Books To Recommend ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ardross
  • Start date Start date
About as good as me buying Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Thin" or whatever it was, while I lay on the sofa, noshing extra thick-cut crisps and Cadbury's cream eggs.
 
Found myself browsing through David Halberstam's Greatest American Sportswriting of the Century again the other night, a massive collection of the best of American sports journalism.

Not everyone's cup of tea I know but it really is a must have for anyone who appreciates good sports journalism (American or otherwise). Two of the pieces in particular always amaze me, a piece by Brad Darrach, "The Day Bobby Blew It", that chronicles the hilarious struggle that was convincing Bobby Fischer to get on the plane to Iceland to take on Spassky, the other a piece by Jon Krakauer called "Into Thin Air" about his experience climbing Everest amidst horrendous conditions that tragically (and needlessly) claimed the lives of a half dozen fellow climbers. Gripping stuff.

Probably the two best pieces of sports journalism I've come across (the Darach piece I would certainly classify as amongst the best short stories I've ever read as well), and neither about a sport I have the slightest interest in.
 
Last edited:
Just finished The Girl in Times Square by Paullina Simmons - a long book but a fantastic story - part crime/part love story. I read a review on Amazon and it said "Its starts with Oh thats interesting" and finishes with "O My God!" and I think thats a very fair description. Probably more of a female read though!
 
Into Thin Air was also made into a film, I think, Tracks. I have a pal who's mad for all of these humans vs disaster situations and she's seen it a few times. For anyone equally enthralled by people-in-peril, Readers' Digest has a huge collection of such stories out in one hardback tome called They Lived to Tell the Tale. I've just harvested it for her from our communal library - I rather doubt it'll ever return!
 
Am so impressed by Paullina Simons I have just ordered her trilogy, The Bronze Horsemen and her debut novel, Tully. That'll keep me quiet for a bit!!!
 
Appalled by my lack of knowledge, and the insights via the Beeb's (and RTE's) History of Ireland, fronted by Fergal Keane, I've just bought the accompanying tome, Story of Ireland - In Search of a New National Memory, by Neil Hegarty, intro by Fergal.

A manageable 336 pages, colour photos, good Index and a very useful Timeline (chronology) from Neolithic farming to today, it cost only £15 in hardback from the Beeb's shop at the top of my road.

One of my neighbours is enjoying the series, too, having some Irish connections and once working for Irish actress Kate O'Mara. We're both in our sixties and concurred that our very English schooling dismissed pretty much all of Ireland in our day with 'troubles put down by Cromwell' and 'potato famine caused much misery', and that was about it. In fact, huge swathes of international history were equally airily dismissed, while we focussed on a succession of kings, pretenders, and executions singularly English. I hope that today's children are taught History less exclusively.
 
Started Anna Karenina a week or so ago (I am such a fecking romantic at heart) and whilst the thing is excellent so far the notes all these classics seem to contain should be at the back rather than the front.:(
 
I've been recommended Memoirs of an Economics Hitman, by an American author whose name I've promptly forgotten. It is supposedly an expose of how America in particular sets out to put emerging countries into enormous debt, so that they become easily manipulated by the USA in future, to get whatever they want out of the countries in future - infrastructure contracts (Halliburton, Fluor, etc.), and to where the US can also manipulate or downright demand putting certain politicians into place and taking others out.

Anyone read it? It's written by a guy who was supposedly working on just such set-ups in the US Govt so isn't meant to be just Mad Conspiracy Theory No.18746725.
 
krizon said:
I hope that today's children are taught History less exclusively.
Click to expand...

Not quite sure that they are at all, having recently had one twenty-something colleague ask me "Who was Oliver Cromwell?".

Certainly that was very much English history but an important point of time, particularly regarding the relationship between crown and parliament.

Currently reading Perkin by Ann Wroe. A thorough examination of the mystery surrounding pretender Perkin Warbeck, who threatened the crown of Henry VII by claiming to be one of the Princes in the Tower, Richard, Duke of York. Very interesting, but you do have to pay close attention, so best in small "bites".
 
Yes Soary, with good reason - although a lot of the evil deeds attributed to the man himself were actually conceived and carried out by his henchmen. "Old Nol" carries the can for a lot of bad deeds, some justifiably, others less so.
 
That must be it, Colly, thanks for the added info. It could be an interesting read.

The more we English expose about Cromwell, the more he must take full responsibility for whatever was inflicted upon the hapless Irish - I don't think you can slope shoulders, like Mladic, for example, and say if wicked deeds were done, they were done without your approval or prior knowledge. You set the tone for your troops' behaviour, not the other way around. He could've determined who'd roasted babies alive, for example, and had them shot as an example that Britain would not treaty to barbarism. But he didn't, so he must bear the weight of all losses and the manner of those losses, imho. Were he operating today, he'd also be appearing in The Hague on war crimes accusations.
 
He was a nasty old wart.
His were the actions his men the means.

Enough of that old past stuff now! The sun's shining!Somewhere!

And here he is -> :)
 
redhead said:
Currently reading Perkin by Ann Wroe. A thorough examination of the mystery surrounding pretender Perkin Warbeck, who threatened the crown of Henry VII by claiming to be one of the Princes in the Tower, Richard, Duke of York. Very interesting, but you do have to pay close attention, so best in small "bites".
Click to expand...

Is that a 'novel' Redhead, or a purely factual account?
 
