I'm not sure how to start this post, it seems like too big of a topic to actually say anything about. When Robin Williams died last August (was it really that long ago??) I remember talking with family and friends about how sad we were because it felt like he'd been such a big part of our lives growing up that we almost felt as if we'd lost a friend. I felt the same when I heard about Terry Pratchett's passing last Thursday, except possibly more so. It's hard to explain the feeling and I bet some of you reading this will do it better than I can, but when you've loved an author's work and read it over and over and it's moved house with you several times because it's part of the pile of books you wouldn't even contemplate getting rid of, they become part of your life in some way and I am so saddened by the fact that after his last novel is published that will be it. Not to mention, what will I get my dad for Christmas now?
I know that there is a JustGiving page set up in his memory which at the time of writing (Saturday afternoon) has raised an incredible £35,161 for The Research Institute for the Care of Older People so feel free to head over there and donate as much as you can. I wanted to honour his memory in some way because when I found out he'd died I rang my mum up and warned her because 'the family will mourn'. I am the eldest of seven siblings and all except the youngest are Pratchett fans. My dad, as previously mentioned, is probably the biggest fan of us all - an achievement as he doesn't read any other authors of fiction. Pratchett aside, it's historical nonfiction all the way for him. Along with David Gemmell, Terry Pratchett is the author who united my family with books. He gave us something to talk about when we'd run out of common ground, gave us a shared love, and most of all he made us laugh together. That's an amazing gift and I am so grateful for his genius and his prolific output which means I still have books of his that I haven't read even after he is gone.
I've been wanting to take part in I'ts Monday! What are you Reading? hosted by Sheila of BookJourney for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The answer, obviously, is Terry Pratchett, but being that there is so much choice, where shall I start?
On Friday I posted this to my Instagram. It's a picture of all the Pratchett books I own that I haven't read yet. I know, shocking.
Originally posted minus the butchering with red lines, since then I've finished Eric (obviously amazing) and made a start on Truckers. For most people I know, Rhys included, The Bromeliad (Truckers, Diggers and Wings) was their first Pratchett experience so it kind of seems like a travesty that I've not actually read them yet. They will be next. After that I might move on to a reread, possibly of one of these two
Night Watch is probably my favourite Discworld book, but I do also love the Witches books and this is the first of them that I haven't reread for a while, so we'll see how the mood takes me. I shall also be posting during the week about some of the visual and audio Pratchett experiences I plan to undertake during the week.
The invitation for this week is this: read Terry Pratchett's books. Talk about them if you want to - here in the comments, on your own blog, on twitter, instagram and facebook (#pratchettreadathon), tumblr, goodreads or wherever else you talk about books. If you'd rather read in silence that's fine too. Reread or read for the first time. Remember, discover and most of all laugh and be happy that we have his incredible body of work and his sense of humour. If you'er new to the Discworld and don't know where to start, just ask. Everybody will enjoy disagreeing about their favourite characters/books I'm sure. If you'd like to join the discussion please do make sure you let me know where I can find you - I'd love to talk to you :-)
I will try to post on a related subject every day of this week and there will be a linky live (here) all week so that you can link up any Pratchett-related posts you may write. I've already given some people who've never read his work a book on twitter but there may well be another giveaway at some point during the week, we'll see how we go. I don't want to be too structured about this and take focus away from the books. That's the point after all, so go forth, read books, and remember
Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.
I think he even has a couple of books on my 1001 Children's Books You Must Read list. I will go take a look.
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Yes, Johnny and the Bomb, Truckers, and The Carpet People.
readerbuzz.blogspot.com
Ohh The Carpet People is great! I'm reading Truckers right now and really enjoying it, and my husband really liked the Johnny series :-) So basically read all of them! It helps that none are very long either!
DeleteI completely agree with all your sentiment, and I find it so lovely that your entire family had Pratchett's wonderful storytelling to bind over.
ReplyDeleteMy love for him has been very personal, as I actually don't know that many people (not being from the UK) who love him as much as I do, so it's been a bit difficult to explain to others why it's such a blow.
