I've had great fun reading the posts in this thread and felt I had to put my nine eggs in and tell Sir Burr that the Willard Price books were a huge part of my childhood - recently I discovered one that I had never read - 'Arctic Adventure' - and I'm trying to decide whether to read it and possibly tarnish my beautiful memories of those books....

Actually, I took a lot of 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' to heart, especially the part about Circles of Concern - if it's not within your Circle of Concern, i.e. if you can't do anything about it, then why worry about it.

I do love a good book to escape into sometimes.  My favourites have been:

Shogun

The Cat From Hue

Chickenhawk

Animal Farm

Marabou Stalk Nightmares

High Society

Once a Warrior King

Porno

Filth

The Things They Carried

Papillion

King Rat

Not sure I've read those two... which authors?

The first memorable influences:  Manchild in a Promised Land by Claude Brown, Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; made me want to become a writer.

Later:

Twain

Dickens

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Pablo Neruda

Slyvia Plath

Lousie Erdrich

Jean Genet

Gramsci

Manning Marable

Howard Zinn

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Louise Erdrich writes incredible prose; she is my second favourite living writer when it comes to English prose, right after Arundhati Roy. Strangely enough she is not very well known.

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Yes, I love Arundhati Roy as well; I should have had her on my list.

As far as Louise Erdrich, I love the trilogy of Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, and Tracks. Beautiful multi-generational stories of life on the Indian Reservation in the Dakotas.

I do love a good book to escape into sometimes.  My favourites have been:

Shogun

The Cat From Hue

Chickenhawk

Animal Farm

Marabou Stalk Nightmares

High Society

Once a Warrior King

Porno

Filth

The Things They Carried

Papillion

King Rat

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Not sure I've read those two... which authors?

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Irvine Welsh. Another one of his I really liked but missed out on the list was 'The Acid House'.

I do love a good book to escape into sometimes.  My favourites have been:

Shogun

The Cat From Hue

Chickenhawk

Animal Farm

Marabou Stalk Nightmares

High Society

Once a Warrior King

Porno

Filth

The Things They Carried

Papillion

King Rat

Not sure I've read those two... which authors?

Irvine Welsh. Another one of his I really liked but missed out on the list was 'The Acid House'.

Phew... I thought you might have slipped a mickey into this great cocktail we've collectively managed to generate to date.

I do love a good book to escape into sometimes.  My favourites have been:

Porno

Filth

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Not sure I've read those two... which authors?

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Don't know about those, but a really fascinating read (not that it influenced by life or anything) is "X-Rated" by David McCumber. It is the story of Jim & Artie Mitchell, of Mitchell Bros porn fame (or infamy as the case may be).

I do love a good book to escape into sometimes.  My favourites have been:

Porno

Filth

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Not sure I've read those two... which authors?

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Don't know about those, but a really fascinating read (not that it influenced by life or anything) is "X-Rated" by David McCumber. It is the story of Jim & Artie Mitchell, of Mitchell Bros porn fame (or infamy as the case may be).

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Weren't the Mitchell brother's in Eastender's?

Chopper Vol 1

Ah............It's got there in the end. Nice while it lasted though. Funny how someone puts Porn & filth in and the thread turns. No-one has answered my request about the Illywacker yet. Maybe I should have put ' The Willywacker' to get some response.

No-one has answered my request about the Illywacker yet.

I haven't read it Lampshade... but after reading about the author here, I'll try to find a copy.

As a kid I used to go fishing at Bacchus Marsh...

BTW, did you know that an Illywacker is a con man who preys on the gullible at country shows/fairs, or a braggart?

Just a bit of Aussi slang for you mate.

More here.

No-one has answered my request about the Illywacker yet.

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I haven't read it Lampshade... but after reading about the author here, I'll try to find a copy.

As a kid I used to go fishing at Bacchus Marsh...

BTW, did you know that an Illywacker is a con man who preys on the gullible at country shows/fairs, or a braggart?

Just a bit of Aussi slang for you mate.

More here.

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Yeah I knew that..........we tend to use the word bullsh1tter more, although for the life of me I can't see why he thought I was one

No-one has answered my request about the Illywacker yet.

I haven't read it Lampshade... but after reading about the author here, I'll try to find a copy.

As a kid I used to go fishing at Bacchus Marsh...

BTW, did you know that an Illywacker is a con man who preys on the gullible at country shows/fairs, or a braggart?

Just a bit of Aussi slang for you mate.

More here.

Yeah I knew that..........we tend to use the word bullsh1tter more, although for the life of me I can't see why he thought I was one

Maybe because of your signature...

