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Starter for Ten
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
26 posts | 39 read | 24 to read
Now a major motion picture Utterly charming . . . a big-hearted, flawless coming-of-age tale, as scary and funny as your yearbook picture. "People" (****/Critic s Choice) The year is 1985. Brian Jackson, a working-class kid on full scholarship, has started his first term at university. He has a dark secret a long-held, burning ambition to appear on the wildly popular British TV quiz show "University Challenge" and now, finally, it seems the dream is about to become reality. He s made the school team, and they ve completed the qualifying rounds and are limbering up for their first televised match. (And, what s more, he s fallen head over heels for one of his teammates, the beautiful, brainy, and intimidatingly posh Alice Harbinson.) Life seems perfect and triumph inevitable but as his world opens up, Brian learns that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Fresh, edgy and very funny . . . [Nicholls] has a talent for droll dialogue and a wonderful sense of the ridiculous. "USA Today" Starter for Ten has that elusive Hornby-factor. . . . It s wincingly funny . . . a prospect to savour. "Arena""
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AllDebooks
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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TheBookHippie Phew 35/50 😵‍💫😝 1y
Andrew65 20/50 too. How did you do it @TheBookHippie? 1y
TheBookHippie @Andrew65 I have weirdly good memory for things I read in articles about books? Or I‘m such a geek classical reader?! 👀😝😆 1y
See All 13 Comments
Andrew65 @TheBookHippie 😂😂😂 I rarely have anything to do with the classics. (edited) 1y
Andrew65 @AllDebooks I was pleased with my 20, that was tough. 1y
AllDebooks @Andrew65 Me too, it really was difficult. I haven't read a lot of those books. Thank god for the picture round at the end 😅 1y
Andrew65 @AllDebooks That definitely helped. 1y
rockpools 21/50 How can I be on Litsy and NOT keep up with book news? That was a tough quiz! 1y
AllDebooks @rockpools it really is 😅 1y
36 likes13 comments
review
RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Pickpick

#pop22 - Set in the 80s
@BarbaraBB @KarenUK @squirrelbrain @jenniferw88 @Laughterhp @Megabooks @alisiakae @Cinfhen @Cortg

David Nicholls writes books about hapless young men who can't see what's right in front of them. It tears me apart every time.

This was, at times, laugh out loud funny: like an episode of The Office (UK). It was also full of everyday heartache, with characters that live & breathe.

Clever & painfully relatable.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

KarenUK Love David Nicholls…. Have you read sweet sorrow? It‘s my favorite of his…. X 1y
Cinfhen I see I‘ve already stacked this book!! Great review 💜 1y
BarbaraBB I‘ve never laughed so hard as while watching The Office (UK) or Little Britain (which is so extremely offensive)! 1y
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squirrelbrain Great review - I loved this one too! 1y
RaeLovesToRead @KarenUK I've read One Day (one of my favourite books ever), this one and Us... I picked up Sweet Sorrow from a local charity shop the other day, but I think I need to give my poor heart a rest! His books are so real 🥲 1y
RaeLovesToRead @Cinfhen Have you read One Day? Read One Day!!!!! 🥰🥰 1y
RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB I LOVED The Office (especially Gareth 😂)... the one with the dance OMG 😱😱... 'fraid I hated Little Britain though - grossout humour isn't really my thing usually 😅 IT crowd and Father Ted firm faves though! 1y
RaeLovesToRead @squirrelbrain Thanks, Helen! 😁💕 1y
BarbaraBB Gareth is the best indeed! You mean the Christmas party? That was soooo akward! 1y
RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB The one where Neil and Rachel do a dance and then he's like "oh yeah, I can do that" and then does this ridiculous dance (I'm laughing just thinking about it now! ?) 1y
BarbaraBB Oh yes I remember now! He is so funny!! 1y
RaeLovesToRead @BarbaraBB "the collection is for BOTH dances" ??‍♀️? 1y
62 likes3 stack adds12 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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"I'm a little anxious, because I think I may have left my poetry notebook on my desk, open on a tentative new erotic sonnet that I'm working on. The first line contains the words 'breasts of alabaster', and if Spencer reads that, then I'll never hear the end of it."

???

Also pictured: black forest gateau ?

jdiehr 🤣 1y
JenReadsAlot I want that! 1y
marleed Great line - and dessert! 1y
AnneCecilie That cake 😍😍 1y
Kimzey 😂😋 1y
71 likes5 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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"I love this photograph, but I still have a nagging feeling that if my nineteen-year-old dad had met the nineteen-year-old me on Southend pier on a Saturday night, there's a pretty good chance he'd have tried to beat me up."

??

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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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This whole paragraph 🤣🤣 I, amidst many of the un-sportsperson-ly, also remember optimistically citing Badders as an interest on forms back in the day.

