Literature lovers

[The Shining Light]

Thought I'd track away from all the transfer talk and go for an educated (somewhat) topic.


Ok so it's that time of year again, holiday time. I need to find my annual holiday book; having just finished JR's autobiography I am in the market again for my next read. I've always heard good reviews of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and never got round to giving it a nose, it's meant to be a definitive for football lovers.

What has everyone else been reading recently?


While I'm here - my dads auntie was in tesco's the other day at Woodfield Plantation, anyway she heard Jon Osters cat talking to Sam Hirds Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel; apparently Jon has nicked off with the club pen. Anyway Felix (the cat) also heard that Jon Stead had been seen running round the lake.
As I say it's only what I heard.

[Filo]

The Shining Light wrote:

Thought I'd track away from all the transfer talk and go for an educated (somewhat) topic.


Ok so it's that time of year again, holiday time. I need to find my annual holiday book; having just finished JR's autobiography I am in the market again for my next read. I've always heard good reviews of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and never got round to giving it a nose, it's meant to be a definitive for football lovers.

What has everyone else been reading recently?


While I'm here - my dads auntie was in tesco's the other day at Woodfield Plantation, anyway she heard Jon Osters cat talking to Sam Hirds Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel; apparently Jon has nicked off with the club pen. Anyway Felix (the cat) also heard that Jon Stead had been seen running round the lake.
As I say it's only what I heard.

Thats what happens when you live in Merseyside for a while, old habits die hard

[DMnumber4]

The Shining Light wrote:

Thought I'd track away from all the transfer talk and go for an educated (somewhat) topic.


Ok so it's that time of year again, holiday time. I need to find my annual holiday book; having just finished JR's autobiography I am in the market again for my next read. I've always heard good reviews of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and never got round to giving it a nose, it's meant to be a definitive for football lovers.

What has everyone else been reading recently?

Longy - Sean Long's Autobiography
I am the Gloryhnter - Spencer Austin
Anaraknophobia - Rob Grillo
Start the car - the cricket world according to David Bumble Lloyd
Fatty batter - Michael Simkins

All available on Amazon for a reasonable price  

[River Don]

As far as football books go, you can't beat The Damned United by David Peace.

His other stuff is worth a read as well.


Also try Beastly Fury, a fascinating read about the origins of football.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0593059700/?tag=yahhyd-21&hvadid=36801533531&ref=pd_sl_6hke7bydln_e

[Drover]

Filo wrote:

The Shining Light wrote:

Thought I'd track away from all the transfer talk and go for an educated (somewhat) topic.


Ok so it's that time of year again, holiday time. I need to find my annual holiday book; having just finished JR's autobiography I am in the market again for my next read. I've always heard good reviews of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and never got round to giving it a nose, it's meant to be a definitive for football lovers.

What has everyone else been reading recently?


While I'm here - my dads auntie was in tesco's the other day at Woodfield Plantation, anyway she heard Jon Osters cat talking to Sam Hirds Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel; apparently Jon has nicked off with the club pen. Anyway Felix (the cat) also heard that Jon Stead had been seen running round the lake.
As I say it's only what I heard.

Thats what happens when you live in Merseyside for a while, old habits die hard

And growing up in Grimsby too  

[Drover]

The Shining Light wrote:

Thought I'd track away from all the transfer talk and go for an educated (somewhat) topic.


Ok so it's that time of year again, holiday time. I need to find my annual holiday book; having just finished JR's autobiography I am in the market again for my next read. I've always heard good reviews of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and never got round to giving it a nose, it's meant to be a definitive for football lovers.

What has everyone else been reading recently?

Has it Happens Im just finishing reading \"ALBION ALBION\" by Dick Morland.I found it in the bottom of a box of junk,Its a fairly old faded book and was published in 1974.I would have just thrown it out but it has a footballing theme and cover so I thought I read it to see if its any good.It turns out to be a futuristic story with a mix of hooligans and tribes with there being four main sets of supporters covering the country with a football overtone and alot of deaths all done in the \"clockwork orange style\".Not usually my style but I have decided to finish it to found out what happens so maybe its not too bad a book.

