Good Book Thread

[Aussie Rules]

1984.... absolute masterpiece. Closely followed by Animal Farm. I also like Down And Out in Paris & London.

 

Yes, such 'Classics tell us more about the future than we care to imagine including Huxley's Brave new world.

 

As a distraction from other reading Ann bought me 'The Complete Poems of Idris Davies'. Whilst most would shy away from it, I find it relaxing between reading other books.

[Smugsy]

Currently reading BlackkKlansman by Ron Stallworth. Not seen the film yet. Wanted to read the book first.

[JohnJames]

Currently reading BlackkKlansman by Ron Stallworth. Not seen the film yet. Wanted to read the book first.

 

The film is so,so. You’ll probably de disappointed after the book. Not one of Spike Lees best IMHO

[TheSage]

If you quite like a bit of history, Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther books are a good read.

Sadly he died last year so stopped I think at 14 books but they are well written and historically pretty accurate.

All about a Berlin detective and his career before and after the War.

[Howjy04]

Currently reading BlackkKlansman by Ron Stallworth. Not seen the film yet. Wanted to read the book first.

 

I didn’t know if the film was serious drama or comedy Smugsy.

[Howjy04]

There’s another out now, the librarian of Auschwitz.

 

In the post.Looks like a good read,Conrad.

[robf]

1984.... absolute masterpiece. Closely followed by Animal Farm. I also like Down And Out in Paris & London.

 

I'm with you there Biddulph_PV - I'd also add the Road to Wigan Pier to that list too.

[robf]

I love Roger Deakin's books on nature.

 

Waterlog is a classic, a true original as it follows his love of water and swimming rivers, lakes and lochs. It's beautifully written.

 

It single-handedly sparked the whole natural swimming movement and a load of (in my opinion) more poorer spin-off books on "Wild Swimming" from other authors.

 

He then did a similar book on Woods called Wildwood.

 

For me, if you want to read something relaxing, that will help you learn something new about the natural world and just lets you escape from the modern world for a bit, then read a Roger Deakin book. I can read them over and over again.

[mr.hobblesworth]

I keep meaning to read Waterlogged. Do you ever go on the Caught By The River website? They have a lot about Deakin and similar writers on there. I get a lot of my fiction recommendations off that site too.

 

https://www.caughtbytheriver.net/?s=deakin

 

Really like Robert Macfarlane's books too; his new one, Underland, looks great.

 

Discover the hidden worlds beneath our feet...

 

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane takes us on a journey into the worlds beneath our feet. From the ice-blue depths of Greenland's glaciers, to the underground networks by which trees communicate, from Bronze Age burial chambers to the rock art of remote Arctic sea-caves, this is a deep-time voyage into the planet's past and future. Global in its geography, gripping in its voice and haunting in its implications, Underland is a work of huge range and power, and a remarkable new chapter in Macfarlane's long-term exploration of landscape and the human heart.

 

[robf]

*** note - a new books forum has been created - this thread is being moved to the new forum ***

[Jacko51]

Great stuff, Rob. Thanks for that.

[robf]

I keep meaning to read Waterlogged. Do you ever go on the Caught By The River website? They have a lot about Deakin and similar writers on there. I get a lot of my fiction recommendations off that site too.

 

https://www.caughtbytheriver.net/?s=deakin

 

Really like Robert Macfarlane's books too; his new one, Underland, looks great.

 

 

 

 

I've read some Robert McFarlane and enjoyed his stuff too. Landmarks I think is the one I enjoyed the most.

 

Maybe it's just me but I work on websites by day and do OVF in my sparetime so sometimes I want to get away from IT/technology and back to nature so I love that particular type of book, they relax me and inform me.

[mr.hobblesworth]

There seems to have been quite a glut of nature writing in recent years and some of it's been pretty poor IMO - some seem to focus more n the pretty covers than the writing or finding an interesting subject matter - but the best stuff is so great. I loved Landmarks, the story of the apple pips and the resultant tree having a crook on it's trunk marking when the owner had dies and not watered the seedlings really stayed with me.

 

On the subject of Deakin again, I saw this ...

 

This evening, BBC Radio 3 will commemorate 20 years since the publication of Roger Deakin’s seminal Waterlog – an account of his swimming journey through Britain’s rivers, lakes, lochs, pools and the sea. As wild swimming enthusiast Alice Roberts discovers, not only has the book inspired others to follow in Deakin’s breast strokes and take up wild swimming, but it has highlighted the importance of connecting with the natural world. This celebration of wild swimming (which includes archive recordings of Roger Deakin and extracts from Waterlog), features input from friends, writers and wild swimming enthusiasts including Sue Clifford, Richard Mabey, Robert Macfarlane, Joe Minihane and Susie Parr, with wildlife sound recordings by Chris Watson. The programme will be broadcast at 18:45 (and available https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00051dl thereafter).

 

The milestone – and news of this celebratory broadcast – have given us cause to reflect, once again, on the essential influence of Deakin on this site. Discussing the great man over email recently with Chris Watson, Chris wrote: ‘I always felt that Roger had an intuitive understanding and enjoyment of sound. It could be listening with pleasure and anticipation to the bubbling rhythm of a roasting salmon being drawn out from his kitchen Aga or the satisfying crunch of a dock plant being separated from its roots by his special docking spade.’ Such delight in small pleasures is just one example of where the Deakin and CBTR attitudes to life intersect.

 

If you’d like to take this opportunity to delve back into our archive of tributes to Roger Deakin – published as a series of posts in 2016 to mark 10 years since his untimely passing – you can do so here - https://www.caughtbytheriver.net/explore/tags/remembering-roger-deakin .

[onestepatatime]

Peter Crouch - How To Be A Footballer.

Hilarious.🤣🤣🤣

 

Taking that on holiday tomorrow. Been told it's really good, even though he was once a "Stokie."

[onestepatatime]

So here it is. What are you reading? Any good? Any recommendations from other books you've read?

 

AND ABSOLUTELY NO BLOODY POLITICS!!!!

 

Jean, how about the life history of Sunderland FC, lol