I read that book a few years ago. If memory serves, the author alleges that Parker may have left the Netherlands one step ahead of a murder rap.

Peter Guralnick, author of a superb, two-volume bio of Elvis (highly recommended)says Parker got a bad rap for "giving away" Elvis's performances and cheating him on commisseions. Guralnick gives Parker a lot of credit for keeping Elvis's career alive when it should have been dead--mostly by rationing out his performances and recordings at just the right pace. He also gives Parker credit for creating incredibly lucrative movie deals for Elvis. Even though most of the movies sucked, Elvis made a fortune.

Ive also read and have the two books by Peter Guralnick, Excellant books

I know what you mean SC, but i like all sports and follow the US sports quite a lot.

I'll not bother sending you that David Beckham autobiography then?

Who???

Thats why you need to read it?

I know who he is, but probably only because he's here in the States now. I wish I wasn't so provincial, but soccer was never played here when I was a kid, and I never knew anything about the game while growing up. Sure, I know who Pele is, but that was about the limit of my soccer knowledge.

If i ever get across to the US i will bring you a soccer shirt and you can just wear it and pretend you know about the sport

I just finished rereading The Fountainhead. My husband got the audio book and has been listening to it on his drive to and from work. I haven't read it in about 15 years, so it was wonderful to revisit it. We would discuss it at night when he got home, and, since he hates to read, this was the first time we've ever done this. It was very nice.

Yeah, it's the same down here. Soccer isn't very big or popular. I don't mind watching the World Cup ever since Australia finished sixth.

I finally got ahold of and recently read the famed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then rewatched the movie. HST was one of a kind...and I'm looking forward to reading more.

For now, I'm working on Stephen King's "Desperation," and I really need to stop reading it late at night. Between that and the two Twilight Zone episodes on SciFi at midnight, along with my general paranoia, I often end up frightened by shadows and sounds - usually with only the company of my two cats who are awake to protect me from the imaginary dangers. haha

What's that about? The title sounds familiar.

Desperation is apparently an odd and twisted town in Nevada that you should avoid visiting. I'm only 100 pages in, but it's covering the separate stories of a couple, a family, and a writer on their respective journeys (traveling U.S. 50 - "The Loneliest Highway in America"), and how they are each troubled by a weird cop who's acting as the only form of law in the area. I'm really liking it so far!

Is that the one where the cop (a sheriff, I think) is like 6'9"?

It sounds REALLY familiar now.... I THINK I started it (but never finished it).

Yep, that's it. He's really tall and a big guy. He hasn't been given a name yet, but the inside flap of the bookcover says he's "Collie Entragian." And it describes Desperation as "a town that seems withered in the shade of a man-made mountain known as the China Pit." Peter and Mary Jackson are the names of the couple, the family is the Carvers, and the writer is Johnny Marinville, in case those ring a bell. Do you still have it to finish, or did you just borrow it?

I have several books that I've begun, and now if I ever go back, I won't know whether to restart and slightly remember everything I read, or skip to where I was and hope I understand everthing. haha

I have the book. I used to buy all of King's books when they came out in paperback and that was probably the last one I bought. I vaguely remember the book, and enjoying the beginning, but don't remember why I stopped reading it. (Another senior moment ).

I have about five books that I've started within the last year but have failed to finish any of them. Maybe I've developed some attention deficit disorder as I got older.

You read any of John Grisham's books?

I was worried the reason you stopped reading it was because you didn't like the story - you could always blame it on that if you're not sure what the reason was.

I think the only John Grisham book I read was "The Client," and that was unfortunately long enough ago where I don't remember much of it. Also, it was for school, so after procrastinating, I rushed through it. The thing I did like, and what should've inspired me to enjoy reading it, is that I got to pick it myself. In two (?) of my school years, we did a program for class where we were allowed to choose books on our own that we would read, then take a computer quiz on. I appreciated that it encouraged us to read, without forcing particular styles on us.

No.... the book ("Desperation") definitely held my interest. King is a master at setting up a story and did so in this story. I really don't know why I stopped reading it.

So, what kind of books do you generally read now?

I really like how, so far, he's spent a section on each group of people, almost reenacting the whole situation that the cop is a part of, by showing the individual perspectives as they each went through their encounter with him.

