BOOKS - What are ASF members reading?

[battiwallah]

I can recommend Henning Mankel. He writes about a Swedish police detective and his novels are very inventive with plot twists that make for excellent reading.

 

[theasxgorilla]

I can recommend Henning Mankel. He writes about a Swedish police detective and his novels are very inventive with plot twists that make for excellent reading.

On the 4th of April I will arrive back in Skåne for the spring and summer...glad to see someone who actually knows where this is ...I can promise you there will be plenty of trips down to the strandskogen (sand beach forest) at Ystad over the summer

 

[Knobby22]

Favourite Books


Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash

I liked his book, "Diamond Age" even more.

 

[Mofra]

Just started :
" The GOD Delusion "
By Richard Dawkins


Cheers

Interesting reading - half way through it myself.
He does make some compelling points, although I wasn't quite convinced by his arguement against agnostism.

 

[chops_a_must]

Finished 'The Moon is Down' by Steinbeck. The anonymity of the setting led to me having trouble getting into the book (plus the week I've had), so I will have to read it again some time me thinks. I did enjoy some of the gentle philosophical themes in the book though.

Now onto 'Sherston's Progress' by Siegfried Sassoon.

 

[chops_a_must]

Absolutely loved 'Sherston's Progress' again. I think it is the third time I have read it. His whole trilogy is absolutely beautifully written.

And I'll quote the last words from 'Sherston's Progress': ... it is only from the inmost silences of the heart that we know the world for what it is, and ourselves for what the world has made us.

Gently and subtly philosophic. I'm not a huge fan of autobiographies, actually, there are only two I've ever liked. They include this trilogy and Albert Facey's 'A Fortunate Life'. I loved that book when I was 10, was absolutely addicted to it.

I enjoyed the last two Sassoon books I've read so much so I am going to go back and read the first in the series again (I haven't done so in years).

So yes, now reading, 'Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man' by Siegfried Sassoon.

P.S. 20/20, what do you think of Sassoon's poetry?

 

[2020hindsight]

'Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man' by Siegfried Sassoon.
P.S. 20/20, what do you think of Sassoon's poetry?

Mate - I've never been fox hunting in my life.
PS I don't consider myself to be a valid critic of other people's poetry lol.
In fact critics I tend to despise - there are them that do, and them that criticise . And I'm not as well read as you - but I'll check itout and get back ... http://www.angelfire.com/wa/warpoetry/Sassoon.html

HERO By: Siegfried Sassoon
'JACK fell as he'd have wished,' the Mother said,
And folded up the letter that she'd read.
'The Colonel writes so nicely.' Something broke
In the tired voice that quavered to a choke.
She half looked up. 'We mothers are so proud
Of our dead soldiers.' Then her face was bowed.

Quietly the Brother Officer went out.
He'd told the poor old dear some gallant lies
That she would nourish all her days, no doubt.
For while he coughed and mumbled, her weak eyes
Had shone with gentle triumph, brimmed with joy,
Because he'd been so brave, her glorious boy.

He thought how 'Jack', cold-footed, useless swine,
Had panicked down the trench that night the mine
Went up at Wicked Corner; how he'd tried
To get sent home, and how, at last, he died,
Blown to small bits. And no one seemed to care
Except that lonely woman with white hair.

I tell a lie, I have read about him ... including some gruesome stuff, a man in the first war being hoisted into the air by a bomb, only to land in the rotting corpse of a fallen soldier - o boy - it was gruesome - and he went mad for a while of course -
Sassoon ended up writing poetry in convalesence, yes?
was going to say too gruesome - but changed my mind - I must read more !
Apologies to you and Sassoon...

Here's one of my poems about the first war :-

IF THE WAR HADN’T GOT IN THE WAY

Its just a wee skirmish child over in France,
Dad’s back in six months or a year,
A skirmish? Well that’s where grown men do a dance ,
With canon and rifle and spear,
Six months? The time child to read you the tale
of Alice’s Wonderland queer,
And look after your Mum cos she’s just a bit pale
And try not to learn the word fear.

Mustard gas son? Why it’s yellowish green
And drifts down on you in the trenches
Blisters? Those things on your lungs and your spleen
As you splutter on blood-muddied benches,
But don’t worry my boy, Daddy’s got this mask,
and this armour, and bulletproof dentures
And this halo (I wish) that solved the task
Of Living through such misadventures.

Here’s a gift to keep you amused my boy
Till I run back one bright sunny day,
But in case I don’t then remember this toy
Each night when you kneel to pray,
How we planned to do all those things so keen
When fathers and children play,
And the miriad things that might have been
Had the war not got in the way.

I go now my child though I’d much prefer
To watch you sleep and just stay,
Your small babe’s dreams and your sleeping purr
And your tiny nest of hay,
And I go now child though my heart is in two,
And I go to meet my frey,
And if I should die with my hair so dark
It’s that you may grow to be grey.

They say that give “our all”, my son,
but y’know… that’s not quite true
For our spirit becomes ten feet tall, my son
And a part of it lives on in you,
And I’ll be there to answer your call, my son
If it’s nigh-on the last thing I do,
But I’d much rather “be there” my small, .. wee, .. son
And to teach you to tie your shoe.

