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December book thread on 13:04 - Dec 13 by WeWereZombies
According to Graham Moore:
As I dreamed out one evening by a river of discontent I bumped right into old Tom Paine As a-running down the road he went He said I can't stop right now my son King Georgy's after me He'll have a rope around my throat and hang me on the liberty tree
Chorus (twice after each verse): And I will dance to Tom Paine's bones Dance to Tom Paine's bones I'll dance in the oldest boots I own To the rhythm of Tom Paine's bones
He said I just spoke about freedom and justice for everyone Ever since the very first word I spoke I've been looking down the barrel of a gun Well they say I preached revolution but let me say in my defence All I did wherever I went was to talk a lot of ‘Common Sense’
Well old Tom Paine he ran so fast he left me standing still And there I was a piece of paper in my hand Standing at the top of the hill And it said, “This is “The Age of Reason’, these are ‘The Rights of Man‘ Kick off religion and monarchy”, it was written there in Tom Paine's plan
[ Old American nursery rhyme: ] Poor old Tom Paine there he lies Nobody laughs, nobody cries Where he's gone or how he fares Nobody knows and nobody cares
Last chorus (twice): But I will dance to Tom Paine's bones Dance to Tom Paine's bones I'll dance in the oldest boots I own To the rhythm of Tom Paine's bones
The version I know of this song is by Dick Gaughan, whom I greatly admire.
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December book thread on 13:40 - Dec 13 with 1722 views
The Shortest History of England by James Hawes. Fascinating hop through the history of this country. Amazing to see how some themes repeat through history, such as blame the foreigners for the problems caused by the ruling class.
GhostOfEscobar
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December book thread on 17:12 - Dec 13 with 1655 views
The version I know of this song is by Dick Gaughan, whom I greatly admire.
'Tom Paine's Bones' is more or less the unofficial anthem of the FolkEast festival and is always belted out early on in the weekend by Middlesborough's finest:
I can't find the original by Graham Moore (from Somerset) but I few I have heard over the years drop the 'Away with religion and monarchy' line, which may not be faithful to the songwriter but leaving out 'away with religion' is more accurate to Tom Paine's viewpoint (he was brought up a Quaker and always had faith in Christ - he just felt that believing in The Bible was wrong for a true Christian.) 'Away with monarchy' however...
December book thread on 12:28 - Dec 13 by WeWereZombies
During the last week I finished 'Trio' by William Boyd, a novel about three people connected to a film being made in 1960s Brighton. There is a fictitious popstar in it and the occasional listing of band names, some of which are real and a few that seem to be made up (Antarctica ? never heard of them but perhaps they existed in the Sixties or is it just Boyd being a naughty monkey at the expense of Britpop...) Good book, a real page turner and thoughtful at times as well.
After that I read 'The Ripple Effect' by Gavin Major, which I found an excellent first novel but as I know the author maybe my recommendation has to be taken with a pinch of salt. It juxtaposes a fun traveller on a motorbiking jolly with a Sri Lankan economic migrant before going into another couple of phases of detail on life for fisherman in Sri Lanka and what the best outcome can be for those who choose to leave.
About to reengage with 'The Age of Reason' by Thetford's own Thomas Paine, which seeks to debunk The Bible using no other source than The Bible. And common sense of course. Written whilst he was in prison after being put there by some of his pals in the French Revolution.
I loved William Boyds 'Stars and Bars' when I read it around 1991, found it incredibly funny, often to the point of lol. I think it's since had mixed reactions in reviews though, perhaps it seems outdated now.
I loved William Boyds 'Stars and Bars' when I read it around 1991, found it incredibly funny, often to the point of lol. I think it's since had mixed reactions in reviews though, perhaps it seems outdated now.
I only got around to reading 'Stars and Bars' a few years ago and I didn't really think it was that dated, more a delightful period piece poking fun at both 1960s America and the hapless way that many Englishmen interacted with it (and that was probably uncomfortable reading for some of the reviewers and caused the mixed reception.) I have just given a short report on 'Trio' to our local book group and mentioned that it covered different ground to Boyd's 'The New Confessions' which was also about film making but as a speculation of what Jean-Jacques Rousseau would have been like if he had started off as a First World War reporter and carried on developing his film making for a few decades - I have only just realised the Rousseau connection when I read the Wikipedia page on the novel, feeling somewhat dense now, also off back to Wikipedia to look up 'Stars and Bars'.
December book thread on 17:54 - Dec 13 by Cafe_Newman
Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success - Napoleon Hill
These days isn't Hill generally considered to be a massive, lying fraud?
Pronouns: He/Him/His.
"Imagine being a heterosexual white male in Britain at this moment. How bad is that. Everything you say is racist, everything you say is homophobic. The Woke community have really f****d this country."
For anyone interested in aviation/engineering, the best book I’ve read in a while is one called Jet Man by Duncan Campbell-Smith. It’s the story of Frank Whittle and his struggle to develop and build the first workable jet engine. He was one of the true pioneers of the modern age yet to many, he’s unknown.
