Milo MInderbinder

Springsteen's new single 'We Take Care of our Own'. New album out March 5th. Can't wait!

A two cd compilation of all the EP’s the Glasgow scenesters have ever released. Twenty six solidly melodic pop songs that are a testament to the brilliance of this band. One of the last bands of recent times that used the EP format to the max. None of these tracks have ever featured on B&S albums, so it’s a must have for any fan who hasn’t had the pleasure of the EP’s. I’ve never been a big buyer of compilations but this is a corker.

Cheers Ian.

Happy Belated Birthday CD. I only discovered Dickens last year with The Old Curiosity Shop. I am just about to start Martin Chuzzlewit in honour of the the great mans birthday. PS Can one of the admin lot tell me if I'm reviewing a Kindle book, should I post it in general fiction or in the Kindle section?

“As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings.” H L Mencken The television series The Wire was one of the best things I have ever watched. So many aspects of it were filled with brilliance, but a small by-product of it for me was it was the first place I was made aware of the name H L Mencken. The above quotation adorns the wall in the reception area of The Baltimore Sun Newspaper, whose newsroom featured in a big part of the fifth and final series of The Wire. Mencken was a reporter for a few newspapers throughout his career, but it was the Baltimore Sun for which in the summer of 1925 he visited the courthouse in the town of Dayton Tennessee to report on a trial. The accused: Evolution. John Scopes was a teacher who had broken Tennessee’s so-called ‘Anti-Evolution law’ by teaching the work of Charles Darwin to high school students. What Scopes was up against in this Kangeroo court was a prosecution and jury who largely believed in and had been brought up within a belief system taught to them by evangelical Christian preachers. The latter held fast that the world was created in six days. As challenges go, you could say Scopes was up a certain creek without anything to row with. The main players in the trial and the different directions it took are for the future reader to find out about themselves. But for the sake of this review, what appealed to me personally about AROIT apart the style and wit of Mencken’s writing was his passion for denouncing structures of control and fundamentalism in religion. A man who saw nothing wrong with any faith that taught kindness and understanding but who had a big problem with individuals or organisation’s who used religion as a tool of fear. The latter being personified in what Mencken referred to as the “Ku Klux Clergy” of the sates of the South. He theorized that one of the main reasons for the refusal to accept Darwin’s proof of evolution by the evangelists was because it would destroy the entire premise on which they had been elevated to powerful well respected positions in society. In this current age in which wide-eyed prayer chanters spit venom at frightened young girls outside abortion clinics and in which young men fly passenger jets into skyscrapers under the banner of their respective fundamentalist religious beliefs, Mencken’s prose is as relevant today as it was ninety years ago. His was straight talking in a very jagged world. The book is nowhere near the journalistic depth of say Truman Capotes ‘In Cold Blood’ as it is only a collection of the few articles that Mencken wrote during the short period he visited the Dayton trial, but from what I have read about Mencken it was the Tennessee debacle and some of his other stuff that heralded a more outspoken and gung ho era for American journalists and his name seems to be synonymous with a ‘telling it like it is’ approach and it could also be said without Mencken there wouldn’t have followed the likes of Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, or Tom Wolfe. To conclude, a short but interesting read and I will look forward to reading more of Mr. Mencken’s work.

I have to agree Little W. The instant dictionary is a great feature. If any Kindle veterans are reading this they must find our discovery of the joys of Kindle very tedious ha ha!

Surely its a bit of give and take in this situation. Think of all the stuff you have got for free on Kindle. It must balance out in the grand scheme of things.

Hi Agik A couple of titles: # Hotel California: Singer-songwriters and Cocaine Cowboys in the L.A. Canyons 1967-1976 by Barney Hoskyns # The Byrds: Timeless Flight by Johnny Rogan # Shakey: The Biography of Neil Young by Jimmy Mcdonough As you can probably guess these books are very much about the late 1960's and not the punk scene.

My first read of Fante’s short stories. This is a good selection that covers more autobiographical themes from the writer, mainly growing up in an Italian-American household and the volatile dramas between family members, he also details the life he lead as a young aspiring writer. Fante’s novels are very to the point and refreshingly unflowery and his short stories bear these hallmarks as well. A good dip-into collection.

