Books - What are you reading?

Finished Charly Wegelius' "Domestique" the other night. It really is a good balancer to the usual biogs - showing the less lime-lit areas of the pro cycling circus.

I wrote a bit more about it here

I've just finished Jamarchs menagerie by Carol Birch a great Victorian adventure story
although a bit grisly in parts.

^it's OK. #ancientforumreference

What a cunt.

To call me something as mundane as a cunt is fucking outrageous.

^^ She lives!

'Lo Oliver. What have you been reading?

My top tip is not to take Jude the Obscure on a beach holiday.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's taking me ages to read it, mainly because it is an unhurried book, a lovely meander through the waters of Britain.

'Lo Oliver. What have you been reading?

My top tip is not to take Jude the Obscure on a beach holiday.

I'm currently reading The Internet, by E. V. Erybody. It has a couple of duff bits, though.

Not very highbrow but currently enjoying Peter Hook - How not to run a club

Reading the Steve Jobs book, a fascinating if deeply hateful man

Just finished David Millar's book. Really enjoyed it.

Was worried it would all be aboutt doping and it may get a bit boring, but instead it's more an autobiog, with loads of great insights into the life of a pro. Way better than Wiggins' book, highly recommend it. Was interesting to hear what Millar has to say about Sir Brad actually (Dave's not his biggest fan to say the least)


I've just been given a signed copy of Cormack McCarthy's 'All the pretty horses'. I'd read it in the bath but I've got a habit of falling asleep and dropping books, that's why I've never bothered with a kindle-thing.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's taking me ages to read it, mainly because it is an unhurried book, a lovely meander through the waters of Britain.

A great book, definitely second your recommendation.

Just finished london train by Tessa Hadley........shite!

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's taking me ages to read it, mainly because it is an unhurried book, a lovely meander through the waters of Britain.

I've meant to read this ever since that nice archaeologist did her documentary on telly, but is it really possible anymore or have us humans finally fucked up and polluted all the rivers and ponds?

Incidentally, apologies for lack of oil rig responses; he wiggled out of replying each time. Think he must've been a spy and it was just a cover story or something...

Many of the waterways up here are getting cleaner, year on year. I swam in the North Sea quite happily last week and in the sea off Bournemouth the week before.

An acquaintance of mine who put me onto this book regularly tootles off to find swimming holes and slow flowing rivers, and the River Wharfe is still an excellent stretch of swimming river, with the added bonus of being full of signal crayfish - bring goggles and a mesh bag and you can pluck the feisty blighters off the river bed for a great BBQ snack!
Your neck of the woods is a perfect spot for wild swimming, Matt. Read the book and you'll find out!

I really enjoyed 'notes from walnut tree farm' so will check that out thanks

Notes from Walnut Tree Farm: Amazon.co.uk: Roger Deakin: Books

I've just been given a signed copy of Cormack McCarthy's 'All the pretty horses'. I'd read it in the bath but I've got a habit of falling asleep and dropping books, that's why I've never bothered with a kindle-thing.

I fucking love Cormac McCarthy. I read The Road when it came out and was impressed, but it was only a few years later when I got given Suttree as a present that I got hooked. His prose is just so good. After I finished Suttree I immediately read the Border Trilogy, No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. Which, looking back on it, was a pretty fucking bleak few months of reading.

Many of the waterways up here are getting cleaner, year on year. I swam in the North Sea quite happily last week and in the sea off Bournemouth the week before.

An acquaintance of mine who put me onto this book regularly tootles off to find swimming holes and slow flowing rivers, and the River Wharfe is still an excellent stretch of swimming river, with the added bonus of being full of signal crayfish - bring goggles and a mesh bag and you can pluck the feisty blighters off the river bed for a great BBQ snack!
Your neck of the woods is a perfect spot for wild swimming, Matt. Read the book and you'll find out!

Fair point. Amazoned just now.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's taking me ages to read it, mainly because it is an unhurried book, a lovely meander through the waters of Britain.

Another of my favourites Luci... Wonderful read.

I fucking love Cormac McCarthy. I read The Road when it came out and was impressed, but it was only a few years later when I got given Suttree as a present that I got hooked. His prose is just so good. After I finished Suttree I immediately read the Border Trilogy, No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. Which, looking back on it, was a pretty fucking bleak few months of reading.

I too hurled my way through The Road and No Country, then I watched the corresponding films, No Country I thought was excellent, but The Road was just so bleak (as is the book) I struggled to get through it. The Road also feels quite disjointed, just a series of scenes without plot (sound the Epic Twat alert). As is life, so in that respect it's a good representation, though with a post-apocalyptic bent.

Yeah, No Country is one of my favourite films, but The Road...I don't know. I think you can get away with that kind of bleakness in literature, because good prose can elevate even the harshest subject. Magic of language, innit. I think the immediacy of film makes it more difficult to prettify that kind of material - you can frame a shot really nicely, the cinematography can be perfect, but if you're shooting straight up violence...I dunno...I found the film fairly brutal and unpleasant. And I'm normally all for brutal and unpleasant...

MOD: A Very British Style: Amazon.co.uk: Richard Weight: Books

Is it any good? It gets a bit of a pasting here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n16/ian-penman/even-if-you-have-to-starve