The Quito Diet
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Post by The Quito Diet on May 19, 2017 20:45:10 GMT
Cruyff;s autobiography. Got halfway through the book and he'd finished talking about his career, the second half was basically him just explaining how he definitely positively absolutely wasn't at fault for any of the things thrown at him surrounding Ajax or Barcelona in the boardrooms. Comes across as a bit of a dickhead in places too but you can tell there's a huge pride in his foundation and the results it's brought. Was interesting just how he was used politically whilst at Barcelona.
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Post by daveyposhboy on May 19, 2017 20:52:37 GMT
James Joyce is an absolute wonder, isn't he? Just rounding up on A Portrait which has had an surprisingly profound effect on me as someone who has long considered/questioned my own position on faith and religion. Just a beautiful wordsmith. Ulysses up next once my reservation comes in, probably July time.
Also have read that he would routinely start bar fights in France and enlist Ernest Hemingway to "finish them off".
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Post by daveyposhboy on Jun 29, 2017 22:40:34 GMT
China Miéville's Last Days of New Paris is exceptional, but I have absolutely no experience with science fiction other than Vonnegut really, which is a tier to it's self
Surrealist Art is brought to life during the Parisian counterculture resistance movements of the second world war and so far it's about them absolutely fucking the Nazi's shit up
10/10 would recommend
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The Quito Diet
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jul 6, 2017 19:30:41 GMT
Homage to Catalonia was a great read, one of my favourite books I think. Ashamed to say it's the first thing I've read from Orwell but won't be the last, goes into great detail about the situation in Barcelona during the civil war, dissects the bias of the British press during the fighting and does it all with a twinge of British sarcasm throughout.
Looking for something on Franco now.
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The Quito Diet
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jan 1, 2018 23:01:59 GMT
Finally, finally finished Paul Preston's book on Franco, 800 odd pages and it's been a long old slog.
Amazingly detailed book that covers Franco's entire life. Over 200 odd pages at the end of the book for references and citations too, he's put the work in. He goes a great job in explaining a lot of the happenings behind the scenes that led to decisions being taken. Given he was one of, if not the, last real western dictator, it's somewhat concerning reading about his manipulation of the truth and his repression of opponents and seeing it play out in the US in almost mirrored fashion.
If I'd have read this book two years ago I'd have questioned just how on Earth people were taken in by blatant lies and untruths, or how they could justify such a repression of opponents.
Got a choice of stuff to read now post-Xmas, think I'm going with Mr Pikes: The Story Behind The Ibiza Legend. One of the more well known characters in Ibiza so expecting it to be an interesting read. Could definitely use a more enjoyable read commuting to work at least.
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Post by you give me rrrroad rrrrage on Jan 4, 2018 23:22:34 GMT
Anyone else think this Trump book hullabaloo is a bit suspicious. Bannon must be making money from it but it doesn’t make sense for him to throw the one guy who gave him access to genuine power under a bus irrespective of their differences.
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The Quito Diet
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jan 4, 2018 23:29:16 GMT
Smokescreen.
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jan 5, 2018 13:25:55 GMT
Finished Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race - it's a great read to give context for racism in Britain. There's a great point in the book about how we think about racism through the lens of the US, it's all about MLK, Rosa Parks, Black Panthers etc. Really interesting and necessary I think for anyone in the UK or Ireland that thinks racism at home isn't a problem compared to the States.
Next up: Diversity by June Sarpong. #snowflakeeducation
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Post by daveyposhboy on Jan 5, 2018 15:05:30 GMT
I've got a considerably shorter reading list planned compared to last year (started upwards of 60 books, finished 42)
Tolstoy, War and Peace, Anna Karenina W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage Joyce, Dubliners, Ulysses
Wuthering Heights is amazing so far, I was shocked that it was Emily Bronte's only novel
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Jan 5, 2018 15:43:25 GMT
Good luck with Ulysses. It's amazing in parts and a total fucking slog in others. I'd recommend having notes or explainers to go along with it because the amount of references he's got going on is just ridiculous. We get it Joyce, you're smart
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Post by ChappyHova on Jan 5, 2018 16:11:37 GMT
Been trying to read more books lately, I've never really been a reader my whole life but I've managed to accumulate a fuck ton of books. Always had a problem where whenever I started reading I'd immediately start yawning and get tired. Tried to cut down on feeding my brain crazy dopamine hits doing other things and found reading to be much easier now.
Got 2 books for Christmas, the everything store which is basically a book about Amazon from the beginning to now and Who Rules the World by Noam Chomsky.
Almost finished the everything store
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Post by daveyposhboy on Feb 2, 2018 23:01:49 GMT
Good luck with Ulysses. It's amazing in parts and a total fucking slog in others. I'd recommend having notes or explainers to go along with it because the amount of references he's got going on is just ridiculous. We get it Joyce, you're smart Luckily work had a copy of Declan Kiberd's Ulysses and Us which apparently goes along nicely with the 1961 version of the original text, which is the one I've wanted to read (after all, it's somewhat close to how Joyce intended it to be read). I started reading Dubliners to re-familiarise myself with his prose and I am actually really excited to tackle Ulysses. It's absolutely going to take me an age, after a fortnight or more I'm still only halfway through Maugham's Of Human Bondage and that's pretty clean reading. Set myself a target of finishing it (and being able to actually comprehend it) by June 16. Pretentious wanker I know but I've always wanted to visit Ireland and that'll give me more reason
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Post by daveyposhboy on Feb 2, 2018 23:04:31 GMT
Also Wuthering Heights is absolutely one of the best novels I've ever read. Not surprised it was Emily Bronte's only one, she'd never top it
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notpropaganda
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Post by notpropaganda on Feb 3, 2018 13:41:19 GMT
Good luck with Ulysses. It's amazing in parts and a total fucking slog in others. I'd recommend having notes or explainers to go along with it because the amount of references he's got going on is just ridiculous. We get it Joyce, you're smart Luckily work had a copy of Declan Kiberd's Ulysses and Us which apparently goes along nicely with the 1961 version of the original text, which is the one I've wanted to read (after all, it's somewhat close to how Joyce intended it to be read). I started reading Dubliners to re-familiarise myself with his prose and I am actually really excited to tackle Ulysses. It's absolutely going to take me an age, after a fortnight or more I'm still only halfway through Maugham's Of Human Bondage and that's pretty clean reading. Set myself a target of finishing it (and being able to actually comprehend it) by June 16. Pretentious wanker I know but I've always wanted to visit Ireland and that'll give me more reason SNC Dedalus!
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Post by ChappyHova on Feb 3, 2018 18:12:02 GMT
Also Wuthering Heights is absolutely one of the best novels I've ever read. Not surprised it was Emily Bronte's only one, she'd never top it I’m sure I have some tiny book signed by Emily Bronte, I could be totally misremembering but I think it got passed down in the family. I’m gonna find that out.
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