Off Topic Chazz's Book Club.

Just coming to the end of Robert Dallek's very deep, fascinating and incredibly in-depth Bio of JFK.. I knew that JFK hid his aliments, but the record of back pain, stomach problems, Addison's disease, dependency on drugs and steroids completely blew my socks off, plus his well documented sexual peccadillos. This from a bloke who looked the Russians in the eye and was on the verge of going to war over the Cuban missile crisis etc...etc....Well worth a read, assuming that you can get through the 700 pages.

 

Just read Roy Keanes The Second Half with Roddy Doyle in a day. Good read, like his first one 'Keane'.
Few City mentions, mainly our Irish players and a couple of Steve Bruce mentions too. Disappointing to read in the index that all Hull City mentions are listed under Hull FC.

 

Keane going for the ankles as usual !

 

Been reading a few of Eric Ambler's books recently, suspense/spy novels. They still seem quite fresh and he paints some interesting pictures of Europe and the Balkan region between the wars.

 

Yes they are very good, I re-read them every so often.

 

Bit of light reading this week, Magda Hellinger and Maya Lee's, The Nazis Knew My Name. A novel written around Slovakian Holocaust survivor Magda Hellinger remarkable survival who also saved untold lives at Auschwitz though everyday acts of courage, kindness and ingenuity.
Followed by Heather Morris's The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a Sunday Times Bestseller. This is also written in novel form and is another remarkable tale of survival and, unbelievably, love in the very worst of circumstances.
To me the main characters in both books were accused of collabaration with the Nazis, and who are we to judge? they survived in any way they could and as a result saved the lives of others. Both excellent reads.

 

Reading "Letters to Sarah", autobiography of Corky Laing, drummer in the band Mountain. Corky wrote letters to his mother from 1963-97 about his life as a musician, interesting book.

 

Just finished Julia Boyd’s Travellers In The Third Reich. Absolutely fascinating first hand accounts of visitors to Germany from the 1920’s up until 1939. Amazing how many of them, mainly Brits and Americans turned a blind eye to the anti semitism happening and how many thought Hitler was an ‘absolutely splendid fellow.’ It’s a proper eye opener.

 

A lot went to the USSR in the 1920s and 1930s, declared they had seen the future and it worked and Stalin was a splendid fellow. All during a time he was killing more Soviets than the Nazis did. Anti semitism was rife in Europe, especially Eastern Europe,the majority of the guards at the death camps were Ukrainians. Latvians and Lithuanians assisted in wiping out Jews in their areas. Equally easily duped people rhapsodised over the mass murderer Mao.
Always been naive people who are easily fooled.

 

In a similar vein is "Wings on my sleeve" by Eric "Winkle" Brown
The autobiography of one of the greatest pilots in history.
In 1939 Eric Brown was on a University of Edinburgh exchange course in Germany, and the first he knew of the war was when the Gestapo came to arrest him. They released him, not realising he was a pilot in the RAF volunteer reserve: and the rest is history. Eric Brown joined the Fleet Air Arm and went on to be the greatest test pilot in history, flying more different aircraft types than anyone else.
During his lifetime he made a record-breaking 2,407 aircraft carrier landings and survived eleven plane crashes. One of Britain's few German-speaking airmen, he went to Germany in 1945 to test the Nazi jets, interviewing (among others) Hermann Goering and Hanna Reitsch. He flew the suicidally dangerous Me 163 rocket plane, and tested the first British jets. WINGS ON MY SLEEVE is 'Winkle' Brown's incredible story.

 

Excellent band, as was Bruce, West & Laing.. Thanks for the info, I'll search for a copy.

https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=...#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:86268788,vid:uwoy8asvzcY

 

I got mine off Amazon, it's available for Kindle as well.

 

Thanks HPT. Seen the band a couple of times, so would be good to get KL's perspective on his life experiences.

 

Bit of light reading if you fancy it. Alan Johnson, One of our Ministers is Missing. Crime thriller, perfect for lying in the garden with a beer.

 

Lying in the garden with a beer?

Wasn't that Partygate?

 

Boom boom ernie

 

Thought that was WFH?

 

I'm here all week.

 

Raynor Winn, The Salt Path. Good, uplifting read, even if you think you don't need lifting up...
Could be a bit mushy but it isn't, feels quite honest.

 

Just finished 'The secret dairy of Hendrik Groen, 83 and a bit years old' Supposedly The number one International bestseller. Henrick sets out to write an expose about a year in the life of his care home in Amsterdam, revealling all it's ups and downs, not least his new endeavour, the anarchic Old-But-Not-Dead-Yet-Club. A good, interesting, thought provoking and funny read. I liked it. It's later than you think.......