Grendel
Well-Known Member
Peter Hitchens is the far more sensible one in that family,
never read anything by him but he was good mates with Christopher Hitchen so that's good enough for me. What book would be a good starter?
Peter Hitchens is the far more sensible one in that family,
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.
he's an idiot. If you want right wing commentators there are far better than him.
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?
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.
He is a civil liberatarian
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.
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.
think it's fair to say not many civil libertarians would share that view!
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?
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.
Hope it's a more in depth read than his Diaries published in 1990 following the fatwa issued against him - Monday 1st January - stayed inSalmon Rushdies most recent offering for me when I treat myself for Christmas.
Sounds like my diary if you add in 'ate a sandwich for lunch'.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
........
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.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.
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.
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!
any chance of a quick synopsis Mr T?
A couple more:
"The Sex Lives of Cannibals" - J. Maarten Troost
"The Lost World" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
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.
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.
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?
You'd read The Outsider in three sittings.
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.<snip>
I used to be able to plough through books but haven't been able to be quite as prolific since i started wearing glasses.
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.
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