for lefties too stubborn to quit
Ok, WBS may be buggering off for his holidays, but I am stuck for presents to buy. What books are people getting for Christmas for themselves or others? I feel that my head has been buried in the sand, and there is good stuff I have missed. All suggestions greatfully received.
| donalfallon on That talk of a Labour/Social D… | |
| Colm on A stick? | |
| roddy on A stick? | |
| Colm B on That talk of a Labour/Social D… | |
| Fergal on A stick? | |
| Colm B on A stick? | |
| Colm B on A stick? | |
| irishfabian+ on That talk of a Labour/Social D… | |
| Hamid on That talk of a Labour/Social D… | |
| Colm B on What you want to say – 17th Ap… | |
| Brian Hanley on A stick? | |
| sonofstan on A stick? | |
| Tomboktu on What you want to say – 17th Ap… | |
| John Goodwillie on A stick? | |
| irishfabian+ on That talk of a Labour/Social D… |
worldbystorm2014ATgmailDOTcom
The Cedar Lounge Revolution
Will Eisner’s New York, the Agent Zigag biography, and the Horrid History and Horrid science annuals, to name but a few.
LikeLike
Horrid history? They for you or others DJP? What is that Agent Zigzag about?
LikeLike
If you’re getting Horrid History check they’re what you want before reading. I say so because we had some in Spanish, but found that they’d translated language but not content, which remained Anglocentric. So whether they’d all work for Irish kids, I dunno.
What are people buying for their cats? We’re thinking of maybe pilchards or paté.
LikeLike
Pilchards always go down well. When the little cat was alive a catnip mouse would be most welcome, but the big cat is too lazy to appreciate it.
If we’re going to stretch to talking books, Jim Norton reading The Third Policeman is well worthwhile.
LikeLike
Talking books. Controversial suggestion SS, but not a bad one. Although do they still come for non-ipod owners? I was thinking, predictably, perhaps the Baader Meinhof Complex or Gomorrah, and perhaps Watchmen given the hype building about it. There are always good books to be got about Irish history too.
LikeLike
This year I laughed with “The funniest things you never said” edited by Rosemary Jarski, a great collection of quotes.
My dog had to endure a great deal of comment as I read Roy Foster’s “Luck of the Irish”, however he felt the commentariat had at least reached a new level, I had after all lived through the period.
I really liked the “The Tyrannicide Brief” by Geoffrey Robertson, a book about the lawyer who prosecuted King Charles the First – mind you I am a buff for the War of the Three kingdoms.
Stuck? Book Tokens are the answer. L loved them as a kid and still do now I am not a kid.
LikeLike
The cat doesn’t notice catnip, which came as an unwelcome surprise. Nor does he recognise any sort of contraption to sleep in – other, inevitably than a box. He might recognise a dog. Hmmm…. strokes chin thoughtfully (I never stroke it in any other way).
Garibaldy, it’s really nice to read someone on the web at Christmas asking other people for their ideas. Kudos.
A sub to History Ireland? A lot cheaper than getting them in the shops…
LikeLike
Kevan, that tyrannicide brief sounds really interesting; I have foster already. Book tokens are great, though I find I try and use them in the post christmas rush, get fed up, then forget about them.
WBS, History Ireland one is interesting too. Might well do that actually. For myself 🙂
LikeLike
The Rest is Noise’ by Alex Ross – everything I thought I wanted to know about twentieth century ‘classical music’. Now I’ve read it, I can’t wait to find out more. That’s a recommendation.
LikeLike
I’ve heard that’s pretty good Crocodile. Sounds interesting.
LikeLike
Anything by James Crumley, American crime novelist, who died during the year.
“When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon.”-opening lines of The Last Good Kiss.
LikeLike
I quite like James Ellroy’s stuff, from the little I have read. Although that style you quote above can go wrong and seem like a bad movie. That sounds good though.
LikeLike
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets by Peter Schiff will give you some clues about how to deal with the economic catastrophe.
LikeLike
Season Five of The Wire on DVD, or all the seasons if you haven’t seen it. Homicide by David Simon, or The Corner by David Simon and Ed Burns. One of Denis Lehane’s novels, the new one is set during the Boston police strike and Red scare of 1919. Theres a new book on Joe Devlin and Belfast nationalism that has been recommended to me. The unfortunately abridged RTE ‘Reeling in the Years, 1980s’ DVD might still have plenty of nostalgia for those of us of a certain age (to get a look at the last recession). Theres a 4-DVD story of the GAA that I’ve seen praised plus ‘Hurling: the Warrior Game’ which I’m told is a must.
LikeLike
How did they abridge Reeling in the Years?