It’s well written and fascinating, Recommended.
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December book thread on 18:11 - Dec 13 with 1610 views
December book thread on 17:53 - Dec 13 by WeWereZombies
I only got around to reading 'Stars and Bars' a few years ago and I didn't really think it was that dated, more a delightful period piece poking fun at both 1960s America and the hapless way that many Englishmen interacted with it (and that was probably uncomfortable reading for some of the reviewers and caused the mixed reception.) I have just given a short report on 'Trio' to our local book group and mentioned that it covered different ground to Boyd's 'The New Confessions' which was also about film making but as a speculation of what Jean-Jacques Rousseau would have been like if he had started off as a First World War reporter and carried on developing his film making for a few decades - I have only just realised the Rousseau connection when I read the Wikipedia page on the novel, feeling somewhat dense now, also off back to Wikipedia to look up 'Stars and Bars'.
Cheers. 'The New Confessions' sounds intriguing, would love to give that a go if I ever get time. I read Stars and Bars one December when living in the Orkney Isles & it didn't get properly light till 10.30am, so every excuse under the 'no sun' to stay in bed reading. Shocked to realise that was over 30 years ago! Got through a lot, including the Dorothy Lessing's doorstop 'The Golden Notebook', which I can't remember much about now.
Islands of abandonment by Cal Flyn - About travels to various post human landscapes. Horizon by Barry Lopez - One of the best thought provoking travel writers. The Gallows Pole - Loosely based on true story of Cragg Vale Coiners And Viz Christmas Special
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December book thread on 19:32 - Dec 13 with 1508 views
December book thread on 18:11 - Dec 13 by Cafe_Newman
I dunno. My main reading material has never been Wikipedia.
[Post edited 13 Dec 2022 18:35]
You've made a naughty edit here!
Guess you thought better of claiming to be a free thinker who doesn't go with researched, established and accepted knowledge but instead ploughs his own YouTube based path of discovery.
Do give my regards to this 'Croatian Lady' who provided you with such a strange reading list!
Pronouns: He/Him/His.
"Imagine being a heterosexual white male in Britain at this moment. How bad is that. Everything you say is racist, everything you say is homophobic. The Woke community have really f****d this country."
Currently on 'Being You: A New Science of Consciousness' by Anil Seth which is excellent so far. Closely follows 'Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind' by Anneka Harris.
Both, especially Anneka although haven't read much of Anil yet, entertain the notion that consciousness is a fundamental part of everything (just to varying degrees). Panpsychism.
I was mocked on here when I suggested the sun could be conscious.* But proper scientists are accepting it as a possibility and investigating it. It's always fascinated me at what point humans become conscious... this is interesting in that perhaps there isn't a 'point'. Maybe every molecule has the potential to be conscious, and in some (or some combinations) it becomes more so.
Not sure what anyone can do with such information but I find it fascinating. To me it gets to the heart of why (or how) we exist - why I'm able to experience the words I'm typing now, and the room I'm in - without invoking a god (albeit one could argue that a force, or god, created the conditions for it).
One thing I struggle with accepting so far from Anil Seth is he's suggested anaesthesia is similar to death (or at least death of consciousness). But that doesn't account for near death experiences, seeing a light, dead relatives etc. Even if they're hallucinations, you don't get them when you're knocked out to have a wisdom tooth out. So I'm not sure how he can attest it's the same as death.
Either way, both books are great if you wonder where you come from, why you're here, why you're able to experience what you do, and what might be next (if anything).
*Not conscious in the way humans are conscious, but on a very very low level of conscious. A totally different thing to human consciousness.
Trust the process. Trust Phil.
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Back issues of Razzle. (n/t) on 22:34 - Dec 13 with 1422 views
Finished The Wheel Of Time a couple of months ago, for me although there were bits that were a slog the last couple of books definitely made it a worthwhile slog.
The Long Walk is one of those King books that really stuck with me, read it years ago and for such a simple premise it's a brilliant book.
I've currently got two on the go
Strongly reccomend Joe Abercrombie to anybody who enjoys fantasy and hasn't read him, more Grim than High fantasy and full of anti heroes his stuff is very good.
Also reading
which is for work really, but a guy who had an incredible and fascinating life, nearly executed by the ruling monarch at 5 years old and went on to be one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful people in England up until his death which wasn't until he was 81(I think)
No idea when I began here, was a very long time ago. Previously known as Spirit_of_81. Love cheese, hate the colour of it, this is why it requires some blue in it.
December book thread on 09:43 - Dec 14 by BlueBadger
God I miss Iain Banks. He casually tossed out mad sci fi ideas as background fluff that lesser writers would have built careers around.
A repeat of the 1996 drama adaptation of his 'The Crow Road' is starting tonight at 22.10 on BBC4, with an introductory preamble at 22.00 by lead actor Joe McFadden.
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