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What are you reading - Part II


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13 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Slow Boats to China by Gavin Young. This is a 1981 edition that I've had from new. 

I guess I read it every ten years or so, along with the follow up, Slow Boats Home.

A couple of fabulous books, memories of a long forgotten age & a great read for anyone stuck at home & wanting to go on a trip. :) 

I'm currently reading "Desert War, the Battle of Sidi Rezegh" by Peter Cox. I've read a fair bit about the Desert War in a general sense & a couple of unit histories but  I'm finding this book with its broad sweep of the battle but focus on Kiwi units quite upsetting, I think I'm getting soft in my old age but reading about Kiwis getting killed in battle is hard going. :( 

Steve.

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8 hours ago, stevehnz said:

 I think I'm getting soft in my old age but reading about Kiwis getting killed in battle is hard going.

I know what you mean. The ANZAC units had all volunteered and sailed a long way. Yet sometimes it reads as if they were often thrown into battle

without proper support or back up. Not that there was a lot to support them with anyway. But certain Allied Commanders were lacking in tactical skills. 

From what I've read, the ANZACs were well respected as fighting men by the German troops. :poppy:

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When did paperback get so expensive? Gone, it seems, are the days of the one pound or less bargain.

I'm sitting watching a Jesse Stone film on 5 USA. I loved the books and the films.

I had to leave my collection of Jesse Stone books behind when I left Saudi, so I thought I'd restock my shelves.

Searches on the big river and the bay show that twenty quid is not unusual! Crazy.

Looks like I'll have to wait until Car boot sales start again. :book:

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Well, my Christmas haul included a LOT of books:

 

The Beano Annual

The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas

The Book of Dust - Philip Pullman

Hey Hi Hello - Annie Nightingale - instantly transported to Sunday nights in the early 80's, travelling back to RAF Cosford after a weekend on the South Coast, listening to her request show on my mate Paul's car radio

I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right - John Lydon, number 1706 of 5000, signed by the man himself (bless my kids for getting me this).

 

The Beano annual will be first in the pile followed by Mr Lydon's book, then Annie Nightingale...

 

It's my birthday in a few days, I wonder what that will bring me?

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No sooner put away The Battle of Sidi Rezegh than I'm into "Jupiters Travels", by Ted Simon, around the world in the early 70s on a 500cc Triumph Tiger, the stuff of dreams, 'cept I think I'd take a KLR 650 now days. :D

Steve.

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6 hours ago, stevehnz said:

No sooner put away The Battle of Sidi Rezegh than I'm into "Jupiters Travels", by Ted Simon, around the world in the early 70s on a 500cc Triumph Tiger, the stuff of dreams, 'cept I think I'd take a KLR 650 now days. :D

Steve.

 

I read that a dew years ago, a damn fine read.

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26 minutes ago, Wez said:

 

I read that a few years ago, a damn fine read.

It is one I've been wanting to read for ages, being a fairly avid reader of overland travel books, both 4 & 2 wheels but just never tripped over a copy before, this one is from a library.

Steve.

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1 hour ago, stevehnz said:

this one is from a library

 

Big fan of the public library, great institutes which need to be preserved.

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I'm usually a '30's pulp fiction fan but I have just started reading one of the books I stockpiled from previous years boot sales purchases.

 

It's a Dick Francis novel entitled "For Kicks" and I am enjoying being brought into a world of horse racing etc that I previously knew little about.

 

Written in 1965 it's a good read. 

 

Apparently HM the Queen is a fan of his work too.  

 

 

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Borrowed a few books from the latest order to read over Christmas (Librarians Privelidge). Re reading The Stand, haven't read it for years. So got Agent Sonia and the Official History of GCHQ in the pile. Sometimes I enjoy my job too much (here's a bag of money, spend it on books).

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Just finished The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and I really enjoyed it, a real page turner, finishing it in a day and a half. If you are looking for a humorous whodunnit with lots of twists, turns and red herrings then this is for you. It takes place in a retirement village with a cast of (mainly) likeable characters most of whom are retired and the plot weaves it way through more than one murder.  

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6 hours ago, Billy54 said:

Just finished The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and I really enjoyed it, a real page turner, finishing it in a day and a half. If you are looking for a humorous whodunnit with lots of twists, turns and red herrings then this is for you. It takes place in a retirement village with a cast of (mainly) likeable characters most of whom are retired and the plot weaves it way through more than one murder.  

 

Absolutely agree with you on that, I quite enjoyed it.

 

My Christmas and now birthday book haul has increased, in addition to these books I was given at Christmas:

 

The Beano Annual

The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas

The Book of Dust - Philip Pullman

Hey Hi Hello - Annie Nightingale - instantly transported to Sunday nights in the early 80's, travelling back to RAF Cosford after a weekend on the South Coast, listening to her request show on my mate Paul's car radio

I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right - John Lydon, number 1706 of 5000, signed by the man himself (bless my kids for getting me this).

