Wilbur Smith is actually a fine writer and his books are in great demand. Unlike Grisham, Clancy and that lot, I can not find enough Wilbur Smith novels to keep the shelves full all of the time.

You don't have to be boring to be "good".

I like Grisham, possibly more than Wilbur Smith. I've never finished a Clancy novel that I can remember.

I think Grisham is considered a "leftist" by a lot of Americans which limits his appeal. I enjoyed his novel "The Brethren", the opening chapters about the three disgraced and imprisoned judges handing out prison justice were hilarious and a very true parody of the legal system. Their decisions were always 2-1 so the loser could take some comfort in that he "almost" got there.

American Idol takes a leaf out of American Justice, then...

Wilbur Smith is actually a fine writer and his books are in great demand. Unlike Grisham, Clancy and that lot, I can not find enough Wilbur Smith novels to keep the shelves full all of the time.

You don't have to be boring to be "good".

I like Grisham, possibly more than Wilbur Smith. I've never finished a Clancy novel that I can remember.

I think Grisham is considered a "leftist" by a lot of Americans which limits his appeal. I enjoyed his novel "The Brethren", the opening chapters about the three disgraced and imprisoned judges handing out prison justice were hilarious and a very true parody of the legal system. Their decisions were always 2-1 so the loser could take some comfort in that he "almost" got there.

I like both Grisham and Clancy for fun reading, but Wilbur Smith is considered to be a much better writer when it comes to technique.

As far as Grisham being a lefty goes, most Americans could give a sh*t less. Writers, comedians and musicians are pretty much expected to be liberals and that is just how it is.

The song "American Idiot" by Green Day is a very catchy tune, and although I consider them to be drugged out, adolecent thickoes, I still like the song, even if I totally disagree with it, and I often play it in my shop.

Are you living at Pattaya CB?

I really have to try to keep up with events around here.

yes moved down here about three months ago for work. Bit different to Chiang Mai

CB

I look at the shelves of books at most bookshops and see row after row of pot boiler crap dressed up as great literature. The Jackie Collins, Robert Ludlam formula books are light reads for people on trains not for people who wish to learn something new. In the same bookshop look for the reference section, the grat novels, the research material - it will be tucked at the back where no one visits unless looking for something specific or lost.

Or perhaps not there at all and you'd have to order them and wait 3 weeks for them to arrive - after having suffered being sneered at by the assistant. Is it only in the UK that bookshop assistants seem to think they're better than their customers? With the internet you can become interested in a book today and be reading it tomorrow.

Is it only in the UK that bookshop assistants seem to think they're better than their customers?

...NO, Endure, it's the same in my country, The Netherlands; it's a special breed, bookshop assistants. They also have special noses....book noses...

They SMELL books, better than their customers it seems. That's why most people are not bookshop assistants. I prefer smelling other things than books.

LaoPo