General Books thread

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

I hope you all good lots of cool reading material for Chrimbo. But just in case you didn’t and are in need of some SF-related material to get you through to the Doctor’s return, I’d heartily recommend the first two books in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series….

[Missy @missy]

Two more I recommend.

“No Glamour in Gumboots” by Marian Warren.

“The Secret Life of Cows”  by Rosamund Young.

Missy

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

If anyone is looking for a fresh Who fix over the agonising summer drought, I’d heartily recommend the new series of Target novelisations, which are adaptations of actual Nu Who stories. Steven Moffat’s The Day of the Doctor is shaping up to be excellent so far, deepening the story we saw on TV considerably as well as being as narratively playful and inventive as you’d expect. I’ve also got Paul Cornell’s Twice Upon A Time and RTD’s Rose lined up too.

It’s like reliving my childhood. But in a good way.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@jimthefish

I’ll chime in to agree with that. The Day of the Doctor is really good – the others are on my ‘to read’ list.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@bluesqueakpip Apparently, TDOTD has really outraged a lot of folk (Quelle surprise). I can’t wait to give it a proper read to see what all the fuss is about (I already know a couple of the big gripes). I’ll be interested in what others think about all the new bits. Just a quick flick shows that it’s packed with spoilers!

@jimthefish I suspect you will enjoy pg 123…!

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@wolfweed —

Just binge-finished it tonight and I can guess why it might push the buttons of those who insist on having their buttons pushed. There are a few times when you feel the Moff is enjoying tweaking some particularly sensitive noses. Still no genuine cause for outrage though. Personally, I thought it was marvellous. A genuinely affectionate love letter to the series as a whole, and its fandom. Oh, and the sheer amount of Easter eggs — it’s like the Ready Player One of Who books.

And RE. p123 — yay!!

[Missy @missy]

I don’t usually come here, but I am so glad that I did.  Shall check my library to see if they have TDOTD in stock.

Thank you all.

Oh, and @jimthefish of course Mr. M is tweaking some noses, that is what he excels at, and why I am so fond of him.

Missy

[janetteB @janetteb]

Oh. Going to the city on Friday and have a couple of birthdays to provide an excuse to venture into the bookshop. It has been many many years since I last read a Target Dr Who book. I still have some up in the top room bookcase. But reading the above comments sounds as though it is time to start again. (and I have only got about two chapters of Colour of Magic left and am still waiting for the local bookshop to get the Light Fantastic in. Might have to pop in one day and remind the owner as I suspect she had forgotten. She did find another book I inquired about but it was over $80.00 Au and so I think I will persuade R.1 to borrow it from the Uni library for me instead.

Cheers
Janette

[Missy @missy]

@janetteb:

Have you just discovered Terry Pratchett’s Disc world? I’ve the whole set of the series and can’t count how many times I’ve read them all.

Wouldn’t it have been interesting to see what he would have done with an episode of DW?

Missy

 

 

[Cath Annabel @cathannabel]

Just re-read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, which was every bit as wonderful as I remembered it being.  And then I read La Belle Sauvage – first in the new Book of Dust trilogy, which I also highly recommend!  Part 2 is due out in October.

[winston @winston]

@cathannabel    I also enjoyed the His Dark Materials trilogy and La Belle Sauvage a lot and thanks for letting me know about part 2 coming out in Oct. There is a new TV series coming out on Netflix or Amazon , I forget at the moment but it looks good and I will definitely give it a watch when I can.

 

[janetteB @janetteb]

@cathannabel and @winston I too really loved His Dark Materials and I enjoyed the film though my main impression of watching it at the cinema was the cold, realising that what we see can influence how we feel. I was freezing during the snow scenes, it being mid summer and being dressed for Aussie summer not artic winters. I also loved the setting Svalbard, is one of those magical locations. (Just spent five days running a local writer’s festival of which the theme was “location” and so that is bit of a preoccupation at the mo.)

