Hello,
Watch this postNewly joined, or should I say re-joined , was a member a lot of years ago but lapsed. 86, retired but full time carer for my wife of 90 who unfortunately has dementia.
My interests, playing a keyboard, badly these days, hands aren't what they were. but the wife thinks I play marvellously. It helps that she's deaf. I also am an avid reader. I have a Kindle and buy from Amazon but must confess my go to books are old favourites many of fifty years or more.
Would like to hear from anyone who is interested in the older authors. As you may appreciate, whilst I am with my wife 24/7 her ability to converse is extremely limited and chatting generally is something I miss. We are somewhat isolated. We have family, most live away and have their own lives to live. Enough of my moans, Look forward to a chat with some of you. briber
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Sorry to be tardy, must confess I became a bit disheartened by the seeming lack of response.
Nice to see you, in the ether that is.
Older authors? Where to start?
R F Delderfield comes to mind. His ' A Horseman Riding By ' is a much loved, and read book. Or should I say series as there are four volumes charting the life of a young man, injured during the Boer War who takes on the responsibility of a country estate and the lives and troubles of the inhabitants. It continues until his death in the 1960's He has written others.
Nevil Shute.
'A Town Like Alice' 'Round The Bend' are two of my favourites.
John Le Carre,
'Tinker, Tailor' is probably is best work but all the others have been read and enjoyed.
C.S Forester His Hornblower series have been/ are, constant companions
I'll finish for now with an old favourite Frank Tilsley's Champion Road
None could be described as Classics but has given me, and continues to give me a deal of enjoyment. I acquired most via Charity shops and most were printed in the forties to the sixties.
There are many more but I won't bore you with them at this time,
There was a time I had a collection running into six or seven hundred until I was forced to down size on moving to a smaller home. I now restrict myself, with a great deal of heartbreak, to one hundred, Fortunately my kindle gives me several hundred books in a small space.
Recently I I acquired a number of e books by A J Cronin Which I used to have in hard back and I am looking forward to re-reading these.
So, any of these strike a chord with you? or perhaps you could share your favourite list, perhaps you include some of mine which I haven't mentioned.
Regards,
Brian L
My own personal Nevil Shute offering would be "On the Beach" - very dark and depressing but....hey ho!
I have read some AJ Cronin and CS Forester, although I wouldn`t describe them as my kind of authors. (And I confess to never having heard of Frank Tilsley)
Since investing in a Kindle some ten years ago, I have been reading or rereading some "classics". "Great Expectations" is a delight. Dickens creates such wonderful characters and the book is just so darn funny in places.
I read "Gone with the Wind" (nothing like the film) and tried "Dr Zhivago" but gave up as I got too confused by the fact that every character in the book has about four different names! Listened to "War and Peace" on audible - good cure for insomnia.
But lest you think me a complete literary heavyweight, I should confess that my absolute favourite author of all time is .....Stephen King. People who haven`t read him think he just writes horror, but that`s too simplistic. He`s far more nuanced than that.
"The Stand" would be my desert island book.
Happy reading whatever your choices.
Back to front. you made me look up Frank Tilsley Google is such a mine of information. Apparently a prolific author, dramatist and broadcaster who died 1957
Champion Road is a working class novel spanning the early part of the twentieth century up to the 1950's
Another of his books I particularly enjoyed was Brother Nap. a fictional account of the labour party just after the second world war.
Le Carre heavy? I suppose, he certainly is quite meticulous.
I imagine you would feel the same about CP Snow, a civil servant who wrote the Sleep of Reason. Still have that, three large volumes, dry as dust but interesting, to me, despite, or perhaps, because of that.
Probably the same could be said of Shute. All his works, that I 've read are rather dry. A Town Like Alice is a love story in part but to me, no great romance, or passion. The film is rather good and I think captures the essence, But that finishes with the couple meeting and the book continues the story of their life in Australia. That being said I enjoy the book. I suppose a reflection on my personality.
To get to your choice, I have read Dickens but find him a little fussy for my taste.
With most authors, I prefer their books to the adaption to film. With Dickens, I think the films are better than the books.
Stephen King. have read a few of his works but am not too keen of horror. I did enjoy though, The Shawshank Redemption. the book and the film.
I could bore for England with my opinions of books so I 'd better close before you despair.
I'll finish with one more though, How about Minette Walters? I find her fascinating, particularly as her works stand alone with different characters unlike most other crime writers who base their stories on a leading figure .
Regards,
Brian L
Try the Sculptress, Also made into a television play.
or,
The Ice house.
Regards,
Brian