The books thread

[Ali Katt]

Reading Wilt by Tom Sharpe
A fairly popular book back in the 80s. Mine is on Pan with the rude artwork by the excellent Paul Sample. It was turned into a film starring Smith and Jones which I do think is a decent watch.

The book is about a man in his 30s who is estranged from his wife. He is a tutor at a polytechnic and his wife is a new age type. After a drunken party he gets stripped naked and attached to a blow up sex doll and accused of murder after he tries to bury the doll in a hole.

It's typical British farce, but it's staggeringly well written. People might know Tom Sharpe from Blott on the landscape and Porterhouse Blue

[ulstersubbie]

Reading Wilt by Tom Sharpe
A fairly popular book back in the 80s. Mine is on Pan with the rude artwork by the excellent Paul Sample. It was turned into a film starring Smith and Jones which I do think is a decent watch.

The book is about a man in his 30s who is estranged from his wife. He is a tutor at a polytechnic and his wife is a new age type. After a drunken party he gets stripped naked and attached to a blow up sex doll and accused of murder after he tries to bury the doll in a hole.

It's typical British farce, but it's staggeringly well written. People might know Tom Sharpe from Blott on the landscape and Porterhouse Blue

I read most of Sharpe's novels years ago, as you say they were typical British farces, my favourites were Blott On The Landscape and Porterhouse Blue, both of which you have mentioned.

[mr.bluesky]

Reading Wilt by Tom Sharpe
A fairly popular book back in the 80s. Mine is on Pan with the rude artwork by the excellent Paul Sample. It was turned into a film starring Smith and Jones which I do think is a decent watch.

The book is about a man in his 30s who is estranged from his wife. He is a tutor at a polytechnic and his wife is a new age type. After a drunken party he gets stripped naked and attached to a blow up sex doll and accused of murder after he tries to bury the doll in a hole.

It's typical British farce, but it's staggeringly well written. People might know Tom Sharpe from Blott on the landscape and Porterhouse Blue

I read Wilt many years ago and enjoyed it, not read any of his other books.  Porterhouse Blue was turned into a television series ( starring David Jason)

[Ali Katt]

I read Wilt many years ago and enjoyed it, not read any of his other books.  Porterhouse Blue was turned into a television series ( starring David Jason)

I've not read anything by Sharpe apart from Wilt, but can attest Porterhouse Blue is a fantastic series

[ulstersubbie]

To The Dogs by Louise Welsh. A respected university professor has to defend his son after the latter becomes involved with gangsters. Typically dark and gritty stuff from Welsh but a bit formulaic, her earlier books (particularly the Rilke ones) were far more original and entertaining.

[Ali Katt]

To The Dogs by Louise Welsh. A respected university professor has to defend his son after the latter becomes involved with gangsters. Typically dark and gritty stuff from Welsh but a bit formulaic, her earlier books (particularly the Rilke ones) were far more original and entertaining.

Going to check out her book First Cut at some point. Looks like my thing.

[Malvolio]

Haven't been reading much this year due to extra work, but I did recently enjoy The Lewis Man by Peter May (2012).  It's a crime novel, with the catch being the crime happened in the late fifties.  One of the two main characters has dementia and the way he was portrayed was very moving.

[stampjones]

Haven't been reading much this year due to extra work, but I did recently enjoy The Lewis Man by Peter May (2012).  It's a crime novel, with the catch being the crime happened in the late fifties.  One of the two main characters has dementia and the way he was portrayed was very moving.

Its part of a loose trilogy - all are pretty decent

[stampjones]

Just read Proxima by Stephen Baxter. Science based scifi set a few hundred years in the future. Im not a huge fan of scifi though I do sometimes read it. I really enjoyed this though. The plot really zips along with a lot of really cool ideas

[radioman33]

“Mum can you lend me twenty quid?”..A mum tells her true story of her sons addiction to drugs.Elizabeth Burton Phillips was awarded an MBE.A good read.

“Our Stories “ 75 years of the nhs. Each chapter has a different story of someone connected to the nhs.
Good book.