The B&B Book Review - The Bear and Badger

Bob

Started This is Going to Hurt subtitled the Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and so far funny and informative and well written.

tin_robot

Bob wrote:

Started This is Going to Hurt subtitled the Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and so far funny and informative and well written.

I've not read it (I generally avoid watching or reading anything to do with medicine), but I know it's well thought of amongst doctors, and generally considered a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like. Personally it sounds like there's stuff in there I don't care to relive.

(The problem with this job is that there are chunks you have to try and blot out of your memory, lest you never turn up to work again.)

Raiziel

Finished Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts last night. More about mental illness driving a family to meltdown rather than a possession/exorcism tale. It was a very easy read, and the author does an excellent job of putting us in the head of an eight year old girl, from whose eyes alone we watch the unraveling of her family.

Then I read Dirt Road from the short story collection You Can Never Spit It All Out by Ralph Robert Moore, and I really wish I hadn’t. A nasty, vile little piece of fiction about a hillbilly couple who give birth to a four legged boy. This, to me, wasn’t good horror, just...well...nasty’s the right word. I’d like the memory of this story out of my head ASAP. Still, I’ll try the next story in the collection tonight and, if it’s similarly mean-spirited, I’ll move on to something else.

Bob

tin_robot wrote:

Bob wrote:

Started This is Going to Hurt subtitled the Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and so far funny and informative and well written.

I've not read it (I generally avoid watching or reading anything to do with medicine), but I know it's well thought of amongst doctors, and generally considered a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like. Personally it sounds like there's stuff in there I don't care to relive.

(The problem with this job is that there are chunks you have to try and blot out of your memory, lest you never turn up to work again.)

It’s very very funny and an interesting insight in to
Human nature.

It seems being a doctor has very few redeeming features? I figured you got
Paid shit
Loads

tin_robot

Bob wrote:

Started This is Going to Hurt subtitled the Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and so far funny and informative and well written.

I've not read it (I generally avoid watching or reading anything to do with medicine), but I know it's well thought of amongst doctors, and generally considered a pretty accurate portrayal of what it's like. Personally it sounds like there's stuff in there I don't care to relive. (The problem with this job is that there are chunks you have to try and blot out of your memory, lest you never turn up to work again.)

It’s very very funny and an interesting insight in to Human nature. It seems being a doctor has very few redeeming features? I figured you got Paid shit Loads

The pay is undeniably very good, though not as much as it used to be, and it depends what kind of doctor you are. (To give an idea, a registrar gets £30,000-50,000 a year depending on seniority. There are plenty of hospital doctors who never make it past the registrar/senior registrar level.). Consultants get a lot more (again depends on seniority, “excellence awards” and private work, but usually about 100,000). Salaried GPs get between 60-80,000 if full time (but the majority aren’t) and GP Partners traditionally get about the same as a hospital consultant - although income for partners has dropped a lot of late. (For instance I took half pay for 4 months out of 12 last year in order to pay the staff, whilst a friend now earns less than her senior nurse.)

So, yeah, a lot of money, but sadly not enough to keep people in the profession. (Half of doctors finishing their foundation training quit the NHS at that point alone.). I went to a dinner party earlier in the year with a bunch of friends that I’d trained with, and suddenly realised half way through that out of the 10 of us, I was the only doctor left. I suspect if you’d asked those 9 people, they wouldn’t have gone back for all the money in the world. (Partly for the reasons outlined in the book, I guess.)

On the other hand, I still love it for the privilege of helping others, and being part of their stories, even if the ratio of shit to reward has skewed pretty heavily shit-wards of late.

Bob

The last paragraph is pretty much what he says I’m waiting to hear what changed as he’s left the profession now

Raiziel

Read the second story in Ralph Robert Moore’s collection last night. Kebab Bob: about a guy connected to three other guys by a steel girder through the abdomen. He fancies a girl, it doesn’t work out.

I’m out.

Dark Soldier

Those both sound fucking horrendous, the kinda shit I would've read when I was 13

Nina

Finished The Great Gatsby last night.

