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khay
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  • 1 month later...

'Touching distance' by Martin Hardy

 

5191mpICdgL._SX351_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

Thought this would be a half decent read about the 'nearly' season but after a only a quarter of the way through it's so much better than that. I only got it the other day and read at break time at work yesterday. The book goes back to the early eighties and has some fantastic interviews with players, managers and directors, each leading up to particular events, for example, David Kelly's goal v Pompey to stay up then drifting off to his tale about growing up and how he ended up signing for United and what it all meant, from his Irish/Brummie uncle telling him to sign for us as he'd finally have made it as a player if he wore the number nine, to his tales of living on Tyneside to his accurate description of Derby away where he threw his shirt in the crowd. Believe me, as someone who was at those two games in particular I was sitting in my work baitroom with lumps in my throat and it wasn't due to Mrs HMHM's sarnie. The people so far who have chatted with Hardy and I'm only a quarter of the way in are, Shearer, (talking about KK's Liverpool farewell game), Howey, Ginola, Sir Les, Centre parting, Killer, (his patter is great by the way, but he's not far ahead of the likes of Kelly and Howey), John Hall (no surprises that he talked the most shite so far but wasn't too bad by his own standards) and of course KK himself.

 

Hardy sets the mood amazingly well and as someone who was around at the time I think he absolutely nails it. So far the interviews come across as a chat between mates and it's abundantly clear how the players felt about our club and what they thought our club was about, even when were in the shit. If you went to the games or were around at the time 100% buy this book, if you weren't but are genuinely interested in our club's recent past then I'd completely recommend it still. I thought it would be half decent but it's definitely exceeded my expectations. The only downside is it'll fill you with even more contempt about the present NUFC.

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Never been a Pratchett fan but I promised myself I'd give him another try. I read a couple of his books years ago and wasn't into them. I'm reading Guards! Guards! at the minute and while it's not awful I'm just not really into it.

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On book two of the Dark Tower series (Stephen King). The first, as widely reported, is a little slow and mysterious but I'm right into the second now. Effectively the whole thing is one huge book.

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'Touching distance' by Martin Hardy

 

5191mpICdgL._SX351_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

Thought this would be a half decent read about the 'nearly' season but after a only a quarter of the way through it's so much better than that. I only got it the other day and read at break time at work yesterday. The book goes back to the early eighties and has some fantastic interviews with players, managers and directors, each leading up to particular events, for example, David Kelly's goal v Pompey to stay up then drifting off to his tale about growing up and how he ended up signing for United and what it all meant, from his Irish/Brummie uncle telling him to sign for us as he'd finally have made it as a player if he wore the number nine, to his tales of living on Tyneside to his accurate description of Derby away where he threw his shirt in the crowd. Believe me, as someone who was at those two games in particular I was sitting in my work baitroom with lumps in my throat and it wasn't due to Mrs HMHM's sarnie. The people so far who have chatted with Hardy and I'm only a quarter of the way in are, Shearer, (talking about KK's Liverpool farewell game), Howey, Ginola, Sir Les, Centre parting, Killer, (his patter is great by the way, but he's not far ahead of the likes of Kelly and Howey), John Hall (no surprises that he talked the most shite so far but wasn't too bad by his own standards) and of course KK himself.

 

Hardy sets the mood amazingly well and as someone who was around at the time I think he absolutely nails it. So far the interviews come across as a chat between mates and it's abundantly clear how the players felt about our club and what they thought our club was about, even when were in the shit. If you went to the games or were around at the time 100% buy this book, if you weren't but are genuinely interested in our club's recent past then I'd completely recommend it still. I thought it would be half decent but it's definitely exceeded my expectations. The only downside is it'll fill you with even more contempt about the present NUFC.

 

I bought this too - was staying up late reading it last night :)

 

It's staggering to read about how different the make up of the team and club was back then. How on earth it went from that to this is really beyond me.

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Never been a Pratchett fan but I promised myself I'd give him another try. I read a couple of his books years ago and wasn't into them. I'm reading Guards! Guards! at the minute and while it's not awful I'm just not really into it.

He's the literary equivalent of tucking your Fruit of the Loom t-shirt into your Wrangler jeans.

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He's the literary equivalent of tucking your Fruit of the Loom t-shirt into your Wrangler jeans.

 

Fully agreed. :lol: I read some of it on Sunday while wearing a denim jacket and a Rush t-shirt and I'm fairly certain a large part of me died at that moment.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada

 

A great read, equally inspiring & terrifying in parts. The afterword was pretty handy to put the story in context too. Quite mad* he wrote it in a mental institute in 24 days.

 

 

 

 

*this wasn't intended to be a pun

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

 

Really good like, would recommend it to those who have had an interest in video games in their past.

 

Sometimes the writing is a bit washy, but the subject material is fantastic.

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I've got a few books I haven't touched yet. Need to get out of the habit of taking my phone into the bath instead of a book

I think you would like the book I just mentioned. :up:
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  • 3 weeks later...

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