Jasper Fforde Ffan

[Fran]

Oh my goodness Maud you place such temptations in my path .... to await Gannon's review or to rush out and get my sticky paws on The Fourth Bear ..... I do hate these stressful decisions

......... Ah hell who said the only thing to do with temptation is to give in to it .... some Irish genius no doubt

[Gannon]

@Fran

If I were you Fran I would rush out and get it. I really don't think that Jasper will let us down. If it is even half as good as the first one I will be happy.

[Maud Fitch]

Go on, Fran. You know you want to!!!!!

Quote "The pursuit of money is in some ways a very shallow thing and it won't bring happiness unless your mind is prepared to use that money in ways that expand it and satisfy it. So, to me an interest in science and literature and the arts, is all part of just being a full human being." Tim Flannery.

[Fran]

Go on, Fran. You know you want to!!!!!

Quote "The pursuit of money is in some ways a very shallow thing and it won't bring happiness unless your mind is prepared to use that money in ways that expand it and satisfy it. So, to me an interest in science and literature and the arts, is all part of just being a full human being." Tim Flannery.

@Maud
Oh all right then ..... it's on my Kindle but I have to finish my little book of short stories first.
Now you have to read Sense of an Ending .... go on, you know you want to

@Gannon
You're a short story fan aren't you? Any chance you've read Field Study by Rachel Seiffert .... there's a story in it "Dog-Leg Lane" & it's giving me a much mental agitation as Barnes did ... I could use a second opinion Actually most of the stories in it are really thought provoking & in some ways disturbing.

[Gannon]

@Fran

I love short stories. I am adding the book to my Tbr list right now.

[Fran]

@Fran

I love short stories. I am adding the book to my Tbr list right now.

@Gannon
There is a definite East European slant to all the stories ... a lot of the characters seem to be lost between worlds.
Anyway I look forward to your thoughts in due course.
As we're talking of short stories I recently hear a very good review of "Dark Lies the Island" a collection of short stories by Kevin Barry ...... haven't read it myself yet so can't give a personal opinion.

[Gannon]

@Fran

I love short stories. I am adding the book to my Tbr list right now.

@Gannon
There is a definite East European slant to all the stories ... a lot of the characters seem to be lost between worlds.
Anyway I look forward to your thoughts in due course.
As we're talking of short stories I recently hear a very good review of "Dark Lies the Island" a collection of short stories by Kevin Barry ...... haven't read it myself yet so can't give a personal opinion.

Thanks again Fran, I will have to have a look at this book as well. I am going to have to spread my tbr books out on the shelf otherwise they are going to rip it off the wall.

[Maud Fitch]

Love short stories - it always puzzles me why short stories are not published as much as novels. With Twitter and abbreviated social networking, it seems the ideal way to get a reading 'fix'. Apparently publishers will only take a short story compilation from risk-free well-known authors. Even on author/writing websites, there's often no short story section (but plenty of competitions, at least in Australia). The art of writing good short stories is to be economic yet strong with words, so maybe it's easier to write a long, flowing story.

Shame that Jasper hasn't penned any short stories but I can highly recommend Ian Rankin's short stories. He has a collection "Complete Short Stories - The Hanging Garden, Beggars Banquet, Atonement" and my favourite is "A Good Hanging And Other Stories" 12 short stories with Inspector Rebus. Good murder mysteries!

@ Fran. Yes, I can say that I'm actively pursuing "The Sense Of An Ending".

@ Gannon. And I can see that bookshelf groaning under the weight. Stand clear!

[Fran]

@Maud
Delighted you're going to take on Mr Barnes
I've made a start on The Fourth Bear .... so I'm back to laughing out loud in unsuitable locations. Delighted Dorian Gray makes an appearance, as a used car salesman - how very appropriate!

