A Life in Conflict
Author: Tim Collins
ISBN:0755313755 DDC: 956.70443092
See also: LibraryThing ; Revish ; Guardian’s digested read ; Interview in the Guardian
25 May 2003
The tip-off came from a Fleet Street contact that Saturday evening: something serious was brewing in the media, something ‘pretty big’. I’d been under the cosh for the last week after being accused of war crimes, so I wondered how much bigger it could get.
Author: Mick Doyle
ISBN: 184018485X - Dewey: 362.196810092
See also: LibraryThing ; Wikipedia on Mick Doyle ; Irish Examiner’s Obit
I still do not know the exact point at which I first became aware; all I can recall is waking up very gradually and becoming increasingly conscious that I was probably in this world, or somewhere else, other than just being dead.
In 1996 Mick Doyle suffered a brain haemorrhage and spent four weeks in a coma. He was lucky enough to wake up and to be able to begin the road back to recovery. This book tells his story of recuperation. A former international rugby player, an Irish rugby coach, a British and Irish Lions coach, a media pundit, Doyle was also lucky enough to be on of the 0.16 per cent of people who recover from a brain haemorrhage. Hence the title of the book.
Author: Brian O’Driscoll
ISBN: 1844880788
796.333092
They say flying can do strange things to your mind, and an aeroplane is not the best place to commit thoughts to paper, but what the hell: the little diary of a year in the life of a professional rugby player has to start somewhere, and cruising at 550 mph at 37,000 feet with my feet up seems as good a place as any.
Starting at the end of 2004, this covers a year in the life of Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland’s number 13, and one of our best rugby players. 2005 saw Ireland come close to a tripple crown, and also saw a fairly large number of Irish players travel to New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions. O’Driscoll as captain.
No doubt the Lions’ tour was the main reason behind this diary; but things don’t always go to plan. Brian ended up playing only a few minutes against the All Blacks, leaving injured after a dangerous tackle dislocated his shoulder, but then again, that incident created more than enough controversy to sell a few copies.
The book is written in diary format, which actually works quite well because we get O’Driscoll’s actual reaction to events, rather than his thoughts on things well after the event. But the writing itself isn’t very good, more blog than book, again though, that probably fits, as it makes the events more immediate.
I’m guessing that only rugby fans would be interested in this book, and I’d recommend it to them, O’Driscoll comes across quite well I thought. Some nice touches that get across the fact that he is fairly down to earth and not obsessed with himself, although the hair does get mentioned on one or two occasions.
As for the spear tackle incident, well of course that is covered, and because of the way the book is written we get to read O’Driscoll’s thoughts directly afterwards. He used a dictaphone as he couldn’t write, as well as his feelings a few days after when he had thought things through.
I’ve always thought that he comes across as a little bit smug on the telly, albeit in those 2 and 3 minute segments, but that is more the fact that he always has that little grin on his face, but he had never seemed to take the media side of his life too seriously, which is only right.
Tags: 796.333092, A Year in the centre, biography, Brian O'Driscoll, British and Irish Lions, diary, Lions05, rugbyYou can’t take any of the celebrity stuff too seriously. A couple of years back I was ‘voted’ sexiest male in Ireland, which caused a bit of a fuss. C’mon, guys, get real, it was just a bit of a laugh. Mum loves me and my sisters will stick up for me but that is a complete joke… I was absolutely delighted when I unexpectedly plunged out of the top fifty last year, a washed-up former sex symbol whose time has been and gone.
Author: Paul McGrath with Vincent Hogan
ISBN: 1846050766
DDC: 796.334092
See also: Library Thing ; Wikipedia ; BBC ; The Telegraph
I am sitting in a cubicle, the width of a Portaloo, handcuffed to the side.
A fist keeps thumping the panel by me head. A voice keeps searching. ‘Who’s in that one? Who’s in there? Cat got your fucking tongue, mate?’ Doors are banging.
Paul McGrath is probably Ireland’s best loved sporting star. Known as god to many an Aston Villa fan, he was one of our greatest players ever. And we all knew he had a drinking problem, there were the disappearances. And a bit of rumour, but, as fans, we didn’t care. He played great football and that was all that mattered. Ooh Ahh Paul McGrath.
But McGrath didn’t just have a slight problem with drink, he had a huge battle with alcohol and depression, and the fans weren’t the only one who didn’t know the extent of his troubles.
