The SMB Book thread

Charmless Man said:
2/3 of the way through English Pastoral by James Rebanks, all read this morning as I’m on holiday.

Absolutely beautiful autobiographical book about the life of a young farmer in the Lakes as he grows up, trying to reconcile his grandfather’s commitment to the old ways, his father’s mounting debts trying to keep up with modernisation, his own acceptance of industrial farming, and then realisation that maybe a mistake has been made.

@Harry Angstrom - you’d enjoy this.
Click to expand...
I've bought it immediately. It sounds exactly what I need to read.
 


Harry Angstrom said:
I've bought it immediately. It sounds exactly what I need to read.
Click to expand...

Finished it now. Genuinely a great unintentional piece of Stoic philosophy. Promotes the values of duty, family, place and ‘living quietly’.

And also the importance of discourse between different interests. No one person has the answers to a complex question.
 
Charmless Man said:
Finished it now. Genuinely a great unintentional piece of Stoic philosophy. Promotes the values of duty, family, place and ‘living quietly’.

And also the importance of discourse between different interests. No one person has the answers to a complex question.
Click to expand...
Cheers. I’ll let you know what I think. I like a bit of stoicism. Very underrated in modern times
 
Finished the final part of Frank Gardner's Luke Carlton trilogy, Outbreak. I feel like COVID hampered it a little, in the early stages he kept referring back to face masks etc, 'like we did with the covid outbreak'. It wasn't quite Le Carre but wasn't Bravo Two Zero either, somewhere in the middle, an easy read with a decent bit of tension.
 
Shambo said:
Read The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers this summer and was absolutely outstanding.
Click to expand...
Going to be a Shane Meadows film. Could be canny.

Cast announced for Shane Meadows’ new BBC drama The Gallows Pole

A stellar cast has been assembled, and production is now underway, on writer and director Shane Meadows’ first period television drama, The Gallows Pole
www.bbc.co.uk

I'm a little torn on the book. I thought the story and the characters etc were excellent, but the lack of punctuation added nothing. It takes a few chapters to get into it not being there and it felt like showing off just for the sake of it. I know he feels it gets in the way, but it didn't work for me.
 
Charmless Man said:
Finished it now. Genuinely a great unintentional piece of Stoic philosophy. Promotes the values of duty, family, place and ‘living quietly’.

And also the importance of discourse between different interests. No one person has the answers to a complex question.
Click to expand...
My father knew the truth lay in Henry’s soil.

Cheers for the recommendation. It’s confirmed some of what I thought had happened but it is from the horses mouth. Still got a third to read.
 
Charmless Man said:
2/3 of the way through English Pastoral by James Rebanks, all read this morning as I’m on holiday.

Absolutely beautiful autobiographical book about the life of a young farmer in the Lakes as he grows up, trying to reconcile his grandfather’s commitment to the old ways, his father’s mounting debts trying to keep up with modernisation, his own acceptance of industrial farming, and then realisation that maybe a mistake has been made.

@Harry Angstrom - you’d enjoy this.
Click to expand...
Just got this from Amazon based on your review (followed by the 80% 5 star ratings). Bit different to my usual choice but sounds canny.
 
Logon or register to see this image


One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. The main character is a young girl called Rachel who goes through a series of different tales of her being witness and trying to make sense of a broken society as she gets older and experiences it first hand with her friend Alison. Really well written and fun satirical themes to make the different tales thrilling with mystery. Plus a very damning but accurate theme of the culture and inequalities permeating in Britain.
 
Nebula said:
Logon or register to see this image


One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. The main character is a young girl called Rachel who goes through a series of different tales of her being witness and trying to make sense of a broken society as she gets older and experiences it first hand with her friend Alison. Really well written and fun satirical themes to make the different tales thrilling with mystery. Plus a very damning but accurate theme of the culture and inequalities permeating in Britain.
Click to expand...

I read Mr Wilder & Me last month. Also excellent. Rather than looking at the wider woes of society, it's mainly concerned with the fate of older people who find that society has moved on without them. It's true of many areas of life, but especially the creative sector. Billy Wilder was one of the greatest directors of his generation, but in the 70s and 80s Hollywood was no longer returning his calls, and he was forced to cobble together finance for his films wherever he could get it. Does help if you've seen the film - Fedora - that the plot revolves around.

Logon or register to see this image
 
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. Jack Ross mentioned the book in an interview he did with The Athletic not long after he was sacked so thought I'd have a look.

From Amazon: 'Who Moved My Cheese? is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life - whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spirital peace of mind. And the maze is where you look for what you want - the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in. This profound book from bestselling author, Spencer Johnson, will show you how to anticipate change, adapt to change quickly, enjoy change and be ready to change quickly again and again. Discover the secret for yourself and learn how to deal with change, so that you suffer from less stress and enjoy more success in your work and in life. Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime.'

Quite an interesting read though a pretty standard self help book along with The Chimp Paradox etc. I always find I try to use the strategies or ideas mentioned then after a week the whole thing just fades away.
 
Arfa Sleep said:
Quite an interesting read though a pretty standard self help book along with The Chimp Paradox etc. I always find I try to use the strategies or ideas mentioned then after a week the whole thing just fades away.
Click to expand...
Its possible you need to go back & back… I found that with the chimp paradox that I dip back in on specifics as a refresher.

is this cheese book really just an hours read?
 

Back
Top