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This week I have been reading
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The Cambridge Platonists were contemporaries of Descartes @Jints but the Enlightenment had a different evolution (with a different emphasis) in France, Britain (incl importantly Scotland, of course) and Germany.
This book’s about the British experience.1 -
Recent reading:
They by Kay Dick - quirky and bizarre
Ghost Mountain by Ronan Hession - excellent
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata - good but odd
Sex and Drugs and Rock n roll by Richard Balls - very good biog of Ian Dury
Stonor by John Williams - excellent if dour
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - pretty dull
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan - very good
Bowieland by Peter Carpenter - overwritten and self indulgent twaddle
Now on Henry James, Turn of the Screw.0 -
The first 600 pages of 22.11 63 were superb story telling but the ending was abysmal. Jake coming back to Armageddon and stepping back for a less intrusive reset was a cop-out.
It should of been all about him saving Sadie, who he abandoned when she died.
And the bookies got away scott free. If you had been maimed and narrowly avoided death by two mafiosos, would you walk away when you had killed a man and been prepared to murder a second?2 -
maybe he should write a follow up that covers all your points above?Gisappointed said:The first 600 pages of 22.11 63 were superb story telling but the ending was abysmal. Jake coming back to Armageddon and stepping back for a less intrusive reset was a cop-out.
It should of been all about him saving Sadie, who he abandoned when she died.
And the bookies got away scott free. If you had been maimed and narrowly avoided death by two mafiosos, would you walk away when you had killed a man and been prepared to murder a second?
Personally, I thought it was great.0 -
Found a Stuart Macbride book I hadnt read "The missing and the Dead" .I only started reading his books about a year ago and really never get fed up with dour humour ,the trials and tribulations of this dysfunctional police station in Aberdeen.1
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Turn of the Screw - ridiculous overwritten twaddle
Graham Greene - End of the Affair - all rather inconsequential
Now reading Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck - good so far, 200 pages in
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Finished Damscus station yesterday
Very good, have to pay attention and get used to a lot of spy trade talk
Looking forward to the next book0 -
Finished Absolute Beginners by Colin Macinnes and am now on Cornelius Ryan’s A Bridge Too Far in readiness for the CL Arnhem trip next month.1
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Duncan Hamilton (excellent biographer in my opinion) Answered Prayers England And The 1966 World Cup.
I thoroughly recommend both to those who lived it and those with an interest in social and football history.
Slightly off topic the book contains this paragraph when discussing Sir Alf Ramsey’s early days:
’Just one club attempted seriously to take Ramsey away from Ipswich. In September 1956, after sacking Jimmy Seed, First Division Charlton Athletic asked Ramsey to replace him. Seed, boss there for 23 years, had won Charlton the FA Cup nine years before, but after he lost the opening five matches of the 1956/57 season, the directors fired him. Fearing a hostile response to the loss of a club legend, they asked Seed to say he had resigned through ill health. Seed dug in indignantly and refused. Ramsey, though flattered by the approach, smelt only decay and duplicity at The Valley. Eight months later, Charlton were relegated.’
How much would the history of Charlton and England have changed had Ramsey taken the job? Interesting to speculate.6 -
Hamilton's "Provided You Don't Kiss Me", about Brian Clough, is one of the best sports biographies I have ever read.LenGlover said:Duncan Hamilton (excellent biographer in my opinion) Answered Prayers England And The 1966 World Cup.
I thoroughly recommend both to those who lived it and those with an interest in social and football history.
Slightly off topic the book contains this paragraph when discussing Sir Alf Ramsey’s early days:
’Just one club attempted seriously to take Ramsey away from Ipswich. In September 1956, after sacking Jimmy Seed, First Division Charlton Athletic asked Ramsey to replace him. Seed, boss there for 23 years, had won Charlton the FA Cup nine years before, but after he lost the opening five matches of the 1956/57 season, the directors fired him. Fearing a hostile response to the loss of a club legend, they asked Seed to say he had resigned through ill health. Seed dug in indignantly and refused. Ramsey, though flattered by the approach, smelt only decay and duplicity at The Valley. Eight months later, Charlton were relegated.’
How much would the history of Charlton and England have changed had Ramsey taken the job? Interesting to speculate.4 -
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Currently reading Unruly by David Mitchell. Very funny look back at history and well worth a read in my opinion.3
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Same.Algarveaddick said:
Hamilton's "Provided You Don't Kiss Me", about Brian Clough, is one of the best sports biographies I have ever read.LenGlover said:Duncan Hamilton (excellent biographer in my opinion) Answered Prayers England And The 1966 World Cup.
I thoroughly recommend both to those who lived it and those with an interest in social and football history.
Slightly off topic the book contains this paragraph when discussing Sir Alf Ramsey’s early days:
’Just one club attempted seriously to take Ramsey away from Ipswich. In September 1956, after sacking Jimmy Seed, First Division Charlton Athletic asked Ramsey to replace him. Seed, boss there for 23 years, had won Charlton the FA Cup nine years before, but after he lost the opening five matches of the 1956/57 season, the directors fired him. Fearing a hostile response to the loss of a club legend, they asked Seed to say he had resigned through ill health. Seed dug in indignantly and refused. Ramsey, though flattered by the approach, smelt only decay and duplicity at The Valley. Eight months later, Charlton were relegated.’
How much would the history of Charlton and England have changed had Ramsey taken the job? Interesting to speculate.
He's a brilliant writer, read 5 or 6 of his, including 'Immortal' about George Best recently - very good and doesn't shy away from the dark and sad sides of his life.
'Injury Time' is very good as well - his first fiction one, basically a fake autobiography about a 60s and 70s footballer but captures the era so well.
But 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' is absolutely the best.
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Have read these in the last 2 weeks -
Billy Summers - Stephen King . Slow starter but really enjoyed it in the end.
The Godfather - Mario Puzo. Having never seen the films, I really enjoyed this. Think I’ll read book 2 and 3 before watching the films.
The Chain - Adrian Mckinty. A bit far-fetched in places but enjoyable nonetheless. Very fast paced and easy to pick up/put down.1 -
Finished 'The Burning Tide' by William Shaw recently.
His books are not quite as dark/gruesome as other detective/police novels, but he captures the places they're set in very well in my opinion - this is the second in a series set down in Teignmouth, but the previous series of his I read (starting with 'The Birdwatcher') was down in Dungeness, and it really captured the weirdness, emptiness etc of it.
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Just finished The Birdwatcher & really enjoyed it. First William Shaw book I've read. Took it back to library, planning to get out the follow up but all his books were out. Turns out he's doing an "evening with" at the Central Library, Bexleyheath on 9th July, so assume people are prepping !North Lower Neil said:Finished 'The Burning Tide' by William Shaw recently.
His books are not quite as dark/gruesome as other detective/police novels, but he captures the places they're set in very well in my opinion - this is the second in a series set down in Teignmouth, but the previous series of his I read (starting with 'The Birdwatcher') was down in Dungeness, and it really captured the weirdness, emptiness etc of it.1 -
Just finished Boris Becker's 'Inside'
Its very good, its about his time in prison, the lead up to it and he has these diary style entries where he talks about his career.
Well worth a read0