Not bad at all, took me a bit to get into it but it's a nice little novel. Best thing about is how it feels so easy to imagine the 1920s New York setting that is described. A strange feeling of nostalgia when reading and a glimpse at what The American dream was for some people.

davyK

The Great Gatsby is the most beautifully written book I've ever read. Setting the story aside - reading it is like having silk wrapped around my head.

Started a Richard Burton biog last night. I don't read many of these but Burton is interesting and this 800 page tome was going for £4 in a book shop clearance. Reviews on amazon check out OK so we will see.

regmcfly

I've taught Gatsby 4 years in a row and I always find a line I love.

Aaroncupboard

Finished listening to The Silent Companions yesterday. Classic Victorian Gothic Ghost story in the style of Woman in Black (closest comparison I could make). Starts really well and builds up some good tension, has a massive dip in the middle (I very nearly gave up on it) before fully redeeming itself with a brilliant final third!

The main ghost type things (the silent companions of the title) were interesting and far creepier than I thought they would be. Some of the story twists / reveals were predictable but pretty much well done overall.

I really enjoyed it by the end.

tigersgogrrr

How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig.

Yup, very good. Reminiscent of Harry August for many reasons and a jolly good romp through history. I found the final scene with Hendrich and his actions within a bit ill-fitting - or perhaps I'd missed something - but overall the final few chapters were superb. Great stuff.

Roujin

Aaroncupboard wrote:

Finished listening to The Silent Companions yesterday. Classic Victorian Gothic Ghost story in the style of Woman in Black (closest comparison I could make). Starts really well and builds up some good tension, has a massive dip in the middle (I very nearly gave up on it) before fully redeeming itself with a brilliant final third! The main ghost type things (the silent companions of the title) were interesting and far creepier than I thought they would be. Some of the story twists / reveals were predictable but pretty much well done overall. I really enjoyed it by the end.

Yooo that's on my list! If you liked that I recommend her other book The Corset, which is supposed to be equally spoopy and is also hovering near the top of my to read pile.

Bob

Reading I am Pilgrim.

Aaroncupboard

Roujin wrote:

Aaroncupboard wrote:

Finished listening to The Silent Companions yesterday. Classic Victorian Gothic Ghost story in the style of Woman in Black (closest comparison I could make). Starts really well and builds up some good tension, has a massive dip in the middle (I very nearly gave up on it) before fully redeeming itself with a brilliant final third! The main ghost type things (the silent companions of the title) were interesting and far creepier than I thought they would be. Some of the story twists / reveals were predictable but pretty much well done overall. I really enjoyed it by the end.

Yooo that's on my list! If you liked that I recommend her other book The Corset, which is supposed to be equally spoopy and is also hovering near the top of my to read pile.

Oh excellent, hadn’t seen that she had done another one. Will add that to the list.

davyK

The Richard Burton biog I'm reading (And God Created Burton) is very good. Highly readable. I find biogs pretty dry ; especially in the early parts but this is enjoyable.

The writing is of a style that makes it very easy and breezy to read and at 800 pages that is required. There are some shocking typos though which makes me wonder if the low price (£4 for a hardback albeit in a clearance bookshop) is reflected in the fact it was part of a duff print run.

Raiziel

Speaking of easy reads, I’ve just finished The Three Imposters by Arthur Machen, which definitely isn’t an easy read. First published in 1895, it weaves a weird occult tale of two thoroughly excellent chaps dashing about London and becoming inadvertently embroiled in the search for a sinister golden coin. What it really amounts to is a collection of strange tales told to them as they go about their business. I almost bailed early doors as the writing style is flowery and ornate, and it’s peppered with quite a few words that you just don’t see anymore. But while the ultimate denouement isn’t very satisfying, I’m glad I stuck it out, and you get used to the writing style after a while. Will be reading more of his work, I think.

Also read Lovecraft’s The Whisperer in the Dark and The Dreams in the Witch House. Am now a fan, and will be reading all of the reminder of his work.

davyK

I've also got The Second World War by Churchill on the go - a six volume behemoth of a work. It is pretty hard going at present. The 1st volume is really about the political machinations which makes for dry reading - I must press on. It is peppered with how Hitler built up his forces under the noses of the world in spite of treaties which is of interest.