I saw the new trailer and it looks very promising. The series is being made by Bad Wolf Productions of Dr Who fame, and  I thought it was BBC so a little confused to see that it is being promoted differently but maybe it is a cross production. Most are these days.

I have yet to read “La Belle Sauvage”, but we have it. currently I am catching up with Terry Pratchett. I’m onto Mort which I am really enjoying. I do like Death. Such a great character.

Cheers

Janette

 

[Missy @missy]

For my birthday, a friend – who was as dotty as me about Doctor Who – bought me :

DOCTOR WHO

TARDIS

TYPE 40

INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

If you enjoy pure genius, I recommend this book.

Missy

 

[janetteB @janetteb]

@missy A lovely birthday present and your post made me realise that we don’t have a thread for Dr Who books. Would be a worthy addition to the forum I think. Recently I met an author who has written a Dr Who short story for a Big Finish anthology. (which I have yet to read.)

Cheers

Janette

[Missy @missy]

@janetteb

Good idea. I have two others given to me by the same friend.

Doctor who the Companion’s Companion.

and

Doctor Who. Time Lord Fairy Tales.

However, the Tardis manual is the best so far.

Thank you for posting, I was beginning to think I was invisible. *sniffs*

This is after all the forum for all things Doctor Who – isn’t it?

Missy

[janetteB @janetteb]

@missy

I would like to read the Time Lord Fairy Tales. I did borrow a collection of short stories from the Library a couple of years ago but ran out of time to read them all, always the problem with library books. I will be in the library tomorrow so might have a look out for some Dr Who reading, not that I need it as I am plodding through the Discworld books. (only plodding because I don’t make enough time to soar through)

Cheers

Janette

[winston @winston]

@missy and @janetteb   My son gave me a nice little boxed set of Who fairy tales and they have stories for the 1st  to the 12th Doctors each based around a classic fairy tale. The few I have read are fun. I have read a few Who books and I enjoy the audio stories performed by some of the actors. As with most things some are good and some are not so good but they are all Doctor Who and they fill a void.

[Missy @missy]

@winston

See if you can get hold of the Tardis  Manual – which I mentioned before.

It’s pure genius in as much as it is so well written, that you actually find yourself believing that there is such a thing as The Tardis!

[Shepherd @shepherd]

As a follow up to War Games read Players (1999) and World Game (2005) both by Terrance Dicks. As I look for new books to read I miss Sir. Pratchett and all the beings of Disc World more and more.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@shepherd I had the next Discworld book on order before the craziness hit at our local bookshop which i’m guessing is closed indefinitely. I think our bookshop owner owns the premises so hopefully she can sit things out but I am going to waiting some time before I can continue my Discworld reading sadly.

cheers

Janette

 

[Shepherd @shepherd]

Once you have finished the Discworld books read his other books. Bromeliad

1. Truckers (1988) 2. Diggers (1990)    3. Wings (1990) are great. The Johnny Maxwell three are very good but for young teens/older children but I enjoyed them. The Tiffany Aching stories are part of the Discworld or can be a stand along for a young girl coming of age. The last book has some subjects not for younger girls. Will give my daughter another year or two.  The Carpet People a very good first book. The Long Earth is the only books by Sir Pratchett that I did not enjoy and I stop after the second book.

Good to meet you. Enjoy and if you get a chance watch “Good Omens” and let me know what you think. Shepherd.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@shepherd Watched Good Omens twice last year and loved it. I think it was discussed on the TV thread at the time. Probably a few pages back now. Brought the book as a general pressie at Christmas but it is still on my too read pile.  It might have a wait though as I am currently trying to read some of the books from the Significant Books list that the BBC put out last year for a writing podcast.

Cheers

Janette

[cadbob @cadbob]

<p data-xf-p=”1″>WHAT THE FANS THINK: TORCHWOOD from Pencil Tip Publishing is now available to purchase.</p>
<p data-xf-p=”1″>Drop by the Pencil Tip Publishing store on Lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/penciltippublishing</p>

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

Is this the library?  Ah, good.   Where’s the swimming pool?