A readable factual account, G-G. Very interesting. Henry Tudor had already overcome Lambert Simnel and set him to turn the spits in his kitchen. By making little of such pretenders, he was able to reduce their appeal in public imagination and therefore their threat.

He referred to "Richard" as the "Feigned Lad" - but FL was enough to worry him and keep him intrigued - even after his capture and subsequent "confession". Once he had captured "Richard" he reduced his supposed name of Peter Warbeck to "Perkin" a common-sounding derivative of the pet name "Peterkin" - little Peter. That way he downgraded him from a responsible adult with the ability to raise and lead an army, to a boy who was chancing his luck. Wily old fox, was Henry.

Ann Wroe very cleverly keeps the reader guessing as to what her own views on The White Rose of York. It is really difficult to tell whether she believes that he really was Richard Planagenet or some young man dragged into a intrigue with the promise of a crown, with the cynical view of running England from Burgundy through him.

If I recall, there was a TV documentary about him. A novel and a good, well-researched film or mini-series would be great watching, as Perkin Warbeck was important enough to make Henry feel very threatened and intrigued him as a person.
 
Soary Stars said:
He was a nasty old wart.
His were the actions his men the means.

Enough of that old past stuff now! The sun's shining!Somewhere!

And here he is -> :)
Click to expand...

So he is, Soary, a welcome sight after a day of showers and clouds.

After your comments the other evening I had a quick scout around the internet regarding Old Nol's Irish campaign as that is not a period of history I am as familiar with as the Middle Ages.

As I do like to know both sides of an argument, I intend to remedy that lack of knowledge and have just received a copy of God's Executioner by Micheal O Siochru (can't get the accents in, apologies to Gaelic-speakers). As it's written by an Irishman, I should get a good view of how your fellow countrymen view Old Nol.

It looks quite a readable analysis, so I will let you know at a later date how I get on.

I do love history as I find it gives a great outlook on how a national outlook is formed. There are also many parallels with events in our own time and the same mistakes are often made as people don't really change that much at gut level, despite what the Political Correctness bunch would have us think.

Thanks for the sunshine, Soary! :)
 
Last edited:
I hope you find it intersting, Redhead.
Nothing beats good honest interest. I hope it's not a dark dark tale. If it is, give over. No-one has to read a book on and on if it's punishment.

:)

^ there he is again!
 
"he must bear the weight of all losses and the manner of those losses"

He was a formidable against his own countrymen too: he has an extraordinary quotation in his letters following the battle of Naseby (crushing defeat for Royalist forces when Cromwell's cavalry reformed for a second charge):'God made them as stubble to our swords'
That level of assurance is what's fascinating and terrifying about Cromwell.

O'Siochru's an excellent historian of 17th-century Ireland - should be a good read.
 
Thanks for the recommendation, Spaceegg.

Soary, I will find a good 3m steeplechase to bet on to dispel any clouds of doom and despondency, I promise. I have had quite enough of that these last 5 years and am currently taking somewhat drastic action (in true Redhead style) to start enjoying my life again. (Will discuss on another thread as I need a bit of (fairly) sane feedback from people outside my little goldfish bowl.)

The quote that I remember Cromwell for is: "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, conceive it possible that you may be mistaken."

Apparently he said this to Parliament when they demanded the death penalty for King Charles. It struck my 14 year-old mind as being one of a man who felt responsibility quite heavily on his shoulders. From what I have garnered since, it smacks of hypocrisy.

I was recently given a book called The Tyrannicide Brief written by barrister Geoffrey Robertson about the lawyer who accepted the very onerous task of finding a way to send an anointed king (Charles II) to the scaffold.

The two books read in conjunction should give a good insight to the times.

As you say, Spaceegg, the total conviction that he was right, combined with his military prowess make Cromwell a very interesting man.

The private man would, I think, be different again. What a very complex person.
 
redhead said:
A readable factual account, G-G. Very interesting. Henry Tudor had already overcome Lambert Simnel and set him to turn the spits in his kitchen. By making little of such pretenders, he was able to reduce their appeal in public imagination and therefore their threat.

He referred to "Richard" as the "Feigned Lad" - but FL was enough to worry him and keep him intrigued - even after his capture and subsequent "confession". Once he had captured "Richard" he reduced his supposed name of Peter Warbeck to "Perkin" a common-sounding derivative of the pet name "Peterkin" - little Peter. That way he downgraded him from a responsible adult with the ability to raise and lead an army, to a boy who was chancing his luck. Wily old fox, was Henry.

Ann Wroe very cleverly keeps the reader guessing as to what her own views on The White Rose of York. It is really difficult to tell whether she believes that he really was Richard Planagenet or some young man dragged into a intrigue with the promise of a crown, with the cynical view of running England from Burgundy through him.

If I recall, there was a TV documentary about him. A novel and a good, well-researched film or mini-series would be great watching, as Perkin Warbeck was important enough to make Henry feel very threatened and intrigued him as a person.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for this Redhead. I will put in on the list. Richard 111 one of my favourite periods in history and there is always something new to find out. (Obviously appreciate Richard was dead by this time but that's where the story starts)
 
It was probably all down to being made to feel inadequate by his mother and having a distant father. Phillip Larkin wasn't far wrong!
 
do love history as I find it gives a great outlook on how a national outlook is forme
Click to expand...

A Great and terrible King ... edward the first. superb current read

Not delved back so far in my history reading before, but its fascinating...for all the reasons you state.

State of emergency Dominic Sandbrook on the 70s is anopther unputdownable addition to the series
 
Back
Top