What was the last book you read?

[Crash]

Oh alright - I admit I just read Acheron.

[emm7]

nah I like pulp fiction and non fiction just as much!
Also finished reading the unauthorized autobiography of Dawn French which was incredibly moving. I don't like the writer's negative attitude towards Dawn French and Lenny Henry's relationship though, the writer seems too cynical and seems to find it hard to believe that Henry loves French as much as he claims.

[Crash]

I like reading fiction and non-fiction as well (and usually both at the same time) , but really no autobiographies (unless you count Agness Underwood's Newspaperwoman). Who was Dawn French?


Edited.

[ninearms]

unauthorized autobiography

Shocking stuff! Consider your writer's hat confiscated.

[Fallen_Horse]

A Million Little Pieces

Not bad, even for a partial fabrication...

[Gamblor]

Touching The Void - Joe Simpson
Amazing story of survival.

[The Duke]

Touching The Void - Joe Simpson
Amazing story of survival.

I climbed with Simon Yates 12 years back on an expedition he was guiding to Imja Tse.

He's an Arsehole; I nearly died because of his expert guiding ability.

Abandoned, 6000 meters, 13:00 hours, coughing up blood. Crawled back down a thousand meters, on my own, in the dark, through a boulder field, from a Himalayan peak, a long way from home, and a long way from help.

Spotting a theme here?

(not that I am bitter at all).

[Gelert]

You're just bitter that because there was no highly mediagenic Victorinox moment per se, that while Simpson has had a fairly lucerative literary, film and public speaking career out of being dumped by Yates, you just got this lousy t-shirt right?

Never met Yates, but he does come over a wee bit of a throbber in the DVD extras of Void - aggressively describes the whole rope cutting and leaving a mate for dead as just "one adventure of many, very many" in his life. In his crampons, I'd probably do the same, but it would not be a proud moment nor something to write off as a bit part. Maybe Yates has hardened with age, he did (very humanly) admit to considering not admitting to it at the time.


Oh, ironically recently been re-reading Simpson's The Beckoning Silence

[emm7]

unauthorized autobiography

Shocking stuff! Consider your writer's hat confiscated.

yes my typo..... I meant unauthorized biography!

Dawn French is a famous comedy actor in the UK.

[The Duke]

You're just bitter that because there was no highly mediagenic Victorinox moment per se, that while Simpson has had a fairly lucerative literary, film and public speaking career out of being dumped by Yates, you just got this lousy t-shirt right?

Never met Yates, but he does come over a wee bit of a throbber in the DVD extras of Void - aggressively describes the whole rope cutting and leaving a mate for dead as just "one adventure of many, very many" in his life. In his crampons, I'd probably do the same, but it would not be a proud moment nor something to write off as a bit part. Maybe Yates has hardened with age, he did (very humanly) admit to considering not admitting to it at the time.


Oh, ironically recently been re-reading Simpson's The Beckoning Silence

Thing is, I don't think Simon never "dealt with it". He is utterly selfish as a mountaineer and quite honestly has not really made his mark. Lohtse - failed. Tower of Paine - failed. He had a good early start in the alps but what since then? nowt.

Joe, on the other hand, is lovely bloke. Climbed with him at The Foundary a few times.

Just to be clear, even though I think Simon is a turd, he absolutely did the right thing on Siula Grande. I would go as far as to say that the efforts he went to get Joe down were nothing short of heroic. I would have chucked the towel in and been a blubbering wreck long before. The lowers he did were nothing short of superhuman.

He still an arsehole though.

signed ...
The Duke
President of Simon Yates Fan Club.

[Gelert]

Fully agreed.

It could be argued that Mal Duff's rescue of wait for it, Joe Simpson, on Pachermo in 1991 rivalled it. If only because Duff ticked the "reassure your casualty" box with panache by making a point of handing his Swiss Army knife over to Simpson before starting the lowers.

Have an eyeball at this, when you have the patience.

http://www.noordinaryjoe.co.uk/docs/joeArticle2006.pdf

I've seen stupider nominations for world president than Joe Simpson. Mainly nominations for Jeremy Clarkson and ha, but it's all relative.

[emm7]

on the basis of that article I would love to have dinner / drinks with Joe Simpson, he should be on everyone's list of the top ten people to have dinner / drinks with. Great conversation guaranteed!

[blueyy]

Trinny and Susanah - What your clothes say about you..

Apparrently i resemble a bag lady

[puppydog]

i am 1/4 of the way through "the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay" and it's absolutely brilliant.

assuming that it keeps the same standard up for the rest of the book then i think this is one of the best written in a long long time. That i've read anyhow.

i am staying up late, waking up early, and going to work after 9 just to read more pages, which never happens.

[lizabelle]

Joe Simpson is fantastic - I've read most of his books, and what a lovely bloke. Also, I read Touching the Void and then watched the film, and I think it's one of those rare occasions where the film is actually more effective than the book. I felt physically sick with fear while watching the film.

I also felt very sorry for Simon, forever overshadowed by Touching the Void - but am fascinated by the opposing viewpoints on this thread.

Omar: I've still not got around to Kavalier and Clay, but highly recommend The Yiddish Policeman's Union if you're enjoying Chabon!