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Just finished We Are Not Ourselves and, Satin Island...started The Fishermen.
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A story from the book
Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves: Telling Stories in an Age of Blogging
We never did get his name.
He was compact, stocky, mid-40s and a man who loved to talk. He drove a newer-model Mercedes taxi with a big crack on the driver's side windshield.
He started talking to us just as we drove away from the Mercure hotel, a half-mile from Charles de Gaulle Airport, where we had dropped off our rental car the night before. He didn't stop conversing until he dropped us off in the St-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood 55 minutes later.
In between, he drove, mostly with his knees, as his hands were busy with mid-air exclamations. And as we crawled through Paris' streets, he borrowed Kathy's map to zero in on the location of our little hotel.
Interacting with us, his passengers, however, he was always attentive. He spoke slowly and only in French, gently correcting our mistakes. After he learned that we loved Paris, he was a font of information.
"When you retire you should buy an apartment in Paris," he said. "A little one. A studio." We could rent it when we are away, he said, and always have a place to stay for free on our visits.
We might consider buying in the 17th arrondissement, he suggested as we drove through it, a lovely neighborhood but not quite as expensive as some. And we should use the Internet, he counseled, not the realtors who surely would take too large a cut.
He encouraged us to rent boats on the Seine at Pont Neuf rather than the Eiffel Tower, where they are more expensive. And, he said, we must spend an evening in Montmartre and another along the Seine, where the right-bank summer "plage," or beach, attracts families and lovers who picnic and enjoy free music there.
As we passed a chic district near the Place de la Concorde he told us that this was the place to buy unique watches -- at a very high price.
"My wife said she wanted one," he joked. "I told her sure. All I have to do is sell my car."
He drove 11 hours each day, he said, but the time passed quickly because he loved to talk to passengers. We surely loved talking to him. Our €51 fare wasn't cheap. But then, neither is an hour of conversational French in the States, and on this drive we got that thrown in for free.
For those who rag against Parisians as rude and impatient people, remember this lovely cab driver. I grew up in and around New York City, a place for which the same stereotypes persist.
My advice: Regardless of where you are traveling, show an interest in the place and the people with whom you are talking. They will often surprise you by responding in kind.
just finished Bill Brysons The Road to Little Dribbling, a sequel as it were, to Notes from a Small Island.
I have it in epub if anyone wants a copy.
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a few gems recently
Stringer - A reporters Journey in the Congo - Anjan Sunderam
this was another good book about the Congo by a reporter , but because he was just a stringer he had to live out in the suburbs and watch his pennies which gives his account a much closer to everyday reality feel.
Borneo Boys - Roger AnnetQuote:
In journalism, a stringer is a freelance reporter or photographer who gets paid on the basis of each story or picture sold. So, much of the time there's no regular salary, no living allowance, and often, no travel subsidy. It's a tough way to make a living; especially since the competition in a major market like New York or London is prohibitively fierce.
The trick for a young journalist is to find a location rich in material but light on the competitive side; the more poverty-stricken, dirty, corrupt and dangerous, the better. By those criteria, you couldn't find a richer environment than Congo, where Anjan Sundaram embarks on his career as a stringer.
His reasons are never entirely clear: one moment he's at Yale, about to embark on doctoral studies in mathematics, and the next he's telling his advisor that he's off to Congo to try and be a journalist. "To play the fool," says the advisor, who clearly knows something about journalism; and who also, we later learn, knows something about youthful idealism
This book was about RAAF helicopter pilots during the "confrontation" in Borneo during the early 60's who worked in support of the commonwealth forces there to contain incursions by indonesian regulars and militias - it is a bit dry as much of it is garnered from flight records , but interspersed is remeberances from the pilots themselves - it is interesting as this war has never recieved much coverage as the vietnam conflict which was ongoing just across the bay.
