Books

[Tony Baloney]

Got 'Legend' about Brian O'Driscoll as a present. (I am not allowed buy books as the is house of full of unread books I refuse to throw out.)

In a word: woeful. Press articles, post match chats, radio & TV interviews were all meticulously trawled and compiled to give a sterile account of his career. There is little on him or his life as, well, there isn't much information on that in post match interviews, is there?

Even widely known stuff, which could be good if written very well, was dross. Imagine describing this try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DINPoJWOXw4 as simply Horgan squeezed over in the corner near the end and this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFuVyB0R2hU as merely Hickie scoring after a clever exchange of passes with D'Arcy.

The only Paul O'Connell contribution, was from a radio interview after The Lions. You would think O'Connell might give a bigger insight if he was interviewed for an hour or two. But he may not have been asked. My guess is he wasn't, as no one seems to have been used as a source. Compare that with the Tyler Hamilton book I mentioned above. Every witness to an act described by Hamilton was given a chance to give their version and those versions were published, even if they didn't agree with Hamilton's account.

BOD will no doubt write an Autobiography, this book should serve as a warning to him that a chronology of his career would be very ordinary, and that territory has already been covered now. He should aim for Paul McGrath, Tony Adams or Cascarino.

He needs a drink and/or gambling problem to make his story more colourful first.

[Mayo4Sam]

Is someone not writing O'Driscolls "autobio" at the minute

[Billys Boots]

Read City of Lehane recently. Millers Crossing meets Playboy of the Western World. Quiet good but could have been excellent.

City of Bohane that is ... I feel the same about it.

Thanks for that recommendation Hardy - I suggest, if you haven't seen it already, that you look out for the movie 'The Straight Story'.  Not going to describe or hype it - just give it a go. 

Just got around to watching this. A beautiful film. Thanks.

No problem - had a feeling it would be right up your street.

[Billys Boots]

@thePhilipKerr: Bernie Gunther back in April in A Man Without Breath. The title is from a novel by a writer called Josef Goebbels

Cool, I have Prague Fatale lined up to read shortly.  Back to the Italian theme; have you read any of Marco Vichi's Commissario Bordelli series - recommended, by me anyway.

Over the Christmas I read 'City of Shadows - Michael Russell' - very much reminiscent of Bernie Gunther's adventures but set in Dublin in the 1930s.  The city features heavily; very good atmospherically.  The main protagonist is a young (protestant) Garda sergeant with a German mother; he's recently widowed with a young son who now lives with his parents in Wicklow - he works/lives in Dublin during the week.  Anyhoo, there's a murder and there's all sorts of stuff going on: nasty catholic church shenanigans, blueshirts vs. IRA-heads within the Gardai, and in the background the Nazis are making their presence felt in Ireland.  A good read, made more interesting by the local context - will be interested to see where the author goes with this next.  Recommended (for Bernie fans anyway).

Just finishing 'The City of Strangers' the follow-up to the previous novel by Russell - excellent progression.  It's now summer, 1939 and the protagonist has pissed off the hierarchy and has been promoted to rural sergeant in Blessington.  He's requested, following his 'sensitive' liaison with the Gate Theatre company (in the previous novel) to come to New York to escort a murder suspect back to Ireland.  While in NY he becomes embroiled in the pro-IRA faction in the NYPD who are trying to come to a strategic agreement with the Abwehr in relation to their nascent bombing campaign in Britain.  It's a very interesting sketch of the different sides in the early days of statehood - the motivations of the statebuilders versus the disappointed republicans, the views of the residents versus the aspirations of the emigrants etc.  Well worth a browse - rescommended. 

[pullhard]

After a good sport bio for my holidays? any recommendations ?

[Mayo4Sam]

I'm reading aggasi's, good read but he is a dislikeable f**ker

[pullhard]

I'm reading aggasi's, good read but he is a dislikeable f**ker

loved that one myself, much more interesting that sampas book

[5 Sams]

After a good sport bio for my holidays? any recommendations ?

Hard to beat Paul McGrath's or the Liam Hayes bio.

[seafoid]

After a good sport bio for my holidays? any recommendations ?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d1d75a48-513c-11e3-9651-00144feabdc0.html


Simon Kuper's favourites: 10 of the best

● Beyond A Boundary (1963) by CLR James

● Paper Lion: Confessions of a LastString Quarterback (1965) by George Plimpton

● A Fan's Notes (1968) by Frederick Exley

● Only A Game? by Eamon Dunphy with Peter Ball (1976)

● A Handful of Summers (1978) by Gordon Forbes

● All Played Out: The Full Story of Italia '90 (1990) by Pete Davies

● Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (1992)

● Brilliant Orange (2000) by David Winner

● Moneyball (2003) by Michael Lewis

● Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation by John Carlin (2008)

[Asal Mor]

The best sports books I've read were Paul McGrath's bio, Denis Walsh - "The Revolution Years", Tom Humphreys - "Laptop Dancing and the Nanny Goat Mamba" and "Engage" by Paul Kimmage.

It's a shame about Humphreys. Such an amazing writer.

[pullhard]

Thanks boys, keepin' coming i'll get on the ebay

[5 Sams]

Thanks boys, keepin' coming i'll get on the ebay

Moss Keane's is a real good read. "Ghost" written by Billy Keane who from memory isn't the most popular scribe on here, but a good read and a good laugh all the same.

Also if you can get your hands on W J McBride's biog. Great commentary on the legendary tour of South Africa with the Lions and the "99" call.

[pullhard]

Can't stand the man but hugely respect his achievements, so I was tempted to get fergies bio, any good? Zaltan's also looks great!

[andoireabu]

Been reading The Managers by Daire Whelan.  Pretty interesting stuff about how management and coaching has developed over the years in the GAA.

[Mayo4Sam]

Friday night lights is an excellent sports book, more a social commentary than anything else