I just read ‘The Day of the Doctor.’ I don’t normally bother with ‘the book of the film’ or ‘the book of the TV series’ because it’s often a disappointment – the magic that the director and actors created on screen may not be echoed by the skill of the author. And sometimes vice versa – an author can weave fascinating patterns of words on the page that may not translate to the screen. And quite frequently the book, the play, the TV series and the film may be quite different works – looking at you, Hitchhiker’s Guide 🙂

But I was recently Googling for any interviews with Moffat (or the cast) of The Day of the Doctor because, unaccountably, the DVD doesn’t have a commentary (why is it so often the mediocre eps that have commentaries while the awesome eps don’t?) when I came across a page of the book on Goodreads. And Moff has a sufficiently good way with written words that I ordered the book.

Well, I’m pleased to say the book wasn’t a disappointment. It sticks fairly closely to the events of the episode (the Night of the Doctor included), with a few extra scenes added, which either weren’t in the TV script or got cut, most likely the former. It also has entertaining ‘meta’ notes before each chapter, a little like DNA used to include but more extensive. The only bit missing was the presence of the Interface in the background of several scenes (she was in the barn with the War Doctor of course), I suppose because two-thirds of the Doctors (who were sharing the narration) couldn’t see her. I actually missed that, since her presence livened up many of those scenes (the Interface is such a scene-stealer, and I mean that in a good way 🙂

So, it goes on my bookshelf, it’s a keeper.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@dentarthurdent (I hope I spelt that correctly..) I read Day of the Doctor at Christmas and loved it. It is so typically MOffat in style, witty, clever and imaginative. One of the best “Who” novelisations I have read. Definitely worth its place on the bookshelf.

Cheers

Janette

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

@janetteb

Hi JanetteB

Pleased you liked Day of the Doctor.

You mentioned  Good Omens  in an earlier note – that’s a pretty good book too.   I particularly like the interplay between the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley – two soldiers on opposing sides in an outpost who realise they have more interests in common with each other than they do with their respective commands.

I don’t know if you know Neil Gaiman’s  Stardust  – that’s pretty good too, and a very entertaining movie version.   I find Gaiman’s stories (at least the few I’ve read/watched) to be pleasantly good-humoured.   That goes for The Doctor’s Wife too.

Also Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels – I have all of them (I think), though I prefer his earlier ones to his later ones.   I find his Discworld quite reminiscent in tone to Doug Adams’  Hitchhiker universe, even though Discworld is explicitly fantasy and Hitchhiker is explicitly sci-fi.   But if you arbitrarily swapped wizards and werewolves and spells in a Pratchett for mad scientists, weird alien monsters, force fields and androids  I think it would ‘feel’ just like an Adams manuscript (or vice versa).

When I was young and foolish I favoured sci-fi and looked down on ‘fantasy’ – but now I’ve concluded the dividing line is narrow and probably fractal –  Pratchett vs Adams being exhibit #1.

The one thing all my favourite writers have in common is a way with words.   It’s a gift, I think.   No matter how inventive or exciting the plot is, the moment it starts to read like a police report I lose interest.   But if the phrasing is original enough I can keep reading for hours.

 

[janetteB @janetteb]

Was at a Friends of Library meeting today, looking over the local library’s monthly newsletter and in an item about new titles a name caught my eye; Alex Kingston. I thought it must be another Alex Kingston but then I saw the title, The Ruby’s Curse: A River Song/Melody Malone Mystery. It is co-written but sadly the other writer is not Stephen Moffat. I would certainly read it if it was but I guess he is too busy script writing the TV adaptation of Time Traveller’s Wife. Still I was a little bit excited about it.

Cheers

Janette

[Albert @albert]

I’ve read books as Doctor Who Legends of Camelot but I’ve never seen Docyof Who books in my library.

Here are some reviews:

Thank you.

[Author]

Posts