I got the first fairly gritty season of Spooks recently. And the West Wing is the perfect gift for anyone involved in Libertas (as smiffy would say!). Someone gave me the Nixon Frost book by Frost. Haven’t got around to it yet.
LikeLike
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets by Peter Schiff will give you some clues about how to deal with the economic catastrophe.
Presumably the main clue will be that there’s always a market for get-rich-quick books?
LikeLike
One book I really laughed my head off with was Michael Wex’s Born To Kvetch. It’s a bit esoterically Jewish but none the worse for that.
LikeLike
RTE don’t own most of the good footage from ‘Reeling in the’ 1960s, 1970s, etc. They only own their own stuff and therefore have never brought out a ‘Reeling’ DVD before because so much would be missing. They reckon theres enough Irish 80s stuff I think. But it means that a lot of international stuff will be missing.
Btw in David McWilliam’s last book he had a go at whigers who got nostalgic about recession and depression by viewing their ‘Reeling’ box-sets. Caitriona Crowe pointed out in her IT review that such a thing did not exist.
However I must admit I do get a bit misty-eyed on occasion. The footage of internment, Bloody Sunday etc can also get you quite wound up.
LikeLike
ejh – you’ve reminded me why I don’t comment here any more. Thank you and goodbye!
LikeLike
This came out in 2007 I think, but one of the better, and seemingly ignored, looks at the transformation of Provisional Sinn Fein/IRA over the last two decades is
The New Politics of Sinn Fein by Kevin Bean, (Liverpool University Press).
LikeLike
If anybody’s buying for very young kids (1-2) I’d recommend Maisy Big, Maisy Small, which even by Maisy standards is a corker.
LikeLike
I think Bean’s book is interesting, but is fundamentally flawed in that it takes the leftist rhetoric as reflective of the real policy. However, his argument that the state has tied the provos into the process through funding of community groups is well made. Rogelio Alonso’s recent book was excellent I thought though can’t remember its name.
Graham,
Nice to get something on the most important topic of the day, no matter how reactionary it may prove to be!
LikeLike
On the subject of history books for kids, The Kingfisher “Children’s Atlas of World History” is an excellent book for children-lots of maps and pictures, and a good coverage of world history as a whole.
LikeLike
Graham, I think ejh was pulling your leg. Let me assure you that you’re always welcome here. And I’ll echo Garibaldy’s point.
ejh, that’s a good recommendation. As is that Starkadder.
Ta, Dunne and Crescendo.
LikeLike
Any thoguhts on an 8 year old boy anyone? What toys are in these days?
LikeLike
Get him some Doctor Who toys. Most kids love toy Daleks, and the
Catherine Tate action figure easily out-acts the actual Catherine
Tate 😉 .
Or else maybe something to do with sport? Most 8-year-old boys
of my acquaintance love soccer and hurling.
LikeLike
Cheers Starkadder. great idea.
LikeLike
After so much talk about it on here I’m getting myself an annual subscription to the electronic version of the ‘Irish Political Review’.
As a PDF emailed for the measly price of €15.00.
Available from
https://www.atholbooks.org/Shop/main.php?cat=20
I’m also getting ‘Church & State’ – four issues for €10
LikeLike
8-year-old boys? You know what Garibaldy? I think unless he’s your son you can often be a big winner buying something you might have had fun with when you were 8. In other words, don’t worry about what toys are current – that’s for Santa. (Not sure how much you want to spend, but …) I saw a small pinball machine in TK Maxx that I wanted to get, but Santa’s sack for this house was already full. It was 20euros, but be warned – it needs 4 C batteries. {And, be further warned, TK Maxx is a nightmare.}
My point is, I’d have loved a small pinball machine when I was 8. Can play by yourself or shared. Try to think about what you might have liked – not what you think they should want and not necessarily what they say they want – when you were 8.
LikeLike
Cheers Eagle. Alas the toys that I liked when I was 8 are long defunct. But the pinball machine is a great idea.
PJ,
You’re a better man than I!
LikeLike
For DVD’s — the complete series Deadwood is out. It is very expensive, but almost worth the price. It was a good HBO series — interesting take on early American capitalism, gender, and the nastiness of local politics. Of course, the gutter language is classic.
I’m giving both the Bean book (I think what Garibaldy says about that is correct) and McIntyre’s collection as gifts.
LikeLike
Does no-one make toys of strikers on a Picker Line…?
LikeLike
Did you know that there’s only one factory in the entire world that makes pinball machines?
EJH – the anglocentrism of the Horrid Histories doesn’t bother me none. And they’re sounder on Irish history than the old Ladybird biography of Cromwell which I remember from Breaffy national school (may its name be blotted out).
LikeLike
the anglocentrism of the Horrid Histories doesn’t bother me none
Me neither, on principle, but the point may be that they’re supposed to be about things that the kids will hear about or have heard about, and if the books are about somebody else’s domestic history there may not that same link.But as I said (in somewhat garbled fashion, looking at) look at it first, and if you’re happy, get it.
