DID WE ALL FORGET TO CARRY ON READING BOOKS?

Sure - that doesn't seem to be the case with Ms Lawrence, although maybe she just has superior marketing. The counter argument though is that without a reasonable level of empathy and emotional intelligence, it would be impossible for an actor to effectively inhabit a character of any depth. So while your argument may well fit with some of the actors making their millions from Michael Bay movies, I suspect it would be nigh on impossible for someone "intellectually and morally vacuous" to succeed in the majority of movies requiring anything more than biceps, boobs and one liners.

I’ve enjoyed reading Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zezinho. Starts in the 90s and is loosely set in the world of computer gaming so might appeal to Talkbackers who grew up in those days. Spoiler: it’s not actually a computer game though, but a bit of a life/love story.

I read that recently with the book club at work, enjoyed it too. There was a patch in the middle where I thought they were going to grate a little, but it all came back together nicely.

I have some nice editions of Graham Greene, Sherlock Holmes and Ernest Hemingway that I am working through. Currently on Ministry of Fear. I'm enjoying old books at the moment, just finished Women in Love by the local lad too.

I re-read that recently as well, and also The Rainbow because they’re a pair. I read Saturday Night, Sunday Morning a while ago - another local lad. I’ve never read anything else by Sillitoe but feel I ought to try Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner at some point.

Yes, I enjoyed Saturday Night. Loneliness is a collection of short stories which is nice and easy to absorb. The Match has a lovely start with a lifelong Notts fan predicting defeat.

"Right from the kick-off Lennox had somehow known that Notts was going to lose, not through any prophetic knowledge of each home-player’s performance, but because he himself, a spectator, hadn’t been feeling on top form. One-track pessimism had made him godly enough to inform his mechanic friend Fred Ironmonger who stood by his side: ‘I knew they’d bleddy-well lose, all the time.’”

So that's definitive then?

Going to a live version of BBC's 'Between the Covers' TV show this evening. Am sure you'll all be desperate to find out which amazing new books, or indeed old classics, are recommended by, among others, Jo Brand and Stephen Mangan. I will report back.

Stand out recommendations were:

Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor

Lessons in Chemistry and Still Life were also mentioned.

The Bee Sting is the most irritating book I've (tried to) read for a long time. Each section is written from a different character's perspective which maybe seems like a good idea on paper, but when you're ploughing through, amongst other things, pages and pages of teenage girl's angst it kind of grates. And the section that's written from the young lad's perspective has virtually no punctuation so you're constantly going back over what you've read, trying to work out what the hell he's on about, and WHY THE FUCK are there no capital letters at the start of sentences.
So I gave up after about 80 pages which quite frankly is more than it deserved. If I'd had a paper copy I'd have lobbed the book out of the window. As it was I was on my kindle so I just turned it off angrily.
I can't remember if you rate these things out of triceratops or what, but it deserves a minus so my more succinct review is' fucking do one'.

Look forward to reading that one then!

Enjoy!

Lessons in Chemistry has been out for ages hasn't it?

I've seen the TV adaptation (twas ok), so it must have been.

Yes, but was mentioned in passing as a good book. Which it is.

Agreed.