I wrote a short post about it a few days ago (http://thegirlwholovedtoread.com/terry-and-i/), and I LOVE your idea about having a Terry read-a-thon this week! I haven't decided what to read yet, but I also have a few books that I haven't read yet and I will choose something this evening.
I actually read your post and tried to comment as I thought it was great and also wanted to let you know about this event, so I'm glad you found us! I was on my phone at the time and it wasn't playing nicely and wouldn't let me comment!
DeleteI never really thought about his popularity being a UK thing but of course it is. It's interesting how easy it is to get caught up in your worldview without even realising it - I just assumed that because sadness about his death has been everywhere here that it would be through the rest of the world as well, but of course not! I'm glad you've found us to share your Terry Pratchett love with :-)
Yesterday a small troop of myself and my husband's immediate family drove out to the country to visit a maple farm and our audio accompaniement was my husband reading Guards! Guards! aloud. There's something about Sir Pterry's writing that really lends itself to being read aloud!
ReplyDeleteOh absolutely! Guards Guards! is one of my favourites as well :-) We actually picked up a couple of the audiobooks (Night Watch and Thief of Time) today in a charity shop, so I'm excited to listen to them this week!
DeleteI think the only one of his books I read was Good Omens, which I did enjoy. What would you recommend for someone who would like to read more Terry Pratchett but doesn't know where to start?
ReplyDeleteI know you weren't asking me, but I stumbled upon this guide to reading discworld earlier: http://io9.com/how-to-read-terry-pratchetts-discworld-series-in-one-h-1567312812
Delete(If you scroll down there is a more up-to-date chart, the one at the top is a little bit old.)
If you are interested in starting to read the discworld books, it might be a good idea to start with the first book in either the witches novels, the watch novels or the death novels, as they seem to be the most loved. (So either Equal Rites, Guards! Guards! or Mort - I think the first one I ever read was Mort. Maybe read a bit about the main characters in each and see which appeals to you the most) I don't think you really lose anything by not starting at the beginning with The Colour of Magic. (Not that you should avoid that - I am reading The Colour of Magic now and enjoying it a lot!)
Agreed entirely! My first 'favourite' was Mort but I love the Witches and the Watch books. I'd either read Mort or Equal Rites first :-)
DeleteWhile I have been sad about other famous people dying, this is the only one that actually made me cry. I went through a discworld mania phase when I was a teenager and ploughed through my parent's whole collection in a few months, and even before I heard the news I was thinking of reading all of the discworld books (some of them as re-reads, some of them for the first time), mainly because I read Good Omens and remembered how much I love his writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm over halfway through The Colour of Magic now, and I am really enjoying it. If I can I might fit in one more this week (and hope I can fit in War and Peace at the weekend!!!) - seeing as I started at the beginning, maybe The Light Fantastic. I do like the idea of reading them all in order.
I read and loved all of the Johnny books when I was a teenager, and I wish I had access to them now as they would have been perfect for this.
In some ways I am quite glad that I fell massively behind with the discworld books, and that there are other books that I have never read, because it means that now I have so much to look forward to.
I really want to do a big Discworld reread too, I've read them all except Raising Steam but some not for 12 years or so!
DeleteOh don't mention War and Peace. I'm so behind (again) but can't tear myself away from Sir Terry...
I have been thinking about it for the past few hours (when I should have been maybe concentrating on my work instead, hehe) and I think I am going to maybe aim to read one a month once this reading week is over - you should join me if you want :D
DeleteSorry!! I think it's a very good reason to get behind on the reading though!
That's a great idea,I'd love to join you :-)
DeleteYayyy! I'll ask around about it and see if anybody else is interested :D
DeleteAfter scanning my book lists over the past, I have found I have not read Pratchett at al but am expecting that's about to change as I placed a few Discworld books in my library queue last night and there are no other requests a head of me. Early onset Alzheimers is a terrible disease. We are blessed to have had him as long as we did
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