Oh well then: I loved Sterne, Pope and Swift, Defoe is still pretty excellent and quite shockingly distant in time. Milton has greatness.
When I were a lad and borrowed someone's Norton's to read the women writers weren't even in it so I can't comment on most of them. Apart from Aphra Behn possibly. I don't remember her as being great but she's a tiny bit later than the English drama I loved (so the male dramatists on that list don't float my boat either).
See ROG has a new autobiog coming out with GT on ghosting duties. His last one was a decent read in relation to RWC 2007. I wonder though is this going to be a totally new book or just a rehash of the last one, wasn't overly impressed with the slightly snarly sample in today's IT re Sexton, real prima-Donna stuff, on one hand it's great to see honesty rather than pr niceties but on the other it just sort if confirms what a pain he must have been in the squad from the 2009 AI against SA onwards.
Also pretty nasty stuff in Feliepe. No love lost there but still reads as petty.
Could argue its almost his 3rd book as his first was re-released in 2009 with extra chapters covering the grand slam
It's a brand new book I believe. Seeing as the last updated book took him to the end of the 2008/09 season, I can't imagine this being much more than filler and a huge amount about the Sexton relationship which I'm fed up of already!
ceemec wrote:It's a brand new book I believe. Seeing as the last updated book took him to the end of the 2008/09 season, I can't imagine this being much more than filler and a huge amount about the Sexton relationship which I'm fed up of already!
It's chick lit romance isn't it? When first they met they hated each other. Gradually they learnt to be besties. And on the way no cliche was left unturned.
ceemec wrote:It's a brand new book I believe. Seeing as the last updated book took him to the end of the 2008/09 season, I can't imagine this being much more than filler and a huge amount about the Sexton relationship which I'm fed up of already!
It's chick lit romance isn't it? When first they met they hated each other. Gradually they learnt to be besties. And on the way no cliche was left unturned.
I thought you said "no culchie was left unturned"! That would be something else altogether
ceemec wrote:It's a brand new book I believe. Seeing as the last updated book took him to the end of the 2008/09 season, I can't imagine this being much more than filler and a huge amount about the Sexton relationship which I'm fed up of already!
It's chick lit romance isn't it? When first they met they hated each other. Gradually they learnt to be besties. And on the way no cliche was left unturned.
Its the kind of stuff that rugby fans have always loved though. I don't know if you're old enough to remember Campbell vs Ward, but thats a debate that rumbled on for decades and that didn't have the personal element to it that ROG vs Sexton does - if ROG was 5 years younger it would be talked about a century!
ROG had a top career and can be rightly proud of what he achieved in the game. However in the snippets of his new book I have seen, he really does come across as being a royal pain in the backside , with a huge ego , chips on both shoulders and quiet frankly he doesn't seem a nice person.
That Rala guy on the other hand seems to be a top bloke and he has a story to tell from a different prospective which will probably make for a more entertaining read.
So it's April, anyone read any good books so far this year?
I've gone through a few in recent weeks:
Becoming A Lion - Johnny Sexton - I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, gave a real insight into his character, slightly petulant to say the least, bit of a control freak and I liked how it gave a nice view on his relationship with other players specifically Reddan and Bod whatever about the ROG stuff.
Rala A Life In Rugby - Paddy O'Reilly i've posted about it before but it's a great read about one of the games last few characters. Well worth picking up.
Generation Kill - Evan Wright - top notch war reporting from embedded Rolling Stone jurno movign through Iraq in 2003 with Marine First Recon, great, great read.
It's In the Blood - Lawrence Dallaglio, again a great read, real page turner and a great openness when compared to some of the blander autobiogs of rugby players that are doing the rounds these days. Never liked the guy when he played against irish teams but actually seems like a decent character and dedicated club guy.
Downturn Abbey - Ross O'Carroll Kelly (Paul Howard) not well liked on here but I think this book is a bit of a return to form, the last two weren't great but this one's pretty funny. That being said it has been very dated by the somewhat quicker than expected economic recovery in Dublin.
TerenureJim wrote:So it's April, anyone read any good books so far this year?
I don't want to talk about it.
However, the end of the academic year is (somewhat) nigh, so I've ordered myself a little light reading to look forward to. Given the slowness of the Book Depository's delivery, they might just have arrived by the time my exams are done in mid May.
Max Brooks - The Zombie Survival Guide
Stephen King - The Bachman Books
Various -Wastelands: Tales of the Apocalypse
"Yeah I been starvin' 'em, teasing 'em, singing off-key - me may my mo, me mo my may..."
TerenureJim wrote:
Generation Kill - Evan Wright - top notch war reporting from embedded Rolling Stone jurno movign through Iraq in 2003 with Marine First Recon, great, great read.
Definitely enjoyed that book. And if you haven't already check out the series. It's worth it for the Marine interpretations of pop songs alone.
honeyec wrote:Max Brooks - The Zombie Survival Guide
Nice little read, very funny stuff.
I've already read World War Z, and really enjoyed it, so purposely sought this one out.
World War Z was great! Initially I wasn't sure if the format would work for a whole book, but it really holds together well the whole way through and you don't miss the usual story arc of any individual's experience.
Vicious by VE Schwab - two friends realise that near death experiences lead to the development of superpowers and take it too far
Reviver by Seth Patrick - Revivers are able to wake the recently dead, and let them bear witness to their own demise. Twelve years after the first reviver came to light, they have become accepted by an uneasy public. The testimony of the dead is permitted in courtrooms across the world. Forensic revival is a routine part of police investigation - but is there a dark side?
Hang Wire by Adam Christopher - theres a serial killer in San Francisco. There are also a number of what appear to be ancient gods too. Something is up.
Adam Christopher is worth looking into if you enjoy speculative fiction. Empire State and The Age Atomic in particular
Horns - Joe Hill really great read, Stephen King's son and a decent wordsmith in his own rights.
Touching Distance - James Cracknell and Beverly Turner, great mix of a traditional autobiog from a husband a wife team detailing olympic glory, career as an endurance athlete and then the onset of a sever traumatic brain injury an the accompanying change in personality and slow recovery or lack thereof.
