Anyone read a good book lately ?

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Footprint » Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:44 pm

katy wrote:A book about life in Andalucia, there's a thing, how novel 8)
It is not about life in Andalucia at all - and so what if it was!
You can spend, minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened - or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the f**k on.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby oliveview01 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:48 pm

My sister left her kindle here, I read a couple of books on it about a couple who renovated a house in Andalucia, it was interesting, I could giggle at some of the things that happened to them, the same happened to us too. Sorry I am not help though, I can´t remember the name of the book, something about Olé. I did enjoy the book, it was ´easy reading´

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby frank » Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:52 pm

oliveview01 wrote:My sister left her kindle here, I read a couple of books on it about a couple who renovated a house in Andalucia, it was interesting, I could giggle at some of the things that happened to them, the same happened to us too. Sorry I am not help though, I can´t remember the name of the book, something about Olé. I did enjoy the book, it was ´easy reading´
She's written a few others, same sort of thing.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Two-Old ... 1908603555
Her blog here if you are interested.
http://www.victoriatwead.com/Old_Fools_ ... _Blog.html
Regards, Frank

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby alexander1 » Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:24 pm

Drink, Dear Boy? by Alwyne Chappell. So well written and a lot of laughs too!

"When Alwyne suddenly becomes tired of the monotony of life, he realises it is the perfect time to pursue his dream of sailing around the Mediterranean. After all, he is 48 years old and his three kids are already into their twenties ... all he has to do was talk the missus round. His wife, Jean, reluctantly agrees to trade in their beautiful cottage in Yorkshire to embark on a new, unpredictable life out on the sea. It was the midlife crisis that turned into the adventure. This is the hilarious true story of a couple thrown in at the deep end as they skipper Blue Skye C, a 25-metre yacht owned by an eccentric multimillionaire. Follow their voyage of exploration through France, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Sicily and Mallorca as Alwyne and Jean struggle with the language barriers, cultures and protocols each port of call has to offer, running into a host of wacky characters along the way. The world is their oyster and with unlimited possibilities on the horizon, every day becomes a new beginning. Through love, laughter, frustration and anxiety, Drink, Dear Boy? is an unforgettable, heart warming journey and the perfect travel companion."

"

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby lizzie.w. » Fri Nov 16, 2012 3:55 pm

Just finished a good book it,s called The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon it,s set in Barcelona.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby frank » Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:26 pm

lizzie.w. wrote:Just finished a good book it,s called The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon it,s set in Barcelona.
You should have read La Sombra del Viento, same book only in the original Spanish! :lol: I read it some time ago, he´s had two more on since then, both in English, The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven.
I haven´t read them, but a friend that enjoyed Shadow of the Wind has read one of them and she didn´t rate it. The Prisoner of Heaven takes over where the first one left off, in the same bookshop.
Regards, Frank

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby katy » Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:52 pm

I read Shadow of the Wind but didn't enjoy it. The kids vocabulary sounded implausable for his years.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby toffeeboy » Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:53 am

I loved Shadow of the Wind, thought it was one of the best books I have ever read, but my OH didn't like it at all. :wtf:
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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Lavanda » Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:34 pm

'Shadow of the Wind' was nice but the plot was a bit thin. It's not any different in Spanish as I read that after I read it in English — for the practice, you know. :wink:

At the moment I'm on book three of the 'Millennium Trilogy' and the plot's not thin at all ... :shock:

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby mountainlass » Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:09 pm

A spanish friend at work recommended The Hand of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones

I am about a third through and really enjoying it -

blurb from Amazon
Snared between two cultures and two loves, one man is forced to choose…1564, the Kingdom of Granada. After years of Christian oppression, the Moors take arms against their masters and daub the white houses of Sierra Nevada with the blood of their victims.Caught in the conflict is young Hernando, the son of an Arab woman who was raped by a Christian priest. Despised by the townsfolk and by his own stepfather for his ‘tainted’ heritage, he is banished to live in the stables and becomes an expert muleteer. When Hernando meets Fatima, a beautiful girl with black eyes, she becomes the love of his life. But his stepfather accuses Hernando of Christian sympathies and condemns him to slavery. Then news reaches Hernando that Fatima has been murdered. In despair, he embarks on a plan to unite the two warring faiths - and the two halves of his identity...A breath-taking epic of good and evil, of love and hate, of dreams dashed and hopes regained, Ildefonso Falcones’ story of the Arab-Christian conflict brims with historical detail and unforgettable characters and reflects the author’s celebrated passion for rich historical detail and his flair for story-telling.
It is based in the Alpajurras and I recognise a lot of the towns and villages mentioned

