Grendel
Well-Known Member
Peter Hitchens is the far more sensible one in that family,
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Peter Hitchens is the far more sensible one in that family,
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
he's an idiot. If you want right wing commentators there are far better than him.
Apologies Clint and Grendel I misread your post have to agree with Clint although I do respect Peter as a free thinker/speaker.
Re Salmon Clint Id recommend East,West, a collection of short stories to see if you like his style.
I'd say Satanic Verses too not too long and staight into his complex writing style.
Re Salmon Clint Id recommend East,West, a collection of short stories to see if you like his style.
I'd say Satanic Verses too not too long and staight into his complex writing style.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
to call him an idiot is a bit unfair, he's slightly mad and contradicts himself a lot but he can be fairly interesting even if you don't agree with him.
Even though he is anti EU he voted remain and his reasoning for doing so pretty much concur with mine so we've got something in common!
Thanks for the recommendation Wingy, I'll get hold of a copy.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
In what way do you consider him right wing? You know he and Shami Chakrabarti agree on many freedom of liberty arguments?
How is Mr Hitchen - a former Trotskyite who spent many years in the Soviet Union — right wing in your view?
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
he has certainly renounced a lot of his believes from his earlier years.
He is very authoritarian, very draconian and very religious to the point he doesn't believe in the separation of church and state.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
He is a civil liberatarian
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
he does hold some civil libertarian views. But his views on drugs and homosexuality are certainly not civil libertarian and he writes for the mail, the Express and a US based magazine of a similar ilk whose name I can't remember.
He also supports the death penalty.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Yes he certainly supports the death penalty. His article last week confirmed that by suggesting any people texting on mobile phones and causing death during texting should be executed and their heads impaled on spikes for public display at motorway services. Extreme but you get the point.
You also get the point when you realise more taxpayers money is spent on a cancer victim like Ian Brady than a dementia care home sufferer who served with military honours in the war.
His expose on the lie that labour value state education in his book the Golden Compass with the hypocricisy of so called left wing politicians is revealing
I like him.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
think it's fair to say not many civil libertarians would share that view!
Grendel
Well-Known Member
He admitted that was a bit extreme but did point out the chance of catching such criminals is limited when police with stretched resources are rather busy painting their fingernails.
Oh and you can’t realky argue the Ian Brady point can you?
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
Brady should have been kept alive for as long as possible purely because he didn't want to be but I get the point. I'm not a supporter of the death penalty in general because I don't think it works but some people, like brady are so evil you wonder about the point of keeping them alive.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
Good response. I’m not a supporter per se but in a land of diminishing resources the fact the likes of Huntley, Sutcliffe, Nielsen have led a fairly comfortable life makes it a conundrum - as does the treatment of the Bulger killers whose lives have definitely been enhanced purely by a deprived act.
R
RB1992
Guest
Finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer last week and currently reading through The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev. Both excellent reads if you're into climbing/mountaineering/Everest in general.
Ranjit Bhurpa
Well-Known Member
Hope it's a more in depth read than his Diaries published in 1990 following the fatwa issued against him - Monday 1st January - stayed in
Tuesday 2nd January - stayed in
Wednesday 3rd January - stayed in
........
Gazolba
Well-Known Member
Sounds like my diary if you add in 'ate a sandwich for lunch'.
Mr T - Sukka!
Active Member
Into The Wild - Good book they made a film about it. Guy lives a comfortable life gives it all up to live in the wilderness in Alaska.
Roy Pretty Boy Shaw - Really good book you cannot put it down.
Lenny McLean - The Guvnor. like above.
Staying Up - About the Bryan Richardson era very interesting.
The Damage Done 12 years of hell in a Bangkok Prison - Warren Fellows. Drug trafficker gets caught. Harrowing read.
Marching Powder - Rusty Young - not read this but a lot of people say its good.
Roy Pretty Boy Shaw - Really good book you cannot put it down.
Lenny McLean - The Guvnor. like above.
Staying Up - About the Bryan Richardson era very interesting.
The Damage Done 12 years of hell in a Bangkok Prison - Warren Fellows. Drug trafficker gets caught. Harrowing read.
Marching Powder - Rusty Young - not read this but a lot of people say its good.
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Ranjit Bhurpa
Well-Known Member
Must admit I saw 'Staying Up - about the Bryan Richardson years very interesting' followed by 'The damage done 12 years of hell' and thought it was a natural progression.
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
I haven't read the Satanic Verses - but I'd recommend Midnight's Children, which is right up there amongst the best novels I've read. I also think it influenced Zadie Smith heavily on White Teeth.
I've a huge pile of books to read as I buy what I want when I see it in a charity shop etc. Reading a Harry Crews novel just now and waiting for Paul Auster's new novel 4321 to come down in price. I'm on the lookout for a good secondhand copy of A Tale of Two Cities and have been for ages. I found one on Abebooks and ordered it but when it arrived it was a children's abridged copy!