A collection of one hundred and odd pages of printed words. Ownership of which, in wartime Italy at least, was punishable by death. In 1940 John Steinbeck was enjoying the wave of recognition and an ever expanding bank account due to the huge success in the last decade of some of his major written works. This also brought with it access to powerful and influential people. After the French has signed the armistice with the Nazis, Steinbeck was one of a group who urged to President Eisenhower that the war in Europe should not be ignored by the U.S. JS at the time was in cahoots with a number of staff at the forerunner organization to the C.I.A.. Before the shock of Pearl Harbour, Steinbeck was concerned about the Nazi’s grip on Europe and was working on what could be called propaganda. But this was not in the more recognised format of a leaflet or a poster. This was a novel. The setting for the Moon is Down is a small town in Northern Europe (later on it came to light that it was Norway). It tells the tale of a peaceful population who one morning find their town to have been occupied by an invading army (even though it is apparent from the text, the word “German” never appears). The head men on each side are Colonel Lanser and the head of the town Mayor Orden. What Steinbeck achieved with TMID was a huge boost in self belief for the everyday people involved in a war. This was a story that celebrated human beings in how it detailed that no matter who the aggressor, as long as men and women are capable of free thinking they will always be stronger than what Steinbeck refers to as “the herd” (as herds go the Nazis were, I think we will all agree, a pretty despicable bunch). Whoever edited this book did a damn fine job. In only a few pages we get excellent dialogue from both aggressors and occupiers, a great description of a snow blasted town who’s inhabitants are on the emotional edge, and a screaming indictment on anybody or anything that wants to oppress free movement and liberty. Copies of the book were smuggled into occupied Europe and were then painstakingly translated by various underground movements across the continent and distributed with stealth to as many citizens as possible. As mentioned earlier, if found with a copy of this book depending on which country you lived in you could be, amongst other things, killed or sent east to the labor camps. After the war JS received many honors and awards from countries like Norway and Denmark for what they saw as such a unifying book for their respective citizens. This is a great novel that reiterates the many great aspects of human nature and basic morality. Reviewers note: The bits of history of the novel I have included in this review are not from my own lengthy research (as if) but paraphrased from the excellent introduction to the book by Donald Coers. A scholar of Steinbeck who’s other work on the author may be worth a look for any fans of John Steinbeck.

I have just read the introduction to the Around the World Challenge thread by Nollaig. Great idea, a real horizon broadener. Good luck with it Tal. Until I read that intro I didn't know there was such a country as Benin. You learn something new everyday on BCF!

I started some category folders from day one. So far I have: # To be read pile. # British Classics. # American Classics. I need to get out more don't I.

I have only had my Kindle for less than a month but it is becoming like an extra limb. I think my Kindle will be more revolutionary for me personally than my mobile phone.

This was recommended to me by a friend. A very short book but an easy and amusing read. Set in late Victorian Holloway, Charlie Pooter is what we in our house call “a climber”. Or what technically you may describe as lower-middle class (if you are into all that class business, which I am not). Pooter is a man who places a great deal of stock in somebody’s occupation and social standing even though he himself is only a clerk. A bit of an an inverted snob if you will. Weedon’s book is a great satire on British stuffiness and class. As the title suggests there really isn’t much action in the book regarding Charlie’s day to day dealings but it’s littered with great little put downs about his wife, friends, and his wayward son. Pooter could be a character out of one of the brilliant songs that Ray Davies of The Kinks wrote about English suburbia. This book is available free for Kindle users. Janets review is far more comprehensive and better than mine so I won't rattle on, but I just wanted to recommend the book to anybody who likes to see the British poke fun at themselves.

Hi FM Two of the best that I have read: The Boss by Michael Crick. An excellent Biography of Alex Ferguson. Crick is the editor of the Newsnight programme. He's a Red but as a journalist he details the good and the bad about Ferguson. Its an inspiring read re: Fergusons management style, but on the other side of the coin Ferguson tried to get an injunction against the books publication because of some of its content about certain darker dealings. No matter what your opinion of Alex Ferguson, this is a cracker of a biography. Futebol by Alex Bellos. A great insightful look at Brazilian football. From the history of the game in Brazil through to the politics of it and interviews with some of the movers and shakers including the late great Socrates. Its as good a travelogue as it is a sports book. I found it facsinating. I always thought the Brazilians were nuts about footall but reading is believing!

I didn't enjoy Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'. There, I've said it. I don't know if it was a case of the wrong book at the wrong time or just the writing style. It just wasn't for me. I chanced on TTATC on Amazon whilst eagerly scanning the Kindle section as the owner of a new Kindle bought for me at Christmas. TTATC was Kerouac's debut and was published in 1950. Its a semi-autobiographical story of the Martin family who live in the small mill town of Galloway, Massachusetts. The Mother and father George and Marguerite and their eight children (Kerouac based the character of Peter Martin on himself). JK opens the book with a superb description of the layout Galloway and of its inhabitants. The era for the book is the thirties through to the mid nineteen forties. We meet the family as the majority of the children are in their formative teenage years and are finding their feet in the world of adulthood. The finding of feet is accelerated for them by the United States entering WW2 after Pearl Harbour. One review I read about TTATC describes it as "maybe Kerouac has written the great American novel". He certainly from what I read has captured perfectly the parochial feel of small town life whilst at the same time celebrating America and American traditions. Two of my favourite passages describe firstly a High School Thanksgiving football game, and secondly a visit to Rockingham racetrack by George Martin and his son Michael. As a fan of horseracing I have never read a better description of a race day anywhere else. Kerouac has perfectly summed up the pre-race mood and anticipation of the diverse crowd of racegoers better than any sports writer I have read. As the war goes on and finally ends we change the backdrop to that of New York City. As a fan of many novels set in Gotham I have read of what a wild place New York was in the jazz age through to the nineteen fifties but Kerouac dizzies the reader with a tangible feel for how diverse, edgy, cosmopolitan, and desperate places like Times Square in the forties must have been. A great portrait of Manhattan. The Town and the City is a story about family, America, life, and the weird and wonderful human condition. This is not written in Kerouac's beat style but in that of a more regular narrative, but it is written with an eye firmly on the wonder of being alive and everything that life entails. This is so accomplished and worldy its hard to believe this was his debut novel.