On DVDs, can I recommend Bergman’s celebrated film of The Magic Flute?
LikeLike
Well, what exactly can we give them about Irish domestic history? (I’m thinking of giving the eldest niece The Twelfth Day of July, which is about the late unpleasantness in the fourth green field. . . )
LikeLike
Have none of the revisionist texts been done in cartoon form?
Or are they basically cartoons already?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…..
LikeLike
‘Somewhere, off in the distance, a dog barked . . . ‘
LikeLike
Warning: All 5 seasons of ‘The Wire’ about 100 euro including p&p from Amazon.co.uk. In Tower Records of Wicklow St: 160 euros.
LikeLike
Can you get a subscription to “Red Banner” magazine? Been hearing
very good things about that…
LikeLike
Red Banner magazine is on the internet with all the information re: subs.
http://www.redbannermagazine.com/
Why ask on the Cedar Lounge about it?
LikeLike
DJP: “(I’m thinking of giving the eldest niece The Twelfth Day of July, which is about the late unpleasantness in the fourth green field. . . )”
Very good book. We did it in secondary school.
For older teenagers, Malorie Blackman’s book “Double Cross”
is a pretty good read, as are Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart
books (The Ruby in the Smoke, etc).
LikeLike
Why not fucking ask on the Cedar Lounge about Red Banner you fucking Aubane gimp?
LikeLike
Come on now. Everyone keep it calm…
But Slawomir, the essential question is reasonable, why not ask on the CLR? Some people find this place handy…
Re DVDs, I liked Deadwood. And Rome too. The boxset, initiator of new patterns of tv consumption.
LikeLike
This is really well off topic but I’m not taking time off for a Christian festival – just chew on this for a minute
Our paper of record has an anaylsis of the currnet frace from Cowen and crew – read here http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1219/1229523103656.html
Basically its the same auld shite i.e. piss on the public sector however the real question is why this individual that wrote this is still being given any more credence than an headless shrew
take a look at the article here http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/Irish_2/article_1012867_printer.shtml
Does Harney’s friend and her cohorts need a moving on from the paper of record – some one that has been a bit more on the level is at that paper and ready to take ove Mr O’Toole is over to you
LikeLike
None of you miserable gits getting the Mamma Mia! DVD? Kuh! Typical.
My 7-year-old nephews have asked for a remote-controlled plane or helicopter and Dino Valley, which is made by Lego, I think. Can’t go wrong with dinosaurs. Unless they’re the Creationist type.
LikeLike
Temper, temper, Paddy Crerand.
Why did I ask the question? Gomez, a first time poster on the site (allegedly), was fishing around looking for information on the Red Banner. Why shouldn’t I ask what was the reason for his interest? Anyway I think I know now. The occasional lapse of spelling “IPR” as “IRP” was a giveaway.
Good Bye! Good Luck! and …. Happy Christmas!
LikeLike
My 7-year-old nephews have asked for a remote-controlled plane or helicopter and Dino Valley, which is made by Lego, I think.
Get ’em a couple of brazil nuts and an orange.
LikeLike
And then they can pay the mill owner for the privilege of working at t’mill.
LikeLike
Aye, and they should be grateful for that an all!
LikeLike
Give Paddy a break — I just assumed he’s giving us his best Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
Good job Paddy, these hoople-heads just don’t get it.
LikeLike
Slawomir:
“Gomez, a first time poster on the site (allegedly), was fishing around looking for information on the Red Banner. Why shouldn’t I ask what was the reason for his interest?”
Because I’m interested in left-wing politics, Mr. Slawomir.
And I am new to posting on this site, though I’ve been reading it
for a few months now.
LikeLike
Starkadder, I don’t like to help my political opponents, but shouldn’t you have posted post 51 under Gomez’s name rather than Starkadder’s name?
WBS, what is your policy on posters talking to themselves. See post 109 on the worker weekly thread below:
In the light of the above would you like to reconsider your opinion that the IPR group is “barmy”?
LikeLike
In the words of the denizens of Killinaskully –
“Now that is fair good”!
PS – The new epic Chinese film ‘Red Cliff’ would be a great present for any film fans –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_(film)
LikeLike
slawomir, different IP addresses. Proves nothing I guess, either way.
As regards policy, I wouldn’t have one. As regards the IPR being barmy. I see no reason to reconsider that conclusion since I’m more interested in their pronouncements and evaluating them than their ‘political opponents’ (which *might* incorporate pretty much of the Irish people – although perhaps I’m doing them a disservice). But seeing as you don’t think people should even raise questions about them on *this* site…
LikeLike
Yes, I used an alternate identity when debating. I’m sorry about that.
