First up, may I recommend Gary Sutherland's "Hunting Grounds":

http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/3370157/Hunting-Grounds/Product.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunting-Grounds-Gary-Sutherland/dp/1841585866/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198166624&sr=8-1

 

Its an excellent journey round all 42 Scottish fitba grounds in one season.  Detailing transport, pre-match venues for a pint, the quality of the pies at the ground, and a review of the performance of both the players and the fans.  He goes into some depth in his report for each ground.  Its rather witty too!

 

He obviously visits Pittodrie (2-2 cup game with Hibs last season), and also a Falkirk v Aberdeen SPL game where the away fans are praised.

4 minutes ago, Goldie03 said:

He is quite a good looking chap I heard him at the Scotonomics Festival in Letih earlier this year.

Quite rugged in his too tight white t-shirt and jeans 😉

I also have it as an audiobook but haven't listened as yet

Aye, he's tidy. His voice gets a little tedious in the audiobook, but I suspect that's a lot to do with the subject matter too.

3 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

It wasn't me, although I'm very familiar with Luke Kemp's work, I haven't read it. I've background listened to the audiobook though, he's got a decent grasp of the history and there is an inevitability to his predictions for the future. I can't remember if he's one of those guys that are part of the weird "human potential" groups, who seem like they might want to sacrifice a large part of humanity in order that a minority can spread humanity to the universe or some pish (Toby Ord is one, and the "effective altruism" crowd). Kemp does seem extremely intelligent, but maybe a bit void in the love department.

There was no hint of human potential stuff of the type you’re suggesting. More about citizens’ forum based decision making, etc. seemed reasonable enough set of prescriptions albeit no hope of them happening until it’s all too late.

4 hours ago, Don Julio said:

There was no hint of human potential stuff of the type you’re suggesting. More about citizens’ forum based decision making, etc. seemed reasonable enough set of prescriptions albeit no hope of them happening until it’s all too late.

Aye, not necessarily him, but the organisation he is/was part of at Cambridge. Thon Yuval Noah Harari weirdo is/was part of it. I've never quite understood how citizens forums work, they don't seem to solve any issue at all. Like many of the people who are excellent at listing the symptoms of the system, his suggestions all seemed to sit alongside the actual issues and not designed to actually solve them! Someone should tell them that it's okay to say that you don't know how to solve the metacrisis.

To Hell With Poverty, by Jon King.

Autobiography of the singer/guitarist of post punk group, the Gang of Four.

A very good read and nothing like the usual biography of a musician.

I've been quiet on this thread for a while but still been busy reading in my spare time.

Currently on my 68th book of the year, an advanced reader copy (ARC) called "Behind The Beehive", The Triumphs And Trials Of Dusty Springfield which is due for publication in October this year.

Whilst I try and vary my reading, I happened to watch the film "A Time for Killing" from the book by John Grisham and subsequently have been picking up books by him from the charity shops with a view to reading them all. Realise he isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but he does write a very decent tale in my humble opinion

The latest Ian McEwan book 'What We Can Know'.

Normally breeze through his books and a big fan of them, but finding this one a struggle to get into.

Also have a Dons book, I've just read.

Pride of the Dons, by David Niven.

Looks at the family history of the Gothenburg squad and Fergie.

Mums, Dads, Grannies, Grandads, going back a good bit on each player.

Learnt very little from it and a fairly pointless read, in my opinion.

I’ve started raiding the father in laws bookshelves, as he’s got a whole range of great books. Just finished 1812, napoleons fatal march on Moscow by Adam Zamoyski. Had a vague knowledge of napoleon and his march to Moscow previously but this went into great depth and is a great read. Based on a lot of alleged eyewitness statements from those who partook and really does go into some brutal detail. The wilful dismissal of human life is wild.

Just finished Kathy Burke’s autobiography. Quite a life and a career she’s had. An interesting and easy read.

