diegomarahenry Posted April 16, 2021 Share Posted April 16, 2021 Reading Fallen by John Preston. The story of Robert Maxwell. about 50 pages in and it's been brilliant so far. Born In rural Czechoslovakia to Jewish fir traders. Was tortured by the SS. Joined the French Foreign Legion at 16, Absorbed in to the British army after France fell. executed unarmed German civilians. Recruited by MI6. Was involved in a trade deal that saw the Chinese buy the entire world stock of Indigo dye by mistake meaning all clothes and uniforms of the Chinese people were blue for several generations. Bought a dog off the same breeder Hitler used.... All this in 50 pages and there is still the mass corruption and his daughter Ghislaine working for supernonce Jeffry Epstein. Would recommend The book, not working for a supernonce. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bairnardo Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I'm battering through Porno and enjoying it. Although it's nothing like the T2 film, it shares a wee theme for me... I'm struggling a bit with visualising the characters as being still the scumbags they were in trainspotting. Even Begbie i'm not just quite buying. Felt the same for the film and assumed it was just because the actors had subsequently been in so much other stuff. Except for Spud. He is still a credible scumbag despite being a nice guy. The passage with him and Chizzie is vile. Think I will continue on to complete the set though. Want to re read trainspotting and skagboys, then get Balde Artist, Dead Mans Trousers and A Decent Ride. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaboz Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 The bit with the lass? It's horrifying.I just got sent a signed copy of a Decent Ride. Never read it before.Skagboys isnt as funny as the others but puts a decent back story to it all. Nice to read about Renton in Aberdeen whilst I was there.Dead Man's Trousers is a wonderful read, incredibly funny and horrifying in equal measure. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bairnardo Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 31 minutes ago, Stellaboz said: The bit with the lass? It's horrifying. I just got sent a signed copy of a Decent Ride. Never read it before. Skagboys isnt as funny as the others but puts a decent back story to it all. Nice to read about Renton in Aberdeen whilst I was there. Dead Man's Trousers is a wonderful read, incredibly funny and horrifying in equal measure. Yeah when they meet the woman in the pub and go away to shag her. The whole sequence is horrible and more what I associate with the characters. Sick Boy is written likes he's James Bond in it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaboz Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Yeah when they meet the woman in the pub and go away to shag her. The whole sequence is horrible and more what I associate with the characters. Sick Boy is written likes he's James Bond in it. Aye but Sick Boy thinks he is.I'd also recommend the Blade Artist in sequence. Can't mind where it is but it's decent. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bairnardo Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 2 minutes ago, Stellaboz said: Aye but Sick Boy thinks he is. I'd also recommend the Blade Artist in sequence. Can't mind where it is but it's decent. I know, I just think Welsh has somewhat failed to differentiate between what Sick Boy thinks he is, and what he really is. I think the only one who really stays true to what they all really are in the writing is Spud. That said, I'm only 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through so I will see what I think at the end. I think the sequence is, Skagboys, Trainspotting, Porno, Blade Artist, Dead Mans Trousers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) On 15/04/2021 at 10:16, NotThePars said: I've tried to find a Stalin biography for ages not written by a right wing pop historian or a Trotskyist and I think I've struck gold with Ronald Grigor-Suny's gargantuan tome of Stalin's life. 1012 pages, baby! https://archive.org/details/stalinpoliticalb00deut Isaac Deutscher is yer man. The first Stephen Kotkin volume is very good but I haven't bothered with the second one because of this review from Shelia Fitzpatrck https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n07/sheila-fitzpatrick/just-like-that Domenico Losurdo who is an absolute legend has a book about Stalin which is apparently very good but Verso are too feart to translate and publish it. And Stalin is only mentioned a couple of times but Victor Serge's Year One of The Russian Revolution is a great read. Edited April 18, 2021 by Detournement 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Detournement said: https://archive.org/details/stalinpoliticalb00deut Isaac Deutscher is yer man. The first Stephen Kotkin volume is very good but I haven't bothered with the second one because of this review from Shelia Fitzpatrck https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n07/sheila-fitzpatrick/just-like-that Domenico Losurdo who is an absolute legend has a book about Stalin which is apparently very good but Verso are too feart to translate and publish it. And Stalin is only mentioned a couple of times but Victor Serge's Year One of The Russian Revolution is a great read. Cheers for the recs. I have a copy of Losurdo's Stalin book lemme have a look ETA: here you are Edited April 18, 2021 by NotThePars 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Just got the debut novel from Centro-Matic frontman Will Johnson. Often I treat musicians-turned-novelists with a bit of suspicion, but I've heard nothing but excellent reports of this novel, If or When I Call. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Winter of the World by Ken Follett. Follett does a good thriller, but this is a sweeping saga of ~5 families in the 20th century. Focuses mainly on the shagging. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH33 Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 35 minutes ago, scottsdad said: Winter of the World by Ken Follett. Follett does a good thriller, but this is a sweeping saga of ~5 families in the 20th century. Focuses mainly on the shagging. Sounds like my kinda book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 This Is Memorial Device - Dave Keenan Made up post-punk shenanigans in 80s Airdrie. Thumbs up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig fae the Vale Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 On 21/04/2021 at 09:36, Melanius Mullarkey said: This Is Memorial Device - Dave Keenan Made up post-punk shenanigans in 80s Airdrie. Thumbs up. I read this last year. Really enjoyed it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Craig the Hunter said: I read this last year. Really enjoyed it. Moved on to his next one For the Good Times now. So far so good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 On 21/04/2021 at 09:36, Melanius Mullarkey said: This Is Memorial Device - Dave Keenan Made up post-punk shenanigans in 80s Airdrie. Thumbs up. When did punk end? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 54 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said: When did punk end? The day you moved in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Just now, Melanius Mullarkey said: The day you moved in. If you can remember Airdrie in the 80s you weren't there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coprolite Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 Age of Conquests- The Greek world from Alexander to Hadrian 336BC- AD138 by Angelos Chaniotis. I took this out of the Library before last March's lockdown and have been reading intermittently. It's only 400 pages. It has a thematic structure and goes through the 500 years for each theme, which makes it hard to follow cultural bits go with which military bits, for example. First 250 pages i found hard going and dull. This was all the military and political stuff. Last 150, culture and religion, i breezed through. The religion/cultic stuff was particularly interesting. I'm sure there's better out there about Roman Greece or The Successor Kingdoms. Not hugely recommended. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SANTAN Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 That's me just finished Colour Of Magic. Terrific book, some delightful concepts and plenty of thought provoking quirks hidden in their. I'd have loved to have read these books as a child when I was probably more imaginative, had to stop myself a few times whilst reading this and actually process what the f**k was going on, some of the stuff is almost impossible to visualise I'd love to see some concept artwork. I kinda don't want to watch the tv version because there's no way they can do what I've imagined justice. I've already got the second one so will probably start that sometime soon. Would give it a solid 8.5/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shandon Par Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 1 hour ago, Stormzy said: Terrific book, some delightful concepts and plenty of thought provoking quirks hidden in their. I'd have loved to have read these books as a child when I was probably more imaginative, had to stop myself a few times whilst reading this and actually process what the f**k was going on, some of the stuff is almost impossible to visualise I'd love to see some concept artwork. I kinda don't want to watch the tv version because there's no way they can do what I've imagined justice. I've already got the second one so will probably start that sometime soon. Have you been hacked by a bot Stormz? Quite a similar writing style. Was hoping for a link to some diet pills at the end. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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