Hi there all who dont read this and the one other that does

Have never heard of Landis - so there is another one for me to look up. I am going to have to look over Crimson Petal again as there is so much detail to remember.

I've also read the Journals of Andre Gide - very subtle self-analysis and considerations of the creative process. He was another tortured artist, agonising over - is death the end of everything? What about the soul? Can the soul be separated from the body?. His ruminations are very involved - like Henry James - searching and questing perhaps too much. Can you refine your thoughts to this degree?

Now started Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive by Jared Diamond. This looks really interesting and covers great breaths of History - Easter Island, present day Montana, the Mayans. Environmental, economic and social analysis - looking at the problems societies have in maintaining their viability.

50 pages in....

Well, I only started it this morning! I've been reading 'Longing' by JD Landis, which has been very illuminating and at times quite amusing.

I figure if I read 50 pages a day I'll get through Crimson by next bookgroup. It is my second time of reading it, but I don't really remember much of the story as it's been quite some time since I read it.

Really I've not read anything else for a month, as Longing was 500 pages. Perhaps not a great plan to decided to read 1300 pages in 6 weeks...

The Crimson Petal and the White

Have now finished this gargantuan affair. This is Zola's naturalism taken to the the nth degree. You cant fail to be impressed, at times moved and very often disturbed

The Crimson Petal and the White

My one quibble so far is - isnt the attention to detail a little too forensic ie - do we really need to know every time William gets an erection

Michel Faber

I am now well into The Crimson Petal and the White. Its very impressive. Meticulous work.