[Dutch Uncle]

Inverting The Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson

A brilliant book about the history of football tactics and full of links to cultural, political and social events

[wilts rover]

Olly, Ian Holloway's autobiography, fascinating book about one of football's current characters, I forget who its by tho

[German Rover]

Just read Our Billie by Ian Clayton, Heartbreaking Book well worth a read though

And Now I'm attempting to tackle a History of western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell really heavy going though but trying to broaden my mind a bit

[BillyStubbsTears]

Must agree with Don about The Damned United. A superb book, although more a srudyvof a private nervous breakdown than a book about football.

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford isvworth a read. An American Cambridge academic getting drawn in to the passion and dark sideof football in the 80s.

And given that it's World Cup time, All Played Out by Pete Davies is a superb documentary/travelogue of Italia90. The chapter about the England-West Germany semi still brings tears to my eyes. Captures the intensity, emotion and heart ache of football perfectly.

As for Fever Pitch, there's one line in that which has made me despise Hornby ever since. It might even be a throwaway comment, but his response to the Hillsborough disaster was basically a plea for changes to football that actually came to pass - concentration of resources in a small number of hands so that grounds could be updated to make sure it never happened again, and if that meant smaller clubs went to the wall then so be it. I hated him with a vengeance for that. Why should he, as an Arsenal fan, have a football future whilst I, as a Donny fan wouldn't? Said everything about his philosophy for mecand no amount of New Man liberalism in his subsequent books will paint over that.

[BillyStubbsTears]

German Rover wrote:

And Now I'm attempting to tackle a History of western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell really heavy going though but trying to broaden my mind a bit

Nice one. If you get through from cover to cover you'll have done better than me. Useful to dip into now and again to refresh my memory. And really well written in a simple but thorough style of a deeply educated man who would like everyone to join his level rather than dumb down. Feels a bit like a lost age now that we live in an era where Cambridge graduates make fortunes by serving up lowest common denominator patronising shite to the masses through tabloids, cheap tv  and lads' mags.

[Mike_F]

Dutch Uncle wrote:

Inverting The Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson

A brilliant book about the history of football tactics and full of links to cultural, political and social events

I'm half way through that at the moment. It's a great read but needs a bit of attention so peraps not the best poolside read. Although it would while away the hours on the plane.

I've just read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (pere) and found it absolutely enthralling. Another good 'un for bitesize chunks ideal for holidays would be an anthology of works of Edgar Allen Poe. I'm also into hardboiled detective fiction and there are plenty of collections of short stories by the lieks of Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane et al out there.

On a totally different topic, I read a very er.... interesting book by Abby Lee whilst on my hols last year. I wish I'd never found out what she really looks like though!

[Nudga]

'Troy' written by Barry Strauss was a brilliant read with texts taken from Homers Iliad and Virgils Aenied.

[DMnumber4]

wilts rover wrote:

Olly, Ian Holloway's autobiography, fascinating book about one of football's current characters, I forget who its by tho

I don't mean to be picky, but if it's Ian Holloway's autobiography, it should be written by the man himself. Otherwise, it's a biography, which tend not to be good unfortunately.

Anyone read either of Chris Kamara's or Paul McGrath's books? They look good, any thoughts?

[RobTheRover]

I'm reading Touching From A Distance, Debbie Curtis's account of life with Ian.  Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time.  

Then, Razzle, I think.  ;-)

[BLIR]

Unusual for me to be serious on this site, but if you're looking for a decent holiday read you honestly can't do better than one of the Stieg Larsson books.

3 novels form a series called the Millenium Trilogy, starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo then The Girl Who Played With Fire and ending with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

All excellent books, I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Translated from Swedish and the first has recently been made into a film (or translated from an older Swedish film).

I have also recently read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini having had it recommended it to me but couldn't honestly see what the fuss was about - very average!

[Mike_F]

Another brilliant book I'd recommed to anyone is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (No, not that one). It's a few years since I read it but I was enthralled at the time. In fact I'll have to see if I've still got it somewhere and have another read.

[Wellington Vaults]

BLIR wrote:

Unusual for me to be serious on this site, but if you're looking for a decent holiday read you honestly can't do better than one of the Stieg Larsson books.

3 novels form a series called the Millenium Trilogy, starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo then The Girl Who Played With Fire and ending with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

All excellent books, I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Translated from Swedish and the first has recently been made into a film (or translated from an older Swedish film).

I have also recently read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini having had it recommended it to me but couldn't honestly see what the fuss was about - very average!

Our lass is reading, nay, devouring, 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' at the moment and the silence is deafening.  As a thoughtful husband, the least I can do is order her the other two books in the Trilogy.