 

[chops_a_must]

I tell a lie, I have read about him ... including some gruesome stuff, a man in the first war being hoisted into the air by a bomb, only to land in the rotting corpse of a fallen soldier - o boy - it was gruesome - and he went mad for a while of course -
Sassoon ended up writing poetry in convalesence, yes?
too gruesome for my taste mate

Here's one of my poems about the first war :-

That was a really good read, thanks for that!

Yes, that's when he started writing a lot more and of course, met up with Wilfred Owen.

He does argue that he WASN'T mad. But it's kind of like the theme in Catch-22. If you refuse to fight due to "craziness" you have to, because refusing to fight is the only non-crazy choice. Yet, all those that agree to keep fighting are quite clearly crazy but can't be stopped. Lol!

However, in 'Memoirs of an Infantry Officer', there are periods where you can quite clearly see someone with classic PTSD symptoms. Probably testament to the quality in writing.

 

[2020hindsight]

Chops, I read a book "Regeneration" about him - was a few years back, and took me some time to remember it - but it doesn't include much of his poetry, and I must check it out .

Regeneration is a prize-winning novel by Pat Barker, first published in 1991. The novel was a Booker Prize nominee and was described by the York Times Book Review as one of the four best novels of the year in its year of publication. It is the first of three novels in the Regeneration Trilogy of novels on the First World War, the other two being The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road. The novel is based on the real-life experiences of British army officers being treated for shell shock during World War I at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Scotland.

Sassoon's periods of duty on the Western Front were marked by recklessly brave actions, including the single-handed capture of a German trench in the Hindenburg Line. He often went out on night-raids and bombing patrols, and demonstrated ruthless efficiency as a company commander. Deepening depression at the horror and misery the soldiers were forced to endure produced in Sassoon a paradoxically manic courage, and he was nicknamed "Mad Jack" by his men for his near-suicidal exploits. Despite having been decorated for bravery, he decided, in 1917, to make a stand against the conduct of the war. One of the reasons for his violent anti-war feeling was the death of his friend, David Cuthbert Thomas (called "Dick Tiltwood" in the Sherston trilogy). He would spend years trying to overcome his grief.

Having thrown his Military Cross into the river Mersey at the end of a spell of convalescent leave, Sassoon declined to return to duty. Instead, encouraged by pacifist friends such as Bertrand Russell and Lady Ottoline Morrell, he sent a letter to his commanding officer titled A Soldier's Declaration, which was forwarded to the press and read out in Parliament by a sympathetic MP.

Rather than court-martial Sassoon, the military authorities decided that he was unfit for service, and sent him to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh, where he was officially treated for neurasthenia ('shell shock').

The novel, Regeneration, by Pat Barker, is a fictionalised account of this period in Sassoon's life, and was made into a film starring Jonathan Pryce as W. H. R. Rivers, the psychiatrist responsible for Sassoon's recovery. Rivers became a kind of surrogate father to the troubled young man, and his sudden death in 1922 was a major blow to Sassoon.

.He does argue that he WASN'T mad. But it's kind of like the theme in Catch-22. If you refuse to fight due to "craziness" etc

exactly - it's coming back

 

[chops_a_must]

I have to check out that movie me thinks...

Thanks for that! It is much appreciated.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Cheating - want to share my favorite book of all time - not current reading. The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien. Bit perplexed at the start, turns into a hilarious, absurd, black comedy. It is impossible to imagine how this feller managed to make the English language do what it does in this book.

Flann O'Briann, was a genius, compared to James Joyce by those more knowledgable than me. I can claim to having shook his hand as in his later years he took lunch at a Public service cafeteria , close to the College where I studied. It was a common trip for many undergraduates, he was a nice guy, and had his simple lunch interrupted many times, but from my memory he enjoyed it.

Postmen can turn into bicycles, or "posties bikes"

Garpal

 

[2020hindsight]

has anyone else read any Flashman? - bludy hilarious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Paget_Flashman
First novel "Flashman" included Afghanistan - the First Anglo-Afghan War. - prophetic.

20th century author George MacDonald Fraser had the idea of writing a series of memoirs of the cowardly, bullying Flashman, portraying him as an antihero who cuts a swathe through the Victorian wars and uproars (and the boudoirs and harems) of the 19th century. Flashman - a self-described and unapologetic 'cad' - constantly betrays acquaintances, runs from danger or hides cowering in fear, yet he arrives at the end of each volume with medals, the praise of the mighty, and the love of one or more beautiful and enthusiastic women. Ultimately, Flashman becomes one of the most notable and honoured figures of the Victorian era.

......He describes his only two talents as a gift for horsemanship and languages (but sometimes makes it up to four by adding fornication and cricket). He also had the means to impress important people he met, usually with excessive toadying. His other gift was his success with women. The list of his sexual conquests (see below) is long and includes several famous women. Despite his natural abilities and imposing figure, Flashman was a coward, running from the danger he constantly found himself in. He was also a bully to his (supposed) inferiors and found joy in creating trouble for people he did not like.