 

I've received the following for my birthday:

 

The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Fast Forward (Confessions of a post-punk percussionist) - Stephen Morris of Joy Division/New Order

Numerous travel books (in an act of optimism)

 

Having read the Beano annual on Christmas Day (compulsory), I've made a start on The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov wrote the book in the 1930's but it wasn't published until 1967, long after his death, if it had been published when he wrote it he would have received a go directly to the gulag, do not pass go invitation from the NKVD.  It is apparently, the inspiration behind this song, a long time Wez favourite:

 

 

With so many biographies in the haul I'm going to be reading those between the novels just to break things up a bit.

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I'm currently reading the biography of Alan Turing, which I hope to finish by Friday.

 

This has been a year when since lockdown on 23rd March, I have read 74 books in paperback, 4 on the kindle, with the Turing book to make 75 paperbacks.

 

In the book stash to be read, I still have 64 to read. Some of the books I've read have been great page turners, some I found a touch hard going, some I've had a good belly laugh at, and in some ways I wish I hadn't had the time to read so many. 12 wasted weeks in lockdown, another 12 being cautious - and then effectively another 4 weeks almost fully locked down again. I found I couldn't put glue to plastic for almost 3 months, from June to September. I did manage to make 14 models though this year, 12 since lockdown began.

 

I devoutly hope I don't have the time available to read another 75 books in the coming year.

 

In other words, I hope this damn virus is gone and pretty soon.

Edited by Whofan
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Currently reading 'At Her Majesty's Secret Service - The Chiefs of Britain's Intelligence Service, MI6' by Nigel West, which was a Christmas present from my Mum. A fascinating read so far.....I had no idea, for example, that the UK was indirectly supporting the little known guerilla war being conducted by the 'Forest Brothers' against the occupying Soviet Forces in Estonia (where I currently live/work) and the other Baltic States during the 1940-50s. 

 

My other bedside companion is one of MiG Jimenez's Weathering Magazines covering 'The Beach' in preparation for starting a diorama project in 2021.  

 

 

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Reading right now:

"The Indian Contigent."

  " The forgotten  Muslim Soldiers of Dunkirk".

By Ghee Bowman. 

 

its about Indian  Soldiers,  Muslims predominantly,  from different  areas of India., who fought during WWII  but have been left out or complete  forgotten in the Dunkerque  story and  disregarded. These were young men in teens who gave their lives for British Raj to fight.

True factual  book which looks at how they were treated and list their lives and the Author *who is English* feels  that the movie Dunkirk isn't really factual because these Indian soldiers  are not in the movie and yet they were there on the beaches of Dunkerque. 

 

one such soldier is buried  in Wales. 

Good read.

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For the past few days I have been reading my 46-year old paperback version of "FIASCO Breakout of the German Battleships" by John Deane Potter. It has great sentimental value and I recently bought a hardback version to preserve the paperback before it starts to fall apart!

 

However, it is my birthday today and I have put "Fiasco" down to read one of my birthday presents - "Ship Models from Kits - Basic and Advanced Techniques for Small Scales" by David Griffith.

 

Dave

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2 hours ago, davecov said:

 

 

However, it is my birthday today and I have put "Fiasco" down to read one of my birthday presents - "Ship Models from Kits - Basic and Advanced Techniques for Small Scales" by David Griffith.

'tis an excellent read.

 

reminder to get some UNI-Caenis thread for rigging.

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Also finished reading 'The Spy  and the Traitor ' by

Ben MacIntyre. 

Its a factual "story" about Oleg Gordievsky the Russian KGB Officer who betrayed  Soviet Union and defected to UK.

Thrilling  book that I couldn't  put down.

 

he was also  Honored by Her Majesty  Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 in HER Birthday  Honors.

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20 hours ago, HOUSTON said:

Also finished reading 'The Spy  and the Traitor ' by

Ben MacIntyre. 

Its a factual "story" about Oleg Gordievsky the Russian KGB Officer who betrayed  Soviet Union and defected to UK.

Thrilling  book that I couldn't  put down.

 

he was also  Honored by Her Majesty  Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 in HER Birthday  Honors.

 

Yes it's an excellent book, I read a year or so ago and your post has inspired me to reread it.

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Billy54..

 

Well I started to read it again MYSELF. 

 

I am a prolific reader and the other two Ben MacIntyre books I have begun to read are AGENT SONYA  and DOUBLE CROSS.

 

If any one isn't aware but Ben MacIntyre is a BBC journalist 

and is a tremendously exacting author.

 

Billy Enjoy it again.  

 

Oh HAPPIER NEW YEAR to You ALL.

:yahoo:

 

Edited by HOUSTON
forgot MY manners.
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I'm about to finish another book on the work of codebreakers at Bletchley Park just 12 miles away. This has been lent to me by a neighbour for me to read re-habilitating after a spell in hospital. I have various other books but on my Kindle on the same subject. My last job was at the Open University where I met up from time to time with various relatives of those who served there during the Second World War.

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