|
Post by penny on Sept 29, 2009 18:41:23 GMT
Just started Dan Browns Lost Symbol.I read the other books before the films came out and now all I can see when Im reading is Tom Hanks ugly whining mush.Oh yeah hard back edition £7 at tesco's I know what you mean, I can see Tom Hanks when I read DB's books too. You had a bargain. Whats the book like so far though.
|
|
|
Post by caveman on Sept 29, 2009 20:47:12 GMT
Filth - Irvine Welsh, not the easiest read in the world, but it has its moments, its about a policeman D.S. Bruce Robertson, who shouldn't be allowed to be a member of the Human Race let alone the Police Force!!!
|
|
|
Post by Mrs Foster on Sept 30, 2009 18:19:19 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bluesrider on Sept 30, 2009 18:51:04 GMT
Just started Dan Browns Lost Symbol.I read the other books before the films came out and now all I can see when Im reading is Tom Hanks ugly whining mush.Oh yeah hard back edition £7 at tesco's I know what you mean, I can see Tom Hanks when I read DB's books too. You had a bargain. Whats the book like so far though. Not as good as Angels and demons bits of threads rehashed he just wants even more dosh
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Sept 30, 2009 22:22:26 GMT
I know what you mean, I can see Tom Hanks when I read DB's books too. You had a bargain. Whats the book like so far though. Not as good as Angels and demons bits of threads rehashed he just wants even more dosh Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were very entertaining books. I don't think Brown is really a great writer or anything, but they were a good read. Unfortunately a lot of people who read them thought they were non-fiction books. There should be a big disclaimer at the beginning - instead Brown pretends that his history is real e.g. Jesus mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls? NO he is not!
|
|
|
Post by platterpete on Oct 1, 2009 9:44:52 GMT
I am reading Simon Schama's a History of Britain 3000BC - AD1603, may as well learn something whilst stuck in bed.
|
|
|
Post by caveman on Oct 1, 2009 10:15:25 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 1, 2009 19:07:01 GMT
Death from the Skies by Phillip Plait
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 1, 2009 19:25:06 GMT
I am reading Simon Schama's a History of Britain 3000BC - AD1603, may as well learn something whilst stuck in bed. Thats a looooooooooong read Pete. I'd divide that up into twenty books...like... The Last Plantagenets by Thomas B. Costrain The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England by Antonia Fraser The English by Malcolm Billings The Story of English by David Crystal Ancient Scotland by Nigel Blundell Scottish Highlanders by Charles MacKinnon Wales by R M Lockley Ireland by Paul Johnson The Illustrated Kama SutraI have a few more about Celts, Ango-Saxons and the like plus lots of background stuff - Vikings, Romans etc. I love history, and hopefully my books will all join together and I'll know the complete story...
|
|
|
Post by Mrs Foster on Oct 4, 2009 9:40:41 GMT
classic rock magazine
|
|
|
Post by craigiedee on Oct 4, 2009 9:43:34 GMT
Death from the Skies by Phillip Plait Thanks Ginnie Thats a cracking read the Cavey .... i have read it twice at least and i still dont understand the story line .. its very clever !!
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 12, 2009 23:55:48 GMT
Robert the Bruce by Ronald McNair Scott
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 17, 2009 23:28:16 GMT
Still reading "Robert the Bruce"
...very interesting read...a hundred years of peace... the throne comes into dispute - Ballilol, The "Maid" of Norway, the Bruces... who should rule? Edward Longshanks conquers Wales and has similiar plans for Scotland... Scottish nobles owning both English and Scottish estates - who to serve, England or Scotland... William Wallace the brave warrior who doesn't compromise battles the English but can only do so much - defeated at Falkirk, goes to France, tricked into coming back, executed in the new style of punishment of unspeakable cruelty... Robert the Bruce finally realizes that Scotland is bigger in his heart, proclaims himself King... Now its Edward's turn!
I find it interesting that families of both England and Scotland were so heavily intermarried, and possessions owned in both countries that it is hard to tell where there loyalty is. And sometimes it switches back and forth! The Church of Scotland is one of the few institutions that never wavers, it is firmly for the Kingdom of Scotland! more to come...
One of the few funny incidents... while part of the English army were camped and the only supplies that got through to them was a shipload of wine. The Welsh archers, always the last to get anything got drunk and, hungry, they turned on the English and killed a few of them. Lesson: don't give starving Welsh Archers any drink!