After his expulsion from Rugby for drunkenness, (from the original novel by Hughes), Flashman looked for a way to an easy life. He joined the military, picking the fashionable 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons commanded by Lord Cardigan, later of Light Brigade fame, because the 11th had just returned from India and were not likely to go back soon. Flashman threw himself into the social life that the 11th offered and became a leading light of Canterbury society.

A duel over a lady of questionable morals led to his being stationed in Scotland, where he met and deflowered his future wife, Elspeth Morrison. Blackmailed by her family into a shotgun wedding, their marriage caused his forced resignation from the 11th Lights, and he was sent East to make a career. This he did in Afghanistan, unwittingly becoming a hero by being known as the defender and surviving officer of Piper's Fort. When found by the relieving troops, he lay wrapped in the flag and surrounded by dead enemy troops. The fact that he had been trying to surrender the colours rather than defend them was lost to history.

Needless to say, Flashman arrived at the Fort by accident, tried to avoid all suggestions of involvement in the conflict, had to be bullied into holding a rifle by his sergeant and had been 'rumbled' for a complete coward. Happily for him, all inconvenient witnesses perished in the battle. This seems to happen in many of the stories.
.......

Flashman (1969) ”” the First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-1842 - Retreat from Kabul, Last Stand at Gandamak and Siege of Jalalabad.
...
Flashman at the Charge (1973) ”” the Crimean War's Charge of the Light Brigade and Tuva, 1854.
etcetc

Fraser's research is extensive and the books illuminate the historical events they depict. The books are heavily annotated, with end notes and appendices, as Fraser (in accordance with the fictional existence of the memoirs) attempts to "confirm" (and in some cases "correct") the elderly Flashman's recollections of events; in many cases, the footnotes serve to aid the reader by indicating that a particularly outlandish character really existed or that an unlikely event actually occurred.

The half-scholarly tone has occasionally led to misunderstandings; when first released in the United States, ten of 34 reviews published took it to be a real, albeit obscure, memoir. Several of these were written by academics - to the delight of The New York Times, which published a selection of the more trusting reviews.

For the purposes of American publication, Fraser created a fictional entry of the 1909 edition of Who's Who. This lists Flashman's laurels as: VC, KCB, KCIE; Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur; Congressional Medal of Honor; San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class.

Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class lol

 

[chops_a_must]

Compendium of Dr. Vodder's Manual Lymph Drainage.

Physical state currently = shattered. Lol!

 

[gordon2007]

I'm currently reading "Improve your memory".

I forgot the name of the author.

 

[BradK]

Among my favourite books is Tim Winton's The Riders.

Winton's descriptions of Ireland inspired me to get in a car and drive down the Irish west coast. How rugged, craggy and beautiful. And although I went in November, I never did get a chance to feel that cut through your bones wind off the Atlantic. Maybe next time.

I also read Winton's Cloudstreet on a plane to and from Sri Lanka, and although thick, is a great read in one or two sittings. I can't think of a better book describing Australian working class life.

For a start into Winton, check out That Eye the Sky. Great work.

So, for a good read - you cant go past Tim Winton IMHO

Cheers
Brad

 

[the_godfather4]

I would be very interested in this as well GF4, please let us know how they go with it.

Cheers,

Two close friends just reported back to me on "The Secret" and the verdict was unanymous......... Garbage! :bad:

Basically what the author has done is "borrow" concepts from several other texts and combined them into his "own" concept...... All to do with the power of the mind and visualisation...... told me not to waste my time. Hope this helps.

 

[BradK]

Two close friends just reported back to me on "The Secret" and the verdict was unanymous......... Garbage! :bad:

Basically what the author has done is "borrow" concepts from several other texts and combined them into his "own" concept...... All to do with the power of the mind and visualisation...... told me not to waste my time. Hope this helps.

Sounds like a wanky Po-Mo novel to me.

If you are interested in something Po-Mo (if you are that way inclined), you cant go past If On A Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.

Very much worth wasting your time over.

Cheers
Brad

 

[rub92me]

Just finished 'Freakonomics'. Some interesting themes: causality between legalising abortion and crime reduction in the US, why and how Sumo wrestlers and schoolteachers cheat, why real estate agents screw you out of your money, etc.

 

[chops_a_must]

So yes, now reading, 'Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man' by Siegfried Sassoon.

Been a few weeks since I finished this one so can't remember specifics. It was definitely not as good as the other two books in the trilogy and far less thrilling and action packed. Still, well written and nice to read though.

Compendium of Dr. Vodder's Manual Lymph Drainage.

Physical state currently = shattered. Lol!

Glad that is over, completed and achieved.

Seriously considering going to Canada sometime next year to continue my training.

Now reading, 'A Passage to India' by E.M. Forster.

 

[coyotte]

Interesting reading - half way through it myself.
He does make some compelling points, although I wasn't quite convinced by his arguement against agnostism.

Does show you how powerful that "childhood teaching" on any subject can be though!

Douglas goes into this in Trading in the Zone.

Boils down to even the elderly are still being haunted by someone else's view -- taught to them as a child -- who in turn inflict some other poor innocent bugger -- so the never ending cycle goes on.


Cheers
and I won't say GOD BLESS