Ah............It's got there in the end. Nice while it lasted though. Funny how someone puts Porn & filth in and the thread turns. No-one has answered my request about the Illywacker yet. Maybe I should have put ' The Willywacker' to get some response.

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I could have written I've read Carey (also another one about Ned Kelly) - Illywacker's a real nutter's book - good stuff,

But I was afraid people might begin to suspect an unnatural relationship between us.

After all, as the Ashes approach, us Brits must retain as clean a reputation as we can.

These Aussies, as shown in Illywacker, will stop at nothing, especially when we are teaching them how to play "the Cricket".

Ahh!! How could I forget??

The Ask Jeeves Series by PG Woodhouse.

A certain Scooby Doo bar owner Ipd like to thank for turning me on to those.

Love them, and have influenced some of my short stories strongly.

While it didn't change my life 'Mai pen rai means never mind' by Carol Hollinger helped me to understand Thailand and the Thais a little more.

Again taking time to think about this. The book that I have read the most and without doubt had the most positive effect on my life was The London A-Z.

Again taking time to think about this. The book that I have read the most and without doubt had the most positive effect on my life was The London A-Z.

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Have you got "the Knowledge" then, mate?

Again taking time to think about this. The book that I have read the most and without doubt had the most positive effect on my life was The London A-Z.

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Have you got "the Knowledge" then, mate?

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"Leave on the left Ladbrook Grove.... " What knowlege?

Again taking time to think about this. The book that I have read the most and without doubt had the most positive effect on my life was The London A-Z.

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Have you got "the Knowledge" then, mate?

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"Leave on the left Ladbrook Grove.... " What knowlege?

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If you want to be a London Cab driver, you have to take an exam on the The London A-Z and the routes through London, called "the Knowledge".

No "Knowledge" - no job.

Again taking time to think about this. The book that I have read the most and without doubt had the most positive effect on my life was The London A-Z.

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Have you got "the Knowledge" then, mate?

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"Leave on the left Ladbrook Grove.... " What knowlege?

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If you want to be a London Cab driver, you have to take an exam on the The London A-Z and the routes through London, called "the Knowledge".

No "Knowledge" - no job.

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Hi Tom

Yes I understand that. When you learn the knowledge you have to learn several hundred 'Runs' first, meaning from one place in London to another, reciting street by street. After that you have to learn specific points, meaning say the Iran embassy. The very first run you have to learn is Ladbrook Grove to Queens Club Ground. I believe it takes about 3 years now. And the cabbies are complaining that there are too many licensed drivers. BTW I did do the Knowledge and got down to 21 day appearances, but after very close reflection I decided not to complete it, much to the dismay of my friends, as I was so close to getting the license. Instead I carried on in a job that I was not happy in and reaped the rewards there instead.

Hi Tom

Yes I understand that. When you learn the knowledge you have to learn several hundred 'Runs' first, meaning from one place in London to another, reciting street by street. After that you have to learn specific points, meaning say the Iran embassy. The very first run you have to learn is Ladbrook Grove to Queens Club Ground. I believe it takes about 3 years now. And the cabbies are complaining that there are too many licensed drivers. BTW I did do the Knowledge and got down to 21 day appearances, but after very close reflection I decided not to complete it, much to the dismay of my friends, as I was so close to getting the license. Instead I carried on in a job that I was not happy in and reaped the rewards there instead.

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Duh,

sorry, mate, I should have read your posting more carefully - "Leave on the left Ladbrook Grove.... " What knowlege?

I read this as "left it on the Ladbrook Grove.... " What knowlege? - meaning you'd lost the A-Z somewhere on the Ladbrook Grove.

My excuse is I've been up since 4 am and am suffering from shock after the All Blacks trouncing of the British Lions.

Either that or dyslexia is Alzheimer’s on the upstart.

1. Bible

2. Sherlock Holmes Series

anyone read American Psycho ? if so opinions/thoughts on it?

I agree Filth and Porno were great books, Welsh's stuff is usually pretty legit, I just read Glue last month, was good. I also read and have a ton of hunter s Thompson books.. if any book had an impact on my life it was definitely ones by him.

I usually like to read more non fiction type things though these days when compared to novels.. reading Four Hours in My Lai at the moment, interesting stuff although the older pople here might be more familar with the My Lai incident then me.

this is a fun thread

anyone read American Psycho ? if so opinions/thoughts on it?

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Yeah I read it when it came out....

I must admit to feelings of the pleasures of the dark side trying to creep in upon reading certain passages.