What are you reading tonight?

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

To be fair Tango, from memory the gist of RE in school was that God exists and from time to time we'd be taken to church in lesson time. I don't recall anything covering the might not exist side of the argument. I can only say that my experience was neither balanced nor allowed to sort it out for myself. I went to a bog standard comprehensive.

[Bruce Rioja]

To be fair Tango, from memory the gist of RE in school was that God exists and from time to time we'd be taken to church in lesson time. I don't recall anything covering the might not exist side of the argument. I can only say that my experience was neither balanced nor allowed to sort it out for myself. I went to a bog standard comprehensive.

What little I remember from RE lessons at school is that religion was hardly ever mentioned - it was more of a social studies kind of thing.

[TANGODANCER]

To be fair Tango, from memory the gist of RE in school was that God exists and from time to time we'd be taken to church in lesson time. I don't recall anything covering the might not exist side of the argument. I can only say that my experience was neither balanced nor allowed to sort it out for myself. I went to a bog standard comprehensive.

Fair comment A.T. My point was mainly that everybody (well, most folk) reach an age when they have the choice to believe or not. There's always been religion of one sort or another going back to the dark ages. That the argument has existed so long proves that there are two sides to it all. Thus it will probably ever be. Wrong thread really to bring it up, for that I apologise.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

To be fair Tango, from memory the gist of RE in school was that God exists and from time to time we'd be taken to church in lesson time. I don't recall anything covering the might not exist side of the argument. I can only say that my experience was neither balanced nor allowed to sort it out for myself. I went to a bog standard comprehensive.

What little I remember from RE lessons at school is that religion was hardly ever mentioned - it was more of a social studies kind of thing.

We had humanities for that. I remember little of it, as my grades will attest, as I often used to fall asleep in that class

[bobo the clown]

That's coz you went to shite schools.

We were taught that Catholicism was "the one true religion", that other Christians were well meaning, but ultimately blinkered fools, that other religions were just plain wrong and the best their souls could hope for was eternity in Limbo, that those who chose to turn their backs on God would suffer eternal damnation ....oh, & not to eat meat of Fridays.

You knew where you stood then !

[Beefheart]

You'll be shocked to hear Thornleigh moved on a bit from that. We even did projects on Judaism and Hinduism!

[bobo the clown]

You'll be shocked to hear Thornleigh moved on a bit from that. We even did projects on Judaism and Hinduism!

That'll be after it went comprehensive and let girls roam the corridors freely, as if they had a right to be there, I guess.

Hell in a handcart.

Love the definition of "moved on" btw.

[Beefheart]

You'll be shocked to hear Thornleigh moved on a bit from that. We even did projects on Judaism and Hinduism!

That'll be after it went comprehensive and let girls roam the corridors freely, as if they had a right to be there, I guess.

Hell in a handcart.

Love the definition of "moved on" btw.

"a bit"

[Prufrock]

Between interruptions I got through some stuff in Cornwall.
Finished God is not Great. Outstanding. Should be a set text in schools. Blows even the God Delusion out of the water. Relentless sober logic.

You know Pru, the more you beat that Anti-God drum, the more it makes you sound afraid.
What happened to all that "let people make their own minds up" and "people will sort it out for themselves" and all those free speech for all sermons you used to yodel? Now you're saying kids should be made to read propaganda in school. Be warned, Father Christmas is listening.

How are they to make their minds up without the cases being properly made?

Religious Education in schools should encompass teaching about the positions of all the major viewpoints, including non-belief. Even more so than the God Delusion (which is an excellent, sober book many people are unfortunately put off by Dawkins' habit of finding his mouth with his foot), God is Not Great would be my choice to set out the atheist position (I'm sure CH would forgive me on this occasion my failure to draw the distinction between atheism and his anti-theism).

I'm not saying they shouldn't learn about the Bible, Torah and Koran as well!

[William the White]

I of course ordered the Booker shortlist from the annual Book People offer of all 6 in hardback for £30.00.

One year I'll read all six before the next one comes out. Managed just four this year. And this excludes the winner, The Luminaries, which weighs in at just over a kilo and is intimidating! (My wife has read it and says it's good)...

[William the White]

Cloud Atlas is the shit.

Got that but keep putting it off in favour of easier looking reads, basically cos I'm a lazy git.
Finished the Robert Harris Dreyfus book, which was very enjoyable.

Cloud Atlas is my favourite so far, Though Ghostwritten is one of the best debut novels I've ever read.

I note the latest didn't make it to the Booker shortlist.

Reet, I'll give it a go

But remember, I know where you live

So, you'll know where to come to borrow the rest of the David Mitchell complete works...

[Prufrock]

I of course ordered the Booker shortlist from the annual Book People offer of all 6 in hardback for £30.00.

One year I'll read all six before the next one comes out. Managed just four this year. And this excludes the winner, The Luminaries, which weighs in at just over a kilo and is intimidating! (My wife has read it and says it's good)...

Will, do you have a link to that offer? Abi loved the luminaries but I too was intimidated! The lot for thirty quid sounds good

[William the White]

I of course ordered the Booker shortlist from the annual Book People offer of all 6 in hardback for £30.00.

One year I'll read all six before the next one comes out. Managed just four this year. And this excludes the winner, The Luminaries, which weighs in at just over a kilo and is intimidating! (My wife has read it and says it's good)...