Aaroncupboard

Finished The Poppy War this evening. It gathered a lot of positive buzz last year and was being called the debut of the year in fantasy. I have to say I can understand why. It sits firmly in the grim dark camp alongside Abercrombie and co but has a more Chinese historical background to it. It was very readable and very enjoyable - even when it covered some horrifically dark stuff ( which almost went into the ott realm ). The main idea behind the magic system ( involving drugs and gods ) was pretty cool too.

A very good debut and I will be very interested in how the series progresses.

tigersgogrrr

Nice to know. I have that sat on the Kindle.

Then again, I also have The Hod King waiting...

Aaroncupboard

Oh shit I still need to read The Arm of the Sphinx...

My pile of shame on the kindle is intimidating.

davyK

davyK wrote:

The Richard Burton biog I'm reading (And God Created Burton) is very good. Highly readable. I find biogs pretty dry ; especially in the early parts but this is enjoyable. The writing is of a style that makes it very easy and breezy to read and at 800 pages that is required. There are some shocking typos though which makes me wonder if the low price (£4 for a hardback albeit in a clearance bookshop) is reflected in the fact it was part of a duff print run.

Finished this. It's very good indeed. The bonus is it has sections describing the chaos of the Cleopatra film Burton and Taylor starred in. Film dev hell is a favourite subject of mine.

800pages - but breezy and easy to read. Refers to earlier Burton biogs so could be considered worth reading before any other - indicating where one can read more should the need be felt. There is some repetition but it's the result of the intertwining narratives that meet in places and it isn't an issue and doesn't happen that often.

Recommended.

Raiziel

I finished The Fisherman by John Langan this afternoon. Big disappointment. It takes the Lovecraft approach of telling a tale with minimal dialogue. Now that’s fine in short form, not so much when applied to a fairly substantial novel. It was also written in a very workmanlike fashion and peppered with odd punctuation placement and sentence formation. It’s a shame, as I liked some of the ideas in there, but ultimately even the story was a bit undercooked for my liking.

Before that I read a few stories from Shirley Jackson’s (of The Haunting of Hill House fame) The Lottery. Mostly I was left scratching my head and wondering what the point was at the end of each of them. May go back to finish them off at some point.

Also read the first story in Thomas Ligotti’s Teatro Grottesco this afternoon. Not a bad start.

Nina

Finished Lord of the Flies last night.

That was actually pretty dark, I kinda expected it after reading the quotes on the back (Stephen King is a fan apparently) but it still hits you. Thought it was good.

Got Gaiman's Norse Mythology to go next, and have nothing lined up for after that. Guess I need to check some garage sales again, to pick up random stuff for a quarter or so.

Bob

Nina wrote:

Got Gaiman's Norse Mythology to go next, and have nothing lined up for after that. Guess I need to check some garage sales again, to pick up random stuff for a quarter or so.

#

I really enjoyed that. It's very readable.

davyK

Made a start on Watchmen last night. I'm going to control my urge to binge read it. Taking it an episode at a time each night. I wish I hadn't seem the film though - so far it looks pretty close - which means they did a good job of the film I suppose. Early days though.

I like the blurb that seems to be at the end of each episode, filling in backstory etc. The artwork and colouring are magnificent.

Only other graphic novel I've read is Maus which is a different proposition altogether.

Roujin

WATCHMEN IS SO FUCKING GREAT I LOVE IT I WISH THE FILM HAD THE BALLS TO DO THE ACTUAL ENDING THOUGH.

I recommend The Filth to anyone who hasn't read it yet for another great alternative take on them superheroes.

Lord_Griff

Quickly finished Mieville's census taker. Hmm. Seems like he wrote the novella, then looked at each paragraph and edited them separately, non sequentially, to try and make it tighter but invariably failed.

pantyfire

davyK wrote:

Made a start on Watchmen last night. I'm going to control my urge to binge read it. Taking it an episode at a time each night. I wish I hadn't seem the film though - so far it looks pretty close - which means they did a good job of the film I suppose. Early days though. I like the blurb that seems to be at the end of each episode, filling in backstory etc. The artwork and colouring are magnificent. Only other graphic novel I've read is Maus which is a different proposition altogether.

Two of the best graphic novels ever there my man.
I re-read Watchmen every now and then, every time I find something new in it.

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