I recommend 'The Forgotten Soldier' by Guy Sajer.  Autobiography of life on the Eastern Front in WW2 from the German viewpoint. Harrowing.

For something lighter, try 'Tales From A Long Room' or indeed anything by Peter Tinniswood, especially if you relate to humour from the dour, Yorkshire, cricket-loving and mysogynystic view-point.

Myself, I will be leafing through 'The New Brutalism - a critique of in-situ concrete construction and it's links with The Bauhaus' by the esteemed B.S.Tears, followed by 'The Prince' by Machiavelli.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Wellington Vaults wrote:

followed by 'The Prince' by Machiavelli.

I wouldn't bother. I've read it. It were shit. Never once mentioned his winner against Shrewsbury in January 98.

[stockholmrover]

I have just finished the autobiography about the guy who invented crosswords. I can't quite remember his name. P blank T blank R Jones

I also just read the History of glue. great that one, I couldn't put it down!

Coat

on

Gone

[Sandy Lane]

Wellington Vaults wrote:

BLIR wrote:

Unusual for me to be serious on this site, but if you're looking for a decent holiday read you honestly can't do better than one of the Stieg Larsson books.

3 novels form a series called the Millenium Trilogy, starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo then The Girl Who Played With Fire and ending with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

All excellent books, I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Translated from Swedish and the first has recently been made into a film (or translated from an older Swedish film).

I have also recently read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini having had it recommended it to me but couldn't honestly see what the fuss was about - very average!

Our lass is reading, nay, devouring, 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' at the moment and the silence is deafening.  As a thoughtful husband, the least I can do is order her the other two books in the Trilogy.

I recommend 'The Forgotten Soldier' by Guy Sajer.  Autobiography of life on the Eastern Front in WW2 from the German viewpoint. Harrowing.

For something lighter, try 'Tales From A Long Room' or indeed anything by Peter Tinniswood, especially if you relate to humour from the dour, Yorkshire, cricket-loving and mysogynystic view-point.

Myself, I will be leafing through 'The New Brutalism - a critique of in-situ concrete construction and it's links with The Bauhaus' by the esteemed B.S.Tears, followed by 'The Prince' by Machiavelli.

Had to smile at this thread as I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well.  I'm a late-comer to this trilogy as I tend to ignore lots of popular literature, but I'm glad I did!  It's enthralling, sadly misogynistic, (and also disturbing - hmmm like a road accident?) but I can't put it down -- and just now coming up for air!  May have to pace myself during the world cup though...

Other summer books I like are lighter ones or detective novels like Rex Stout's Nero Wolf books. They're very enjoyable and I especially like his assistant who narrates the books, is very funny and always cracks me up.  As I've posted before, I'm a big fan of Reginald Hill's Pascoe and Dielzel books too -- which are set in Yorkshire, to boot.  It's nice to hear the Yorkshire-ese dialect as it's what I hear on here from you lot occasionally, aye.   :-)

[The Shining Light]

Cheers lads, many useful suggestions there. Good to see there are many readers amongst us! Some good prices to be had on Amazon mind!

I have read in the past a few books by Ian McEwan, Saturday inparticular was quite good.

[wilts rover]

DMnumber4 wrote:

wilts rover wrote:

Olly, Ian Holloway's autobiography, fascinating book about one of football's current characters, I forget who its by tho

I don't mean to be picky, but if it's Ian Holloway's autobiography, it should be written by the man himself. Otherwise, it's a biography, which tend not to be good unfortunately.

Anyone read either of Chris Kamara's or Paul McGrath's books? They look good, any thoughts?

Even as I wrote that I thought nobody will be daft enough to fall for it......ooops

Another good footie read is The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, by Jo McGinniss, how an Italian village team won promotion to Serie B and how they fared in it as observed by an American fan, absolutely hilarious.

Or for the politicaly minded of you The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressel, a book everybody should read but few do.

[Sandy Lane]

I read The Miracle at Castel Di Sangro as well and it's a great story, and apparently true.  It also highlights the 'business as usual' Italian social and political way of life. But I was struck by the fact McGinniss was surprised that they weren't doing it HIS way!!  lol

[CusworthRovers]

I've just read Romans and Greeks can rule the Planets by Vladimar Akimov. So deep and mind blowing.













In all honesty I've just made that title up and the author, I also wanted to come across to be really high-brow. I've read a gas meter a few times though.