Everything but the girl - I don't want to talk about it

Jack of All Trades - Bruce Springsteen

New England - Billy Bragg

Love Cats - The Cure

Cheers Hasta, great stuff

I know it may seem incomprehensible that I finished another book but this one was recommended to me and I thought what the hell. I looked at the cover with slight dread when I got it from the library and was kind of nervous that it would be a complete waste of time.

The book is called “Never Let me Go” by the author of “The Remains of the Day” Kazuo Ishiguro.

To put it lightly I have never yet had a book disturb and sadden me as much as this one did. Don’t get me wrong it is not nasty or anything like that, it is just so distressingly passive the way the narrator goes on with the story and how normal this all is to her. I had no clue the book was about what it was when I started and all through it there was this faint undercurrent of dread. I finished it at 0130 last night and had to go wake up my wife and lie there holding her I was so distressed.

I am not saying don’t read it, I am saying do read it and carefully, it may change how you feel about things.

If anyone has read it please give me your thoughts.

I read this book a couple of years ago and recommended it towards the begining of this thread. It can't really be reviewed, as explaining what it is about will spoil the read. It is very disturbing and you're absolutely right that it's the acceptance of the narrator that makes it so thought provoking.

My reading update is that I'm half way through This Thing of Darkness and am really enjoying it.

Has anyone else read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy? I was told to read it by my sister and it has had some very good reviews, but so far I haven't really enjoyed it, I've not really liked the style. Is this how he always writes?

I've read it. I thought it was fantastic although very disturbing. I've read most of Cormac McCarthy's books and this one is very different, being set in a post apocolyptic world. Some of the themes and grittiness are similar to his earlier books, as is his wirting style, which I love but I know it's not to everyone's taste. My favorites are his wild west books. I think I recommended the Border Trilogy on an earlier version of this thread a few years ago. It's three books set in the 1940's as the cowboy way of life was ending and takes place on both sides of the USA/ Mexican border. McCarthy is in the Faulkner vein of American writing - almost Gothic! I'd reccomend the Road. It stayed with me for ages. You'll have to let us know what you made of it Eddie.

I've just ordered This Thing of Darkness on Sidders' and Colin's recommendations.

We're here already. We've been up for 10 hours are are now waiting in our hotel for the room to be ready so we can have an afternoon nap and be ready and refreshed for the festivities tonight.

See you all later, hopefully!

I know we'll have a great time wherever we go, but I do think the places we could go are very boring. I was hoping for the former Yugoslavia or a ex soviet state. Belgium, Easter France and Denmark don't fill me with that much enthusiasm.

I think flying to Salzburg then getting a train is also an option, Tris used that line on numerous occasions if memory serves me correctly.

Strasburg is on the Nacy line not saltzburg that's miles away

At half time all the smokers must have lit up three at a time as it was unbelievably smoky down in the concorse. It was so bad, I even went back to my seat before the end of half time and stayed up there for the second half!

This Summer I've read:

Non-Fiction:

Margrave of the Marshes - John Peel autobiography finished by his wife when he died. I absolutely loved it, but guess most John Peel fans will have read it by now. I'm a bit behind the times.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote. About aftermath of the murder of an all American family in the small town USA in the late 50's. Focuses on the two murderers and was really controversial at the time it was written and is viewed to have changed the way that non-fiction is written. Nothing at all like the film Capote which is based on it being written.

Fiction:

The Blood Meridian - Cormac McArthur. Gruesome unromantic tale of cowboys, Indians and scalping expeditions set in Texas and Mexico in the 1840's. I love Cormac McArthur's Wild West stories.

Gentlemen and Players - Joanne Harris. Really easy reading book about the revenge against a minor public school. With a twist.

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro. Can't really say what it's about without spoiling the book. It's really unusual and I would really recommend it. Everyone I have passed it on to has found it really interesting too.

The Sleeping Voice - Dulce Chacon. A book about the Spanish Civil war from the point of view of a group of women prisoners. I re-read For Whom the Bell Tolls last year and this is a really good contrast to the Hemmingway's machismo.

I read this article on Sunday in the Observer and understood it to be a list of the 50 albums that most changed music, rather than the best 50 albums. I spend much of Sunday muttering about how cross I was that the Kinks weren’t in the list. I think they have had loads of influence on modern English pop music and you can trace their influence through the Jam, the Smiths, Billy Bragg, Pulp, Blur, Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys.

I’ve got 16 of the 50.

is that as funny as bellend being ruled out for 6 weeks my friend!!

at least we signed a couple of extra midfielders, who do you have for fulham?? friggin kuqi!!! not a time for laughing cockle

340231[/snapback]

150 million, won F**k all now thats funny

I'll get yer coat....

Tris is fine. GAv spoke to him earlier

I'm watching the news and nothing about Manchester has been mentioned

We went to Barcelona a month of so ago and I read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway about the Spanish Civil War. I'd never read it before and really enjoyed it.