At least I did go to badminton club for a while...

Oryx Yes! Table tennis also 1y
RaeLovesToRead @Oryx Table tennis has the added bonus of not requiring much moving around 😄 1y
44 likes2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Here is October's board... I picked The Cliff House for book club, so I'll be aiming for either column or row containing book No.1 💕

🏞🏠

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Vansa
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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#Littenswanttoknow @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
My husband and I are avid quizzers,that's how we met!We go for a quiz once a week,where we meet our friends and have a nice time!apart from that,watching movies, TV shows.

Ruthiella I used to be a regular part of a pub quiz team and it was great fun! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks That‘s awesome!!! 2y
16 likes2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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And one more #two4tuesday book I'm reading in 5 or fewer words:

"The Movie had James McAvoy"

??

merelybookish 👍👍 2y
TheSpineView 🤩🤩🤩 2y
52 likes2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Quick visit to the charity book shop 😁

All of these are for me, except for Murder by Milk Bottle (although if Annis says it's any good, I'm sure I can borrow it!)

It's a lovely sunny day here. Mum & I have been watching the Morris dancing 🎊 (and drinking iced lattes 💕)

rabbitprincess Starter for Ten!!! Love that one 🥰 2y
julesG Quick trip?! Wonder what you'd find with lots of time to browse. 😁 2y
jenniferw88 Ooohhhh... Jamaica inn is my favourite du maurier! 2y
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RaeLovesToRead @rabbitprincess One Day is one of my favourite ever books. I love David Nicholls 😊 Hopefully I'll like this one too. (I saw the film about a decade ago!) 2y
RaeLovesToRead @julesG Haha! Yes. Though I'm like a sniffer dog in action in a book shop 🤣🤣 ... can scope out the place at lightning speed 😁 2y
RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 I'm looking forward to reading it 😊 So far I've only read Rebecca by her, but it was great! 2y
jenniferw88 @RaeLovesToRead I've read Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel, but have plenty more on my Kindle to read. Daphne was one of my Gran's favourite authors so it'll remind me of her when I get to them! 2y
RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 Aww, that's lovely! I loved how dark and gothic Rebecca was. Do her other books have a similar feel? 2y
jenniferw88 @RaeLovesToRead Jamaica Inn definitely, My Cousin Rachel is slightly lighter but still gothic. 2y
RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 Awesome! 😊 2y
rabbitprincess @RaeLovesToRead The film is a pretty faithful adaptation of the book (David Nicholls did it himself), so I think you‘re in good hands 😊 As a former quiz team member I found the quizzing bits true to life, although my team never made it to TV (there is no TV for university quiz in Canada). 2y
RaeLovesToRead @rabbitprincess Whenever I get a question right on University Challenge, I get excited ? It doesn't happen all that often ? Unfortunately they don't accept "wait... this sounds familiar... I think I read something about this once... it begins with a D... or maybe an F..." for most answers. 2y
vivastory Have you read Jo Nesbo before? I have the following on my TBR shelves. It's supposed to be great 2y
RaeLovesToRead @vivastory This will be my first. I thought it was the first in the series because it was the first that became popular in the UK, but apparently it's number 7! 2y
74 likes1 stack add14 comments
review
sjdreads
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
Pickpick

The first David Nichols book I read. They are addictive.

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rabbitprincess
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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A friend asked me for suggestions of a Cumberbatch movie to watch. This of course meant I had to pull out my copy of Starter for Ten. As a former university quiz player I deeply enjoy this book and movie, even as I cringe on behalf of James McAvoy‘s character 😂😂 I just love Benedict as Patrick Watts ♥️🤓

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Coleen
A Question of Attraction | David Nicholls
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Pickpick

I‘m a little surprised there are no other posts about this book.

This was David Nicholls‘ first novel, and I laughed my way through a majority of it. 🤣
It‘s also known by its British title, Starter for Ten, which was made into a movie. (And which I watched immediately after finishing the audiobook.)

Anyone else read or watched it?

Owlizabeth McAvoy and Cumberbatch??? How is this the first I‘m hearing of this??? 4y
VioletBramble I've seen it. Once. I was scrolling through the channels and recognized the title from a challenge that @rabbitprincess had at #LibraryThing. 4y
Kimberlone This is a great movie and book! I love how new wave music is a big part of both! 4y
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rabbitprincess This is one of my favourite books of all time 🤩 And as @VioletBramble said, I had a themed reading challenge in LibraryThing based on Benedict Cumberbatch‘s filmography. Starter for Ten was my general non-fiction category 😊 (edited) 4y
Coleen @Owlizabeth Right?! 4y
28 likes6 comments
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TheEllieMo
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Brian Jackson desperately wanted to be on the University Challenge team in his #CollegeDays

#Spooktober @Eggs

Eggs Great choice👏🏻👏🏻 5y
31 likes1 comment
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zurazureen
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Pickpick

wickedly funny and i always know Brian will end up with Rebecca 😹

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karasu13
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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And the final haul! So excited for all my finds!

