The Everlasting Bookshelf

ErikthViking

ErikthViking

UTC Legend
Inspired by the Never Ending Jukebox and the recent cautionary tale, The Player of Casterbridge, how about a recurring thread for books? Someone once asked me who my friends* are and I replied, "those that have music their heads and books on their shelves."

Apart from common decency, there are few limitations but how about sharing a particular book that you are reading now or have just finished. Tell us why it was brilliant, completely unreadable or somewhere in between. If you can, please share an image of the front cover.

One guideline, though, if you disagree about a particular book, then talk about the book and not lambast the poster i.e. please keep feuds and personal vendettas from other threads in other threads and not here.

Why not add a like if you agree that it is a indeed a good book or one that you are now prompted to read? Alternatively, add your own take on the book.

There is no non to preface this thread because it obviously isn't AFCB, a number of AFCB (BABAFC for the old school) books will inevitably surface and how many threads on here stay on topic anyway?

Time will tell if there is enough interest to keep a thread like this afloat.

* 'I have friends all over world, all over the world. None in this country, of course, but all over the world!' - Slightly misquoted from Galton and Simpson, 1961.
 
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Following the recent Liverpool match, I visited the bookshops of Manchester and Bradford. I bought a few books and here are three of those that I have read since. I am not including the Dambusters by Max Hastings because I have already mentioned it on another thread. Instead, here is Colditz by Ben Macintyre. This book may challenge what you know, or thought you knew, about arguably the most famous POW camp. Balanced and Interesting sources and a good read if you like war yarns.

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Also by the same author are the excellent, Agent ZigZag and Operation Mincement.
 
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Another book from the Manchester/Bradford haul is this one:

Agincourt.JPG

Surprisingly, the battle itself only takes up a small part of the book, but it is a superb history book about the lead up to the battle and Henry V. I suppose the clue is the order in which,"The King, The Campaign and The Battle are listed on the cover.
 
Really don’t read much anymore.
Since console games got so unbelievably good I find reading a bit unsatisfying, much more enjoyable to have some control of where the narrative goes imho.
But I did read Stephen King’s Fairy Tale last week.
Splendid start in the real world, beautiful storytelling. Sadly the second half, in fairy tale land, was bloody dreadful.
One to avoid I would say.

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I'm a fan of the Tour de France, and Ned Boutlings(with David Millar and Pete Kennaugh) podcast Never Strays Far.
This book is like one of those podcasts. He heard about an old bit of Pathe News footage, made a bid and surprisingly found himself with 3 mins of footage from 1923. Boulting is a master at going off on tangents, with only the flimsiest of links to any main theme or subject of conversation at the time, and this book is full of such events. Main theme is a solo rider at the front in one of the clips, but little is known about him, so he heads off in search to find out what he can. meets surviving family members, returns to the scene of that part of the race, in addition to discussing events occurring on those same days in July 23 which shaped Europe's future.
So from what started out as just 3 mins of random race footage, spawned a great read.....
 
Started on ‘a walk in the woods’ Bill Bryson, very good so far and we’ve apparently got everything he has written so will work my way through them.
Just finished, Adolf Hitler: my part in his downfall. Spike Milligan. Absolutely brilliant, haven’t read it in over 30 years but seems even better now
 
All non fiction, but

James Brown - Animal House (The Loaded Editor's story)
Ewan Flynn - We are Sunday League (True story)
Jeremy Bowen - War Stories (Eye opening stories in Sarajevo, Mostar, Grozny & Middle East)
 
Ken Baileys Ghost said:
Not according to the New Statesman, who hammered it. :grinning:
www.newstatesman.com

Bernie Taupin: good lyricist, bad writer

The songs he wrote with Elton John may be works of art. His bloated memoir is not.
www.newstatesman.com www.newstatesman.com

May well give it a go if I can find it cheap in a month or two.
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In fairness, there is always somebody somewhere who will criticise any book that is released. If we believed these people we wouldn't read any books at all.
 
Three on the go at the moment and a few more in the ready use locker

People of the Lie ,by M Scott Peck
Wisdom from King Alfred's Middle Earth, by S & SF Phillips
Schmucks, by Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder
 
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I always have more books than I can read.
Current read is The Trio by Johanna Hedman


Thora, August and Hugo come from different worlds - one an art school dreamer, one a wealthy scion of the old elite, and one an ordinary boy from out of town. But over the course of two sky-blue summers in Stockholm, they are drawn together magnetically.

The novel opens years later, when Hugo, long estranged from Thora and August, is visited by their daughter - who has questions about her parents which she believes Hugo can answer - and the memories of those luminous days come flooding back.

Modern yet timeless, poignant and euphoric, The Trio is a novel about the path not taken, the people we might have become, and the relationships which shape and haunt us long after they come to a close.

Bought it at Flox books at the EOTR festival.

https://www.phloxbooks.com/

I like to have a book to read on holiday or at festivals.

I liked the cover blurb and bought it on impulse. Have to say I haven’t got far but that’s more about me. Will pop down the beach in a bit and have a read.
 
I tend to listen to audiobooks these days. Have done for past 10 years or so now, as don't have time to prioritise reading books like before. At least not in tge volume I'd like to get through the books I want to!

Hopefully my contributions don't contravene your guidelines @ErikthViking

I've ramped up the playback speed as time went on. Moving up in small increments over the years to 1.7ish max, depending on author and content.

Now when i select the default 1.0 playback, the narrator sounds wayyyy tooooo slowwwww. Narrators tend to read at a pace well below typical talking speed. And no, they dont start to sound like chipmunks, as they did on tapes years back. Cadence is fine. If yku nudge it up 0.5 or 1.0 at a time, give yourself time to adapt, then nudge it up again, the change is barely perceptible. You can get through books significantly quicker as a result.

Some people find they're more likely to remain engaged, focused on the audiobook when played at quicker speed too.

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