeal, who knows, Yo!Toast may catch on.

[primrose777]

I have started Lost in a Good Book and really enjoying it. Pickwick is my favourite and I am hoping he will play a more pivital part in the coming pages. Living in Thursday Nexts world is certainly hazardous, sideslipping sounds scary.

[Fran]

@Maud Fitch
Love the new avatar ...... Really hope you are keeping that tin in a safe place though

[Gannon]

Howdy Maud, I love the avatar as well. Can't wait to get my hands on TN7.

[Maud Fitch]

@ Primrose.
So glad you are enjoying The Well Of Lost Plots, it's one of my favourites because it seems to tie together the earlier books and helps with the inside story of later ones. It won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Writing Best Novel winner in 2004.

@ Fran.
Yes, the Dodo Kit is kept in <whisper, whisper> nice and warm and safe. Plock, plock - what was that....?

@ Gannon.
Hey, don't start reading TN7 too soon because I'm only up to Chapter 9. Poor Thursday and her son Friday are in a bad way, whereas daughter Tuesday is a total genius. There's a great scene with Neanderthal Stiggins (Stig) who analyses Thursday's health.

I guess the Dodo Cloning Kit is a two-way statement; killing off the dodo and then proceeding to make an artificial one. Bit like Goliath Corp clearing land then naming a new estate after the trees they demolished. Jasper-thoughts bubbling to the surface again!

Hope everyone reading this is well and happy.

[Fran]

@Maud
You just reminded me of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi ... "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

I'm distressed now reading your post & hearing that Fiday isn't doing well ... I had such high hopes for that boy

[Gannon]

@Maud
You just reminded me of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi ... "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

I'm distressed now reading your post & hearing that Fiday isn't doing well ... I had such high hopes for that boy

I too am distressed about Friday, I hope everything works out for him, he's a great little character.

[Fran]

@Maud
You just reminded me of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi ... "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

I'm distressed now reading your post & hearing that Fiday isn't doing well ... I had such high hopes for that boy

I too am distressed about Friday, I hope everything works out for him, he's a great little character.

Hopefully Friday is just going through a phase :(

[Maud Fitch]

@Maud
You just reminded me of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi ... "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

I'm distressed now reading your post & hearing that Fiday isn't doing well ... I had such high hopes for that boy

I too am distressed about Friday, I hope everything works out for him, he's a great little character.

Hopefully Friday is just going through a phase.

Don't know how to put this tactfully but Friday's going through a 'phase' of crisis proportions. As usual with Ffordean plots, it is difficult to tell you anything which won't spoil the story. Jasper has huge digs at department stores and religious orders and I can reveal that "The Woman Who Died A Lot" (and you will find out why) is dedicated "To all librarians that have ever been, ever will be, are now, this book is respecfully dedicated" (and again you will find out why). Jack Schitt of Goliath Corp makes a spectacular re-entry and I can see Ralph Fiennes playing him to perfection!

Aornis's mindworm is still around and there is some clever writing and wordplay in Chapter 11 which deserves re-reading to savour the moment, especially when the mindworm does a switcheroo.

I've corporate orienteering all day tomorrow - thank goodness I get paid to be there - so I wish you well till next time.

[primrose777]

I've just finished "Lost in a good book". I am so loving this series and Jasper Ffordes writing. I was a little distressed about Landon being sideslipped but I am sure he will make a comeback. I have ordered "The Well of Lost Plots" and cannot wait for it to arrive. Is Friday the first born????

[Maud Fitch]

I've just finished "Lost in a good book". I am so loving this series and Jasper Ffordes writing. I was a little distressed about Landon being sideslipped but I am sure he will make a comeback. I have ordered "The Well of Lost Plots" and cannot wait for it to arrive. Is Friday the first born????

Sooooo glad you are loving the TN series!
Yes, Friday is the first born but I'm sorry if this lets the cat out of the bag. Off-hand I can't pinpoint when he actually makes an appearance. The characters in these books develop and grow and change more or less in real time - if you can say 'real' in a series like this!

[Gannon]

Maud you have done it again. Welcome Prim to the Fantastic Fforde Forum Federation.

[primrose777]

It's awesome to be here

[Fran]

It's awesome to be here

Isnt it just .... we can all be crazy together

[Maud Fitch]

I've been incredibly slack with my reading and posting these days. I'm literally snatching moments here and there (dare I say the loo) to finish "The Woman Who Died A Lot" and meanwhile the old TBR list is backing up bigtime.
I can say this newest book is turning out to have a religious slant.

Of course, there's Ffordean humour and side-highlights like the oft-featured airfield and zany motor vehicles. This time it's Friday's Griffin Sportina manufactured in the Welsh Socialist Republic and designed to last one century or five million miles, whichever comes first. The downside comes in the handling of said heavy-gauge steel vehicle. Generally the cars make for some funny scenes and a tiny wistful comment by Thursday about crazy driving.....

Order those TN copies before they're snapped up by book clubs - I've submitted 14 suggestions to our library service for the yearly Top 40 Book Club Reads list and you can guess whose two books were featured highly; The Eyre Affair and Shades Of Grey. Will let you know how that pans out later this year.

Climbing the corporate ladder is painfully hard with sacrifices along the way (how text book does that sound?!) with no deep and meaningful reading time for me at the moment. Hope you all are getting your daily full-quota reading fix.

-- Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:30 am --

I've been incredibly slack with my reading and posting these days. I'm literally snatching moments here and there (dare I say the loo) to finish "The Woman Who Died A Lot" and meanwhile the old TBR list is backing up bigtime.
I can say this newest book is turning out to have a religious slant.

Of course, there's Ffordean humour and side-highlights like the oft-featured airfield and zany motor vehicles. This time it's Friday's Griffin Sportina manufactured in the Welsh Socialist Republic and designed to last one century or five million miles, whichever comes first. The downside comes in the handling of said heavy-gauge steel vehicle. Generally the cars make for some funny scenes and a tiny wistful comment by Thursday about crazy driving.....

Postscript: Thursday "The Woman Who Died A Lot" and her associate Phoebe visit Jack S--t at the Swindon Adelphi Hotel and are not sure if he's the real deal or a clone. The ensuing two pages are hilarious and embarrassing. Will leave it to your imagination.