Under the Dragon - A journey through Burma - Rory MacLeanQuote:
The author, Roger Annett, experienced first-hand the events detailed here. Flying with 215 Squadron, and co-piloting Argosy transport aircraft deep over Malayan jungle terrain from 1963 to 65, he is well placed to provide a colorful account of this dramatic period. Following a reunion of RAF Whirlwind veterans of Borneo, Annett began work on this record of their collective experience, attempting to stir the memories of both war veterans and civilians alike, riveted by the drama as it played out by opposing forces attempting to control the island of Borneo. The book describes the oppositions, antagonisms, victories, and defeats experienced on the island. Borneo itself, with its difficult terrain, jungles, and lack of adequate road networks, proved to be one of the biggest challenges from a military perspective, and it is brought to life here.
this turned out to be quite a good book - I nearly stopped reading after what seemed a hugely pretentious literary beginning , but it moved on to become much better very quickly - the author talked to the burmese on his travels and details some distinct stories that looked to encompass the experiences of normal burmese living under the military
No Mission is Impossible - Michael Bar-ZoharQuote:
This expression of the pain of Burma uses novelistic techniques to weave together the patient endurance of its stricken inhabitants, together with their fragility and immense charm. Through his studies of the lives of the individual Burmese whom he encounters, the author makes us feel the weight of the regime under which they labour, from the girls who work on the building-sites under appallingly exploitative conditions to the drunken pirates who profit from the chaos
A history of Israeli not so special operations - this book was good in some respects , but the overall feel of propaganda weighed heavy
As I was saying - Jeremy Clarkson
an easy read in the normal clarkson style - lots about the argie bargie incident
Undercover Operator - Sydney Hudson
interesting book about second world war SOE operations on the ground in France and also in Thailand - some interesting comments about Thai's to dispell the normal consensus on their relationship with the Japanese
Quote:
Memoirs of SOE agents have always been rare ETH so many were either killed in action or executed ETH and today they are almost unheard of. But Sydney Hudson's story, which he has waited nearly sixty years to tell, is just about as dramatic and thrilling as any to have appeared. The Author was captured and escaped into Spain, to return to fight with the Maquis. Undercover Operator is a fascinating mix of true drama, rich excitement and refereshing good humour
The Outsider - My life in intrigue - Frederick Forsyth
Interesting - and some strong views on the colonial mismanagement of Nigeria
John Grace may sum the book up for some , but I found it to be an interesting and easy read
http://www.theguardian.com/books/201...-digested-read
Quote:
For more than forty years, Frederick Forsyth has been writing extraordinary real-world novels of intrigue, from the groundbreaking The Day of the Jackal to the prescient The Kill List. Whether writing about the murky world of arms dealers, the shadowy Nazi underground movement, or the intricacies of worldwide drug cartels, every plot has been chillingly plausible because every detail has been minutely researched.
But what most people don’t know is that some of his greatest stories of intrigue have been in his own life.
He was the RAF’s youngest pilot at the age of nineteen, barely escaped the wrath of an arms dealer in Hamburg, got strafed by a MiG during the Nigerian civil war, landed during a bloody coup in Guinea-Bissau (and was accused of helping fund a 1973 coup in Equatorial Guinea). The Stasi arrested him, the Israelis feted him, the IRA threatened him, and a certain attractive Czech secret police agent—well, her actions were a bit more intimate. And that’s just for starters.
It is a memoir like no other—and a book of pure delight
After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age - Stephen Bachelor
Goes back to the roots before all the later cultural (mis)interpretations. Typical Bachelor, some excellent iconoclastic stuff, and insightful comments about lessor known figures.
Picked up these three today:
Sleeping With The Devil ... How Washington Sold Our Soul For Saudi Crude by Robert Baer
What Went Wrong ... Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis
Dreams and Shadows... The Future of the Middle East by Robin Wright
Something light.
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Alert: (Michael Bennett 8)
by James Patterson0
The eighth novel in James Patterson's bestselling series featuring Detective Michael Bennett
Every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality.
New York has seen more than its fair share of horrific attacks, but the city is about to be shaken in a way it never has before. After two devastating catastrophes in quick succession, everyone is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett is assigned to the case and given the near impossible task of hunting down the shadowy terror group responsible.
With troubles at home to contend with, Bennett has never been more at risk, or more alone, fighting the chaos all around him.
Then a shocking assassination makes it clear that these inexplicable events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Now Bennett is racing against the clock to save his beloved city – before the most destructive force he has ever faced tears it apart.
Just read Ian McEwan's Solar for the second time.
I have read all his books at least twice now. I wish there was another author that I liked quite as much.
Anyway Solar is probably his most most humorous tale.
