*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[Roadkill]

"The Thirty Years War" by C.V. Wedgwood. Nicely written - snappy and detailed without being up itself.

Is it good? As it happens I've just picked up Peter Wilson's book on the Thirty Years' War - enjoying it so far, although it's quite a dense read.

 

[ringo]

Riddley Walker - Russell Hoban - it's completely brilliant. Every other postapocalyptic thing I've read/seen pales in comparison; because it's not at all another of those po-faced meditations on how horrible human beings are, how civilisation is but a paperthin veneer and we're all cannibals at heart, etc etc etc. It's a genuinely strange, almost hallucinatory, sort of road trip through your own head; the writing is astonishing, experimental and woozy and weird. The setting in Kent makes it of special interest to urbs; the inevitable holes in the world-building and the lapses in logic just don't matter. There are horrors and mysteries and plenty of death but oddly it's not a miserable book; rather a thing of wonder. READ THIS BOOK. It is so worth it.
Marks out of ten would be wrong - about 20? 50? 1,000? Just read it.

Blimey this is good isn't it? I was dreaming about it last night and when i woke up I nearly got out of bed to read more. Instead I tried to go back to sleep but my head was full of follers and connexions.

Doing the search to find your post I realised just how many people on here have raved about it over the years, need a new thread for Urb favourites and lends.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Is it good? As it happens I've just picked up Peter Wilson's book on the Thirty Years' War - enjoying it so far, although it's quite a dense read.

I enjoyed it (not something I say about books without a good reason). it's data-heavy (rife with footnotes) but written engagingly - nowhere near as dry as some of the other stuff I've read (Gindely especially!) - and is a well-rounded overview, IMO.
I've got "Europe's Tragedy" sitting on the (ever-growing ) "to read" pile. Hopefully I'll get to it in a couple of months!

 

[ViolentPanda]

Just starting in on "Civil Affairs: Soldiers Become Governors", by Harry L. Coles and Albert E. Weinberg.
My grandad was detached to Civil Affairs duty in '44-45, and this book, while primarily about the US, also goes into UK Civil Affairs practice.

 

[starfish]

Started reading The Test, Brian O'Driscolls autobiography.

 

[BandWagon]

Started reading The Test, Brian O'Driscolls autobiography.

Can you let us know what he thinks about being dumped on his head by Tana Umaga and his mate, when you get to that bit?

 

[starfish]

Can you let us know what he thinks about being dumped on his head by Tana Umaga and his mate, when you get to that bit?

Will do. Might actually skip forward to that bit as am interested in his take on it too.

 

[starfish]

Can you let us know what he thinks about being dumped on his head by Tana Umaga and his mate, when you get to that bit?

At a press conference the next day he says:

Spoiler: BOD on that incident

"I describe it as deliberate foul play, dangerous, a cheap shot. I say i feel angry, cheated, disappointed with Tana - as a fellow captain - for not coming over as they stretchered me off".

Next time he sees Tana is 2009. They have a brief chat but dont mention it. BOD says he doesnt carry grudges.

He then goes on to say that he doesnt think he was targeted, deliberately taken out and that they didnt intend to injure him. It wasnt malicious just 2 guys trying to put down a marker but were incredibly careless. He then says hes not bitter about it just bored & weary.

 

[BandWagon]

At a press conference the next day he says:

Spoiler: BOD on that incident

"I describe it as deliberate foul play, dangerous, a cheap shot. I say i feel angry, cheated, disappointed with Tana - as a fellow captain - for not coming over as they stretchered me off".

Next time he sees Tana is 2009. They have a brief chat but dont mention it. BOD says he doesnt carry grudges.

He then goes on to say that he doesnt think he was targeted, deliberately taken out and that they didnt intend to injure him. It wasnt malicious just 2 guys trying to put down a marker but were incredibly careless. He then says hes not bitter about it just bored & weary.

It's staggering that nothing was done about it. I recall that the citing official was a South African who was on the first flight back to Joburg. Heaven know what the touch judges were doing then, probably pleasuring themselves. That should have been two reds, and would be these days.