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby gerryh » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:50 pm

Just finished reading "Solitaire Spirit" by Les Powles.
It's about his sailing around the world single handed in a boat he built himself.
His first voyage, at the age of 55, was after only 8 hours sailing experience.
The second time was non stop.
He was planning a fourth trip around the world but decided at the age of 74 he was getting a bit old for it.
I found it a very inspirational book for what he achieved with little money and a lot of determination and guts.
Cheers
Gerry
Last edited by gerryh on Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Lavanda » Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:00 am

I'm on Dan Brown's 'Inferno' but in Spanish. If anyone wants an easy-to-read adult book to practice Spanish I can recommend any of Dan Brown's books as, although the plots are bonkers and frantic, the language used in the books is not complicated at all. In fact, it's a bit basic in either language, but it's good for relaxing veranda, terrace, pool or beach reading.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby mhic » Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:48 am

Duke of Hazard
The wit and wisdom of Prince Phillip.
PC he is not.

Mhic.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:31 pm

Well..
I can't read fiction books, because of my dyslexia problems , well actually I tell a lie, I am reading ,for the past 3 years,'You're Next', by Gregg Hurwitz, but don't ask me what it's about because I've been 'reading' it that long I can't remember . :lol:

But non-fiction , that's different, I am reading several at the moment, including a really exciting book called' Catalogo De Las Monedas Espanolas Desde Isabel II a Juan Carlos I 1833-1995.
How boring I hear you say, but no it is really interesting , it gives an insight into the types of money used in Spain and did you know that in 1842 they were using Maravedi and Centimos Real and Centimo Escudo, and many of the type of coins were imported from places like Puerto Rico, and the Filipinas, and of course there were many numerous regional coins and tokens.( not a lot of people know that ). :lol:
I do have Spanish coins in my collection going back to Roman times, not really valuable ,but interesting.
Now I hope that you really found that brief encounter with coin books really exciting and exhilerating.
Regards,
Gordon :oops:

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Lavanda » Mon Jun 24, 2013 1:07 pm

Beni! Get out of that hot sun immediately! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby olive » Mon Jun 24, 2013 1:35 pm

Winter in Madrid

100 year old Man who crawled out of the window

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby BENIDORM » Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:34 pm

Lavanda shouts at poor old Beni!...'' Get out of that hot sun immediately! :lol: :lol: :lol:

But Miss I really did find it interesting.... :D

And my wife has now cut me down to 1 cup of coffee per day because she thinks I'm showing signs of hyper-activity. :wave:


And Olive added a really gripping preview of....

'Winter in Madrid'

''100 year old Man who crawled out of the window.''

I must try and read that book Olive, it sounds really enthralling. :lol:



I would like to hear about any obscure Spanish Civil War stories that anyone has come across...

Regards,
Gordon the Giant Bookworm

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Lavanda » Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:54 pm

I have a great 81 year old friend in the village and I plucked up courage once to ask him if he remembered anything from those years. He said he did but would rather not remember. He once admonished me for throwing away old cauliflower leaves saying I could make soup or vegetable stock with them. When I jokingly replied that I was a 21st century cook he said, "No. You've just never been hungry." :oops:

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby olive » Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:28 pm

'Winter in Madrid'

''100 year old Man who crawled out of the window.''

I must try and read that book Olive, it sounds really enthralling.


Two different books.

Winter in Madrid is fiction probably based on real life in circa 1941 from memory. Gritty read.

The second is dark comedy and is really rather good. It should be as it was voted funny book of 2012 or somesuch. I recommend both as Edownloads or any James Patterson!.

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Re: Anyone read a good book lately ?

Postby Chunky Monky » Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:58 pm

BENIDORM wrote:I would like to hear about any obscure Spanish Civil War stories that anyone has come across...
Not obscure but an excellent book all the same is George Orwell's 'Homage to Catalonia' it really invokes a feeling for that period of Spain's history.

Another war, WW1, I would recommend a book called 'A Rifleman Went to War' by Herbert W McBride. It is the story of how an American ended up in France in a Canadian Regiment as a sniper. The strength of this book is it's account of day to day living and fighting on the Western Front nearly a hundred years ago.

I would give this book five stars without hesitation.

It took me about three years to track this book down and the bad news (for me) it is now downloadable for free! It is a large .pdf of over 200mb.

http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=4 ... .-McBride)


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