[IronGiant]

This is a slanted question aimed unashamedly towards how powerful the written word can be. I can pay £6.99 for a paperback that moves me more deeply than £20,000 worth of home cinema, or £250,000 worth of equipment at the local duplex. It won't be made obsolete by new technology and only requires nano watts of energy to enjoy the experience over and over again. I can (and have) a copy of a book my grandad owned and I was able to experience the obvious joy he had from owning and reading it.

I believe there is a place here for a book forum and I am happy to look after it if it can be established.

Dave

[Decadence]

I think it has been mentioned before quite recently hasn't it?

...and a book trade forum would be a nice addition, especially coming up to holiday season.

[IronGiant]

Yes I'm trying to set up a poll to promote a book sub-form and messed it up completely

Dave

[Smurfin]

You know, I was thinking exactly the same thing. There's a synergy between books and movies imho, it's just books generally do everything better. Ultimately you're only restrained by your/the authors imagination - I love getting immersed into a good book; a few words can conjure images in my head which would cost millions for hollywood to show you on the screen. Currently reading Troy: Lord of The Silver Bow by David Gemmell......I rest my case

[signs]

To your header question ..without a doubt, but I'm just lazy you see .I get in from work Knackered and i know if i pick up a book and start to read I'll be asleep within the hour ,but if the director is doing all the hard work in a good film I'll stay awake.

So as to your idea Dave ,I'm not so sure ..sorry

[Decadence]

do you have the power to delete this thread and start again with a poll or would you have to interrupt IanJ from his Sky+ of Coronation Street?

[Smurfin]

Originally Posted by Decadence

or would you have to interrupt IanJ from his Sky+ of Coronation Street?

[Matt W]

Yes. Anyone who argues otherwise mustn't have an imagination

[Ed Selley]

As I'm currently not without free time, I'm doing about 300 pages a day.

A book forum would be a fine idea

[Flimber]

FWIW, I've added a Poll to this thread. It expires in 30 days.

HTH,
Mike.

[Haly]

A book forum would be a terrific addition imo

[kav]

Absolutely, books is great. Me would support an forum.

[Smurfin]

Good poll

Although a sub-forum in itself, I think it will need to be split into sections:

Non-Fiction
General fiction
Horror/SciFi/Fantasy
Crime

etc etc

Hopefully there'll be loads more responses as I can talk books until the cows come home

[Iccz]

I dont think a books forum would get enough use to justify sub-forums, however you could just end a thread title with a genre in squared brackets.

Either way i'm very much for this

[Steven]

My current book is A Thousand Splendid Suns. Two books prior were The Kite Runner and Audacity of Hope in that order

Tragic, sad, funny, laughter, brilliant, inspiring, engrossing. Words that come to mind with all three. Words I cannot cite for the last 3 films I paid to watch... well maybe tragic

[Rorifett]

I think books are far more immersive than films, an average book holds my attention a lot more than an average film! Everything which happens in a book goes on in my head (which can be a crazy place sometimes! ) and my imagination isn't restricted by budget or someone else's casting etc! Cheers for this Dave!

On the subject of sub-categories, I think as Iccz says it's probably not the best idea to split the forum into the genres but possibly have a 'Reviews' section with the titles laid out in an '[Author], [Title], [Genre]' type way? - My only concern is if we don't split the possible Book section into having a definitive 'Reviews' sub-category is that the reviews and recommendations will be lost in a sea of new threads

[Noggin1980]

Yes to a book forum maybe a cooking one too. (cooking threads seem to get lots of attention here and everyone seems to enjoy taking part in them, would be far more active than the carbon footprint one where there is threads on the first page that havn't had a post this year)

No to splitting it up, already seen a few forums on this site die when sub forums have been added. When a sub forum is only getting a few posts a day there is no little incentive to visit and people don't get involved in new things as easily.

[nheather]

I love reading but find it difficult to get into them. This is largely apathy, rather than reading I'll sit in front of the TV - so mostly my reading is done in bed to send me to sleep.

Trouble is I generally make little progress because sleep takes over.

It usually takes me a little while (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 way thriough) but then I get hooked and addicted to the story - much more immersive and drawing than any TV or cinema experience.

My new car has iPod integration and my latest love is unabridged audiobooks which I listen to and from work (just over an hour each way).

I used to find the journies really stressful but the audiobooks have changed this and calmed my driving down immensely. I don't mind being held up - get to hear more story and as a result I have become much more relaxed.

