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Read Any Good Books Lately?

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Preparing for seeing my first Iron Maiden gig (not really a huge fan but my mate insists they're brilliant) by way of reading a fairly superficial account of Bruce Dickinson's life - Maiden Voyage.

 

Wouldn't recommend it but he sounds interesting enough that the official bio - currently in the works - might be worth a punt

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8 hours ago, maryportfuncity said:

Preparing for seeing my first Iron Maiden gig (not really a huge fan but my mate insists they're brilliant) by way of reading a fairly superficial account of Bruce Dickinson's life - Maiden Voyage.

 

Wouldn't recommend it but he sounds interesting enough that the official bio - currently in the works - might be worth a punt

When are you seeing them? We are going to Cardiff 24th May I think.  Third time, first at Donington 1992, then Birmingham 1993.  Rock on!

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9 minutes ago, Lard Bazaar said:

When are you seeing them? We are going to Cardiff 24th May I think.  Third time, first at Donington 1992, then Birmingham 1993.  Rock on!

The 02 on Cup Final day - which is a stresser to my Chelsea supporting mate but not so for anyone who follows Carlisle United

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Do young people read books? Just curious. 

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Define "young".

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1 hour ago, theoldlady said:

Do young people read books? Just curious. 

I read loads. 

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3 hours ago, Lard Bazaar said:

I read loads. 

Is that a psychic ability Lardy - or just what you've got to hand?

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49 minutes ago, Youwanticewiththat said:

Is that a psychic ability Lardy - or just what you've got to hand?

She normally has a Vodka to hand Icey.

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3 hours ago, Lord Fellatio Nelson said:

She normally has a Vodka to hand Icey.

Haven't had a drink since 1st of the month, I'm fucking parched!

 

Currently got two books on the go - The Road To Wigan Pier by George Orwell and  When You Dead You Dead by Guy Martin.

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14 hours ago, msc said:

Define "young".

0-28 is youth. 29-56 is adult. 57-84 a senior. Over 85 old age. (Referance: Rudolph Steiner, referring to the 4 life-stages of humankind.) 

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Damn, was hoping you'd say "oh anything under 40". :D I no longer qualify as young then... Although, my grandfather got my mum a library card when she was very young (before she could read), my mum got me one when I was the same, and we got my own the same when they were very young. Get them surrounded by books and reading from an early age, I say, and it sticks.

 

Mind you, I saw a super nanny TV show thing a few years back, and on it, the parents, when their kid was acting up, punished them by making them read! So their child associated books with punishment. I nearly blew a gasket watching.

 

I like books. Especially those by Agatha Christie.

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8 hours ago, msc said:

Damn, was hoping you'd say "oh anything under 40". :D I no longer qualify as young then... Although, my grandfather got my mum a library card when she was very young (before she could read), my mum got me one when I was the same, and we got my own the same when they were very young. Get them surrounded by books and reading from an early age, I say, and it sticks.

 

Mind you, I saw a super nanny TV show thing a few years back, and on it, the parents, when their kid was acting up, punished them by making them read! So their child associated books with punishment. I nearly blew a gasket watching.

 

I like books. Especially those by Agatha Christie.

I know what you mean. I´m a senior (61) and still feel young! That is horrible what you wrote about that Nanny TV show using reading was a punishment. ´They´ seem to want to keep everyone stupid! It´s a plot I say! :-) 

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27 minutes ago, theoldlady said:

I know what you mean. I´m a senior (61) and still feel young! That is horrible what you wrote about that Nanny TV show using reading was a punishment. ´They´ seem to want to keep everyone stupid! It´s a plot I say! :-) 

 

'They' are succeeding, according to what I observe on a daily basis.

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On 17/04/2017 at 14:51, theoldlady said:

Do young people read books? Just curious. 

I'd say yes but not all of them (i.e. not all young people). An observation based on the fact that my working life puts me in touch with a lot of those who are insatiable readers and fairly wide readers at that - and who genuinely love paper books, preferring them over Kindles and the like.

