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Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC

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Just read John King's Skinheads after months of avoiding it. Surpised at the sensitivity of the characters and the depth of King's analysis after the likes of the footbal factory etc. All this combined with the SKA references made it a really good read.

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Say What Again

homicide.jpg

 

Superb so far.

Have seen this recommended on here a few times, so have just bought it from Amazon (for ?2.40)

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I bought Berlin by Anthony Beevor yesterday after finishing Stalingrad last month. Thought Stalingrad was superb and Berlin starts off where it finished.

 

I also bought 'A Dirty War' by Anna Politkovskaya which i will read afterwards.

 

 

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4121ASSJZBL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg

Comes across as a bit of a pompous erse so far. Wonder how it ends?

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James Patterson's "PRIVATE", utter, utter CRAP, his early books were always pretty good ,especially the "Cross" series , but the last 3 or 4 have steadily got worse, he seems to have a new book out every month, and PRIVATE is the worst yet. :down:

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Harry Palmer

Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man

 

 

Author: Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

 

Read it before but decided I'd read it again.....always helps.

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James Patterson's "PRIVATE", utter, utter CRAP, his early books were always pretty good ,especially the "Cross" series , but the last 3 or 4 have steadily got worse, he seems to have a new book out every month, and PRIVATE is the worst yet. :down:

How many does he actually write? Seems that most of his books lately are written in conjunction with someone else. Still enjoy most of them though.

Just about to start Stuart MacBride's Dark Blood

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Gigolo-Aunt

Reading the following......Its about the history of UFO's and how the CIA etc have fuelled UFO stories in to the public domain to cover what they are testing. Really interesting stuff.

 

Mirage+Men.jpg

 

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syndicalist

Shameless plug for my book, Chaotic justice, which is available at My linknow. Screen read only so if you're interested it can be downloaded to your laptop, kindle or other reading device. Its a novel mainly set in Edinburgh during the 70's. Some Hearts content and a lot of Edinburgh punk experiences as the main characters wrestle with the morals and ethics of racism, sectarianism, violence and the law.

 

My link

Just downloaded your book bud. I'll be reading it over the weekend.

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Just downloaded your book bud. I'll be reading it over the weekend.

Cheers mate. Let me know what you think.

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Gigolo-Aunt

Just dipped into one of my boxes of unread books. Picked out these two.

 

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Got the auld man that as part of his Christmas - not sure if he has read it yet though.

 

Just about finished this it's excellent.

 

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Say What Again

Go on holiday the week after next :verysmug: so have set aside four books to take with me.

 

Recommended umpteen times on here:

 

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Author recommended to me so many times:

 

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I'm also going back to read to a couple of authors I've read before. Both guys books have given me a real laugh in the past, but have never read either of these:

 

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Reading an Edinburgh author just now. It's an easy read I'm powering through, but not really sure if I'm enjoying it. The fact I know the places he talks about isn't helping as stuff like 'choking on the smog at the top of Easter Road' doesn't sit right.

 

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Edited by Jack of Hearts
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syndicalist

Shameless plug for my book, Chaotic justice, which is available at My linknow. Screen read only so if you're interested it can be downloaded to your laptop, kindle or other reading device. Its a novel mainly set in Edinburgh during the 70's. Some Hearts content and a lot of Edinburgh punk experiences as the main characters wrestle with the morals and ethics of racism, sectarianism, violence and the law.

 

My link

Just finished reading it mate and I thought it was excellent. Spent the first three chapters getting into it then I couldn't put it down. If you like a bit of hard hitting social realism then I would recommend it. I know a lot of people on here don't like paying for their ebooks but if you don't mind parting with a few quid buy it and see. If you grew up in 70's Edinburgh you might find it quite interesting too. One point though. I'm sure Joy Division supported the Buzzcocks and not the Clash in 1978.

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Gigolo-Aunt

Agree. That's an excellent read. Other good Nam books:

 

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Cheers, Coco.

 

Read the one of the left last year - superb read.

 

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Just finished reading it mate and I thought it was excellent. Spent the first three chapters getting into it then I couldn't put it down. If you like a bit of hard hitting social realism then I would recommend it. I know a lot of people on here don't like paying for their ebooks but if you don't mind parting with a few quid buy it and see. If you grew up in 70's Edinburgh you might find it quite interesting too. One point though. I'm sure Joy Division supported the Buzzcocks and not the Clash in 1978.

Well thanks Syndicalist. You're correct about Joy Division supporting the Buzzcocks. I was at both gigs. Just seemed to be more appropriate to have them supporting the clash. All so long ago now.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Next up:

bill-drummond-17.jpg

 

Am never quite sure what to make of Bill Drummond. Looking forward to reading this though. :thumb:

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Trautmann..The biography...:Alan Rowlands.

Good so far,fought on the Russian front and in France before being taken as a Pow.Just at the part where he is playing in his first few games for City.

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Lolita. I'm almost finished and it was really very funny. Wish i spoke french though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Next up:

bill-drummond-17.jpg

 

Am never quite sure what to make of Bill Drummond. Looking forward to reading this though. :thumb:

 

I think it is more about the journey than the destination with Bill Drummond. Daft concept but good fun.

 

Have been reading these two.

