Best Books read during Lockdown.

If you've never read Wilbur Smith some of his stories about Africa are brilliant, When the Lion Feeds, The Sound of Thunder and A Sparrow Falls, would be a good place to start.

Thanks Driver2, will have a look.

You should read Stuart Maconie's latest book on The Nanny State. Really timely and really good. A lot of resonance about growing up in the 70's and 80's, a lot of thought provoking ideas and a good few laughs too. It's not all as obvious as it might have been; eg he has a good pop at parts of the BBC which, given the vast majority of his work is through them, is fairly brave.

W. Somerset Maugham's short stories are excellent. Some of his language would not be considered pc nowadays but don't let that put you off.

Couple of survival stories:-

Endurance by Alfred Lansing - the tale of Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic in 1915.  Extraordinary story of survival against impossible odds. 

Unbroken - Laura Hildenbrand (she also wrote Seabiscuit) - life story of Louis Zamperini who ran for the US at the Berlin Olympics, impressed Hitler who insisted on meeting him.  During the war, he crashed into the Pacific and was one of three survivors who drifted on a raft for two months (one died).  Eventually captured by the Japanese and endured years of brutal torture because of his Olympic past. Survived the war and eventually returned home a hero.  In 1998 he ran a leg of the torch relay for the Nagano winter Olympics.   This was Time Magazine's top book of 2010, recently made into a Coen Brothers film directed by Angelina Jolie, but the book should be read before.  This might be the best story I've ever read.  Absolutely incredible what went on.  Highly recommended.

Next time you want to write a synopsis Danno, maybe you should give us a "spoilers" warning!

Reading gone up from 1 book a week to 2 a week average

1981 Headingley Test - Wisden
Behind Closed Doors - Gary Lineker / Danny Baker
If It Bleeds - Stephen King
The Night Fire - Michael Connelly
I Love The Bones Of You - Christopher Eccleston
Nemesis The Battle For Japan 1944-5 - Max Hastings
Agent Running The Field - John Le Carre
The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (goodness knows how many times read now) - C S Lewis

I like Max Hastings' style sixtwosix, I haven't read that one.
Have you read "Catastrophe" (Europe goes to war 1914)?

the tale of Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic in 1915.  Extraordinary story of survival against impossible odds.


Scott is more often depicted as the hero and courageous but Shackleton I am lead to believe brought all his men back alive.

I think he had a lot of problems on the way back didn't he?

Have you read "Catastrophe" (Europe goes to war 1914)?

Not yet ,Foinavan ...

A lot of people avoid Stephen King, thinking its all horror. "It" a fabulous read, really about growing up as a teen mixed with a scary clown.

Dandy in the Underworld - Sebastian Horsley

The most compelling, disgusting and hilarious autobiography I think i've ever had the (mis)fortune to read.

This is the story of Sebastian Horsley's life. Growing up at High Hall, in Hull, with his alcoholic mother, who regularly attempted suicide, his stepfather, a cult member dressed in orange, and his father, a crippled millionaire, Sebastian Horsley couldn't wait to leave home. Searching for happiness, meaning and a good outfit he embarked on a doomed career as a punk guitarist, had a stormy relationship with a notorious Scottish gangster, enjoyed a wildly successful period as a stock-market entrepeneur and experienced a near fatal stint as a shar****er. Sebastian charts his years as a dandy, an artist, a male escort and a brothel connoisseur. There are the love affairs, with Rachel 1 and Rachel 2, and a harrowing descent into heroin and crack addiction. DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD evokes his desperate attempts to get clean, culminating in his crucifixion in the Phillippines.

Churchill as Warlord - Max Hastings

This bloody Mary...Jonathan Rendall
The perfect punter...Dave Fararr
Steak Diana Ross diary of a football nobody..David Mcvay
All worth a read
Best Autobiography of sorts..The Moons a Balloon  David Niven.If you can track down the great man reading the audiobook its a real treat.

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe!

Read it as a child and absolutely loved it and  haven't read much (fiction) since.

Japans motorcycle wars by Jeffrey W Alexander a real insight into the culture and response to Japans surrender after ww2

Would 2nd moonaxed on the suggestion of Jonathan Rendall's "This bloody mary". Another of Rendall's books that is well worth a read is "Twelve Grand". If memory serves me right it was adapted into a channel 4 show.

Monarch...i have 12 grand also,starts really well but in the end tails off due to way to many dodgy spelling.  Trying to be too clever.
The Ganmbler was a 3 part programme made by channel 4 who had gifted Rendall 12 k...one of the best things ever broadcast at the time and would love a link to view again..it could be on more 4 or whatever it is called.

