What are you reading?

[Corlyss_D]

We haven't done this for awhile. Any specifically frivolous reading????

[Haydnseek]

I finished “Three Men on the Bummel” by Jerome K. Jerome yesterday. It is the sequel to “Three Men in a Boat,” one of the funniest books I have ever read. “Three Men in a Boat” is a narration of misadventures by three young bachelors during a boating trip on the Thames river. It was published in 1889 and must be a direct ancestor of the books of P. G. Wodehouse. “Three Men on the Bummel” was published in 1900 and follows the same fellows, two of whom are now married with children, as they take a bicycling tour of Germany. The book starts off very well but doesn’t quite measure up to the “Boat” in the end. Still, it’s pretty funny.

[Corlyss_D]

I finished “Three Men on the Bummel” by Jerome K. Jerome yesterday. It is the sequel to “Three Men in a Boat,” one of the funniest books I have ever read. “Three Men in a Boat” is a narration of misadventures by three young bachelors during a boating trip on the Thames river. It was published in 1889 and must be a direct ancestor of the books of P. G. Wodehouse. “Three Men on the Bummel” was published in 1900 and follows the same fellows, two of whom are now married with children, as they take a bicycling tour of Germany. The book starts off very well but doesn’t quite measure up to the “Boat” in the end. Still, it’s pretty funny.

H, have we discussed this before? I try not to forget any mention of TMBTSNTG! I agree with you that Bummel is not as funny but still a damn fine read, and that TMBTSNTG is one of the funniest books ever written. The fact that it is over 110 yrs old and hardly ever been out of print is a humbling tribute to the skill and good humor of the author. TMBTSNTG is my favorite book of all time. I have pictures of Jay and his buds hanging on my wall in my study. TMBTSNTG should have been made into a movie by Ealing Studios in the late 40s.


Carl Hentschel aka Harris, George Wingrave, and Jay on one of their outings.

[Brendan]

When the daily grind of modern life gets to me, I can find comfort in the wisdom of The Hunting of the Snark, and reflect on the parallels between modern management and the Bellman's leadership.

[Haydnseek]

I have pictures of Jay and his buds hanging on my wall in my study. TMBTSNTG should have been made into a movie by Ealing Studios in the late 40s.

Thanks for the photo! There was a TV movie in the mid-1970's with Michael Palin and Tim Curry. I haven't seen it since then but I remember it as a decent effort. You would miss the narrator J. pulling your leg continously though in a film version. Think of how many pages you read before you realize who Montmorency is?

[Richard]

I seldom read anything in the fantasy category, but a friend of mine recently recommended "A Game of Thrones", by George R.R. Martin. It won "best fantasy novel" of 1996. I am only on page 12, so can't yet give an opinion.

A few years back, I did read , again in the fantasy genre, the "Belgariad" series by David Eddings. If "Thrones" is half as good, it should be a good read.

[operafan]

I just read 'The Rule of Four'. Nice puzzel in the Da Vinci Code style but really really needs an editor, to the tune of IMO about 180 pages. Fun to take a red pencil to it to see if one can get rid of the dross without accidentally losing a clue.

[Richard]

Operafan - I was recently up in Portland, Oregon, and picked up "Rule of Four" at Powells Bookstore. I havn't read it yet...let us know if you like it. It looks like the Da Vinci Code might have a lot of spinoffs. I don't get the part about the red pencil.

[operafan]

The red pencil is from my old budget fighting days; the items that got red penciled got thrown out. The writers took 5-6 years to write it. They seeemed to put in alot of stuff that was not necessary, not as red herrings, but maybe vestiges of previous iterations of their ideas. But don't mind me, just read it and see what you think.

The marketing ploy of packaging the book in four different covers was a new one on me; one might think it is a series, but it is not, just a book of a different color.

[Corlyss_D]

I have pictures of Jay and his buds hanging on my wall in my study. TMBTSNTG should have been made into a movie by Ealing Studios in the late 40s.

Thanks for the photo!

Check out Christine Zachman's website tribute to Jay. She has most of the photos I have ever seen of him. A truly humble and remarkable man who, despite his love of Germany and Germans, tried to volunteer for the British Army in WW1 at the age of 57. Being sensibly denied, he went to France and enlisted as an ambulance driver, an experience that wrecked his health and no doubt hastened his death. In a foreword to later edition of TMBTSNTG, he remarked on the fact that he never got a penny from the American publication of the work, but he had so many letters from grateful doughboys who carried it in their kits with them thru the war that he felt amply rewarded.

There was a TV movie in the mid-1970's with Michael Palin and Tim Curry.

I've toyed with the idea of seeing it for years, but didn't like the cast of the movie made in the 50s or 60s I believe, and decided it would be better not to. I have such a clear vision in my head of what the episodes looked like. I have a tape of David Case, a wonderful vocal actor, reading it for Books on Tape. Words cannot describe how funny it is in his hands.

Think of how many pages you read before you realize who Montmorency is?

One friend who put me onto it told me about the dog, so I always knew. But I love so many of the episodes with Montmorency. I think my favorite is Jay's description of Montmorency's introduction into his life, followed closely by the farewell where all the dogs in the neighborhood show up to see Montmorency off with the lads.

What is your favorite scene in the book, if you can pick one? Ward Botsford's was the cheese story. Mine is a toss-up between the Hampton Court Maze and the swan story. But truly it's so difficult to pick one or even two.

[Haydnseek]

What is your favorite scene in the book, if you can pick one? Ward Botsford's was the cheese story. Mine is a toss-up between the Hampton Court Maze and the swan story. But truly it's so difficult to pick one or even two.

Too hard to choose. How about Uncle Podger and the picture frame or "How George, once upon a time, got up early in the morning?" I was looking at the site you linked to with the photos and the one of the "triple date" reminded me of the bit about "Of all experiences in connection with towing, the most exciting is being towed by girls."

Have you ever read "Zuleika Dobson" by Max Beerbohm? It is an Edwardian comic novel set in Oxford University containing elements of fantasy and black humor. I think you would like it. Another funny novel you might enjoy is "The Wrong Box" written by Robert Louis Stevenson together with his step-son Lloyd Osborne.

[Auntie Lynn]

Has anybody read "Mozart in the Jungle"...? I hear it's quite a wild ride...

[Corlyss_D]

Has anybody read "Mozart in the Jungle"...? I hear it's quite a wild ride...

Ralph had nice things to say about it. The author, who was here briefly, hasn't been back on the BBS since last winter, even to acknowledge her good review here.

[Corlyss_D]

Thanks, H. I'll look into those recommendations.