 

[starfish]

It's staggering that nothing was done about it. I recall that the citing official was a South African who was on the first flight back to Joburg. Heaven know what the touch judges were doing then, probably pleasuring themselves. That should have been two reds, and would be these days.

Very true. Although the IRB did eventually outlaw spear tackles because of it.

 

[weltweit]

I am reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I am almost through it, I am really enjoying this book!

 

[BandWagon]

Nobody's reading my books.

 

[weltweit]

Nobody's reading my books.

Don't worry, no one is reading mine either

 

[BandWagon]

Don't worry, no one is reading mine either

How many have you written?

 

[weltweit]

How many have you written?

Oh .. those kind of books none yet though I am thinking of writing one as it happens..

 

[BandWagon]

Oh .. those kind of books none yet though I am thinking of writing one as it happens..

If you do write a book someone may read it. Maybe.

 

[weltweit]

If you do write a book someone may read it. Maybe.

I have to be careful because wanting to write a book is one of the warning signs that my bipolar might be playing up, it is a sort of unrealistic urge to express myself and I have to check myself when I think of it, but I would like to write something someday.

 

[BandWagon]

I have to be careful because wanting to write a book is one of the warning signs that my bipolar might be playing up, it is a sort of unrealistic urge to express myself and I have to check myself when I think of it, but I would like to write something someday.

Journey of thousand mile start with first step.

 

[weltweit]

Journey of thousand mile start with first step.

Yep. One of my favourite quotes

That and "Begin it now .... !"

 

[BandWagon]

Yep. One of my favourite quotes

That and "Begin it now .... !"

Everyone has something to say. If you want to talk about the class system, or racism, or whatever, you can. It's liberating. It's hard work too, though.

 

[weltweit]

Everyone has something to say. If you want to talk about the class system, or racism, or whatever, you can. It's liberating. It's hard work too, though.

So it does sound like you are a writer BandWagon, have you been doing it long?

 

[BandWagon]

So it does sound like you are a writer BandWagon, have you been doing it long?

A few years, but only as a hobby.

 

[weltweit]

A few years, but only as a hobby.

I definitely like the "idea" of writing, a year or so ago I started writing short stories, mostly of my own experiences and just for practice. I haven't written any for some time but I did then have a look around to see if there was a creative writing group I could join. Unfortunately there wasn't.

 

[colbhoy]

I'm reading The Forgotten by David Baldacci.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Just finished Lena Dunham, Not That Kind Of Girl.

It's really hard to detach Dunham from the character she plays on Girls (and the one she plays in Tiny Furniture, since they're both a riff on the same thing), so you end up left with the feeling that this was the book Hannah Horvath ended up writing...

 

[Vintage Paw]

I'm getting into comics and graphic novels. I seem to do better when it's full colour, more for my eyes to grab onto and make sense of, I think.

So I've just recently finished the new Ms Marvel: Volume One - No Normal, which was pretty good.

I'm starting the Saga series. I ordered the first two volumes, and the first came in bad packaging and was damaged. I thought I'd have to return it, but they're sending me a new one and have said to give the damaged one to a charity shop, so I've had a quick read while I'm waiting for the replacement and it's really fucking good. Weird sci-fi universe, great art, batshit characters, weird species, and really good writing.

Anyone got any good recs for similar stuff to Saga? Doesn't have to be identical, can even be wildly different, but the sort of thing that I would like if I like Saga? A friend recommended The Runaways and Strangers in Paradise, as well as Bechdel's Fun Home, so I'll give those a look.

 

[KeeperofDragons]

Just started The Wars of the Roses by Trevor Royle. I've read his book about the civil war and enjoyed it so looking forward to a cracking read

edit: damned auto correct

 

[May Kasahara]

Just this minute finished H Is For Hawk. It was extraordinarily good. I read pretty fast usually but this has taken me nearly a whole month to read, because the prose is so rich and clear. Like a vitamin tonic for my soul.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Almost finished The Road, Cormac McCarthy. I wasn't expecting it to be so idiosyncratic, but it's good. Hope the ending isn't a letdown.

 

[DotCommunist]

The Shankhill Butchers: a case study of mass murder by Martin Dillon. Normally when the book has a photo section I skip forward to it to have a gander and then read. Didn't want to this time