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Saturday 23rd November 2024 - kick-off 3pm

Scottish Premiership - St Mirren v Aberdeen

THE DONSTALK BOOK CLUB


Kowalski

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I just finished Christopher Brookmyre, one fine day in the middle of the night. He's a laugh out loud author and I'll be reading the rest of his work ASAP.

 

 

 

if you liked this try.... Carl Hiassen, a better, american version.  Or Colin Batemen, an Irish version of similar quality

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Also read Graeme Obree's autobiography, I never realised how fucked up an individual he is, not surprising given his childhood and that so many people close to him lost their lives. Towards the end I kept thinking of Rocket Scientists rant about how people were either mentally strong and winners or mentally weak and losers.

 

Never consider thinking about anything I post. I just make it up as I go along. I can't even remember what you're referring to. Sounds typically and ignorantly black and white they way you're recalling it, another surefire clue to ignore it.

 

On Books, I am away to start One Arrow, One Life by Kenneth Kushner. It's been recommended by a friend who's previous two recommnedations I was unable to finish. Love his persistence and enthusaism though, and his bouncebackability. He is convinced I'm going to find his reading material as inspired he does. I hope so too.

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Never consider thinking about anything I post. I just make it up as I go along. I can't even remember what you're referring to. Sounds typically and ignorantly black and white they way you're recalling it, another surefire clue to ignore it.

 

On Books, I am away to start One Arrow, One Life by Kenneth Kushner. It's been recommended by a friend who's previous two recommnedations I was unable to finish. Love his persistence and enthusaism though, and his bouncebackability. He is convinced I'm going to find his reading material as inspired he does. I hope so too.

 

I think it was more the balck and white nature oft he comment that I was thinking about rather than the comment itself. Obree's narrative, to me, seemed to suggest he felt that the focus of going for the records and gold medals kept his demons at bay. It didn't seem to me like he acknowledged that those same demons gave him the ability to push himself further that most other human beings would have been capable of. A "I don't care if I live or die attitude" that he seems to acknowledge at various other points in the story of his life.

 

I wonder if its the solitudinal aspect of the sport that seems to predispose participants to psychological problems or if thats what attracts those who are predisposed to psychological problems to the sport?

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I wonder if its the solitudinal aspect of the sport that seems to predispose participants to psychological problems or if thats what attracts those who are predisposed to psychological problems to the sport?

 

In golf, the solitudinal aspect gives rise to some fertile ground here. A number of the greats, past and present, were so singularly focused that other aspects of their private lives suffered, including their own psychological development. I'm not sure that the sports themselves attract a certain person predisposed to one psychological condition or another, but in sports that are patently self-reliant such as golf and athletics, the single mindedness of the winner often comes at the expense of something else. The boy David Millar, the Scottish cyclist, was another good example.

 

The only conclusion we might make is that fucked-up winners are more interesting than non fucked-up winners. Give me a fuck up any day of the week.

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I've just finished reading 'If You Liked School, You'll Love Work' by Irvine Welsh.  Didn't realise it was a collection of short stories until I started reading it but it was a welcomed surprise as I've read some real long winded dirges recently.

 

I also got treated to one of these quite recently - http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/reader-ebook - which is quite frankly - fucking magic!!

 

Why you'd need 160 books on you at any given time is beyond me (it comes with 100 classics already on it) but you can also store music and photos so it's perfect for travelling light or commuting as it slips easily into an inside jacket pocket.  Oh, and you don't have to wait for delivery of your books from the likes of Amazon, you can save the rain forests (man) and not wonder what to do with the ever growing pile of books in your house.  ;D ;D ;D

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I think they are brilliant if you frequently do a whole lot of travelling but I like my book books. I still have every book I've ever owned from when I was a child.

 

The best bit about it is it comes in a cover which makes it still feel very much like you're reading a paper/hardback book.  If it was just a tablet type thing like a large iPod then I'm not sure I'd be so taken with it.

 

Bazig the hoarder eh...... well there you go.  ;)

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Aye he's on to other stuff now, but in a similar vein i think. I was going to buy one and check it out last month, but I still haven't got round to reading the last two Rebus books. To my shame, since i used to buy them as soon as they were out and just read through them in a few days, but the missus pinched both these ones to read before me, so i lost the impetus a bit and haven't got round to them yet- maybe xmas holidays if i'm lucky.

 

Once i read my first one i think i ended up buying them all in order from then on and each new one as soon as they came out- which is a bit sad, but the're usually a great read.

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The last two were up there with his best.  However rankin's new one without rebus is not really up to much at all.

 

Just finished Firkin, about a book reading rat, it's tremendous.

 

Just finished books on baseball and american footbal both by john Feinstein and currently awaiting two on college basketball.

 

Currently reading Gommarah, on the commute, which is quite good, very detailed and might check out the film, The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi in bed and Chuck Liddell bio on the commode!

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