Books.
.
There's so many books I love, books I've read and re-read dozens of times, but none of them have really changed my life - with one exception that I'll mention in a bit.

But, as people seem to be mentioning their favourite books, I think I'll mention mine.

Legend by David Gemmel.

I've bought it at least 20 times (no exaggeration) as I keep thrusting my copy onto people and saying:

"You have to read this"

It has no special message, it's not complicated and full of hidden meaning, it's simply a good story, very well told.

The basic plot is that DEATH comes to visit an aging warrior who's living alone on a mountainside and offers him a choice. He can have another 20 years of life on his hillside or he can go off to fight one more battle. One more battle where he will, without any doubt die. He's told that no matter what he chooses, the battle will be lost. Him being there won't affect the eventual outcome.

Just read it. Magic, magic book and I speak as someone who's read, probably, about 20K books in my life.


Oh - and the book that changed my life:

"The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist"

But that's another story and one I don't really feel comfortable telling here...

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Tue 20 May 2008, 13:25, 11 replies)

Nononono!
You can't tell us there was a book that changed your life and then not tell us about it.
( girlinthehole, Tue 20 May 2008, 13:32, closed)

"Him being there won't affect the eventual outcome."
Oh really? There'd be a shedload of dead northern barbarians who'd disagree about the "unnaffected" eventual outcome -- i.e. those who got slaughtered by that specific aging warrior before the battle was lost. Still, you wouldn't expect Death to care about pointing _that_ out: all the more killing for him.


Good book though -- but the ending was a bit overblown -- a common Gemmel fault, IMO.
(haberman is singing in the changes, Tue 20 May 2008, 13:36, closed)

Just wondering.........
Whether your father too was a staunch Trades Unionist and gave out Tressell as required reading. That and Quiet flows the Don.
(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Tue 20 May 2008, 13:44, closed)

@Haberman
.
I see what you're saying and, in later books agree. But "Legend" was a masterpiece. I also love "The Jerusalem Man" trilogy. And Gemmel did introduce to me a historical character who is now my second most favourite general in history (after Wellington) Parmionion. The Death Of Nations....

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Tue 20 May 2008, 13:52, closed)

@Porkylips and BGB.
The exact opposite.

My childhood in the sixties(born 1960) was one of fairly bad poverty. So, in about 1972, we had a few hundred thousand Indians suddenly arrive in Britain after Idi Amin kicked them out of Uganda . This was few years after Enoch Powell's "River Of Blood" speech.

So, about age 13, I was recruited by the National Front. It made sense to me as a kid. Simplistic arguments that made me understand that, the reason we were so poor, was that these "PAKIS" (even though they were actually Indians) were coming over here, taking our jobs.

Over the next couple of year I moved more and more right-wing until I looked on Ghengis Kahn as a lefty-liberal.

Then I read that book.

Told you I wasn't comfortable telling this..

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Tue 20 May 2008, 14:07, closed)

I think that after reading a lot of people's stories on here....
You would feel safe in the knowledge that we have the capacity to understand that we all make mistakes and as long as we recognize the mistakes we make and grow and become better people because of them, then you have nothing to worry about.

Cheers

BGB
( girlinthehole, Tue 20 May 2008, 14:20, closed)

Well done mate.
My Dad was a dyed in the wool Communist. No chance of me being right wing. My politics have now moved centreward but are still considerably left of centre.
(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Tue 20 May 2008, 14:30, closed)

wowser
you have read 20,000 books in your life? fuck that's a lot, say you are 40 years of age, given that more than likely you weren't reading too many books prior to the age of say 4 that gives you 36 years to read 20,000 books. That equates to over 550 books a year, which in turn equates to about 1.5 books a day. How the fuck did you read so many books? are you a chronic diarrhoea sufferer and have to spend countless hours on the toilet every day? or are you the reading equivalent of a cat, spending 16 hours a day reading, which in turn begs the question on how do you fund such a time consuming habit. Unless of course the books you read are merely children's short stories and don't take too long to read. maybe you have found some sort of time travel system which allows you to spend time reading every day whilst still maintaining a regular everyday existence? please tell us your secret
(little lord muthafuckin fauntleroy, Tue 20 May 2008, 15:42, closed)

The mind is like a parachute
it works best when open.

You may have participated in some racist shit when you were young, but you were able to see the error of your ways on your own- and that speaks volumes in your favor. No need to be ashamed of that.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 20 May 2008, 20:20, closed)

At Little Lord
I'm 47 so that gives me a little more time.Almost all my working life has been spent as a computer contractor, almost always working away from home. Hotels can be lonely places so I would be generally found in the bar with a book and a pint.

And as a kid I just devoured books.

Books will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no books...

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Wed 21 May 2008, 1:32, closed)

...and a Fabulous Furry Freak bros fan too I see...
.
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Wed 21 May 2008, 9:57, closed)