LikeLike
There’s another who posts on this site (not slawomir, I hasten to add) who uses multiple identities much much more egregiously (what a great word) than you…particularly over at indymedia.
I’ve never done so myself, but I can see the attraction from time to time…
LikeLike
Oh, back on books for presents….there’s still time to buy Suetonius’ The Twelve Caesars. It’s a breeze.
LikeLike
A set of hardback Asterix from ebay for my brother. (So I can steal it off him when I’m home.) I’m mostly buying out of print childrens’ books for all the weeuns, which seems to go down well. They may be lying to me, tho. I can’t stand bloody Harry Potter stuff. Awful writing.
Has anyone read the Sebastian Barry ‘Secret Scripture’ at all? I hear it’s unremittingly bleak, so ideal for beloved miserabilists.
LikeLike
“Yes, I used an alternate identity when debating. I’m sorry about that.”
so why did Worldbystorm write “different IP addresses”
Re:multiple identities – I suppose we should all stick with one (I’ll add that to my new year resolution list)
LikeLike
PJ, the IP Addresses from “Gomez”and that of Starkadder are different. That’s a fact. I made that public because it seemed (prior to Starkadders Mea Culpa) that there was a possibility that Starkadders comment was inadvertent. Clearly it wasn’t. I believe in transparency on issues, hence my tolerance for Hugh Murphy ( 😉 ), I’m not sure though what point though you’re making.
GoodHardRant, I was given Tintin and Alpha Art recently. Nowhere near as good as a full-fledged Herge book, but interesting nonetheless…
LikeLike
oh, the intrigue!
I read the secret scripture but found it a bit disappointing after the great reviews it got. It’s all a bit predictable, with no cliché about 20th century Ireland left unturned. It leaves you with a very definite sense of having read it all before.
Not to be utterly negative, so one of the best new novels I read this year was hari kunzru’s my revolutions. Makes a nice companion read to doris lessings the good terrorist. Very topical this year with the baader meinhof film and the return of the weathermen in the us election.
Speaking of which, Taylor branch’s 3 volume set about America I’m the king years are a great present for anyone interested in the subject although they’re heavy going ( literally). Also the fascinating documents in irish foreign policy series that ria is putting out are now up to the second world war. Again someone would have to be really into the subject, but for those it would make a very nice gift.
I’d add my voice to those praising deadwood and the wire, and just mention the surprisingly good 30rock.
Happy festivus!
LikeLike
WBS,
That’s pathetic. The IP addresses are a complete red herring. Since Starkadder is a regular contributor to the CLR, it was obvious even before his mea culpa that in his post 51 (“new to posting on this site”) he had forgotten that a Gomez post was under the name of Starkadder. You were trying to muddy the waters by pointing out the different IP addresses.
Re: your Post 54. For the record, I have never said that people shouldn’t raise questions about the IPR group on the CLR. Indeed I have never made any suggestions as to how the CLR should be run. I have only asked questions re: policy.
Finally, there is not much point in me continuing to participate in this site given your opinion that the IPR group is “barmy”. There has to be a minimum of mutual respect for there to be meaningful debate.
LikeLike
Slawomir,
What on earth are you talking about? I mentioned IP addresses before Starkadder admitted that s/he was indeed posting under the Gomez moniker. I looked at Gomez’s IP address and Starkadders and noted they were different. Muddying the water? I pointed out that that proved nothing either way. Small point of information IIRC Starkadder has never been a ‘contributor’ to the CLR but has been someone who comments here regularly, just like yourself. I see no reason I have to stand over everyone who does so, any more than I have to stand over you or Hugh Murphy (to pick two commentators names at random).
Re 54, you appeared to question the right of someone to ask the questions “Gomez” was putting. I think that’s a bit different from concerning yourself with policy.
Re finally. My sense is from reading the IPR’s publications that there is little substance and no end of material put forward that seems to be deliberately provocative. Perhaps that’s not ‘barmy’. Fair enough. But it’s not something that inspires confidence in me, not least because the positions taken are hardly ‘leftist’ under any serious analysis. Populist faux Catholic nationalism, perhaps. Each to their own. Each to their own.
LikeLike
Guys, it’s CHRISTMAS!
>:-(
(‘Barmy’ is right though).
LikeLike
Christmas or no, the struggle goes on; we must expose the revisionist running dogs of post-BICOdom before they…just joking, Happy Holidays!
LikeLike
None of you miserable gits getting the Mamma Mia! DVD? Kuh! Typical.
My 7-year-old nephews have asked for a remote-controlled plane or helicopter and Dino Valley, which is made by Lego, I think. Can’t go wrong with dinosaurs. Unless they’re the Creationist type.
LikeLike