Must have a look on 4od and see if the show is available. But "this bloody mary..." is an excellent read. Some say it is the best book related to boxing. Not sure if that is correct, as i cannot claim to have read masses of them, but it is certainly the best of the one's i have read.

Found a clip of the show. Think we all can relate to this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkuqOB94zCw

Currently reading Paul McGraths autobiography "Back From The Brink", this guy certainly had a tough upbringing going from orphange to orphanage in Dublin.
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Read this in one sitting when it came out , one of the best sports related books I have read.

May 19, 2020 -- 10:24PM, moonaxed wrote:

Monarch...i have 12 grand also,starts really well but in the end tails off due to way to many dodgy spelling.  Trying to be too clever.The Ganmbler was a 3 part programme made by channel 4 who had gifted Rendall 12 k...one of the best things ever broadcast at the time and would love a link to view again..it could be on more 4 or whatever it is called.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-gambler/on-demand/27484-001

The fake news factory- tales from BBC land.

Spot on flushgordon1 ,one of the best fiction ever.Only £150 a year to follow it.

Hong kong fooey..that is the best username i have seen on here!Licence fee will be circa £154 this year methinks.

Is there a single thread left that doesn't get taken over by snowflakes?

Oooooohhh ,some people love to jump on a phrase and recycle it to death,this year its snowflake,last yearcit was gaslighting,couple of years ago it was passive agressive,pointless no hopers this species,Susie Dent knicker sniffers. Do one...Pineapple,Politicspunter et al.

Is your missus getting more then envelopes from the postman porky ,seemed to have hit a nerve there.

Yeah, apologies to be fair. Just seems to be a bit of an idiotfest on here recently after it had gotten more sane for a bit.

I have recommended books earlier in the thread pineapple. Furthermore u dont and will never make the rules on here,so if u cant take it fcuk off.

Im sick of you senile sixty something arse wipes getting all possessive on these forums just because you think posting 10 000 times gives you the right .it dont so Fcuk off

"sixty something"!!! Well, I never!!!



You carry on then sweetcheeks. Just wanted to share a simple etiquette lesson and how topic titles are generally a good guide as to their contents. If you want to be thick, ignorant, racist or display any other sheep-following-Hopkins type opinions then can I just suggest you'll generally find more like-minded types on 90% of other threads on here. They're not hard to find. But maybe - as an act of simple courtesy - leave those rare nuggets of sanity on here free of bigotry and let the posters chat to each other about the topic in hand without diverting it to whatever Brain Juice Guy is outraged about this morning.

This Bloody Mary Is The Last Thing I own.  It's about the author's life through his love and work in boxing. I'm not a huge boxing fan, but I thought the book was brilliant and the best book I've ever read.  The author was a troubled soul, and died not long ago, in his early forties I think.  Think Ronnie O'Sullivan or George Best, but his talent was writing.  It was his first book.  While it's a biography, it also has the panache and flair of a novel.

Murder On The Dartsboard.  About a bloke who had a mid life crisis and gave up his job as a director of a charity and spent a year trying to qualify for The World Championship in 2005/6.  Highly ammusing if you like darts and you were a youth in the 80s, like the author.

Thinking Fast & Slow is a great book that sadly will be wasted on a good chunk of chitchat forumites but some here will derive something + from it.

Its an old un now but Michael Crick's bio of Fergie was pretty good when I read it 10+ years ago

& the duel biography of Bobby & Jackie Charlton by Leo Mckinstry was superb.  I dislike that authors politics but he writes very well & fairly.

The Barry Brogan story is a great read.

Pineapple
Etiquette aint for me.Sorry if i don't subscribe to the status quo.

I Am Pilgrim

Just finished it. Very good.

Found it very hard to put down.

Read that last year and remember enjoying it. Sent it straight to a charity shop and barely remember any of it now though so not sure if it was really for me.


On a vaguely similar theme, I enjoyed To Kill the Truth by Sam Bourne a couple of months ago. Very prescient tale about a race against time to stop someone destroying evidence of things like slavery and the holocaust and similar. Some frankly ridiculous bits to it but it's well told and clips along nicely. Good book to have by a pool.

Fatty Batter by Michael Simkins, if you like cricket and are above a certain age. Very funny book.

Any of the Bosch series- Michael Connolly

I am pilgrim thumbs up.
The broker by John Grisham always liked that one.
Currently reading all Felix Francis books, reading pulse at the moment

+1 for the Max Hastings fan club.
Read "Bomber Command", and don't regret one minute!

Blood Rock - James Jackson

Dennis Lillee - autobiography

John Niven the amateurs and the Sunshine club. I am reading his the fook it list Niven himself as gone into full meltdown. The Donald has traumatised him