On 26/07/2026 at 09:42, TheDonbytheDee said:

The latest Ian McEwan book 'What We Can Know'.

Normally breeze through his books and a big fan of them, but finding this one a struggle to get into.

I gave it 5⭐️ - I thought the premise was extremely clever, and the Inundation and Derangement cleverly thought and used to great effect in searching for the corona sonnet. The characters were a parade of misfits, geniuses, victims and utter fucking radges. I think the author’s back on form, and WWCK and Machines Like Me are classic McEwan.

Hud gan wi it min.

I’ve just finished William McIlvanney’s loon Liam’s The Good Father on audiobook from the toon library, very worthwhile.

I’m currently in stop-start mode with James Leslie Mitchell’s Stained Radience, as due to my appalling sleeping pattern, I’m struggling a little with it. It looks like a decent shottie at a big story before he hit the mother lode three years later

John of John (Douglas Stuart’s latest) is doing the audiobook thing well in my lugs. Again, due to anarchic sleeping shenanigans, though, I’m fighting a losing battle with Clare Chambers’ Shy Creatures (i-Pad/E-book).

I’ve has a massive and ruthless clear-out in recent months which has seen the British Heart Foundation charity shop near the Union Street Co-opy benefit by nearly 150 books, along with probably about a hunner CDs.

Ye canna tak it wi ye.

I read shy Creatures last year, quite liked it

12 hours ago, blinlemon said:

I’ve just finished William McIlvanney’s loon Liam’s The Good Father on audiobook from the toon library, very worthwhile.

Read that on my kindle a few weeks ago.

Excellent book that highlights what pretty much any parent would do to save their child, even the most law abiding human being.

The added benefit for me was the setting, not exactly a million miles from my adopted home, meaning that I could literally live the location.

Currently reading "Dead Men And Broken Hearts" by Craig Russell which is the fourth book in the Lennox series which I would highly recommend.

On 24/07/2026 at 10:47, BigAl said:

I've been quiet on this thread for a while but still been busy reading in my spare time.

Currently on my 68th book of the year, an advanced reader copy (ARC) called "Behind The Beehive", The Triumphs And Trials Of Dusty Springfield which is due for publication in October this year.

My God, what a troubled soul Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien aka Dusty Springfield was.

Her childhood was a strange one with the somewhat bizarre behaviour of her parents but in her adult life she battled with demons of alcohol, drugs, multiple personalities and her sexuality.

A really troubled individual who attempted suicide on more than one occasion she possessed possibly one of the best female voices this country ever produced.

I am too old to remember her at her peak in the 60's but this book provided a great insight into the peaks and throughs of her life.

Spaceships over Glasgow

Book at about Mogwai written by Stuart Braithwaite. Quite interesting reading about bevvying in Glasgow in the mid 90s, as I did a fair amount of that myself. He talks some amount of shite though.

2 hours ago, Mason89 said:

Spaceships over Glasgow

Book at about Mogwai written by Stuart Braithwaite. Quite interesting reading about bevvying in Glasgow in the mid 90s, as I did a fair amount of that myself. He talks some amount of shite though.

I read it too, when it came out. Not a fan of their music.

Wasn't bad, not often you read about middle class upbringings from Glasgow. Usually folk from the housing schemes, so this was a first.

Was better than the Bobby Gillespie one, from roughly the same time, who tried far too hard to be cool.

Braithwaite became a Football/Septic fan later in life, which says a lot about a person.

3 hours ago, TheDonbytheDee said:

Braithwaite became a Football/Septic fan later in life, which says a lot about a person.

Yeah, that annoyed me. Imagine coming into football later in life, then choosing Celtic. There’s no way to explain that away. You’re a twat.

I also dont believe the amount he was putting away, the demon hand thing was lifted straight from a Jim Dodge book and his recollection of certain things doesn’t sit right with me. I’m not a huge fan of their stuff but it’s one of those bands I try to like. He makes it way more difficult than it has to be

Just finished "Shankly My Story" by John Roberts.

