Bristol Book Club

[xkcdfangirl]

This is the new home of this thread which has now died as none of the active particpants want to operate behind the new local barrier.

For any newbies - we are meeting usually on the last monday of each month (plus or minus a week depending on other things going on). The dates of our next 2 meetings were fixed last time we met but I am not 100% sure of them, hopefully one of the others will be along in a moment to confirm them. Venues are variable and we take it in turns whether they are north or south of the river so everyone has occasions when the meeting is nearer to them.

We are deciding the books 2 months in advance to give ourselves plenty of time to find a copy and read it. We decide which book to schedule by concensus at the end of each meeting - anyone can suggest one.

Our next meeting will be at the end of November and we are reading "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K Dick

The next meeting (which will be in mid January) will be looking at "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman.

[exexpat]

Sorry, I don't have series two. You'd better get those books out again.

[Spero]

o for goodness sake. you will be suggesting I get off the sofa at some point. I am quite happy to watch series 1 again, its brill. I especially loved the Duke of Hapsburg and his tiny hand.

[MrsWembley]

I've got some boxed sets, if you're looking for anything in particular?

[Spero]

ooo what have you got?

[fozmeadows]

Belated apologies for not being able to make it! Husband's teeth are healing up nicely.

Will try to make it next time, but as the kidlet is due in the next week or so, I'm not sure how up to it I'll be by Feb 25th - still, will try to be optimistic :)

[MrsWembley]

Right, off the top of my head (as I'm lying in bed at the mo, thinking about sleep) I've got Teachers, Cold Feet, X-Files, Babylon Five, Dad's Army, Red Dwarf. I can't remember now what's still here and what's gone into store but I know I've seen those recently as DS keeps pulling them off the shelves...

You can't have The West Wing just yet as I'm only on series 2

[Spero]

i have just discovered I can get lovefilm on my ipad so I am in heaven and changes of reading next book have diminished accordingly.

[MrsWembley]

Or Rising Damp, Porridge, Farscape, Comic Strip Presents, The Young Ones, Paddington, The Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Green Wing, Open All Hours, Sharpe, American Gothic, series one of House, Hyperdrive, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, Spaced, Gavin and Stacey, Yes Minister/Prime Minister, Hornblower, Reginald Perrin, Ally McBeal...

[Spero]

look mrsW if you want me out of book club just say so and stop passively aggressively loading me up with such televisual delights that I never open a book again...

[MrsWembley]

Or you could just do what I do and ignore the DCs, ignore the housework and never sleep.,.

[Spero]

I think I am ahead of you there Mrs W but I am also ignoring the dog, so I get extra points. If I can finish the last two series of Angel, I may move on to Feb's book, but don't hold your breath.

[xkcdfangirl]

Ooh did anyone else notice that the local boards are no longer locked behind the obligatory name change? I was wondering whether we should relocate our discussions there as we all keep losing this thread? Or are we happy here?

Spero if you are needing box set entertainment and get bored with what MrsW can offer I can also provide Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Game of Thrones, Heros, True Blood, Outnumbered and the Thick of It to name but a few - but there's 728 other hours in the month for watching tv, you can still spare 2 for coming to book club...

[Spero]

damn you aaaaaaallllll....

[Spero]

can we stay here. I just can't be arsed to figure out the local thingie.

[MrsWembley]

Another vote to stay here please!

fangirl Does your In The Thick Of It go right back to the beginning with Chris 'I'm a fucking idiot' Langham? I only ever managed a couple of episodes, for one reason or another, but I have the film and love it!

[LocEdBristol]

Just to let you know(if you don't already) You no longer need to change your nickname for Local.

[Spero]

sorry, i tried to sign up for local some time ago but the whole experience was so traumatising that I don't think I can go there again.

[Spero]

I had a look at the local site a few days ago but there doesn't seem to be a Bristol option, or at least nothing that I can click on! Why is the local site so rubbish and difficult to navigate? So I am afraid I am even stronger in my resolution not to go there.

[xkcdfangirl]

I found it easily enough - here's the direct link local.mumsnet.com/Talk/local_bristol

If you click on "Local" and zoom in on Bristol you get a bristol landing page, and one of the options at the top under the mumsnet logo is local talk.

[Spero]

All I could get was Gloucester. And I refuse on principle to engage with any site that causes me frustration and annoyance for more than 1 min.

[xkcdfangirl]

Fair enough. We can just stay put then.

[TheRealXkcdfangirl]

Argh I namechanged in order to post about something a bit embarrasing as quite a lot of people know this name now, but when I tried to change back it said I wasn't allowed as the nickname xkcdfangirl is already in use grr grr!! Perhaps it is a glitch and it will let me change back tomorrow.

Anyway I wanted to post here just quickly as I have just found the list of ideas for future books which I got from browsing my mum's bookshelves at christmas. No need for them to be in the running any time soon (or indeed ever) but if on some future occasion we find ourselves stuck for ideas we can call up this list and see if any of them look interesting.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simpson
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

[Spero]

I am well intrigued now. Remember what happens in Book Club, stays in Book Club...

I have read Major Pettigrew and liked it but thought it was a bit slight. I have also read the 13th Tale and cant remember a thing about it which I guess is not a good sign...

[Lamazeroo]

Sorry, have been stuck in non-sleeping hell (which sadly has meant non-reading hell too). exexpat thank you for your kind offer of lending me the next book. I'd be really keen once you've finished it. Looked it up - sounds like the strangest thing! I've been so pleased with the discoveries I've made through this group; The Magicians was such a find, and one I would never have picked up myself. Managed to easily find a copy of Salmon Fishing on Gloucester Rd, as expected, but it seems The Death of Bees is in hardcover only. Does anyone have a copy they anticipate being able to lend closer to the date?

[tiffinbaker]

The date for death of bees is so far in advance because it's due out in paperback in March. The conversation went something along the lines of

• This looks good lets do it
  
• but it's only available in hardback
  
• it's due out in paperback in March let's arrange to have it soon after that
  
• ok what shall we read till then
  

... which is why we ended up choosing 3 books.

I've pre-ordered it from the book depository for £5.99 with free delivery. Sainsburys is also offering it for that price with free delivery - other vendors slightly more.

I've ordered it from