Books

[muppet]

On the subject of Nazi Germany I'm reading a book all about WW2 by Anthony Beevor. Good stuff but MEGA long.

It would appear that any book about WW2 has to take 1000 pages to describe any skirmish and 10 volumes to cover a siege.
It must be some criteria to establish credibility.
Any way I'm going to start on this one next
<500 pages    but has a nice long title
The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of Otto Guensche and Heinze Linge, Hitler's Closest Personal Aides




http://www.amazon.com/The-Hitler-Book-Prepared-Interrogations/dp/B0085SLMYC

I saved many liver cells reading this tome: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitler-1889-1936-Hubris-Ian-Kershaw/dp/0140133631/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382297433&sr=1-2&keywords=hitler+nemesis+kershaw


I could never finish the second book though so I don't know how it ended.

[Tony Baloney]

On the subject of Nazi Germany I'm reading a book all about WW2 by Anthony Beevor. Good stuff but MEGA long.

It would appear that any book about WW2 has to take 1000 pages to describe any skirmish and 10 volumes to cover a siege.
It must be some criteria to establish credibility.
Any way I'm going to start on this one next
<500 pages    but has a nice long title
The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of Otto Guensche and Heinze Linge, Hitler's Closest Personal Aides




http://www.amazon.com/The-Hitler-Book-Prepared-Interrogations/dp/B0085SLMYC

I saved many liver cells reading this tome: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitler-1889-1936-Hubris-Ian-Kershaw/dp/0140133631/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382297433&sr=1-2&keywords=hitler+nemesis+kershaw


I could never finish the second book though so I don't know how it ended.

Funnily enough I read Hubris too and not Nemesis. No spoliers from those who have read it!

[muppet]

Just finished Tyler Hamiltons "the secret race", was expecting to dislike him intensely, just another doper but his main argument is this is what he had to do to compete, what would you do?
Excellent read, couldn't recommend it enough.
They're all at it, from reading this you'd have to have serious doubts over Wiggo, apparently when a team dominates like Sky did last year they've come across something new

I am less than a year behind for once!

But I agree, what an eye opener. Look at the Lance thread and you will see I was not a believer, but I could never have imagined how blatant it was and how many people were involved and knew. This book has me questioning not just cycling though.

Tough sports dominated by one or a few hugely dominant personalities, have to be at risk of exploitation in the same way cycling was/is?

[Mayo4Sam]

Muppet I've moved onto Friday Night Lights, am only a chapter or two into it but it has the makings of being the best sports book I've ever read. It reads like the grapes of wrath

This year I've read the Harry Potter series, excellent books, quiet scary for kids I would have thought. Really enjoyed them

Started working on a dream earlier in the year, ended up not finishing it which I would rarely do but it was an absolute pile of shite

[Under Lights]

Muppet I've moved onto Friday Night Lights, am only a chapter or two into it but it has the makings of being the best sports book I've ever read. It reads like the grapes of wrath

This year I've read the Harry Potter series, excellent books, quiet scary for kids I would have thought. Really enjoyed them

Started working on a dream earlier in the year, ended up not finishing it which I would rarely do but it was an absolute pile of shite

Done similar myself. Great books. Can't wait till read them to my wee girl.

[Mayo4Sam]

Now reading Count of Monte Cristo again for the umpteenth time.

Ah! Read it for the first time this year. A treat.

I'm reading "The Memory Of Running" (which is not a sports book and has nothing to do with running) by Ron McCLarty. It's essentially an American "Road" novel, but a hundred times better than the much-hyped original of the species by Kerouac, which, even when I was a youngster and I was supposed to see it as an anthem for my generation, I thought was self-indulgent, know-nothing, poorly written crap.

This is a beautifully told story about a non-acheiving, overweight, alcoholic social misfit in his forties, a harmless poor craytur we'd call him, who slowly grows up and gradually starts to understand himself as he rides from Rhode Island to Los Angeles on a bike (push variety), not really knowing why he's doing it, but accumulating experiences and insights as he goes.

I was a bit put off by the reviews that seemed to suggest it was mainly liked by women and even after fifty pages I was going to give up on it, as the story wasn't engaging me, but as soon as he hit the road it became compelling. Lovely writing.

I thought I was the only one who felt like this, american classic my ar$e, terrible book

[Asal Mor]

Just finished Tyler Hamiltons "the secret race", was expecting to dislike him intensely, just another doper but his main argument is this is what he had to do to compete, what would you do?
Excellent read, couldn't recommend it enough.
They're all at it, from reading this you'd have to have serious doubts over Wiggo, apparently when a team dominates like Sky did last year they've come across something new

I'd reserve judgement about Team Sky until reading David Walsh's book about the year he spent with them. I've only read the preview on i-books as of yet but plan to read it after finishing "Seven Deadly Sins". It would have been a very strange and foolhardy move by Sky to invite Walsh in and give him total access if they were up to anything. Also, they refuse to hire anyone who has ever been linked to previous doping scandals in any way. Team Sky seem different but Walsh's book should be a very enlightening read either way.

[Milltown Row2]

Recently started The Hunchback of Notre Dame having bought it years ago cheaply. Really enjoyable so far.
If you are so interested I would also recommend The Count of Monte Cristo as a novel to read........ none of the film versions do the book justice imo and very easy to read.

Still though the best novels I have ever read are The Godfather, Day of the Jackal and The Name of the Rose.

One of my first books, great might even buy it again as I've lost it 30 years ago!!

[The Worker]

Anyone read tysons book yet? Good read?

[Minder]

Anyone read tysons book yet? Good read?

I have it but haven't started it yet. £8 on Amazon for the hardback if anyone is thinking of getting it.

[Hardy]

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.

[bennydorano]

Finished Hamilton's Secret Race last nite (after setting it down ages ago), a good read, but i've read that many cycling/doping articles & books they all sort of merge somewhere & the impact it should have is lost.

Have Hitchen's God is not great waiting, need to let the christmas haze lift before attempting it i think.

[LeoMc]

On the subject of Nazi Germany I'm reading a book all about WW2 by Anthony Beevor. Good stuff but MEGA long.

It would appear that any book about WW2 has to take 1000 pages to describe any skirmish and 10 volumes to cover a siege.
It must be some criteria to establish credibility.
Any way I'm going to start on this one next
<500 pages    but has a nice long title
The Hitler Book: The Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of Otto Guensche and Heinze Linge, Hitler's Closest Personal Aides




http://www.amazon.com/The-Hitler-Book-Prepared-Interrogations/dp/B0085SLMYC

Max Hastings "all he'll let loose" is a reasonable attempt to summarise the entire 2nd world war in under 800 pages. It was on offer for kindle download earlier this week for £0.99.

[muppet]

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.

[rodney trotter]

Would mainly read Sports books. Got Zlatan Ibramhimovic autobiography as a present.  Great read,He has some     funny stories and also stories of his time at Barca Also got Dennis Bergkamp autobiography,  good read too, more of a serious character.