All right, Book Groupies. I think it’s time to start the discussion! If you’re not quite done yet, just wait until you finish to join in so we don’t inadvertently spoil it for you. This isn’t going to be a set length kinda thing; we’ll just talk about it for as long as people want to talk about it.
The forum itself should be hopefully self-explanatory, but let me know if you have any problems. It’s a threaded discussion (unlike my blog comments), so you won’t have to hunt for replies to your posts. You don’t have to login or anything, but your IP address will get logged so I can track/ban abusers if necessary. There’s no HTML allowed, but you can use something called “PhorumCode” to format your messages. (Instructions are linked on the posting forms.) It’s pretty simple.
In related good news, I finally got my copy of The Lovely Bones today! (It just got released here today, so any other Aussies should now be able to find it.) I think I’m going to try to set it aside for a few weeks, though. I read fast, and I finished Back When We Were Grownups way, way too early. I’d rather have the book be fresh in my mind. But if you’re interested in joining in for September, be on the lookout for a copy!
Dan
August 29, 2002 — 2:13 am
I guess I will have to miss the start because I am on the move right now. In fact, I’m in London at this moment, and for the next few days. Any recommendations? Cozy pubs where one might spend an evening of merriment? My hotel has a computer with the net–pretty handy!
Kris
August 29, 2002 — 11:25 am
Oh nice! All of the pubs we used to frequent were pretty crap. Which part of London are you staying in?
Dan
August 29, 2002 — 7:26 pm
Uhh…Kensington? Yeah that’s it.
Kris
August 29, 2002 — 8:17 pm
Actually if you cut straight up across Kensington Gardens, you’ll be in my old neighborhood Bayswater (the area around the Queensway tube stop). It’s a pretty fun area. Here’s a map. There are a couple nice pubs around there. The Leinster Arms used to be my local. It’s on Leinster Terrace, across from the post office (which is really just a shop). It’s tiny and for some reason it gets frequented by a lot of international pilots. (They all stay in the area when they land in London.) If you go there, be sure to play a game of darts in the back. Another nice one is the Daniel Gooch, which is on the Porchester Road just off Westbourne Grove (near the “A4206” box). It’s got this amazing woodwork on the whole ceiling and walls. You feel like you’re in a ship or something. Lots of atmosphere, and a snooker table too. Across the street from it is Mickey’s Fish and Chips, which has the best chips in all London. Make sure you get some of those, with lots of salt and vinegar.
Then, for the absolute most surreal time you can have in London, turn left from the end of Queensway onto Westbourne Grove and walk about a block. You’ll see a place on your left called “The Tiroler Hutte”. It’s a doorway with stairs doing down. If you can get it (it’s a small place so they often limit the number of people) it’s WELL worth it. It’s this crazy Austrian place where you can eat fondue and drink beers from huge litre steins. A little man will play the synthesizer and old couples will dance. It’s a place unlike any other.
Dan
August 31, 2002 — 6:52 pm
Many thanks! I’m going to try to get one night out on the town tonite, then I’m off for Wales. Every night I’m so tired tho–this tourism thing is tiring. Oh and sorry to the others for my offtopicness.