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Ive just read this.

Probably way beyond my intellect but it made me laugh.

Much of it painfully true to a generation or summat.

51HcWHy7jAL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

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I had the Ladybird book of The Meeting for Christmas it is too accurate and so funny.

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2 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

I had the Ladybird book of The Meeting for Christmas it is too accurate and so funny.

Im going to get that then :)

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Holiday time, so plenty of reading to be done. Bought David Sterling (SAS) story, and Clarkson top gear years with me, but am currently going through Spike Milligan ' Man of Letters'. Spike is this old mans hero, so naturally really enjoying it. Guy was a genius.     

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I haven't read any of his stuff but the interview that the BBC did with Sebastian Barry at the Hay Literary Festival is most entertaining.

 

On the iPlayer and apparently being shown again at 4.30pm today on the News Channel. Catch it if you can.

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A Man Called Ove.

 

Quite possibly the best book I've ever read.

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Used recent ill health to continue on my quest to read the memoirs of folk who appear often in deadpooling circles.

 

Denis Norden - Clips from a Life: Was alright, full of lightly amusing anecdotes (Tynan realising he was in trouble for swearing on live TV when he got a congratulatory telegraph from George Melly, for example) but much of life is glossed over. One might suggest that's the perfect description of Norden himself, casually directing the viewer away from the grim and the in-depth analysis in favour of a few silly moments. So we get the war in brushstrokes and lots on silly things people did on radio/etc.

 

Diana Athill - A Florence Diary: To be honest, each new Athill book that comes out, I expect to be the last. She as much as admits it herself in the introductions. We're now five books on since the wonderful Somewhere Towards the End (written when she were a mere 90), and six books of memoirs on since she wrote her actual memoirs themselves! I do suspect this one might actually be the last Athill, till proven wrong, however. For one, it has scarcely any new material. 17 pages in slighter larger font than normal are the sole interlude by the 99 year old Athill, the rest of the slim book being a reprint of her diaries from a trip to Italy in the 1940s. The book itself barely reaches 64 pages with that conceit, a third at best of one of her normal books. It is striking in its sparsity. Oh well. As a result, it is one of the lesser Diana Athill books, but its descriptions of post-war Italian (for lack of a better term) "English yuppy" holidays as they were is of some interest.

 

And for something entirely different:

 

Neil Nixon - Beatles Myths and Legends: As recommended on this very forum! Great book, which goes into depth on the history and origins of many of the (insane) myths which follow each of the Beatles. For example, that Lennon got shot by the CIA. Then essentially debunks or shows why they were highly unlikely. For those who can't stomach more Lennon (although in fact, the writer does the rare feat of making John come across sympathetic imo), there's a wonderful rant in defense of Ringo Starr, and some good research on Harrison.  I'm not a big Beatles fan (I appreciate their spot in music history, however) but I found this musical history tour damn near hypnotic and amusing in turns. Highly recommended!

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Re that rave by msc about a Neil Nixon book; just noticed there's a new one available in time for Christmas - The Devil's Jukebox (basically if the Dark Lord were real what 100 bangers would he pack on his personal Wurlitzer, or summat). I can barely contain my excitement and find myself gazing at the front door in near breathless anticipation of an Amazon parcel plonking itself on the carpet. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Jukebox-Neil-Nixon/dp/1908728566/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511618965&sr=1-1&keywords=the+devils+jukebox

 

 

51t-TyhpSxL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 


 

 

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Ah, tell Neil well done, and that I look forward to seeing this sometime in the new year.

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I'm assuming that's not the Owen Wilson from Zoolander et al...:lol:

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25 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

I'm assuming that's not the Owen Wilson from Zoolander et al...:lol:

 

You're assuming right but it's a confusion that might do be useful with regard to sales on Amazon, especially in the US. So don't go telling too many people, eh?

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