Books I'd Like to Have for Christmas

A week of peace and quiet, with a few hours by the fire on a comfortable chair Any suggestions for one or two really good Christmas reads?

What types of book wet your whistle?

I'm just starting Simon Schama's 'The American Future'. Clearly partisan, marred, in my view, by flowery verbosity, but still an informative and entertaining read so far. Also reading John Peel's 'Olivetti Chronicles', my interest being slightly nostalgic from having listened to only him and no-one else on the radio for donkey's years...

I'm very fond of John Peel, he's sadly missed. I only caught his morning programme about the insanities of families a couple of times: what's the Olivetti Chronicles about?

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very fond of John Peel, he's sadly missed. I only caught his morning programme about the insanities of families a couple of times: what's the Olivetti Chronicles about?

It's a collection of scribblings and musings he made over the years about things including his family, music, things he encountered that day, etc. I was never a big fan of 'Home Truths', though I know many people loved it. My interest stems from having listened to his late-night Radio One show for nigh on 20 years, just about the only thing that made me not want to kill myself in the 1980s...

toxic avenger wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very fond of John Peel, he's sadly missed. I only caught his morning programme about the insanities of families a couple of times: what's the Olivetti Chronicles about?

It's a collection of scribblings and musings he made over the years about things including his family, music, things he encountered that day, etc. I was never a big fan of 'Home Truths', though I know many people loved it. My interest stems from having listened to his late-night Radio One show for nigh on 20 years, just about the only thing that made me not want to kill myself in the 1980s...

Was the reception O.K.? I take it you didn't emigrate?

I've been reading stuff on the economy (Stiglitz), environment (Jared Diamond) and politics (Klein) and I'm ready for some total distraction. A bloody good thriller might do the trick. Or perhaps one of Ard Taoiseach's Imperial Tomes. Except I might read some Rosa Luxembourg, if I can find it.

cactus flower wrote:

toxic avenger wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very fond of John Peel, he's sadly missed. I only caught his morning programme about the insanities of families a couple of times: what's the Olivetti Chronicles about?

It's a collection of scribblings and musings he made over the years about things including his family, music, things he encountered that day, etc. I was never a big fan of 'Home Truths', though I know many people loved it. My interest stems from having listened to his late-night Radio One show for nigh on 20 years, just about the only thing that made me not want to kill myself in the 1980s...

Was the reception O.K.? I take it you didn't emigrate?

I've been reading stuff on the economy (Stiglitz), environment (Jared Diamond) and politics (Klein) and I'm ready for some total distraction. A bloody good thriller might do the trick. Or perhaps one of Ard Taoiseach's Imperial Tomes. Except I might read some Rosa Luxembourg, if I can find it.

I grew up in London, then returned to Ireland in the 90s, so no reception problems...

Francis Wheen's 'How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World' is a quick and funny read about everything from astrology to right-wing voodoo economics, and his biography of Marx is a surprisingly entertaining account of a larger-than-life character and first-rate political economist (second-rate prescription though)...

I've spent time in London too.

I think I might try the John Peel book - it sounds as if it would fit in nicely in the gaps between basting the turkey and drinking the Christmas pudding brandy.

I am going to wade through Foster's book on WB Yeats. Anyone had a go at it? It comes in two volumes. Have the both just haven't read them yet.

johnfás wrote:

I am going to wade through Foster's book on WB Yeats. Anyone had a go at it? It comes in two volumes. Have the both just haven't read them yet.

I haven't. More tempting to spend the time reading Yeats in some ways. The first book should be really interesting, but the second book might be a bit shrouded in ectoplasm for my taste

I've a few biographies I plan on getting through, Yeats, Josiah Wedgewood and the Findlater Family.

Wedgewoods are an interesting family, Josiah of course being the grandfather of Charles Darwin and the Wedgewood money had alot of influence in allowing Darwin to undertake his research. Beyond that Josiah was a prominent abolitionist.

DId you ever read Gwen Raverats "Period Piece" - she was a Darwin family member, and it is mainly a wonderful description of an eccentric Victorial family, rather than history or theory.

johnfás wrote:

I am going to wade through Foster's book on WB Yeats. Anyone had a go at it? It comes in two volumes. Have the both just haven't read them yet.

I've read 'The Apprentice Mage', a fantastic work of scholarship. Haven't summoned up the will to read the second volume yet. Yeats comes across, to me anyway, as being lost in the world, looking for some missing sense of identity, perhaps naive too. An incredible imagination and intellect, but I got impatient with him as I read it as well, with his seeming refusal to engage properly with the real-world (his personal life, particularly his finances, were consequently a mess). But then I suppose its part of what made him such a giant literary figure. My father grew up about a mile from Lissadell, the locals there apparently viewed Yeats as a bit of an oddity, away with the fairies, as it were.

toxic avenger wrote:

johnfás wrote:

I am going to wade through Foster's book on WB Yeats. Anyone had a go at it? It comes in two volumes. Have the both just haven't read them yet.

