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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 24 Jul 16:46
I must admit starting this thread to plug the best work of non-fiction I've ever read and I'm currently re-reading. It's "Bloody Foreigners " by Robert Winder, subtitled "The Story of Immigration to Britain ", a truly wonderful book, full of humorous and poignant stories. For every wave of immigrants who arrived, a recurring theme occurred. They were viewed with suspicion and mistrust and in some cases, had to endure verbal abuse and insults and even physical violence, but eventually they blended into their communities and often made important contributions to British society. A truly uplifting book, which I thoroughly recommend.
Both my grandkids will be a school after the summer, so I hope to be able to read more, especially over the winter months so if you can recommend a good book - preferably a factual one - it would be much appreciated.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: General Zod
Date: Tue 24 Jul 16:51
Mein Kampf.
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Topic Originator: PARrot
Date: Tue 24 Jul 16:51
The Bible.
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Topic Originator: istvan kozma
Date: Tue 24 Jul 16:53
Harry Potter
KOZMA
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Topic Originator: moviescot
Date: Tue 24 Jul 17:16
Sapiens - A brief history of humankind.
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Topic Originator: widtink
Date: Tue 24 Jul 17:26
The Broons annual 1979
How we laughed when the bairn misheard grandpa.... Again. 😂
Admin
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Topic Originator: Mr Mac
Date: Tue 24 Jul 17:35
Joe Saward, Grand Prix Saboteurs - the story of several early GP drivers and their contribution to espionage.
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Topic Originator: average white par
Date: Tue 24 Jul 18:00
All of Spike Milligan's WW2 memoirs... funny and poignant, and highly recommended...
ETA "Notes from a small island" by Bill Bryson... all of Bryson's stuff is superb actually...
Post Edited (Tue 24 Jul 18:34)
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Topic Originator: The One Who Knocks
Date: Tue 24 Jul 18:39
Anthony Beevor has written some amazing books regarding The Second World War's pivotal moments. Stalingrad, Normandy and The Ardrennes (Battle of the Bulge) all get the treatment. As does the Fall of Berlin which I haven't read. Not ready to read about the horrors of that battle yet.
And although my eyes were open
They just might as well be closed
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Topic Originator: The One Who Knocks
Date: Tue 24 Jul 18:45
Anthony Beevor has written some amazing books regarding The Second World War's pivotal moments. Stalingrad, Normandy and The Ardrennes (Battle of the Bulge) all get the treatment. As does the Fall of Berlin which I haven't read. Not ready to read about the horrors of that battle yet.
And although my eyes were open
They just might as well be closed
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Topic Originator: calpar
Date: Tue 24 Jul 18:45
Escort 1978-82, found in an old suitcase doon the glen
I prefer graphic novels
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Topic Originator: londonparsfan
Date: Tue 24 Jul 18:52
Was that the mkii vs XR3i special?
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Topic Originator: Rastapari
Date: Tue 24 Jul 19:34
Define factual?
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Topic Originator: widtink
Date: Tue 24 Jul 19:40
Quote:
londonparsfan, Tue 24 Jul 18:52
Was that the mkii vs XR3i special?
Can't be... The XR3i didn't appear til 1983.
Sort yersel oot min. 😂
Admin
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Topic Originator: londonparsfan
Date: Tue 24 Jul 20:04
I knew something like that would happen 🤣
Post Edited (Tue 24 Jul 20:04)
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Topic Originator: Bandy
Date: Tue 24 Jul 20:18
I pretty much only read non-fiction - can’t narrow it down to one but my top 3 are probably;
Fermats last theorem - Simon Singh
The music of the primes - Marcus Du Sautoy
Moneyball - Michael Lewis
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Topic Originator: Malcolm Canmore
Date: Tue 24 Jul 20:41
Dispatches by Michael Herr. Probably the only non-fiction book I’ve read more than once.
My dog eats meat
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Topic Originator: kelty_par
Date: Tue 24 Jul 20:45
Can only echo TOWK above, Anthony Beevor's WWII histories are sensational. Stephen Ambrose also wrote a few, the most famous of which was Band of Brothers, but Beevor goes into incredible detail and his research is top notch.
There are a few sport ones I like, with Ed Smith's Playing Hardball about the similarities and differences between cricket and baseball bring a good read. The likes of Tor! (Germany), Futebol (Brazil) and Brilliant Orange (The Netherlands) explain how football developed in those countries and are all very good.
I also like travelling so some of Marcel Theroux's stuff and of course the Michael Palin books about his adventures (and his diaries, which are incredibly detailed and give a great insight into Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda and then his travelling adventures).
I really want to read Game Change and Double Down, the two books about the US Elections in 2008 and 2012 but I've not got them yet - the two authors are (were) the hosts of Sky Atlantic and Showtime's the Circus .
In terms of coffee table type books, The Cold War by Jermey Isaacs is am excellent accompaniment to the TV Series of the same name.
I've rambled on for a while, I apologise. To answer the bloody question as some might say, there can be only one answer. It's probably my favourite book ever, fiction or factual. The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. If you've read it, you'll understand. If you haven't, get on Amazon and get yourself a copy.