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Sarah83
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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@Heideschrampf and also thank you for the birthday surprise 😊

Heideschrampf Happy belated birthday! Weatherwise it was intended for yesterday, too 😫🌧 6y
Sarah83 @Heideschrampf as we in German say "Das Wetter macht was es will" 6y
Elisa @Sarah83 indeed, es ist genau so!! 😅 Belated Happy Birthday, Sarah! 🎂💜 6y
Sarah83 @Elisa thank you 😍 6y
68 likes4 comments
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Mary25
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Pickpick

I laughed alot while reading this with so many references to 80's pop culture, it really brings to light the scary experience of starting out in university and finding yourself.

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KarenUK
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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#novemberbythenumbers #ten #10 On the left, an early, funny David Nicholls about a dorky university student who takes part in a televised quiz show to impress a girl. The movie is kind of adorable starring James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch and James Corden too.
The brilliant ‘And then there were none‘ published in 1939 has had a few other names (Ten Little.......), all changed due to the words being racially offensive!

JoeStalksBeck I was gonna use Ten Little Soldiers! I love it! 6y
merelybookish I like that movie. But I like James Macavoy! 😍 6y
59 likes1 stack add2 comments
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classiquemots
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Very looking forward to starting this book. I hugely enjoyed the movie (it's actually one of my personal favourites, and James McAvoy might or might not have influenced this lol) so, after having searched for it for ages, I can finally plunge into this melancholic story of love and self-discovery. 🌿🌸✨ #starterforten #davidnicholls #currentlyreading

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Kimberlone
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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Here's my pick for the #Day6 prompt: #NumberTitles. I read Starter for Ten a few years ago, inspired after watching the movie starring James McAvoy. The book is witty and features lots of great 80s references (the main character is very into Kate Bush and New Wave music). Also highly recommend the movie - the soundtrack is filled with The Cure and other New Wave hits. Plus: James McAvoy.

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KarenUK
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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#day23 #riotgrams #funnybooks I've loved every one of David Nicholls books...I love how he can be so hilarious and so heartbreaking at the same time... this is his funniest book I think... set in the 80's, it has a bit of an Adrian Mole vibe to it but without the diary! Also it was made into a cute movie with James McAvoy, James Corden, and for Sherlock fans... Benedict Cumberbatch & Mark Gatiss!

mcctrish How did I not know this😩 7y
Cinfhen I need to check this one out! Thanks 😊 7y
BookishMe I enjoyed the humor in The Understudy... Will check this out 7y
SuperPunkNinja Did someone say Cumberbatch? 😍😍😍 7y
Zelma I remember seeing this movie, but not any of the actors aside from James McEvoy. It was charming. 7y
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rabbitprincess
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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For the purposes of #feistyfeb I'll say that Patrick Watts is my literary crush. In addition to being played by Benedict Cumberbatch, he does actually remind me a bit of my BF in his role as chief organizer of the university quiz team (which is how we met ♥️). BF has more social skills though, or at least is not about to get himself punched in the face for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time!

Joybishoptx Ha! Great character! 7y
16 likes2 comments
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Cosyreader
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
Mehso-so

Really wasn't sure by the end of this. I'm beginning to think that One Day was a fluke :( I don't like it when I finish a book and still have unanswered questions. I'll still watch the film though

rabbitprincess I found the film a very faithful adaptation of the book. And so many "hey, it's that actor!" moments. 7y
Cosyreader @rabbitprincess haha I did that when I saw the cast list on IMDb! 7y
rabbitprincess @Amy-Laura It is an impressive lineup! And Benedict is great as Patrick Watts. He needs to do more comedy 😍 7y
Cosyreader @rabbitprincess can't wait to see it! I'm a big fan of James McAvoy :) 7y
24 likes4 comments
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Cosyreader
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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I don't think a character has ever made me cringe this much - why, Brian?! 🤦‍♀️ What's great is that it is set within 100 miles of my location woo #readharder

30 likes2 stack adds
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rabbitprincess
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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One of my all-time favourite books is Starter for Ten. David Nicholls gets the university quizbowl world absolutely right. My copy is signed by the author and the actor who played Patrick Watts in the movie adaptation 😍

#augustofpages

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KarenUK
Starter for Ten | David Nicholls
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#minimalisticcovers #augustofpages #day6 #augustphotochallenge Love David Nicholls and all of these bold yet simple covers...

TheSpinecrackersBookClub Lovely covers. Will have a look at his work. The TBR pile just keeps on growing. 8y
rabbitprincess I love David Nicholls' work and those covers! 8y
30 likes1 stack add2 comments