With school reading and other school assignments, I hardly ever take time to do free reading anymore, so I was glad to get back into it this summer. My friend gave me three King books for my birthday last year - "Desperation," "Bag of Bones," and "Hearts in Atlantis" - so I'm happy to finally start on those. Another friend gave me "The Tommyknockers," and my mom gave me "Cell"...so I've got a bunch of Stephen King to catch up on! I've always liked everything that I've read by him, and I generally enjoy spooky/suspense/horror. Is that the kind of style you like most?

Otherwise I hope to soon work on more by Hunter S. Thompson, and eventually get ahold of some titles that LLC recommended, by Chuck Palahniuk and Kurt Vonnegut once I get back to the lovely Half-Price Books.

I love King's stories. He really is genius in setting them up and simply just writing them. I especially love the ones in which he has a few stories going at once and then ties them all up into a neat bundle at the end ("The Green Mile" comes to mind now).

King is the Edgar Allan Poe of our day and times.

I used to enjoy sci-fi also. Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury are two authors I'd recommend.

The last book I read was a bio on Duke Snider given to me by a friend. I like bios.

I used to read all of Stephen King's books, and eagerly await the new ones. In the last few years, I have sort of lost interest. I didn't like Desperation, although I do have Cell and Hearts in Atlantis waiting for me to read. I did enjoy his non-fiction book On Writing. The Stand and It are two of my favorite books. I loved his commentary on The Stand. King said that writing that book was like tap-dancing on the grave of the world.

SC, I'll write down those sci-fi authors to look for at the bookstore whenever I go - thanks.

I don't have a copy of The Green Mile, but I've also never seen the movie! I really need to watch and read it.

SB, I think my friend said she has The Stand, so maybe I can someday borrow that from her, or otherwise just pick it up at the bookstore. And then it can be added in with the five or six other books of his that are waiting to be read!

ABSOLUTELY!!

A suggestion - if you're gonna try out the sci-fi authors, try getting one of their short story books first. It'll act as an "introduction" to their styles and a little easier to choose a few stories you might like. I'm fairly sure they both have a "Best of..." short story collection available.

I wish I knew how the hell anyone found the time to actually read a book...!

I've done it a few times ... but really, it takes quite a bit of time. I spend most of mine either online, with TV or DVDs, or with family/friends. I can't imagine taking away from any of those, so please tell me the secret!

Whilst i am a big fan of Stephen King i have lost the way with his work. I have "BLAZE" lying around waiting to be read but have nothing by him since then.

John Grisham's "AN INNOCENT MAN" is fairly recent and well worth a read. Unlike his other stuff it is based on a true story and i found it gripping,a bit of a return to form for him because his last few had been a bit ordinary!

Currently reading THE UNQUIET by John Connolly. He is worth checking out also. he does the Charlie Parker series,crime with a touch of gothic horror and a supernatural twist on top

Yogi, I just got An Innocent Man for my birthday, so I'm glad to hear the endorsement. A Time to Kill is still one of my favorite books.

You will enjoy it,i'm sure SB

His first half a dozen books were all superb,the rest have suffered due to their high standard i think?

I quite like his off beat stuff like A PAINTED HOUSE,BLEACHERS & SKIPPING CHRISTMAS.

He has a new one here in the UK still in hardback called PLAYING FOR PIZZA which looks good as well. I will be getting it as soon as it comes out in paperback.

A time to Kill! The one about the black guy who shoots 2 rascist whities dead? If its the same thing, excellent movie!!!!

It is yes!

Excellent book and movie!

I just loved Samuel L Jackson, Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock!

It's John Grisham, is'nt it?

I ain't seen The Rainmaker, but have seen The Gingerbread Man(good), Runaway Jury(bad) and The Firm(okay).

SC, I went book shopping today!! Somehow I ended up with a lot more Stephen King books, even though I have quite a few already I still need to read. But they were cheap - some even a dollar each! - and I'd like to think I'll read them all "someday." I found both The Stand and The Green Mile, which I was mainly after, so that was good.

And what I was excited to tell you about, I also got "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella! Once I read that, I'll probably have to watch Field of Dreams and cry again.

Taking your advice, I also found a collection of Ray Bradbury short stories, and the title of the book - "I Sing the Body Electric!" - popped out to me because I recognized it as a title for a Twilight Zone episode. That particular story, when I glanced at a few pages from it, looks like it's similar to the episode, about a robot grandmother.