The first time I read it I thought the nobel laureate's penis really had broken off in the snowmobile incident so I spent the rest of the novel thinking it was about a bloke with no penis! Anyway I enjoyed the second reading.
Sounds as if this tome would be great film material...Quote:
Originally Posted by Norton
Just reading this now. Bryson is a superb narrator and travel companion with a very dry sense of humour. Most enjoyable.Quote:
Originally Posted by toslti
You may want to read Russell's other book "Scourge of the Swastika" having read them both many years ago, both are both quite thought provoking to say the least !Quote:
Originally Posted by KEVIN2008
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Quote:
The Lucifer Priciple is a revolutionary work that explores the intricate relationships among genetics, human behavior, and culture to put forth the thesis that “evil” is a by-product of nature’s strategies for creation and that it is woven into our most basic biological fabric.
Jungle Warfare - John Cross
only a little bit interestingfor some of the infoconcerning action in malaysia
Skorzeny's Special Missions - Otto Skorenzy
Interesting book about the German Special Forces commander during WW2 and some points about Hitlers command of the german forces - I do wonder how much religion had to do with their zeal
Canoeing the Congo - Paul Harwood
A very esay read describing a trip down the Congo by canoe - worth the read and gives a good indication about dealing with African uniformed , though it is common all over the world where the parking lot attendent thinks he can abuse his pitiful station in life
^ you bloody gay naturalist nazi!
Here, again, is about my third read; it'll come to me soon (the Frogs can be a tad obtuse)...
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Just finished,
In the Kingdom of Ice,” polar voyage of USS Jeannette, by Hampton Sides
Excellent. The book tells the true story of the arctic voyage of the USS Jeannette and the crew's struggle to survive after having to abandon their ship in the polar ice.
can you just write the name and author of the bookQuote:
Originally Posted by Bettyboo
having to allow pictures from other sites is not very safe and slows 'tinternet
pictures like ads are the main vector of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive-by_download - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_bidding
you may think I am being paranoid - but maybe slack will tell you how he gets the IP's of the retards and then serves them their own personalised images
^ we have to take some risks in life, Badders; and pictures do speak 1000 words (although I could write 1000 of my most interesting words for you if you really want...). :)
I'm in Korea, I've got an unlimited broadband going at 100mbps, a 4G router going at 30mbps and my 4g phone getting 30mbps - all for the price of a bout 1GB of 2.5G wireless in Nakhon Nowhere, so do you think I give a fuk about download speeds???Quote:
Originally Posted by baldrick
latency is the key here batty - not the number of strokes , but how fast you strokeQuote:
Originally Posted by Bettyboo
but still I do not know what book you read
was it Prostate massage for goats - batty boo ?
Just acquired a copy of Simon Winchester's latest.
He has brought us fascinating tomes of the last decade.
From reviews and whatnot, expect it to be a page turner - typical of Mr. Winchester's work.
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^^ that would have been slightly more interesting.
I was reading another boring socio-linguistic book, quite fun because he slaughters Chompski's terrible linguistics: Language & Symbolic Power - Pierre Bordieu.
Was it worth the wait/effort? :rofl:
Claude Levi Strauss Negritude was a20s Francophone movement
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/...uide-negritude
Clarinet Solos
Kafka and Prague
Franz Kafka und Prag: Amazon.de: Harald Salfellner: Bücher
Amazon.de: Günstige Preise für Elektronik & Foto, Filme, Musik, Bücher, Games, Spielzeug & mehr › ... › Europäische Städte › Prag
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Harald Salfellner - Franz Kafka und Prag j
Werner Haftmann Painting in the 20th century
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Just about read all Sven Hassel's war memoirs, interesting reading if not repetitive.
A warning to us all that the past is not that far away if one takes a wrong turn.
Also has a website for further info
Welcome to the Offical Sven Hassel Site
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I'm reading a book about anti gravity, it's impossible to put down
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Manchild in the Promised Land (1965) is an autobiographical novel written by Claude Brown. It tells about the author's coming of age amidst poverty and violence in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. Published at the height of the civil rights movement, the book reached far beyond the traditional literary world, drawing new attention to the lives of those living in urban environments. It has sold more than 4 million copies and has been translated into 14 languages.
The book has frequently appeared on banned book lists for offensive language, and violence. The book is also celebrated by critics for its sense of realism.