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Topic Originator: AdamAntsParsStripe
Date: Tue 24 Jul 20:55
Stalingrad most probably.
There can't be anyone who questions Russian soldiers in WW2 after reading this.
Forget Stalin, forget Hitler, these guys and Germans went through utter hell.
Zwei Pints Bier und ein Päckchen Chips bitte
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Topic Originator: red-star-par
Date: Tue 24 Jul 21:54
I second Kelty Pars recommendation- that is an exceptional read
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Topic Originator: Raymie the Legend
Date: Tue 24 Jul 22:22
I've just ordered the book, Kelty Par. No doubt Mr Riva will be looking to borrow it?
It`s bloody tough being a legend
Ron Atkinson - 1983
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Topic Originator: back oh the net
Date: Tue 24 Jul 22:44
The sound and the fury by Neil Randon its a book about briSCA formula 1 stockcars it features chapters from the sports top drivers from the 90s and shock and roar also by Neil Randon and also about briSCA formula 1 stockcars this one however is a more modern take on the sport
sure it won’t be of interest to many people on here but this is a sport that is trying in so many ways to get back to the levels witnessed back in the 70s and 80s where is was covered the length and breadth of the country on world of sport which some of the older posters on this forum will remember
Come on ye pars ⚽️
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Topic Originator: Bandy
Date: Tue 24 Jul 23:31
The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro is a decent read right until the very end when it becomes a little pious for my liking. Personally, for an Italian football memoir I preferred ‘A season with Verona’.
Another great sporting book is ‘Penguins stopped play’. A laugh a minute with an unexpected twist to finish.
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Topic Originator: sadindiefreak
Date: Wed 25 Jul 00:28
Quote:
PARrot, Tue 24 Jul 16:51
The Bible.
Ha ha. Factual he said.
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Topic Originator: sadindiefreak
Date: Wed 25 Jul 00:32
As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade by Mark Thomas.
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Topic Originator: GG741
Date: Wed 25 Jul 01:26
I found the following to be truly engaging:
"Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World"
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Topic Originator: parfection
Date: Wed 25 Jul 07:36
Goodness,this is a difficult question. I too have almost all of the Antony Beevor books - I can never quite say I enjoy them, but they are always gripping, and the fact that I’ve bought them all (including a couple of signed copies) would suggest that I think they’re well worth recommending.
I have a few football books that I’ve enjoyed too. My Father and Other Working Class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach is a very engaging book, as is The Ghost of White Hart Lane, the biography of John White. I also have a book about il grande Torino, the Turin side wiped out in a tragic air crash in 1949. They were the top side in Italy by a long way, and Italian football took a long time to recover from their sad demise. The club itself never did recover really although they did win the league once more in 1976. I still look for their results because the book moved me when I read it.
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Topic Originator: thenatural
Date: Wed 25 Jul 08:20
Memphis 68: the tragedy of southern soul by Stuart Cosgrove (yes, that one) is a mighty piece of work about Stax records in the aftermath of Otis Redding’s death and in the context of appalling inequality, Vietnam and Martin Luther King Jr’s murder. Maybe not the best non-fiction I’ve ever read but definitely best I’ve read this year.
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Topic Originator: kelty_par
Date: Wed 25 Jul 08:30
Bandy, A Season With Verona is very good too, although I find Tim Parks a little hard to read sometimes. He did do an excellent book about the Italian Railways which was easy to read though.
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Topic Originator: Raymie the Legend
Date: Wed 25 Jul 08:54
"I also have a book about il grande Torino, the Turin side wiped out in a tragic air crash in 1949. They were the top side in Italy by a long way, and Italian football took a long time to recover from their sad demise. The club itself never did recover really although they did win the league once more in 1976. I still look for their results because the book moved me when I read it. "
Next on my list. That was the Superga air disaster. The Torino side of that time was practically the National team as well. Valentino Mazzola was their star player. His son, Sandro, went on to play for Inter and Italy. I'm pretty sure he played against Celtic in 1967?
It`s bloody tough being a legend
Ron Atkinson - 1983
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Topic Originator: Bandy
Date: Wed 25 Jul 08:54
Yeah - Parks does sometimes likes to show off his intelligence, which gets annoying occasionally.
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Topic Originator: Secret Garden
Date: Wed 25 Jul 09:37
Reading a factual book called ‘A Season With Verona” at the moment, will be right up your street GG.
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Topic Originator: parfection
Date: Wed 25 Jul 09:49
You’re spot on Raymie. Sandro (the son of the great Valentino) scored the pen against Celtic in 1967. Both father and son were towering figures in the history of Italian football. In the book I have there’s a poignant picture of the two of them together - Sandro was a very young boy when he lost his dad at Superga. A sad, but fascinating book.