I've read 'The Apprentice Mage', a fantastic work of scholarship. Haven't summoned up the will to read the second volume yet. Yeats comes across, to me anyway, as being lost in the world, looking for some missing sense of identity, perhaps naive too. An incredible imagination and intellect, but I got impatient with him as I read it as well, with his seeming refusal to engage properly with the real-world (his personal life, particularly his finances, were consequently a mess). But then I suppose its part of what made him such a giant literary figure. My father grew up about a mile from Lissadell, the locals there apparently viewed Yeats as a bit of an oddity, away with the fairies, as it were.

Looking at him from the female perspective, he looks a bit of a disaster in the relationship stakes. I'd say he drove poor Maud Gonne up the wall.

cactus flower wrote:

DId you ever read Gwen Raverats "Period Piece" - she was a Darwin family member, and it is mainly a wonderful description of an eccentric Victorial family, rather than history or theory.

This has been in print for 53 years, but perhaps is a bit more of a woman's book. It tells you things like what it was like to wear a crinoline (surprisingly free, as it was quite light and moved independently of the legs, if you know what I mean, but sometimes difficult to get through doors).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Period_Piece_(book)

johnfás wrote:

I am going to wade through Foster's book on WB Yeats. Anyone had a go at it? It comes in two volumes. Have the both just haven't read them yet.

Yep - the first volume at least and enjoyed it. I read it when it came out. It seems to have vanished from my shelves so I can't remind myself of what stood out - except for the section on his relationship with Georgie Hyde Lees and the automatic writing.

Is anyone else as anal as I am about ordering bookshelves - alphabetically within genres but chronologically for poetry and drama - with biographical and critical stuff beside the author? I can put my hand on anything I want in seconds, usually.

A gorgeous little book for your Christmas stocking, cactus flower is Alan Bennett's Uncommon Reader - it's very short, ideal for the the post-prandial slump. And it's a bit of fun too.

Nice to see you here, Toxic Avenger.

Alan Bennett is a good suggestion; thanks.

These are all very enticing suggestions, but not hard core page turners I don't think.
If anyone is of mischievous disposition, and wants to think of a chaotic cactus Christmas, with burnt dinner and cross neglected family, a very good page turner might do the trick...

The Wire in the Blood by Val McDermid will burn your dinner for you. Or Birdman by Mo Hayder -or anything by Mo Hayder.

Or you could go for some vintage, recycled Jeffrey Archer whose latest book Prisoner of Birth was a bookclub choice recently - a pageturner despite being predictable and annoying.

A gorgeous book I read recently is Open-Handed by Chris Binchy. To say it's beautifully written I think always gives the impression that a book is earnest and a little dull. This isn't - modern, thoughtful and more than a few spots where you'll be turning down the edge of the page because you came across a nice description. The story is also compelling.

Kate P wrote:

The Wire in the Blood by Val McDermid will burn your dinner for you. Or Birdman by Mo Hayder -or anything by Mo Hayder.

Or you could go for some vintage, recycled Jeffrey Archer whose latest book Prisoner of Birth was a bookclub choice recently - a pageturner despite being predictable and annoying.

A gorgeous book I read recently is Open-Handed by Chris Binchy. To say it's beautifully written I think always gives the impression that a book is earnest and a little dull. This isn't - modern, thoughtful and more than a few spots where you'll be turning down the edge of the page because you came across a nice description. The story is also compelling.

Your recommendation is combined with Ruth Rendell's. I'll give that a try. Season of Comfort, Joy, and serial killers

If anyone has not read 'That they may face the rising sun', it's a smashing christmas read. I loved it. Slow to start but brilliant.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

If anyone has not read 'That they may face the rising sun', it's a smashing christmas read. I loved it. Slow to start but brilliant.

I've got a copy signed by John MacGahern, that I treated myself to. I loved it too. It would be nice to read it again.

Our books are alphabetical within genres... a sort of Dewey system except in the case of biographies we would shelve under the name of the subject rather than necessarily the author. Anyone estimated how many books they have in their house? You would not like to hear our estimation. We are all avid readers but my Mother really thinks we need to do something about it.... I'll let you know when she clears out, grab yourself a bargain .

We clear out books about once per year - especially all the fiction stuff. I sometimes bring them into work and tell people to come and take what they want. I find I very rarely read the same book twice. If ever.

Sounds like a better policy! We haven't done a clear out of books in a very long time.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

We clear out books about once per year - especially all the fiction stuff. I sometimes bring them into work and tell people to come and take what they want. I find I very rarely read the same book twice. If ever.

I purged once during the Great Declutter a couple of years ago and haven't since. I gave away hundreds of books. Unless I have doubles, which occasionally happens, I never get rid of books.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaads iiikiutrggtyh

7yyyuu

That's my niece Rachel (aged 2) saying hello to all on MN.

Ooooooo hello Rachel

Good name, same as my girlfriend.


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We never really get rid of books either... but our figure would be more approaching 10,000 eeeeb.