Will, do you have a link to that offer? Abi loved the luminaries but I too was intimidated! The lot for thirty quid sounds good

It's an incredibly good offer they make every year. Though it does make the holiday suitcase and the shelves of shame pretty heavy...

https://books.emailbooks.co.uk/pub/sf/R ... hiLFTz7_Og" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LeverEnd]

I've taken advantage of that offer a few times Will, but stopped as I wasn't getting through them.
I just ordered Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, only her 3rd novel 22 years after her brilliant debut The Secret History. She had a bit of '2nd album syndrome' with The Little Friend, although it was good it just didn't match up for me. This one has just won the Pullitzer and I'm looking forward to it very much.

[William the White]

I've taken advantage of that offer a few times Will, but stopped as I wasn't getting through them.
I just ordered Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, only her 3rd novel 22 years after her brilliant debut The Secret History. She had a bit of '2nd album syndrome' with The Little Friend, although it was good it just didn't match up for me. This one has just won the Pullitzer and I'm looking forward to it very much.

Yeah, many critics gobsmacked she didn't even make the Booker longlist... I don't know her work, but will take this as good coin and pursue...

And yes, I find the offer irresistible, but not even ONCE have i managed to read all of them before the next Booker announcement... But, hey, you get six books for the price of two... And pay only in shamefaced guilt for the unread... It's not a totally bad deal, even if your inadequacy as a reader and decent human being is exposed...

[LeverEnd]

I've taken advantage of that offer a few times Will, but stopped as I wasn't getting through them.
I just ordered Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, only her 3rd novel 22 years after her brilliant debut The Secret History. She had a bit of '2nd album syndrome' with The Little Friend, although it was good it just didn't match up for me. This one has just won the Pullitzer and I'm looking forward to it very much.

Yeah, many critics gobsmacked she didn't even make the Booker longlist... I don't know her work, but will take this as good coin and pursue...

And yes, I find the offer irresistible, but not even ONCE have i managed to read all of them before the next Booker announcement... But, hey, you get six books for the price of two... And pay only in shamefaced guilt for the unread... It's not a totally bad deal, even if your inadequacy as a reader and decent human being is exposed...

I'm sure my unread book list is way down the list of evidence there!
Read The Secret History, long time since I read it but it was a great read. Like a modern day Crime and Punishment.

[Prufrock]

I of course ordered the Booker shortlist from the annual Book People offer of all 6 in hardback for £30.00.

One year I'll read all six before the next one comes out. Managed just four this year. And this excludes the winner, The Luminaries, which weighs in at just over a kilo and is intimidating! (My wife has read it and says it's good)...

Will, do you have a link to that offer? Abi loved the luminaries but I too was intimidated! The lot for thirty quid sounds good

It's an incredibly good offer they make every year. Though it does make the holiday suitcase and the shelves of shame pretty heavy...

https://books.emailbooks.co.uk/pub/sf/R ... hiLFTz7_Og" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ha! Just ordered them. Cheers!

[Beefheart]

I of course ordered the Booker shortlist from the annual Book People offer of all 6 in hardback for £30.00.

One year I'll read all six before the next one comes out. Managed just four this year. And this excludes the winner, The Luminaries, which weighs in at just over a kilo and is intimidating! (My wife has read it and says it's good)...

Will, do you have a link to that offer? Abi loved the luminaries but I too was intimidated! The lot for thirty quid sounds good

It's an incredibly good offer they make every year. Though it does make the holiday suitcase and the shelves of shame pretty heavy...

https://books.emailbooks.co.uk/pub/sf/R ... hiLFTz7_Og" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ha! Just ordered them. Cheers!

Good idea for a gift that.

[thebish]

not sure this really counts as "reading"... but...

I have just recieved my brand new weatherproof version of the O/S Explorer Map for Dartmoor... I have spent half an hour reading it - it is a joy!!!

[William the White]

Today I finished reading Victor Serge's Unforgiving Years for the second time.

I first read it five or six years ago on a Portuguese beach and thought it was brilliant.

I underestimated it.

It is a demanding, poetic, fearsome, hallucinatory, gigantic work.

Its story - though narrative is not its method - is of the defection of a Soviet agent in the 1930s and his quest for a place of hiding.

But its real story is of the craziness and horror of 20th century war, the failure of revolution, the victory of tyrannies of right and left, and the struggle to maintain humanity within such madness, violence and social disaster.

There are four lengthy chapters - in Paris, just before the outbreak of war, where the secret agent makes his break. In Leningrad, in 1944, besieged for almost two years, facing starvation with a helpless courage. In Berlin in the last weeks of the war. And in Mexico in 1946, where the relentless pursuit of the agent continues.

Serge had lived in all of these places and only a year after completing this died, in Mexico City. It took 25 years for this book to be published (in French) and was translated into English and published in New York only in 2008.

It is magnificent! Genius.

Other readers views:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/780 ... Years?ac=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

About 1990 I was commissioned by channel 4 to write a TV documentary on Victor Serge. It ended up not getting made (sad, but not uncommon in TV world then). In the course of the research I met the main translator of Victor Serge into English - an American academic living in Connecticut. We got on very well, and we've stayed in touch ever since.

Three days ago I received an email from him - hundreds of pages of Serge's notebooks have been discovered - covering the last years of his life in Mexico - and this academic is translating them. And he's asked me if I would help to edit his translation, to take it from first draft to publication.

My answer was along the lines of 'do Popes shit in the woods?'.

I'm so pleased, thrilled really.