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Wed 25 Jul 13:08
I like the way this thread is developing. Thanks for all the recommendations so far - keep them coming. I've read both "The Miracle of Castel di Sangro" and "A Season With Verona", both excellent, well told stories. Have also read John White's biography and a number of Bill Bryson's books - I particularly enjoyed "The History of almost Everything. "
No one on this thread so far appears to have read "Bloody Foreigners". Do yourself a favour and get a copy. If you're too stingy to shell out £8 Carnegie Public Library has it. ☺
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: Mr Mac
Date: Wed 25 Jul 13:36
Engineering Archive, about Archibald Leitch who designed some of the iconic stadia in the UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Engineering-Archie-Archibald-Football-Designer/dp/1850749183
Post Edited (Wed 25 Jul 13:36)
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Topic Originator: Mr Mac
Date: Wed 25 Jul 13:38
If you have an interest in motorsports Alex Zanardi's autobiography is excellent
Post Edited (Wed 25 Jul 13:38)
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Topic Originator: OzPar
Date: Fri 27 Jul 13:22
In the days before Google, my annual treat to myself was the Pears Cyclopaedia, which in a relatively small and compact volume contained almost all the key references anyone could wish for. Whether it be historical information, economic events, the population of a country or a city, the definition of a term or simply who won the Scottish League Cup in 1948... it was all there.
It is still in print, though I doubt that it sells many copies these days. As the years have gone by and the publishers have tried to cram more information into the same space, the type size has got smaller; so much so, that I would struggle to read it these days.
Still, it certainly qualifies as the best factual book I have ever read.
EDITED TO ADD:
I have just discovered that the Pears Cyclopaedia is to be no more. Its final edition was published this year.
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/906521/Pears-Cyclopaedia-final-edition-NEIL-CLARK-looks-at-history
I am saddened to learn this, but I guess things move on. Nonetheless, the book in its various editions has been a good companion since my teenage years and it represented a very important part of my education.
Post Edited (Fri 27 Jul 14:54)
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Topic Originator: helensburghpar
Date: Fri 27 Jul 17:39
The road to Wigan pier by George Orwell. Despite his priveliged upbringing he had a real empathy with the poor people.
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Topic Originator: Parsman1967
Date: Sat 28 Jul 12:32
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright is a great read about how Al-Qaeda came about and the build up to 9/11.
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Topic Originator: Dalgety_Par
Date: Sun 29 Jul 04:15
The Iceman. Story about Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski. Fascinating stuff
It's common knowledge that Lionel Messi kept a photo of Hamish French by his bedside as inspiration every morning!
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Topic Originator: parsmad68
Date: Mon 30 Jul 07:43
I read riding rockets last year. The book is about an astronaut in the Shuttle space program that discusses the trials and tribulations of becoming an astronaut. Very personal story and very light hearted considering some of the painful moments in this period of space.
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Topic Originator: Paristotle
Date: Tue 31 Jul 23:20
And what's the problem?
It's only non-factual to the extent you don't recognise the literary genre of each book. I.e., if you recognise poetry as poetry, and historical narrative as historical narrative (etc.) within the individual books of the Bible, it's factual as far as it goes.
Which fact is it you're refuting, bearing in mind the previous stipulations?
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Topic Originator: Paristotle
Date: Tue 31 Jul 23:20
P.S. asking for a mate
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Topic Originator: sadindiefreak
Date: Wed 1 Aug 14:41
Quote:
Paristotle, Tue 31 Jul 23:20
And what's the problem?
It's only non-factual to the extent you don't recognise the literary genre of each book. I.e., if you recognise poetry as poetry, and historical narrative as historical narrative (etc.) within the individual books of the Bible, it's factual as far as it goes.
Which fact is it you're refuting, bearing in mind the previous stipulations?
It's not factual historically though. That is one of the major problems. Actual historical figures and events that are in the bible do not match the timeline given in the bible.
One example is that we know the census of Quirinius happened. This was in 6AD. Herod the Great who features in the biblical account died in 4BC a full 10 years before the census.
So they don't have the facts right about actual history, yet we are meant to believe the know the actual words spoken by Jesus.
To me if one part is shown to be inaccurate how can the rest be held up as a reliable source?
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Topic Originator: average white par
Date: Wed 1 Aug 18:39
^^ How to kill an interesting and informative thread stone dead... you two need to get a room...
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Topic Originator: TAFKA_Super_Petrie
Date: Wed 1 Aug 18:48
Quote:
Dalgety_Par, Sun 29 Jul 04:15
The Iceman. Story about Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski. Fascinating stuff
Have you watched the 2 feature interviews he gave from inside jail? Chilling but fascinating, he just has ao little emotion. Not a single fvck given
---------------------------------------------------------------
"People always talk about Ronaldinho and magic, but I didn't see him today. I saw Henrik Larsson; that's where the magic was."
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Topic Originator: Dalgety_Par
Date: Wed 1 Aug 19:04
Quote:
TAFKA_Super_Petrie, Wed 1 Aug 18:48
Quote:
Dalgety_Par, Sun 29 Jul 04:15
The Iceman. Story about Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski. Fascinating stuff
Have you watched the 2 feature interviews he gave from inside jail? Chilling but fascinating, he just has ao little emotion. Not a single fvck given
Aye, those interviews are utterly fascinating. Hate the fact i felt intrigued by him, but couldn't help it.
It's common knowledge that Lionel Messi kept a photo of Hamish French by his bedside as inspiration every morning!
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