Agree, it is sad how little exposure short stories get .... IMO it's a much more exacting genre to get right than the novel, really no margin for error. Most of my reader friends will not read short stories despit my best efforts but I love to read a perfect short story after a couple of novels. It kinda reprogrammes the old grey matter .... so Ian Rankin goes on the TBR

[Maud Fitch]

@Maud
Delighted you're going to take on Mr Barnes
I've made a start on The Fourth Bear .... so I'm back to laughing out loud in unsuitable locations. Delighted Dorian Gray makes an appearance, as a used car salesman - how very appropriate!

Glad you're into "The Fourth Bear", it's quite possibly a better introduction to Jasper Fforde - for the novice, not you - than diving in at the deep end with Thursday Next. Yes, Jasper always manages to integrate wacky cars in his story.
I too laughed out loud (on the bus) when reading it. My friends rate it highly and he did tour Australia promoting it so, who knows, it may become your top favourite .

Discussion time soon!!!!!

[Gannon]

Wait for me to read it first, it's going to arrive any day now!!!!!

[Maud Fitch]

Wait for me to read it first, it's going to arrive any day now!!!!!

Don't worry, half the fun is our three-way conversations .

<psst, lowers voice, hoarse whisper>
@ Gannon, have you read "The Morning Drop" by Andrew Hughes on the writers website Authonomy.com.
It is brilliant and raced up the charts. Set in Dublin in the middle of the nineteenth century, it centres around the sinister agents of the Castle who are operating according to their own rules. Based on a true-life Dublin Castle informer, whose crimes convulsed early Victorian Dublin, you can almost feel yourself there. Shot through with dark humour, this tale is a grim portrait of one man’s duplicity. I really hope first-time writer Hughes makes the big time.

[Gannon]

Wait for me to read it first, it's going to arrive any day now!!!!!

Don't worry, half the fun is our three-way conversations .

<psst, lowers voice, hoarse whisper>
@ Gannon, have you read "The Morning Drop" by Andrew Hughes on the writers website Authonomy.com.
It is brilliant and raced up the charts. Set in Dublin in the middle of the nineteenth century, it centres around the sinister agents of the Castle who are operating according to their own rules. Based on a true-life Dublin Castle informer, whose crimes convulsed early Victorian Dublin, you can almost feel yourself there. Shot through with dark humour, this tale is a grim portrait of one man’s duplicity. I really hope first-time writer Hughes makes the big time.

Howdy howdy Maud, will have to *ahem,cough,cough* have a close look at "The Morning Drop". You have made it sound very interesting indeed.
On a sad note, Jasper did not arrive today, it must arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed.
I don't know if you have heard of, or read "The Dovekeepers" but I am about ten chapters into it and it is showing great potential, very good indeed indeed.

Ps - We do have some great three-way conversations don't we. Thanks for waiting gals.

[Maud Fitch]

Beside me on the desk is a hardback copy of Julian Barnes "The Sense Of An Ending", I'm surprised at how slim it is.
I found out he won two awards in 2011. Really looking forward to reading it. Beautifully crafted so far.
He's a journalist so 'trims the fat'.

Gannon, I haven't read "The Dovekeepers" but from all accounts it sounds brilliant and well-worth reading. Thoughts?

Also, has that pesky 4th bear turned up yet?

[Gannon]

Beside me on the desk is a hardback copy of Julian Barnes "The Sense Of An Ending", I'm surprised at how slim it is.
I found out he won two awards in 2011. Really looking forward to reading it. Beautifully crafted so far.
He's a journalist so 'trims the fat'.

Gannon, I haven't read "The Dovekeepers" but from all accounts it sounds brilliant and well-worth reading. Thoughts?

Also, has that pesky 4th bear turned up yet?

Howdy Howdy my favourite poster.

First the bad news, no 4th bear did not turn up, but it has to be very close.
The good news, "The Dovekeepers" is brilliant so far, I have read about a third of it.
The Sense of an Ending is truly a little gem of a book. I am not surprised it won the booker. Fran, Dato and I have really been breaking it down and I can't wait to get your views on it. It may take your brilliance to shine some light on it for us.