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I finally got round to getting a copy of a book I've meant to read for ages, Wanderer, Sterling Hayden's autobiography.

 

He's one of my favourite actors and had an incredible life so I was looking forward to it. But this book is absolute torture, like swimming in blancmange. He fancies himself as a Conrad I suspect, but the result is a mess - I managed about 20 pages. I'm now looking for a decent biography :superman2sa2:

Love him as well. Only acted for the money so he could go on adventures iirc. Didn't he sail across the South Pacific with his kids once just for the craic?

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I finally got round to getting a copy of a book I've meant to read for ages, Wanderer, Sterling Hayden's autobiography.

 

He's one of my favourite actors and had an incredible life so I was looking forward to it. But this book is absolute torture, like swimming in blancmange. He fancies himself as a Conrad I suspect, but the result is a mess - I managed about 20 pages. I'm now looking for a decent biography :superman2sa2:

Love him as well. Only acted for the money so he could go on adventures iirc. Didn't he sail across the South Pacific with his kids once just for the craic?

 

Something like that aye. I've only got sketchy bits of his story, which is why I want to know a bit more - the bones of it makes it all sound very interesting anyway. Now I've mentioned it I might have another go at Wanderer actually - I'd had a beer when I started it :lol:

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Just started The Secret History of the World By Jonathan Black. Just finished Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favourite authors. Amazing imo. Not his best but some fucking debut all the same.

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Just started The Secret History of the World By Jonathan Black. Just finished Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favourite authors. Amazing imo. Not his best but some fucking debut all the same.

I've enjoyed everything i've read of his so far.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just read 'Mary and the Giant' by Philip K. Dick. It's one of his non-sci-fi novels and I'm surprised at how good they are. Reminiscent of Sinclair Lewis' 'Babitt' and Richard Yates' 'Revolutionary Road' and stuff of that ilk (same era, similar themes etc.). Also just finished 'South of no North' by Bukowski which is one of his earliest short story collections and one I hadn't read before. Pure class, as always. Just started on 'Northline' by Willy Vlautin. I'd recommend his debut novel 'Motel Life' which falls somewhere between Bukowski, Steinbeck and Douglas Coupland's 'Life After God'.

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Just started The Secret History of the World By Jonathan Black. Just finished Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favourite authors. Amazing imo. Not his best but some fucking debut all the same.

I've enjoyed everything i've read of his so far.

 

 

Jay Electronica raps about Vonnegut.

 

 

:lol:

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'Tell me where it hurts' by Nick Trout - it's ok if you're into amusing animal stories.

'Life of Brian in black & white' by Brian Hall - Badly written but an interesting story. And I swear page 182 features a reference to toontastic's wor stevie.

'Who ate all the pies?' - Micky Quinn's biography which is an entertaining read.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

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Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

 

Alex, fuck your sofa must be comfy! :lol:

Kevin Keegan - My Autobiography

Just for all the wums on here at the moment.

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The Damned United - David Peace

As You Do - Richard Hammond

Agincourt - Bernard Cornwell

 

well I've got lots of spare time at the moment :lol:

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Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

 

How did they get a new and expanded edition? :lol:

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Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

 

How did they get a new and expanded edition? :lol:

It includes stuff omitted in the original publication. Stuff like Anne talking about her awakening awareness of her sexuality and her feelings towards Peter etc. The book came out in 1947 and has been taught in a lot of schools so it was probably considered a bit risque at the time but is fairly mundane by today's standards.

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Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

 

How did they get a new and expanded edition? :lol:

It includes stuff omitted in the original publication. Stuff like Anne talking about her awakening awareness of her sexuality and her feelings towards Peter etc. The book came out in 1947 and has been taught in a lot of schools so it was probably considered a bit risque at the time but is fairly mundane by today's standards.

 

Interesting (and sadly comic, in a way) that they'd censor something like that, even then.

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Just read 'Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank as I hadn't read it since I was at school and saw there was a new and expanded definitive edition out in Penguin. Great book. Also just read 'The Outsiders' by S. E. Hinton which is a bit corny in parts but pretty decent anyway. I've just got 'Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life' which is Howard Sounes' biography of Charles Bukowski so I think I'm going to re-read all Buk's 'Chinaski' novels then read the biog.

 

How did they get a new and expanded edition? :lol:

It includes stuff omitted in the original publication. Stuff like Anne talking about her awakening awareness of her sexuality and her feelings towards Peter etc. The book came out in 1947 and has been taught in a lot of schools so it was probably considered a bit risque at the time but is fairly mundane by today's standards.

 

Interesting (and sadly comic, in a way) that they'd censor something like that, even then.

The original book was editted by her father and someone else. There's also a lot of stuff in it where she criticises her mother, sister and father (because of the stress of the way they all had to live no doubt) so I think the original version came about with that in mind too. Anne's father was the only one from the house who survived after the war so you can understand his sensitivity.

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  • 2 months later...

The Death of Marco Pantani - Matt Rednell

 

Good read about one of my all time fave pro riders, does go off in some mad tangents about the history of the regions of Italy, but a good, sad read about a true great of cycling.

 

RIP Panta!

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Bush at War - Bob Woodward

 

First of his 4 books on Afghanistan/Iraq. It goes through the 100 days immediately following 9/11. The problem is that once bombing started in Afghanistan, the same discussions were being had most days, and Woodward omits none of it. He repeats the views of each principal at each daily gathering of the NSC when perhaps a weekly view of the changing situation would be less laborious. Despite that, it is often fascinating and probably a fairer view than the more left leaning books I normally go for. Woodward never gives opinion, he just reports the way it went which has given me sympathy for Bush and a bit more respect....though it is still clear he made one almighty clusterfuck out of things.

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Bush at War - Bob Woodward

 

First of his 4 books on Afghanistan/Iraq. It goes through the 100 days immediately following 9/11. The problem is that once bombing started in Afghanistan, the same discussions were being had most days, and Woodward omits none of it. He repeats the views of each principal at each daily gathering of the NSC when perhaps a weekly view of the changing situation would be less laborious. Despite that, it is often fascinating and probably a fairer view than the more left leaning books I normally go for. Woodward never gives opinion, he just reports the way it went which has given me sympathy for Bush and a bit more respect....though it is still clear he made one almighty clusterfuck out of things.

 

Read it. Very good.

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Guest alex
Just been travelling around southern Spain for a few days accompanied by 'Ham On Rye', by Charles Bukowski. Excellent. 10/10.

Probably his best novel, which is saying something. You should read John Fante (especially the Bandini Quartet) and the novels of his son, Dan. The former inspired Bukowski and the latter is very much in his style (but a bit updated).

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Bush at War - Bob Woodward

 

First of his 4 books on Afghanistan/Iraq. It goes through the 100 days immediately following 9/11. The problem is that once bombing started in Afghanistan, the same discussions were being had most days, and Woodward omits none of it. He repeats the views of each principal at each daily gathering of the NSC when perhaps a weekly view of the changing situation would be less laborious. Despite that, it is often fascinating and probably a fairer view than the more left leaning books I normally go for. Woodward never gives opinion, he just reports the way it went which has given me sympathy for Bush and a bit more respect....though it is still clear he made one almighty clusterfuck out of things.

 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fascism-Beginners-...d/dp/1874166080 ?

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Just been travelling around southern Spain for a few days accompanied by 'Ham On Rye', by Charles Bukowski. Excellent. 10/10.

 

JJ remains a true connoisseur of whatever he partakes. :lol:

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