what book you reading at the moment? (incl poll)

[El Guapo]

Just Finished "The Heart in Winter"by Kevin Barry

I had been meaning to chance one of his his a while, you'd often hear him on radio 1 and the like, but this was my first of his.

It didn't disappoint. It's a Western set in Montana. All the main protagonists are from mining villages around the Beara Peninsula who emigrated to work the mines in the old west.

It's a bit of a love story, a pair of lovers go on the run to get to San Fran and a bunch of Nasty Cornish Gunmen are on their tail.

The female Character in particular I thought was great. She had a very recognisable fatalistic streak but was suitablty pragmatic (for a star crossed lover on the run).

Very funny book with some good writing. Well worth a spin

 

[Nollaig O Muracu]

The Battle for God, by Karen Armstrong.

A history of the 3 Abrahamic faiths, their impact on their societies, and the difference and interaction between ideas in each faith.

Brilliantly written and utterly fascinating imho.

Part 2, which I've not read yet is about how the fundamentalism in each faith has come about..

 

[dukeroyale]

The order of the day - Eric Vuillard 8/10

Quick and interesting read 8/10

The Order of the Day

Winner of the 2017 Prix Goncourt Eric Vuillard's grippi…

www.goodreads.com

Winner of the 2017 Prix Goncourt Eric Vuillard's gripping novel The Order of the Day tells the story of the pivotal meetings which took place between the European powers in the run-up to World War Two. What emerges is a fascinating and incredibly moving account of failed diplomacy, broken relationships, and the catastrophic momentum which led to conflict.

Tied in nicely today with this

and in a related way i’m reading “east west street”. it’s about two of the lawyers from the nuremberg who studied at the same college under the same professors but didn’t know each other. one came up with the concept of “genocide” and the other “crimes against humanity”. it’s set against the backdrop of phillippe sands researching his family history. it’s very good so far.

phillippe sands did that one “tunnel 29”. i think it was mentioned a few pages back. it’s about a tunnel from east to west berlin.

he did a bbc doc on it too. excellent stuff.

 

[El Guapo]

and in a related way i’m reading “east west street”. it’s about two of the lawyers from the nuremberg who studied at the same college under the same professors but didn’t know each other. one came up with the concept of “genocide” and the other “crimes against humanity”. it’s set against the backdrop of phillippe sands researching his family history. it’s very good so far.

phillippe sands did that one “tunnel 29”. i think it was mentioned a few pages back. it’s about a tunnel from east to west berlin.

he did a bbc doc on it too. excellent stuff.

one of the best books I have ever read.

I don't think Sands was Tunnel 29 though.

He did the Rat Line about Nazis escaping after the war and the families they left behind. Another cracker of a non fiction book

Sands is also very likely the person who will try Putin if the Hague ever get a hold of him. Fascinating guy

 

[dukeroyale]

one of the best books I have ever read.

I don't think Sands was Tunnel 29 though.

He did the Rat Line about Nazis escaping after the war and the families they left behind. Another cracker of a non fiction book

Sands is also very likely the person who will try Putin if the Hague ever get a hold of him. Fascinating guy

good shout. he did the rat line.

 

[El Guapo]

Just on the last couple of pages of

"The Best Catholics in the World" by Derek Scally

It's a kind of study on how Ireland became something resembling a Theocracy in the early part of the 20th century, how it came about, its relationship to Rome and the Holy See and the legacy of Sexual abuse and exploitation.

It's was okay. Grim Enough reading. It's quite a personal story from the author,although he's not an abuse survivor or anything.

He's about my age and many of his lived experience as a Catholic would be similar to what I experienced growing up. He speaks a lot about his journey through the book in almost a gonzo style, which in order to get away with you need to be a shit hot writer. Scally is certainly a very good journalist but doesn't quite hit the mark in my opinion.

There is some good stuff in there about how the priests as boys were brutalised with the seminaries particularly In Maynooth which was crying out for some further investigation.

It surely wasn't an accident that such a proportion of these boys themselves raped and abused grew up and assumes positions of power over vulnerable kids. The place sounds hellish but he picks up that string and drops it with no investigation (maybe because the omerta is real)

Some other good stuff on how faith and faith acquisition tended to be somewhat superficial for many, particularly when after an 1870 synod held in Thurles. Masses used to be stations held in people's houses. After that time it became strictly in church as opposed to in homes and the community participation aspect was broken.

overall not sure I'd ever give the hard sell on this one to be honest. it was okay

 

[King Silkbeard]

Reading my second Stephen King book The Dead Zone and it is very good, so relevant to today in America. The last one I read was also the excellent Salem's Lot book a good few years ago. My bro introduced me to this author like he did a lot of books & films.

 

[King Silkbeard]

Got a few history books about Islam & Syria too which is a personal interest, one came today more coming tomorrow and another one in March. One today is about Saladin but ones about Al Andalusia, the Ummayad Caliphate & Syrian Revolt of 1920 coming.

 

[El Guapo]

Just Finished "Good Girl" by Aria Aber

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195644142-good-girl

Not the usual stuff i read. kind of a Bildungsroman, about a 1st Generation Afgan immigrant living in Berlin.

Plenty of taking drugs in Warehouse Raves and the like.

She's 19 in the book and takes up with a complete prick 20 years older than her. He's a gurrier of a character well drawn by the writer.

The story is her navigating all that stuff and her Afgan family and some family tragedy.

it was alright. Some of the writing was beautiful. Not so much in the descriptive prose but in the emotional heft of living a life.

I found all the drug stuff fairly fucking mundane and repetitive after a bit.

The book starts out well, sagged a bit in the middle and finished well.

it was grand like.

 

[Great-Bit-O-Stuff]

Reading my second Stephen King book The Dead Zone and it is very good, so relevant to today in America. The last one I read was also the excellent Salem's Lot book a good few years ago. My bro introduced me to this author like he did a lot of books & films.

Read all of them when I was about 12