Last Book You Read....

[Detournement]

On 30/05/2020 at 23:58, murphy1970 said:

Libra - Don Dello

Really enjoyed this. A very plausible fictional account of the Kennedy assassination.

IMHO the 2nd best book I’ve read covering this era. The best was The Cold Six Thousand 

 

Apparently all the CIA characters with fictional names relate to recognisable real life CIA agents and assets. 

 

[Dan Steele]

I read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison last month. Written in 1952, its depiction of a politicised African American in New York and is well worth reading. The riot and looting section resonates with current events in US.

Edited June 1, 2020 by The Skelpit Lug

[tongue_tied_danny]

I'm currently working my way through the above tome. I posted the picture because auto-correct was going nuts when I tried typing the title.

It 's basically a series of essays, mostly published in Esquire magazine in the 60s about the then contemporary American lifestyle. There's articles about Vegas , pop musicians, custom cars and a few other topics. It's  very well written, Wolfe has a good turn of phrase, though very much of its time. An entertaining snapshot of 60s Americana.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Genuinely one of the best things I've ever read other than the final act when it all gets a little bit deus ex machiny. Still terrific overall though.

Been reading a book a week roughly during lockdown which will probably tail off significantly now I'm back at work, bit gutted about that tbh.

[Stellaboz]

Finally finished the Witcher series today. The last two books are phenomenal reading, in particular the Tower of The Swallow, for me. 

Any recommendations on a good series to get into? 

[mathematics]

9 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Finally finished the Witcher series today. The last two books are phenomenal reading, in particular the Tower of The Swallow, for me. 

Any recommendations on a good series to get into? 

Have you read The Dark Tower series, the Ender series, or the Wheel of Time?

[mathematics]

Just now, mathematics said:

the Ender series,

Actually, you might not be allowed to read this now, because the author is a bit of a baddie.

[Stellaboz]

3 minutes ago, mathematics said:

Have you read The Dark Tower series, the Ender series, or the Wheel of Time?

Never heard of them, will give them a look. Thanks!

[Dr Koop]

Andrew Morton's 17 Carnations. Bloody Windsors ...

[Ya Bezzer!]

'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys

2 out of 5.

If I remember correctly Jean Rhys was an alcoholic who never left her bed and when her publisher wanted a draft she'd go round to her house and pick up leaves of paper from the floor half buried in empties and general detritus.  If that is correct then it certain explains how disjointed and unreadable this novel is.  Character motivations are often inexplicable as if you've skipped 20 or 30 pages.  I have since heard that it makes more sense if you have read 'Wuthering Heights' (I have not) but I doubt even that.  It's about 140 pages long and I read my next book, 400 pages, in the same length of time.  Tells you everything.  Avoid.  

'Arabian Sands' by Wilfred Thesiger

4 out of 5.

Wilfred Thesiger was a former SAS soldier who had fought in the desert during WW2.  Indeed he had been born in Ethiopia and taken to adventuring from an early age, having little time for 'civilisation' or his education at English public school.  Even in the 1930s he is described as old fashioned and out of time.  You also feel his constant requirement for hardship, survival conditions and the solitude of the desert might have something to do with his repressed homosexuality.  

Ostensibly the book is about Thesiger's journeys in the harsh Empty Quarter of southern Arabia, one of the last unexplored regions on Earth, at least by Westerners.  However, rather touchingly, these journeys are merely brushed over and provide nothing more than a frame work for his admiration of the Bedu people, the Rashid tribe in particular and with the close personal relationships he forms with his small band of travelling companions, notably bin Kabina (who you suspect he has unmentionable feelings for) and bin Ghabaisha, a sort of roguish Han Solo of the dunes.  The traditions of the Bedu and Arabia have not yet been destroyed by the discovery of oil but there is an sadness woven into the text as Thesiger, the Western outsider, sees the signs that the locals do not yet understand.  The end, which I will not give away is sad, beautiful, touching and offers a prophetic final image as thousands of years of tradition are swallowed up by 'progress'.

Edited June 11, 2020 by Ya Bezzer!

[Miguel Sanchez]

Wide Sargasso Sea is a, er, reimagining of Wuthering Heights from the perspective of... someone else. I forget who. Wuthering Heights is the same story twice in the one book. I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a positive or not.

[Miguel Sanchez]

The High Window by Raymond Chandler

Is it better than Farewell, My Lovely? Probably not. Is it better than The Big Sleep? Probably not.

[Ya Bezzer!]

3 hours ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Wide Sargasso Sea is a, er, reimagining of Wuthering Heights from the perspective of... someone else. I forget who. Wuthering Heights is the same story twice in the one book. I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a positive or not.

That actually makes more sense than anything in the novel.

[Dalrymple76]

9 hours ago, Ya Bezzer! said:

That actually makes more sense than anything in the novel.

It’s closer to Jane Eyre. 

[Ya Bezzer!]

5 hours ago, Dalrymple76 said:

It’s closer to Jane Eyre. 

You are right.  I got them mixed up.

[Miguel Sanchez]

Shows how long it's been since I read any of them. 

[tongue_tied_danny]

I'm currently working my way through Bill Bryson's biography of William Shakespeare. 

Bryson is always very readable and this book is no exception. I've never had any real interest in Shakespeare. Obviously, I'm aware of most of his plays and the cultural legacy that he left behind. The only play that I've read was The Merchant of Venice and that was at school 30 years ago. When I was half pished last night I started philosophically pondering the way that knowledge has passed from generation to generation and I started to wonder just how much old Shakey actually knew about Julius Ceasar or Anthony and Cleopatra and just how historically accurate his depictions of events from 1500 years previous were, so I purchased this book for 3 quid on Google play. 

Bryson makes it pretty clear that little is known of Shakespeare's life, records are scarce and many biographies are partly conjecture. He also reckons that some of the works were allegories of Elizabethan England, at a time when saying the wrong thing could have some pretty heavy ramifications.

This is a decent wee read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

 

[scottmcleanscontacts]

'The Glory Game'.

This is maybe the best book ever written about football. It just happens to be Spurs but could be any team.

It's from 1972, so maybe dated in terms of the money and styles discussed but it's still very relevant today.

It's not your typical football book. It barely discusses a match, instead focusing on individuals that surround a football club from top to bottom. From the board down to fans and all that's in between.

The author, Hunter Davies, spent a season with the team and in and around the club and the result is interesting. It's by no means a 'warts and all' - I doubt he'd have been allowed the access he was, if it was - but it's nevertheless a really brilliant insight into what was arguably one of the planets biggest clubs at that point.

[tongue_tied_danny]

3 hours ago, scottmcleanscontacts said:

'The Glory Game'.

This is maybe the best book ever written about football. It just happens to be Spurs but could be any team.

It's from 1972, so maybe dated in terms of the money and styles discussed but it's still very relevant today.

It's not your typical football book. It barely discusses a match, instead focusing on individuals that surround a football club from top to bottom. From the board down to fans and all that's in between.

The author, Hunter Davies, spent a season with the team and in and around the club and the result is interesting. It's by no means a 'warts and all' - I doubt he'd have been allowed the access he was, if it was - but it's nevertheless a really brilliant insight into what was arguably one of the planets biggest clubs at that point.
 

Read it years ago. There was a "pwopa nawty" chapter where he travels to a match on a train with a bunch of skinheads.

[paul-r-cfc]

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

My 11th book of lockdown and could hardly put it down. Looks at geographical traits of major countries/regions and the impact that's had on their success, or lack of it. Very accessible and a fascinating insight into things you don't really think about when considering the politics of the world. Highly recommended.