Great read and a real insight into how football used to be. Incredible to think that a family from a small Ayrshire mining village with Five sons and five daughters could see all five sons grow up to be professional footballers, even more so considering the father had no interest in football whatsoever.

Pretty sad, how it all ended for Shankly at Liverpool after all he achieved taking them from the old league two to first division titles, FA Cup Winners and a European trophy, whilst laying the ground for his successor to go on and win the big one in Europe.

Available for 99p on your kindle @ Amazon

Looking for some holiday reading. Bought a bunch of stuff from horror, to 'funny' fiction, to crime. Quite fancying The Trial by Kafka. For some reason I've never read any of his stuff.

Anyone read much Kafka? Worth a go?

7 hours ago, CurlsLikeTattie said:

Anyone read much Kafka? Worth a go?

Aye, a very long time ago.

I wouldn't class it as light holiday reading though.

They were interesting reads, but I wasn't overly impress by them.

On 11/08/2026 at 09:46, BigAl said:

Just finished "Shankly My Story" by John Roberts.

Great read and a real insight into how football used to be. Incredible to think that a family from a small Ayrshire mining village with Five sons and five daughters could see all five sons grow up to be professional footballers, even more so considering the father had no interest in football whatsoever.

Pretty sad, how it all ended for Shankly at Liverpool after all he achieved taking them from the old league two to first division titles, FA Cup Winners and a European trophy, whilst laying the ground for his successor to go on and win the big one in Europe.

Available for 99p on your kindle @ Amazon

I've read all books about him, despite not having any liking for Liverpool as a club.

I've read all the available books about Shankly.

No liking for Liverpool as a club, but rate Shankly as a manager and he was a good man.

Also, The Three Kings programme, about Shankly, Busby and Stein, is on the iPlayer and well worth a watch, if anyone hasn't yet seen it.

Hard to believe what they achieved, considering their backgrounds.

6 hours ago, TheDonbytheDee said:

Aye, a very long time ago.

I wouldn't class it as light holiday reading though.

They were interesting reads, but I wasn't overly impress by them.

Hmmmm, might save it for another time and stick to Fredrick Backman for this trip

The great Agnes Owens’s book catalogue is being printed, volume by volume this year.

Radio 4 is serialising her A Working Mother over the next week. Yet another piece of grouting being added to 20th century Scottish literature.

BBC

BBC Sounds - A Working Mother by Agnes Owens - Available...

Listen to the latest episodes of A Working Mother by Agnes Owens on BBC Sounds.

The great news that Agnes Owens’s fiction is being re-published this year gets even better with Radio 4’s A Book At Bedtime this week - all five nights - being given over to her A Working Mother, beginning tonight at 22.45. It’ll be on BBC’s Listen Again.

BBC

A Working Mother by Agnes Owens - Episode 1 - BBC Sounds

Ten years after the Second World War, Betty craves freedom from domestic responsibility.

On 31/08/2026 at 17:33, blinlemon said:

The great news that Agnes Owens’s fiction is being re-published this year gets even better with Radio 4’s A Book At Bedtime this week - all five nights - being given over to her A Working Mother, beginning tonight at 22.45. It’ll be on BBC’s Listen Again.

BBC

A Working Mother by Agnes Owens - Episode 1 - BBC Sounds

Ten years after the Second World War, Betty craves freedom from domestic responsibility.

What's a good book of hers to start with?

9 minutes ago, TheDonbytheDee said:

What's a good book of hers to start with?

The only one the Central Library had was ‘For The Love Of Willie’ when I started searching for her canon after the news of the re-publication of her fiction was announced a while back, so it’s the only one I’ve read to date. We’re in the midst of relocation to enemy territory, so I’ve temporarily given up on buying books - I’ve given multi-dozens to charity shops, but will resume my support for book vendors once we settle into a new abode.

Her complete works should be listed here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-agnes-owens-centenary-editions