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 18, 2009 3:38:19 GMT
Robert the Bruce
...the English... are coming north...lots of them... Robert the Bruce must regroup, indeed leave Scotland for the islands, to Ireland... his wife and child are captured ... his brother, Alexander killed... Bruce gets recruitments wherever he can... realizes that with no knights left he must fight a different way and resorts to guerrilla warfare...
|
|
|
Post by penny on Oct 18, 2009 11:40:04 GMT
Bernard Cornwall - Azincourt.
|
|
|
Post by bluesrider on Oct 18, 2009 11:43:08 GMT
Still reading dan browns The lost symbol.Its a cut and paste of the D'vinci code and angels and demons
|
|
|
Post by penny on Oct 18, 2009 11:47:36 GMT
Still reading dan browns The lost symbol.Its a cut and paste of the D'vinci code and angels and demons No surprises there then. Still it puts a few more millions in the bank with all the publicity its had. (Ohh get me, Mrs. Catty)
|
|
|
Post by bluesrider on Oct 18, 2009 12:10:30 GMT
Still reading dan browns The lost symbol.Its a cut and paste of the D'vinci code and angels and demons No surprises there then. Still it puts a few more millions in the bank with all the publicity its had. (Ohh get me, Mrs. Catty) Just dont buy it !!!Im only reading it coz I paid for it.Its cringe a minute
|
|
|
Post by C.Cat on Oct 18, 2009 16:13:28 GMT
The Paper Grail by James P. Blaylock
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 21, 2009 23:38:47 GMT
Robert the Bruce
...June 14, 1314... Edward I - Longshanks, Hammer of the Scots- is dead. His weak son, Edward II rules England. Robert the Bruce starts to slowly take back Scottish territory. Eventually he has enough support to attack the northern English territories, left unprotected by the young Edward. Bruce strategically retakes the Scottish castles occupied by the English, including Edinburgh. It all comes to a head at Bannock burn, where the English and Scottish armies meet for battle. The Scots are outnumbered 5 -1, with just a few mounted knights (the English have 1000 knights), so his footman must defeat the English cavalry. This has never been done before. Bruce devises a system using the "schiltron"- the long wooden spears you may remember from the Braveheart movie. The English army are pinned in by bogs, marshes and forest on two sides so their cavalry don't have room to manoeuvre. The battle has begun!
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 22, 2009 1:39:59 GMT
Robert the Bruce
...As the Knights of the English Army are being soundly defeated, Edward leaves the battle... As yet unused, a reserve of Scottish irregulars join the rout, these are not proper soldiers but more ordinary folk with banners made of sheets attached to poles and no armour... At this sight, the fight goes out of the Knights altogether and the scatter and run... Then the English infantry also flee - they had not even joined the fight yet! The battle is won by the Scots under their brave and generous King, Robert the Bruce. Hundreds of Knights are captured which are either held for ransom, or set free. Some are exchanged for persons in English custody for years, including Bruce's wife and daughter. Captured too is the English baggage train, full of supplies and gold. It was worth 200,000 pounds - an enormous sum then. Bruce distributes the wealth among his men and his people. Bruce's humanity is noticed even by English historians who begrudgingly have to record his generosity. This is a man worthy of his position. After the battle, Bruce tries to come to terms with Edward, but the English king is too stubborn. So Bruce starts raiding northern English towns in the hopes that Edward will respond diplomatically. "Scottish" feudal lords must make a decision - lose their English possessions and pledge allegiance to Scotland, or lose their Scottish possessions. They are given a bit of time to do so.
|
|
|
Post by C.Cat on Oct 22, 2009 14:50:53 GMT
Canal Dreams by Iain Banks
|
|
|
Post by bluesrider on Oct 26, 2009 18:16:21 GMT
The deserted Forum by Thieve Algone
|
|
|
Post by thetomahawkkid1 on Oct 26, 2009 18:55:34 GMT
mr nice - howard marks autobiography
|
|
|
Post by Ginnie on Oct 26, 2009 20:23:48 GMT
Robert the Bruce
...Bruce is finally King of the Scots! But without recognition from Edward II or the Pope... Bruce invades Ireland (by now basically an English colony) to keep shipping routes open. His brother Edward actually leads the charge because he's better at fighting than diplomacy... Edward gets killed and the Irish mission is abandoned... Grudgingly Edward II agrees to a truce of sorts - Bruce has been raiding the north of England and Edward doesn't have the full support of his people and sometimes fighting his own like the Duke of Lancaster who was behind the murder of Edward's beloved Piers... and Bruce finally has a son David who will become soon the next King of the Scots... Bruce dies on June 7, 1329. A unique man for his times and generally respected as a towering figure in Scottish history.
The End.
That was a pretty good book!
|
|