While on holiday in America over the last couple of weeks I read Zorro (a novel) by Isabelle Allende. It's about the childhood and early adult years of the man who became Zorro and seeks to explain why he became the man of the legend. I also read the Old Patagonian express by Louis Throux's dad Paul. It's a travel book written in 1978 in which Paul Theroux gets on a commuter train in Boston and travels all the way to Patogonia in Southern Argentina by train.

I'm currently reading Rip it Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds. It is a fantastic book about post punk music between 1977 and 1984. I was a teenager through the early eighties so it's brining back some great memories of musical influences. I'd forgotten all about Pere Ubu!

Air Wales increases flights from Liverpool for FA Cup semi-finals in Cardiff

Wales' National Airline, Air Wales announces it's intention to operate extra frequency on it's Liverpool services during the FA Cup semi-finals held in Cardiff due to unprecedented demand for scheduled services for the services during the events.

During the 16th April, Air Wales will operate extra Liverpool flights, ideal for a day return with time to suit with Newcastle frequencies added during the Sunday 19th April now running 3-return flights during this day.

Times of services

The schedules in local time are as follows:

16 April only

· 6G608 Departs Cardiff 0700, Arrives LPL 0745

· 6G609 Departs Liverpool 0815, Arrives Cardiff 0900

· 6G612 Departs Cardiff 1630, Arrives Liverpool 1715

· 6G613 Departs Liverpool 1745, Arrives Cardiff 1830

Prices and live availability available online at www.airwales.com or through Central Reservations on 0870 777 3131. Group rates also available.

Thanks very much to the 89 people who voted for me. I'm sure that most were votes against GAV rather than votes for me, but thanks all the same. See you on Sunday!

I have a soft spot for the clubs I've visited with Rovers away in Europe. We've met some great people on our travels and because of them I now enjoy to see the following teams do well in their leagues:

1) Olympic Lyonnaise

2) CSKA Sofia

3) Celtic

4) Gençlerbirliği

I've discovered a fantastic polish war correspondent stationed in a range of developing countries between the 1950's and early 1990's. He's called Ryszard Kapuscinski. I've read two of his books recently. 'The Shadow of the Sun' tells of his years in Africa reporting on various wars of independence and then the fall-out of colonialism that we can still see now in Africa. I'd really recommend it. I've just finished his book, 'The Soccer War' which is notes of his various adventures. It also tells the unbelievable story of his involvement in the war between El Salvador and Honduras in1969 over two games of footie.

Sticking on the theme of war and its aftermath, I also really enjoyed the Bookseller of Kabul, although I was initially put off as it had a Richard and Judy's bookclub sticker on its cover.

The best fiction I've read of late is Cormac McCarthy's 'Border Trilogy'. Three wonderfully atmospheric and tragic novels about 'cowboys' crossing the US/ Mexican border in the 1940's as the whole cowboy way of life was ending.

Next on my list is the Andrew Collins book on being a student in the 1980's that Rosie recommends.

I've told you all a hundred times, it was the shoes ... and is completely irrelevant to this debate.

Gav gets my vote.  Clearly he is desperate to go. Debs seems to be able to live with not having been there. Thats the impression I get  anyway.

tchockey, I'm sorry that I gave that impression.

Let me make it clear to you all, I really, really, really want to go to this game. After the Colchester game it was me in the Blues bar saying that away at Burnley was my dream tie. Gav was too scared they'd beat us. Tris you are my witness!

I concede that Gav has a longer history of being a Rovers supporter but I dispute that, that makes him a bigger fan.

Everything I have said on this thread is the truth! Gav is telling porkies saying that I only started watching Rovers in 1993 and that I think Man U are our biggest rivals. I started watching rovers in the mid 1980's but soon after went to university in Sheffield, where I stayed until I moved back in 2000. I had a season ticket in my latter years in Sheffield and travelled 180 miles round trip for evry home game, whilst Gav would stroll down to ewood from Mill Hill. I was a rovers fan long before I met Gav ... and long before Sky!!

This really is war.

tricky one this. having not met either of the two candidates, i feel i may be perectly positioned to judge.

Given yesterday was Valentines day- Gav how did you treat Debs? nice suprises, cook a meal etc?

Debs- how did you treat Gav?

i will vote purely based on this! have to say though, as Gav works in and around dingles, i am swaying more to him at the moment as i know exactly how he feels.

I don't know how this will affect your voting, but we didn't do anything at all for valentine's day. We didn't even send cards to each other.

Gav says every day is valentine's day living with him.

I say valentine's day is hyped up nonsense dreamed up by card manufactorers and rose growers.

I have a special interest in this subject as Debs is my sister and Gav is the bozo who is responsible for my current ticketlessness.

Maybe in the interests of domestic harmony they should give the ticket away, maybe to a close family member.

Thanks Giddy. Gav reckons that's the final nail in his coffin!

He's also muttering about giving away an England ticket for the game at Hamden to a close family member.