Harry on Down to Buy It! NOW!

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Paoli69

No I won't buy it; but I'll borrow it!

Cheapskate!

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Maranello

...Now, if there was a third option, something along the lines of: "Neither JK nor JRR; in fact, I'd much rather see paint dry, or even visit the dentist", I might have been tempted to vote

Let me undress the options for you:

The first is the answer "YES", used if you are going to get the book.

The second is the answer "NO", used if you are not going to get the book.

All the stuff about spells, sweeping brushes and kings of rings is for a little bit of show!

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Lemming

What books have you read recently, were they any good? You may wish to comment on your favourite authors! Are you going to buy this new Harry Potter book?

I am currently reading' The Other Women' by Jane Green, but am making slow progress through it, largely because it isn't really my cup of tea, but a friend of mine insisted that I borrow it because 'it's really good,' and therefore I am duty-bound to read it!!

My favorite five books are:

1. The Stand by Stephen King (the extended verison) - It is a real epic story, brillant charctors, chilling in places, but also very moving. I've read it many times, it's just wonderful!!!

2. Alive by Piers Paul Reed - this is based on the accounts of the survivors of the Andes plane crash in the early 70's, where a group of passengers survived a horrific plane crash and other traumas and were stranded in the mountains for several months with no food (apart from the bodies of those who died) until two of them managed to walk through some of the highest mountains in the world to get help. Remarkable story of human courage.

3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - if any one says they knew who did it before the reveal, they are fibbing!! The best of a great bunch of novals by the best crime writer ever!!

4. Are You Dave Gorman? - by Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace - a magnificent tale of obsession and adventure, where two people travel the world to meet people called Dave Gorman! And it's a true story!!

5. Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley - I found this at a second hand book stall on the Southbank, and was really moved by the story of a teenage boy who was abused by his father and is in love with his neighbour, and the ending seems to be heading towards a real tradgy, but somehow turns out all right. It's not a mainstream book, and perhaps not for everyone, but I found it very vivid. The ending is rather strange, and even having read it severl times I'm still not sure I really understand it!

My favorite auther is probably Stephen King - he is much more than a horror writer, and the reason I like his work so much is because of his ability to make charactors who are real, belivable and multi-dimensional.

No, I will not be reading Harry Potter. When I was a kid, I loved the Narnia books, it doesn't mean I still read them now, though!!!

Persoanally, all the hype that surrounds them makes me uncomfortable, it's almost as though kids have been brain-washed into reading those books!! I'm sure it wasn't like it at the start, when it was a kind of word-of mouth thing, but now it seems to have evolved into some sort of monster!!

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Kirsty Harris

4. Are You Dave Gorman? - by Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace - a magnificent tale of obsession and adventure, where two people travel the world to meet people called Dave Gorman! And it's a true story!!

Never read the book, but I remember watching some of that show on bbc2 back in 2001. I think he was in Texas and he'd already drunken quite abit, but one bar wouldn't let him in without ID. So he went and got his driving license tattooed to his arm or something?!

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Pete

I think he was in Texas and he'd already drunken quite abit, but one bar wouldn't let him in without ID. So he went and got his driving license tattooed to his arm or something?!

That was Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure, where he was aiming to meet 10 Googlewhacks in a row.

That was a later book, a good read.

There was a t.v. show called 'The Dave Gorman Collection' which was made after Danny Wallace and Dave Gorman has completed their quest to meet, and photograpgh 54 people called Dave Gorman.

Those too have had some adventures, I can tell you! Danny Wallace wrote a great book called 'Join Me' after accidently starting a cult which now has several thousand members who do good deeds on Friday's (called the Karma Army). It was really enjoyable!! (Check out www.join-me.co.uk)


They also made a really fun t.v. show together called Dave Gorman's Important Astrological Experiment, where they tried to determine whether following the advice of your horoscope improved your life, using Dave's twin brother as the control experiment. Dave followed the advice of his horoscope for a month - for instance, when told to meet up with old friends, he flew to New York to see an old friend. When he had met his friend, his horoscope advised him to spend as much time with his family as possible, so he flew straight back home!!!

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Maranello

But I am off to our Borders here, since its open to 1am tonight and all books have 20% off...might come back with a sackful, but then again, might not if the store is over-run by Wisards!

Had an interesting little trip to Borders last night. The store's open till 10pm normally, but this was extended till 1am in honour of the little (or in some cases, not so little ) wisards. There weren't that many of them around, so I had a nice quiet time browsing and did indeed come back with a sackful...a good night's work

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Kirsty Harris

They also made a really fun t.v. show together called Dave Gorman's Important Astrological Experiment, where they tried to determine whether following the advice of your horoscope improved your life, using Dave's twin brother as the control experiment. Dave followed the advice of his horoscope for a month.

That was really good. He partly based how happy he was on how much money he made. In the final program it was becoming apparent that following his horiscope was making him unhappy. Until he took some astrological advice and made a few bets. After goals by Trevor Sinclair and Damian Duff, then a golf tournament win by Ian Woosnem, he won loads of money taking him from the "triangle of doom" straight through the neutral area into the "triangle of delight", thus implying he was happy.

Some funny moments were when he surprised an old friend by knocking in their door, hiding under a box and then jumping out and shouting "HELLO". Then he took his box and hid in it in the middle of the road, when a car came along he followed advice and "danced his way out of trouble"!

I saw Dave live and got a "Dave Whacked my Google" badge, which I proudly sport from time to time!

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Lemming

I saw Dave live and got a "Dave Whacked my Google" badge, which I proudly sport from time to time!

I was going to go to one of those shows but I was ill and I had to give my ticket to a friend

[Moss]

I am half way through reading it, but paused to have an argument with my husband.

[Paoli]

Originally Posted by Mongoose

Cheapskate!

Hey, I've got the first five novels....in hardback!!! I reckon I've done my bit for JK Rowling. She'd still be unemployed if it weren't for me!! Well, I might go and buy the "Halfblood prince"; a series I could show to my children should I ever have them!

Paoli would like to state that he knows JK is an excessively rich millionaire and me buying her first five books counts for bugger all!!!