READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

[Stanley]

I've moved now from 'Memoirs of a fox-hunting man' to 'Memoirs of an infantry officer' which is based on Sassoon's experiences in WW1. It's valuable stuff and a good description of what life in the trenches was really like....

[Stanley]

I've just finished Geoffrey Brooks elegy on fox-hunting. Talk about life through rose-coloured spectacles! According to him it was Utopia! However, he tells a nice story about his wife in the 1920s. She was running a charity for rescuing ex-army horses in Egypt and one day noticed an old screw that was in distress. She worked out eventually that it was because his friend had been taken for slaughter so they took him across to the lines of condemned horses and he went straight to an old Cairo cab horse and nuzzled it. They pulled it out and the two of them spent the rest of their days together. Nice......

[rossylass]

I have just finished reading Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall". I'm not surprised it won a Booker. It's about Thomas Cromwell, who rose from lowly beginings to become a trusted adviser to the court of Henry VIII, (but not for long I fear). It seems that although Cromwell left a very detailed paper trail, nothing was known of the man, so Mantel saw a great opportunity to write a novel to give him a character. It is absolutely fascinating, but at the start I found it quite hard to get into her style of writing. I have come to be sympathetic to Thomas Cromwell, but I think that St. Thomas More was a sanctimonious, cruel and warped old devil!

Going to read the sequel, "Bring up the Bodies" too, but I am waiting a while as I don't want it to go in to pleasure overdrive.

Stanley, your post about Geoffrey Brooks wife reminded me of one of the funniest books I ever read, "Hardinge of India", which I picked up in a junk shop. Hardinge was the viceroy at the begining of the twentieth century. He went to visit an old soldier who was dying and gave him a wooden leg of all things, which he maintained were prized by elderly Indians in extremis! I'll bet some old Indian expletives were muttered as he left.

[Stanley]

It's funny isn't it when you come across these outdated attitudes in books written at the time. You can get the same flavour as Sherston if you read something like 'Discovering England' by Henry Morton. Every cottage would be OK on a chocolate box! I think Wolf Hall was done as a serial on BBC and I thought at the time it was a good story.
Later... After a bit of thought... I've ordered the two books, Wolf Hall and Bring out the bodies.... It's all your fault Rossy!

[Nolic]

I love Tudor history and jumped at the chance to read Wolf Hall but I was most disappointed. I think it had something to do with Mantel's style but I just could not get into the book. The Shardlake novels by CJ Sansome feature Cromwell strongly and I find them very entertaining. Nolic

[Tizer]

We enjoy the Shardlake novels too.
This morning on Radio 4 there was a strong recommendation from journalist Robert Fox for Robert Kee's 3-volume book on Irish Nationalism, `The Green Flag', published in 1972 (there was a 1-volume version in 2000, `The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism').
Details of Robert Kee's life here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kee
and a Google version of his 2000 book here: http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/T ... v5AOcXGYUC
(Scroll down the Google page and click on the chapter of your choice)

[Stanley]

Too late to take note of your post Comrade. The books are on their way! (Must stop buying books....)
I'm reading a book at the moment by a lady called Robin Einhorn. It has the riveting title 'American Slavery, American Taxation' Bob Bliss recommended it because it supports his thesis that in the end the South won the Civil War because the modern stance of the Republicans follows exactly the same principles. Funny thing is that it is brilliant and apart from explaining many of the traits in American history and politics that have intrigued me for years, contains some clear and informative accounts of the history of taxation in England and France. Did you know that the first example of mob action that started the French Revolution wasn't the storming aof the Bastille but two days earlier when the mob demolished parts of the wall that had been built round the city by the Tax Farmers (Outsourcing of taxation to private companies, ring any bells?) to make it easier to tax Paris. Lots of good stuff in here and I'm enjoying it!

[Nolic]

Comrade, I wouldn't want my comments to influence others fictional reading. Its down to a matter of taste and a few hundred thousand enjoy her books so who am I to argue. I like Ken Follet and I know he is not to everyone's liking. I recorded a film on C4 last night based on his Medieval epic World without End. Look forward to watching that. Nolic

[Stanley]

I watched it, well made and on a par with Pillars of the Earth. Same setting and set during The Anarchy. Not a good time and when I was researching that period for the History of Barlick I came across some terrible local tales. Follet isn't exaggerating.