'As funny as Bryson and as wise as Orwell' reads the quote from The Observer that adorns the front cover of this book. I think SM is in a class of his own and deserves the comparison to the former of the two great writers mentioned in the Observer quote. With this, Maconies fourth (and for me his finest) book, he has given us ten chapters/essays regarding a pivotal event in each of the decades of the last century and how the ripples of those events have shaped Britain as a nation. The title of the book could lead you to believe that this is just a flag waving exercise. Not so. Maconie celebrates but also denigrates in equal measure the institutions and history of Britain through the 21st century. Fascinating insightful accounts about and including The Battle of the Somme, the impact of the invention of television, The General Strike of 1926, Live Aid, The New Labour Landside victory of 1997, and too-many-more-to-mention interesting aspects of the nations history including feasts-for-thought chapters, especially an inspiring and positive chapter about ethnicity in Britain. In each chapter Maconie goes in search of the locations where these events have happened and in each one you get history, social commentary, and travel writing at its best. Including many references to Maconies own personal passions of pop music, food and drink (mainly single malts and curries), and of his love of the British countryside. I have read all of Maconies books (Cider with Roadies, Pies and Prejudice, and Adventures on the High Teas - in search of Middle England) and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. All very funny and all very interesting. With HAG he has set the bar even higher. I can't think of a better way to sum this book up than another reviewers quote from the back cover of the book: 'Intensely readable'.

Hi Cec. I love John Fante's stuff. If you like 'Ask the Dust' save yourself some money and get the one volume 'Bandini Quartet'. It'll be chaeper than buying the individual books. 'Brotherhood of the Grape' is worth a look as well.

I started EB's Wuthering Heights on Monday and I'm nearly halfway through it. Brilliant novel so far!

Thanks for the kind words CW!

Thanks for the insights Tunn and Talis (If that isn't a great name for a publishers I don't know what is). Very intersting points. I'm enjoying learning about the pro's and cons of the Kindle as a format as much as the stuff I have been reading on it. PS Can I wish all on BCF a very Merry Christmas!

Hi Shelley, The Passage by Justin Cronin might be of interst to your partner. Post-apocalyptic and has been compared to Stephen Kings The Stand in its scope. It's on my wishlist this Christmas.

Hi Emelee. I think books are so subjective that I don't place any stock in book awards or awards for writers. I may think a writer is fantastic but you may think they are boring and not very interesting. I believe its down to individual readers to work out for themselves who is a great writer and not to be preached to by a committee of so-called experts. I have never ever bought a book by a certain author just because it says 'Nobel Prize for Literature' or 'Winner of the 2009 Booker* Prize'. *The Booker Prize is a yearly book award for the Untied KIngdom and Ireland.

Speaking as an avid reader I would only read a few things. Whatever I could fit in between time spent with loved ones. As for getting the awful news that I was going to die, must-read-books would be way down at the bottom of my list of priorities.

“Bob Dylan had songs spilling out of him, and Witmark, to use one of Thomas Edison’s favourite phrases, “seized the palpitating air.”” (Colin Escott, sleeve notes of Bootleg Vol. 9 The Witmark Demos) I enjoy the Dylan Bootleg series, especially the first volume which features some of the songs on this release, and think they are some of the best thought-out compilations of any artists back catalogue to be released, and are fantastically packaged with some brilliant, sometimes never before seen, photos in the accompanying lavish booklet. The Witmark Demo’s lives up to the previous excellence of this series. Many of the songs you may own on other Bob Dylan albums but what is achieved on here, unlike some of the other Bootlegs which drift between decades, is a great compact snapshot of a two year period very early in Bob’s career. These songs are just Dylan, an acoustic guitar, and a tape recorder. That is it. What comes across with the cleaning up that the engineers have done with these songs is that the clarity of his voice suggests he is sat across from you playing. Especially if you listen to it on your mp3 player/ipod. This is downhome bluesy country Bob at his best. It is for me some of the best proof available of just how good a singer the feral Bob Dylan was. His voice on here has a big range and goes off experimenting at tangents with great results. I would 100% recommend this to any existing Dylan fan, and also to people who may want an introduction to Dylan’s early stuff. I got it on Amazon for approx £6. Great value for some great music.