Cheers,

Nigel

[dazza74]

I find I'm more immersed in books, I know my attention can drift watching films sometimes. Very much in favour of a book forum I've got loads of paperbacks sitting there looking for a trade.

[Zeromajor]

The Interpretation of Murder (murder/thriller half-based on real events featuring Sigmund Freud!) and Jpod (genre transcending nerdy weirdathon) were the last two books I really enjoyed.

They're definately one of life's pleasures, and to answer Dave's original post I think sometimes they're more enjoyable than movies becuase of our imaginations.

[Grrrrrowler]

You can't beat a good book - can be very rewarding - now where did I leave my felt tips?

[WibXL]

Originally Posted by Zeromajor

The Interpretation of Murder (murder/thriller half-based on real events featuring Sigmund Freud!) and Jpod (genre transcending nerdy weirdathon) were the last two books I really enjoyed.

Is Jpod the one that starts off with a list of spam email topics? If it is I had the audiobook version but didn't listen to much of it as I didn't like it but that was partly down to the narrators voice as well.

[Hitby]

Love reading and think books are far more engrossing that movies.

Doesn't stop me loving AV though

[Zeromajor]

Originally Posted by WibXL

Is Jpod the one that starts off with a list of spam email topics? If it is I had the audiobook version but didn't listen to much of it as I didn't like it but that was partly down to the narrators voice as well.

Yes, I mostly skipped those pages in the book - some of it was really long winded and added nothing to the 'events', but I can imagine it was harder to do so on the audiobook version.

The rest of it is great though, has some really memorable moments. Definately going to look into Coupland's other books now!

[Iccz]

You can never really capture a book in a film, there's too much in a book usually, a film will nearly always miss out a lot of parts.
Watching a film after reading the book always shows this, you watch the film thinking about the differences.
That said I do like to watch films, they're lazy peoples books filled with lovely effects etc!
Stephen King adaptations are usually really good.

[FZR400RRSP]

Love books.
Not really bothered about talking about them though, so a seperate forum would have no interest to me, sorry.

Edit, when I'm reading a book I always 'cast' actors in my mind.
Like I'm playing the book as a film, in my head.
Anyone else do this??
I find it often helps me keep track of multiple characters.
Maybe just me!

[Rorifett]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Stephen King adaptations are usually really good.

I really hope they never try and do a Dark Tower film... And also if they do I hope they forget books 5-onwards

Absolutely loved the books up until The Wolves of Calla and that just killed the series for me... Bloody Harry Potter things indeed...

Stephen King always strikes me as someone who is great at starting a story and brilliant at building up imagery in your head but once he actually describes the big, bad monsters then his books just kinda fold in on themselves.

[kav]

Originally Posted by bowfer

Love books.
Not really bothered about talking about them though, so a seperate forum would have no interest to me, sorry.

Edit, when I'm reading a book I always 'cast' actors in my mind.
Like I'm playing the book as a film, in my head.
Anyone else do this??
I find it often helps me keep track of multiple characters.
Maybe just me!

I do this, but not wth actors, usually it's with people I know. For example, in the Song of Ice and Fire series of books, there's a conniving dwarf character named Tyrion, and I can't help but picture a humpbacked lad I work with whenever I read his chapters.

[ste v p]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

My current book is A Thousand Splendid Suns. Two books prior were The Kite Runner and Audacity of Hope in that order

Tragic, sad, funny, laughter, brilliant, inspiring, engrossing. Words that come to mind with all three. Words I cannot cite for the last 3 films I paid to watch... well maybe tragic

I read The Kite Runner and have A thousand Splendid Suns sitting by my bed. I'm plucking up the courage for that one as the first really dragged me through the mill!

I've heard very good things about both Obama books, particularly the more autobiographical one (Dreams from My Father).

My most recent books were a couple of old classics I thought should be read: Nineteen-EightyFour and Catch 22. I was right, they are definitely worth reading if you haven't already. Coming to them as a newcomer you realise how often they are used in cultural reference nowadays. I found it hard to get used to the writing style of Catch 22 but once I did, and the book unfolded, it was funny, tragic and exteremely interesting.

[cas398]

I see the poll is different from the thread title.

I voted yes because I don't see why there shouldn't be a book section, if there's enough interest.

To answer the thread title, personally I don't think they can be as immersive, I don't like reading books.