[Bruff]

Just finished Peter Ackroyd's 'London Under'; a short romp (160 pages or so) through what goes on under the streets of London - the 'Tube, the sewers, the lost rivers and the cabling and so on. Recommended, and it meant I was quite up-to-speed on a lot of the miscellany reported on the back of the 150th anniversary of the 'Tube last week! It really is a marvel the 'Tube.

I am now on to reading a biog of Nicholas Culpepper, noted herbalist of the 17th century. After that it's Michael Foot's 2-volume biog of Bevan, which I picked up for 60-odd pence on AbeBooks and they're in good nick.

Richard Broughton

[Stanley]

You'll enjoy Foot on Bevan, good read but a bot of the rose-coloured spectacles. Bullock is more objective I think but still gives him a good press. Bevan is one of my heroes......
Mantel books arrived yesterday and the Postie told me to be sure to read Wolf Hall first! He must be a member but even though I know his face I don't know his name! Puts a new gloss on the phrase 'postal service'!
Started reading Wolf Hall as light relief from Slavery and Taxation..... Enjoying it and got one reminder of a good word for dialect topic.

[Stanley]

Enjoying Mantel but I need a bit of help. The book I heard read on Woman's Hour was about a servant of Thomas Cromwell who was sent to a monastery to investigate corruption and found a lot of problems. Does anyone recognise this, is it one of Mantel's books?

[Nolic]

Comrade. No its one of the Shardlake novels by CJ Sansom. Well worth a read and imho much better than Mantel. Nolic

[rossylass]

Glad you're enjoying Wolf Hall Stanley. There may be other books about Cromwell, but it was Mantel's characterisation of him that I was so taken with...and her writing style.

[Stanley]

Thanks for that Comrade, I'll have a look at them.
Nearly finished Wolf Hall Rossy. Once you've cracked her little idiosyncrasies it reads well.

[PostmanPete]

Mantel books arrived yesterday and the Postie told me to be sure to read Wolf Hall first! He must be a member but even though I know his face I don't know his name! Puts a new gloss on the phrase 'postal service'!

It's me - Postman Pete (and my name really is - Pete....!)

[Stanley]

Lovely! Thanks for that Pete, I suspected it was you but wasn't sure. Doc plumped for you as well, I told him about the delivery and he thought it was funny as well!

[Stanley]

Regretfully, I have finished 'Bring Up the Bodies'. I look forward to the last book of the trilogy where Hilary Mantel takes the story of Thomas Cromwell up to his fall and execution. Hard times!
Comrade, you'll be glad to know that I went searching for the Shardlake book on the Dissolution and ordered it second-hand. I'll let you know.......

[Stanley]

No doubt Pete will have seen that post. If I'm not about, pop it in the brown wheelie bin! I've gone back to an even denser read, the Robin Einhorn book on American Taxation and the connection with slavery. You have to read every word and keep going back to check your understanding but well worth it, I am learning all the way! Bob was a bit surprised when he heard I had ordered it but I'm glad he mentioned it. I never realised how interesting the history of taxation could be and it sheds so much light on the rest of the history of the time.

[PostmanPete]

I'll look out for it Stanley..! I only take the parcels that the walking postie can't fit in his electric trolley but it sounds like it may be a big 'un.

[Stanley]

Isn't Barlick grand...... Good lad Pete, could be arriving today. Still educating myself on American slavery and taxation. Hard work but rewarding.

[Stanley]

Shardlake hasn't arrived yet but no sweat because I am really getting into Robin Einhorn. Demanding read but a very good thesis and one thing is certain I understand American Politics and taxation much better now than before. Lovely stuff, I love learning new things....

[Stanley]

Dissolution has arrived..... An afternoon of bliss!

[Stanley]

I see what you mean Comrade. Nowhere near as dense a read as Mantel but a page turner. I've got a good deal on his other similar books.... (It's all your fault!)

[Nolic]

Once I've finished Ken Follet's 20th century saga I'm on with Pickwick Papers. Never read it so I thought I'd give it a try -0.70p on Amazon Kindle. Nolic