 

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Our Man in Havana is entertaining nonsense - though set at an interesting time historically. Best thing in '... Sodding Crowd' is the Tank Museum - would love to go see it!

http://www.tankmuseum.org/

 

Next up is

McIBoxing200.jpg

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Going on holiday and looking for some true crime books if anyone has any recommendations?

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Lancashire_Lou

Just finished reading 'Tiger, Tiger' by Margaux Fragoso after seeing her on GMTV.

 

Grim.

 

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Edited by Lancashire_Lou
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Dusk_Till_Dawn

Mcilvanney on boxing is great - especially his article about mcclellan v benn. Fabulous piece of journalism

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Mcilvanney on boxing is great - especially his article about mcclellan v benn. Fabulous piece of journalism

 

Did enjoy the book. Was great to revisit all the big fights. What on earth happened to boxing in the last 10 years or so. I couldn't name a single boxing champion now.

 

Next up:

9781845132644.jpg and The%2BRed%2BBadge%2Bof%2BCourage.jpg

 

Bit of architectural history and a bit of Civil War fiction ...

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Dusk_Till_Dawn

Coco, how da feck do you get through so many books? I started that homicide about three weeks ago and have reached page 90. In the same time, you've probably read 90 books

Edited by Dusk_Till_Dawn
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just finished hitchikers guide and am now working through the Koran. surprisingly good on a few levels.

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Napoleon  Wilson

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Pretty good read. Its about the beginnings of the first mafia family in New York in around 1890's and onwards.

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Agree. That's an excellent read. Other good Nam books:

 

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To keep the Vietnam theme going, I'm currently reading Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. I've got about 100 pages left and it's been excellent - best fictional account of the war that I've read.

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Just finished reading The Forgotten Highlander and i am truly humbled. What a man Alastair Urquhart is.

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Just finished 'Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?' by Raymond Carver. Chug-inducingly good short stories.

 

Got 'Brighton Rock' by Greene to read (first read it at beginning of Higher English and loved it), then some more Pedro Juan Gutierrez, then a choice between some of the things I've bought after I've seen on here.

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my uncle oswald by roald dahl. dahl is talking about sex. troubling.

 

also flicking through stewart lee's book. i enjoy reading him infinitely more than hearing him as his voice kills me.

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I've been reading these:

 

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The War book is an incredible update to the Vietnam ones mentioned above in the thread and to the likes of Band of Brothers. Soldier's view of a pointless unwinnable farcical war.

 

The Factory book is a really interesting story but seems to be like most of this 'scene' journalism/literature in music - awful writing.

 

Next up51RJey8jsUL__SL160_.jpg

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J Cheever Loophole

Just started The Eye of War.It's about the history of front line photography,from the Crimean war right through to Iraq,with iconic photographs and down and dirty, the way it was words from various combatants.Its been in the loft for years as its too big to be lying around but brill all the same.?30 it's a good job too.

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Keith Richards, Life. Naughty boys the lot of them!

 

Was hoping someone else would choose this. Santa brought it for me and I loved it. Have just started re-reading it.

 

Went to see the Stones in Wellington just a couple of weeks after the Cup final. They were brilliant.

 

Keith fell out a tree in Fiji the next week.

 

All in the book.

 

Brilliant.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Quickly through this.

 

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Read it as the young Sean Connery, updated with lots of jarring references to apps and TV shows and things like that. Obviously not a patch on the Fleming books but a diverting enough quick read.

 

Next up will take a bit longer to get through. Have had this in the boxes of books to read for at least a decade!

 

n50351.jpg

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Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC

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Very good in depth account of The Clash, their influences and backgrounds.

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The People's Chimp

Just finished 'Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?' by Raymond Carver. Chug-inducingly good short stories.

 

Got 'Brighton Rock' by Greene to read (first read it at beginning of Higher English and loved it), then some more Pedro Juan Gutierrez, then a choice between some of the things I've bought after I've seen on here.

 

 

Did you read Tropical Animal, or are you about to read it? I thought it was better in places than dirty havana, although I think the stronger narrative structure took away from its impact. On balance I think dirty havana was the rawer, more existentialist book, but Tropical animal works as a novel and has a more self referential post modernist style.

 

 

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Did you read Tropical Animal, or are you about to read it? I thought it was better in places than dirty havana, although I think the stronger narrative structure took away from its impact. On balance I think dirty havana was the rawer, more existentialist book, but Tropical animal works as a novel and has a more self referential post modernist style.

I read it a wee while back now actually. Havana was definitely rawer, but I reckon that's unavoidable. The objective subject matter in Havana is pretty constant: bursds, women and earning a living, whereas Tropical Animal's juxtaposition of Sweden and Cuba, and what they both symbolise, definitely dilutes the rawness. As does the narrative structure as you mentioned. And that's no bad thing.

 

I agree with you that TA's the better novel. Futility is a pretty big concern in both texts, and TA's removal of Cuba for a large part develops a better sense of it within the narrative, and it's really interesting to read how he presents the same emotion in two really different contexts.

 

Next up is 'Foul' by Andrew Jennings, then some Chekhov (to my shame, as a lover of the short story I've never read any). I've got a good wee stack waiting to be read.

 

What're you on just now, Knox?

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