WEST LONDON BOOK SWAP THREAD :)

[MrsBojangles]

So that Uwilalalalala doesn't get offended by us bookworms - or would like to be bookworms if we had the time...

Lets do this properly then:

Who is coming on 2nd at 11am for the Bookswapperoo:

PC - hopefully
sfx - yes
pudding - yes
MrsB - yes??
Trying to be good ?

Please ammend if neccessary.

i think mellow said something about bringing cake

I'll bring a cake as well.

I'm coming on 2nd and I'm actually bringing a box of shortbread.

Foxie,
I finished Kite Runner this morning. I was sobbing last nite when I got to the "you know what" section and then I was sobbing when I got to the end. No spoilers.

You could probably tell I thought the book was amazing.

It also made me sad about the state of the world but that's just me.

Other than PC who wants to borrow Bell Jar, does anyone want anything from my list?

Update:

PC - hopefully if DD is OK
sfx - yes and lets describe about the books
Mellow - yes with yummy shortbread !
pudding - yes with yummy cake !
MrsB - yes??
Trying to be good ?

Mellow - The Kite Runner is a really good commentary of racism and class divides isn't it? Also a brilliant story. I love that book.

Update:

PC - hopefully if DD is OK
sfx - yes and lets describe about the books
Mellow - yes with yummy shortbread !
pudding - yes with yummy cake !
MrsB - yes and admitting to total ignoramus status
Trying to be good ?

Hiya ladies,

Sorry cannot make 2nd, hope you guys have fun swapping! Am about to start reading 'the right attitude to rain' by Alex McCall Smith.

i will try and bake some cookies

MrsB you're not an ignoramus, we can huddle in a corner and discuss Heinlen I promise!

Maybe we should all re-cap and make our requests otherwise I'm just going to bring a box of books to take home again!

I'll try to put my mother to good use and get her to make some flapjacks.

Failing that, I'll buy something! Trust me, you don't want any cakes/cookies etc that I bake!

ps: dd is progressing well

PC i thought you could all be my tasters it is an experiment
glad your dd is getting better, mine has had a cold with a cough for the last couple of days, nothing major but not much sleep

PC glad to hear dd is on the mend.

DD and ds have had cough and sniffles for over a week now but seem to be getting better now. Heaps of energy and despite finally having magic sleep potion it took me 2h to get ds down tonight! Seemed the massage with magic potion left him invigorated. Go figure!?! My son is weird!

Ok I'm up for the Heinlein corner

Update:

PC - hopefully if DD and flapjaks are OK
sfx - yes and lets describe the cookies
Mellow - yes with yummy shortbread !
pudding - yes with yummy cake !
MrsB - yes and admitting to total ignoramus status
Foxie - choccie bickies and gingerbread persons

Can we repeat our "wants list" please?

Mine are:

any contemporary novels but especially like foreign writers (asian, middle eastern, chinese)

What are other people looking for?

I don't have a wish list as such, just want to try something I wouldn't normally read. I think I'd said I'd borrow one of Paddle's Heinlen books (I'll let you suggest which one Paddle!) and one of sfxmum's southern gothic books! That should do me for a while!

I wouldn't mind a southern gothic book

As for Heinlein Books, and PC might contradict...

My favs are in this order:
Number of The Beast (but should be read after reading most of his other books)
Stranger in a Strange Land
Methuselah's Children
Time Enough for Love
I Will Fear No Evil
Assignment in Eternity Vol 2
Job
Friday
Glory Road
The Man Who Sold The Moon
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathon Hoag
Have Spacesuit Will Travel
The Moon is a Hard Mistress
To Sail Beyond The Sunset (I found that one a bit lame tbh) ;)
Starship Troopers (give me a headache, the movie was more fun LOL)

i'd like Bell Jar and Kite Runner I think but am actually quite keen to be educated by you lot!

as for Heinlen, my all time fave is Time Enough for Love but that may not be a good starter as Methuselahs Children might be better.

Friday works as does Stranger, I Will Fear No Evil all do okay as stand alones.

I gave up on Starship !

I'll just bring what I've got - takes no bother to put in a carrier bag!

I may have read Friday but as I can't remember I'll borrow that one if you don't mind Paddle! I'll just bring the ones I mentioned and you can all have a look over them then!

I was quite interested in the Handmaiden's Tale thingy (Atwood) and I capture the castle (Dodie Smith) but am open to any good stories

i'd like something uplifting as well actually.

flapjacks are made, mother apologises that they're a bit crumbly. the oats i have were too big.

bloody knew it'd be my fault!!!!

i recently bough another copy of the handmaids tale having lost my original.

i will name a couple of books when i have the time to consider them

i know i have read Heinlen a good 20yrs ago but have no idea what just some vague notions. did he write something about consciousness going into someone else's body or something. does not really sound like him anyway must refresh memory, dh says we have a couple around but i have not been able to find them

oh and PC i am sure flapjacks are great i always make them with jumbo oats and molasses.
tell guilt trip mum to chilland thanks too

SFX I think you must have read 'I will fear no Evil'

PC I'm sure the flapjacks will be very yummy, will have to abstain though as I'm sensitive to oats! Sort of glad to hear I'm not the only one with a 'guilt trip mum' as sfx put it

had a look online and yes read that one something about body paint i think i remember. i am sure there were a couple more books as well

yup definitely I will fear no evil . Come to think of it Heinlein does have a tendency to sort of hint at juicy intermezzi

Foxie,

I have Woman In the Dunes by Kobo Abe (Japanese) and House of Earth and The Mother by Pearl S Buck. As previously mentioned, Pearl S Buck is Jewish and was born and bred in China. I think she's the best English language writer to write about China (that includes all the Chinese authors around). She would give you an excellent introduction to life in 20th century China but is she contemporary enough for you?

If it is, I recommend The Mother for a short introduction. House of Earth is her best known work but it's actually a trilogy and will take a long time to read.

If you like, I'll bring them along and see if you want to borrow them.