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
any chance of a quick synopsis Mr T?
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
Long time since I read it. It's about a guy born at midnight on the day of partition between India and Pakistan. I remember that as a result he has an incredible sense of smell. Cannot recall much more just now but if you look on Amazon there will be loads of reviews.
Mcbean
Well-Known Member
If you like to laugh and have a good crime story - i can recommend the Logan McRae series by Stuart McBride - based in Aberdeen the stories are gritty with great characters - i read a lot while travelling and cherish these like Rankins Rebus - i would say it would be worth reading in order as life changes as he goes along - Cold Granite is the first !
if you like hero types then i can recommend the Stratton series Duncan Falconer no 1 is called Stratton no 2 is called Hijack -- there is a film currently in production - i enjoyed them immensely
if you like hero types then i can recommend the Stratton series Duncan Falconer no 1 is called Stratton no 2 is called Hijack -- there is a film currently in production - i enjoyed them immensely
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
my son is currently studying for his GCSEs. He hasn't inherited my love of reading and it's something I have to get on his case about.
But they're doing a Sherlock Holmes book at school and he loves it, he's started reading other Sherlock Holmes novels that aren't on the curriculum outside of his studies. I've never read one myself.
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
I have never read one either, but I bought a book of collected stories a year or so ago when a friend recommended them to me. I'd always wrongly assumed that it wouldn't be well written.
I'm always tempted by these big books of collected novels but then I never get around to reading them because they aren't portable. I have a week off over Xmas and may read some then.
Completely with you on children not inheriting a love of reading. My raison d'etre is reading; theatre; art and music and my daughter has no interest in any of them. We read to her as a child and I was so looking forward to sharing some of my favourite books with her as she grew up.
If your son is a teenager, what do you think about giving him the Catcher in The Rye to read? Possibly followed by David Copperfield so he can get the reference in the first paragraph?
Mcbean
Well-Known Member
i got a kindle for xmas about 3 yrs ago and have read over 300 books since - it has a light so hotels with poor lighting are not an issue and the battery lasts for about a month at a time - much easier than lugging books around - also you can change the font size so when i forget my glasses you can just increase it - i always have around 15 unread ones in the wings ready to go - have found a chap who has err um 4000 or so books foc which get updated regularly which is handy - lots of free books out there including most of the classics
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
I have never read one either, but I bought a book of collected stories a year or so ago when a friend recommended them to me. I'd always wrongly assumed that it wouldn't be well written.
I'm always tempted by these big books of collected novels but then I never get around to reading them because they aren't portable. I have a week off over Xmas and may read some then.
Completely with you on children not inheriting a love of reading. My raison d'etre is reading; theatre; art and music and my daughter has no interest in any of them. We read to her as a child and I was so looking forward to sharing some of my favourite books with her as she grew up.
If your son is a teenager, what do you think about giving him the Catcher in The Rye to read? Possibly followed by David Copperfield so he can get the reference in the first paragraph?
he gave me a list of books he needs yesterday but Catcher in the Rye wasn't on it. I think he'd struggle with it to be honest.
I thought it was overrated, I have done with a lot of the modern classics. Couldn't even finish On the Road or Confederacy of dunces and I'll usually plough on to the end of a book regardless of how much I'm not enjoying it.
Shame about the kids not getting into the reading but I suppose they have a lot more forms of entertainment they can access than we did.
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
Wow, I love both of the other two books you mention. Confederacy of Dunces had me laughing out loud. Read On the Road about 30 years ago and remember enjoying it. But I know what you mean about wanting to complete a book you are not enjoying but sometimes giving in anyway. I've tried Conrad a couple of times and given up. And only last week I decided to give up on The Good Soldier (Ford Madox Ford). It was OK, but a bit slow and I decided there are better books waiting on my shelves.
mrtrench
Well-Known Member
BTW, mentioned Salinger because I read all his published novels around that age and loved them. Also read the Gormenghast trilogy and lots of Kafka; Camus; Orwell & Graham Greene about that age (being honest I was about 17 - so possibly a little older). It's all about teenage angst then right?
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
I like Orwell, been meaning to Camus a go. Sounds an interesting character.
I used to be able to plough through books but haven't been able to be quite as prolific since i started wearing glasses.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
You'd read The Outsider in three sittings.
I'll start with that, when I've finished my ever growing list of must reads!!
Gazolba
Well-Known Member
I wish it was easier to find books in large print. They often say "a large print edition is available" but God knows where you find them. It seems like they are using smaller and smaller fonts to save on paper.
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
might be time to try a kindle or some sort of tablet but I'm a bit of a traditionalist!