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Last Book You Read....


H_B

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I've not read many horrors recently but I did enjoy Joe Hills - Heart Shaped Box, a story about a aging rock star who tries to buy a ghost.

You could also try Dan Simmons - The Terror, a fictional account of Franklins lost expedition with a supernatural twist, it's a long book but it's great..

I'd second The Terror, like Tommy says it's a long book and slow in places but well worth sticking with..

Just read Rabbit is Rich by John Updike - picked it up at random in the library, unaware it's part of a series following a character through his life (each book in the series is set a decade apart - this one is in the late 70's), not much happens but it was pretty engrossing and has made me want to check out the other books in the series.

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Who Pays The Ferryman? By Roy Pedersen. A hard hitting book which basically tears apart Caledonian Macbrayne and the successive governments who've give them ridiculous subsidies to run expensive, polluting boats on poorly thought out routes which are a huge burden to the taxpayer.

A follow up to his excellent Pentland Hero which highlighted that if they received the same subsidies as Northlink they could ferry people across to Orkney and back for free.

Both books are not to be missed if you've any interest in Scottish maritime affairs and history.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone have any recommendations for books to get a hold of for taking on holiday. Something fairly easy going, usually read Dan Brown, Michael Connolly, Markus Sakey type books on holiday.

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Anyone have any recommendations for books to get a hold of for taking on holiday. Something fairly easy going, usually read Dan Brown, Michael Connolly, Markus Sakey type books on holiday.

Try Alexander McCall Smith.

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Anyone have any recommendations for books to get a hold of for taking on holiday. Something fairly easy going, usually read Dan Brown, Michael Connolly, Markus Sakey type books on holiday.

Bill Bryson is my staple holiday read.
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Read a couple of books in the past week:

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes - Best book I've read in a long time, kept me engrossed from start to finish. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good holiday read.

No Off Switch by Andy Kershaw - Great in places but he does come across as a bit of a tit at times. Hopefully the Jimmy Saville mention was sarcasm.

Now reading Red Road by Denise Mina.

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Cuba Libre - Elmore Leonard

I thought the idea was interesting. It's set in the late 19th Century prior to a war between America and Spain.

A cowboy is employed to smuggle horses into Cuba and finds himself brought to the attention of corrupt local police officers and dangerous Spanish Army Officers, all the while Cuban independence fighters grow in strength, and American warships anchor off the Cuban shore.

I actually found some of the politics more interesting, and a lot of this is shed away as the book focuses on fairly cut-n-paste characters and fairly standard heist action. As a result, it narrows in focus when I was hoping it would broaden out with more about the politics and war of the place and time.

I'm not sure I would recommend.

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Tell us about it, HTG. I'd imagine it would be excellent - man of principle and grumpy git - my kind of guy, old Tam.

It's a decent look back through his life. He doesn't focus on Lockerbie or the Falklands to the extent you might expect - largely because they are worthy of volumes in their own right. I had to set aside my Yes position to read the book as he's an ardent supporter of the union but if you can't see the other perspective and deal with your inner thinking then you're as well not reading it.

He's right about the current selection model for MPs. One of the reasons parliament has become so redundant in politics today is because folk like Tam - a socialist with a desire to make his own views known in the House - would never get near a seat today. They all get the ability to think critically about party policy kicked out of them. You could reasonably argue that the same issue exists in the conservative party but their lefties can find solace in the Lib Dems and their lunatics can join UKIP. There aren't many places left for free thinking traditional Labour politicians.

ETA - there was a significant issue where he comments on Lockerbie in respect of Thatcher's treatment of the whole affair. It's not new stuff because I've just googled it and found a blog written in 2009. Dalyell was at a small dinner party where he was with Margaret Thatcher and he started to question her diaries (which ran to hundreds of pages). Here's a transcript of the exchange:

"Margaret, tell me one thing - why in 800 pages...'

'Have you read my autobiography?' she interrupted, purring with pleasure.

"Yes, I have read it very carefully. Why in 800 pages did you not mention Lockerbie once?"

Mrs Thatcher replied: 'Because I didn't know what happened and I don't write about things that I don't know about."

My jaw dropped. "You don't know. But, quite properly as Prime Minister, you went to Lockerbie and looked into First Officer Captain Wagner's eyes."

She replied: "Yes, but I don't know about it and I don't write in my autobiography things I don't know about."

My conclusion is that she had been told by Washington on no account to delve into the circumstances of what really happened that awful night.

Back to me - it hadn't crossed my mind that the Prime Minister of the day would fail to utter a single word in her memoirs on what I suspect was the single biggest terrorist attack to befall this country. Dalyell makes a case for Lockerbie being no surprise to the Americans and at the risk of having to get my tinfoil out and raise a false flag, I'm inclined to understand where he's coming from.

Edited by HTG
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  • 2 weeks later...

Just back from a two week break in Turkey during which I read the following -

Dude, Where's my country? Michael Moore

Thanks for nothing. Jack Dee

1984. George Orwell.

1984 has been on the 'to do list' for some time and I thought it was excellent.

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Just back from a two week break in Turkey during which I read the following -

Dude, Where's my country? Michael Moore

Thanks for nothing. Jack Dee

1984. George Orwell.

1984 has been on the 'to do list' for some time and I thought it was excellent.

I've just recently finished 1984 and while I thought it was a decent read, I much preferred Animal Farm.

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I've just recently finished 1984 and while I thought it was a decent read, I much preferred Animal Farm.

It's been along time since Animal Farm was 'forced' upon me as a young loon at school. Maybe I should have another read..?

I'm one of the older PnB community and it is kinda embarrassing to admit that it's only now I have read 1984..

I loved 1984 because I could relate it not only to mainstream politics but to some (well most) of the ongoings at my work over the years. Some of our managers have mastered 'doublethink' without knowing it.....

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Currently reading A place of greater safety, Hilary Mantell,s historical novel about French Revolution.

It centres on the 3 key figures, Danton, Desmoulins & Robespierre.

Thoroughly enjoying it, its a worthy predecessor to Thomas Cromwell series.

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It's been along time since Animal Farm was 'forced' upon me as a young loon at school. Maybe I should have another read..?

I'm one of the older PnB community and it is kinda embarrassing to admit that it's only now I have read 1984..

I loved 1984 because I could relate it not only to mainstream politics but to some (well most) of the ongoings at my work over the years. Some of our managers have mastered 'doublethink' without knowing it.....

You certainly should have another go at AF, broon-loon. Clever and funny and a much easier read than 1984. The latter is equally insightful, but more to be admired than enjoyed, I feel. Orwell - what a great guy.
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