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I agree, the tone changes after Dune, the mysogony (sp?) and messianic elements become much more pronounced and (for me) dominate too much in the later episodes - it was a shame, the characters of Alia and Duncan were obviously supposed to contribute to volumes 2 & 3 but the opprotunity was...

Very personal preference, but I would go for: William Bennett - a local historian and expert on the Pendle Witches who taught me how to play chess when I was a kid. Now sadly passed away. p.s. it wasn't easy being a local historian in East Lancashire where I grew up - basically nothing...

Dare I mention ....... Tank Girl Maybe not truley in the genre but my favourites would include "On the Beach" and "Planet of the Apes" - although I was young when I saw that and the ending was a real wow moment.

Interesting Aqua - you rate Gatsby but haven’t read it! Get out there right now and buy it! From the list, books that blew me away: Gatsby Lolita - but this is probably the one book I hesitate before recommending Animal Farm To Kill a Mockingbird Rebecca - excellent, but not Du...

I wouldn't mind discussing one of these although they seem a little out of my normal range. However, "The gravedigger's daughter" is only available in the UK as hardback at the moment. Owt, but that. Pip

presumably you mean which book you would suggest at some point, but not to a kid? I wouldn't suggest Animal Farm until they have acquired some Russian revolutionary history.

I am not too sure about this movie. Because it isn't in the first person, there isn't the tantilising possibility that Mrs de Winter II is an unreliable narrator. And the housekeeper (Mrs Rivers?) seemed to have more depth in the book, whereas I thought in the film she lacked a motive for her...

King Lear The BBC has a weekly radio discussion program called “In Our Time” that covers a wide range of ideas. Basically, it is a bunch of well informed bods discussing some piece of philosophy, literature or scientific principle. This week they are discussing “King Lear”, and whilst it is not...

I'm afraid you are no Cyrano. The review is more about attacking Grisham's politics (or maybe his display of politics?). This bleeding US election is getting everywhere! A question about the book though - Isn't the premise just a reworking of "The Pelican Brief"?

There are some interesting discussion points there Niphredil, How do we get to the proposition that someone who shares an author’s culture may understand and relate to it better than someone who doesn’t share that culture? For that matter, how do you define a shared culture – how much...

:D - thanks - made my day.

Maybe in the general, but if I were to pick one awe-inspiring nude I am going for MA's David.

A black pudding and bacon crepe in Normandie – my introduction to the marvels of Galettes. Open potato pie and red cabbage – every bonfire night. Melted blue cheese and chips in a Boston bar a couple of years ago – I was jet lagged, forgot what US chips are and lucked out with this...

Quoting from 80's teen movies - I think you have just dated yourself :)

nowt wrong with the King's Gambit for a club night. It does everything that a gambit should do, it gives you space and the initative. Natural development is taking you down the right path so it is good for novices and black is going to be chasing the game for quite a while. Now if you want...

What do you consider to be today’s definition of a romance? I ask as I am curious at what point does a novel stop being a member of a genre. Personally, I am perfectly happy calling P&P a romance. Yes, it deals with issues of pride and prejudice as the story moves from boy meets girl to boy...

Ah, you have too much respect for the people at Woollies. My mother used to say that if you were too thick to work in a shop you worked at Woollies. Plus, the quote came from the IT department manager (who maintained the web site) and I can believe this of IT staff. Actually, I quite liked...

I think my favourite melancholic story is “The Ballad of the Sad Café”. Actually, I have that in a collection with some other stories by Carson McCullers including one called Wunderkind (sp?) which I found even more so, but maybe that was just a teeny bit of empathy with the main character...

Perhaps I was too oblique, I meant it was more honest to choose looks (which at least reflects taste) over whatever motive drives someone to display (in the hypotheical padded library) titles and authors that have been selected 'by hand' in the knowledge that they won't be read.

I thought the Isabella Huppert version of Madame Bovary was excellent, and was interesting for having a slightly more mature Emma than I expected from the book. More of a touch of Charlotte Lucas rather than Lydia Bennett. The Big Sleep is another excellent adaptation, the best of the...