[Kevin Moran:]So I walk around the side of the bed and there’s six bottles of Heineken, partially hidden, two or three of them empty.
And, for me, that’s when the penny drops. That’s the moment that slams it home to me. To think that, after all that’s happened this day, the thing he’s turned to is another drink. It may seem ridiculous having been his roommate for so long. But that’s the moment I realise the extent of Paul’s problem…
Somehow he managed to keep the suicide attempts hidden, playing football with wristbands to hide the scars. Somehow the stories of him drinking bleach never made it into the papers. And while some of his friends and teammates may have realised when he played while drunk, for most of watching he was just Paul McGrath, footballing genius.
This autobiography hides nothing, maybe it was a release for McGrath to get it all out and in the open, off his chest, but it is almost horrifying to read about all that he went through. All is problems, and how little he seems to realise how great he was. Lack of confidence off the pitch, and the impression that he didn’t belong in the company of his teammates. That is what comes through reading this book. When in fact he was the best out there.
It isn’t a straight walk through of McGrath’s life, the book hops around in time a little as he explains about certain things. In places other people narrate what happened, sometimes because McGrath can’t recall the events, sometimes to give a different point of view. And there is much of his personal life that he doesn’t go into, which is understandable, especially regarding his second wife.
A must read for any football fans.
Tags: 796.334092, alcoholic, Aston Villa, Back from the Brink, biography, drink, football, Italia90, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, sports star, suicideAuthor: Irving Stone
ISBN: 0099416271
DDC: 813.54
See also: LibraryThing; Wikipedia on Michelangelo; Michelangelo.com; Art of Florence
Read with Historical Favorites - group site
He sat before the mirror of the second-floor bedroom sketching his lean cheeks with their high bone ridges, the flat broad forehead, and ears too far back on the head, the dark hair curling forward in thatches, the amber-coloured eyes well-set but heavy-lidded.
This is a big book; over 750 pages of small print and crowded pages. So when I began to read and wasn’t all that impressed I thought I’d end up tossing it. The prose felt forced, stilted and somewhat boring. But as I read on I did get more and more interested. At the same time however, the style of prose doesn’t really improve. I enjoyed the book while reading it, but it was never a case that I simply couldn’t put the book down. In fact on a few occasions I wasn’t all that bothered to pick it up.
Author: George Hook
ISBN: 184488077x
DDC: 384.54092
See also: Library Thing
When you are a child, and you’re poor, and you live next to other people who are poor, you never think of yourself as being poor.
Around amonth ago I read an entry on Omaniblog about this book, up until then I hadn’t even known that George Hook had a book out. But that post caught my attention. George Hook is probably best known in Ireland for his rugby punditry. Together with Brent Pope and Tom McGurk, he analyses rugby for RTE in an entertaining, honest, blunt manner. He also has a radio show, but I’m not big on the radio so haven’t heard him enough to comment on that. In many ways I suppose he is the Eamonn Dunphy of the rugby world.
But I know him primarily from his rugby comments, and his constant promises that Munster will lose, and that the likes of Stringer shouldn’t be playing. I disagree with him, but am well aware that he is very knowledgable about the game. And in an entertaining way.
But when I started reading this book I was very surprised at it. From Omani’s blog I’d heard that it wouldn’t be all easy reading, and he’d only gotten to page 4. But I wasn’t aware of the depression, the debt, the fraud, or many other things that this book brings to light. And all the while he is describing his “Black Dog” and his running from trouble into strife, it is always so very readable. And if it wasn’t for the subject matter you’d have to say likeable. Still, it took me longer than I expected to finish it. Mainly, I think, because I wanted to pay attention to it, so I didn’t read it if I thought I might be distracted by the telly, or the radio.
I’m not a big reader of biographies, but I’d recommend this to anyone. And it is on 3 for 2 in Waterstones.
Tags: 384.54092, 8 Stars, biography, depression, George Hook, non-fiction, Time Added OnAuthor: Richard Branson
ISBN: 0753510995
DDC: 338.04092
The staff as Virgin have a name for me. It is ‘Dr. Yes.’
Large print and small page count, this really is a Quick Read. But it is also a all a bit too positive for my liking. If everyone tried to live the same life as Richard Branson, as he seems to suggest, then there would be an awful lot of failed businesses and bankrupt people. Not that I think we should all be negative, and his view that you should try to have fun at work is a good one, it just won’t always work out that way for people.
Overall the book is readable. It is all a bit simplistic, and never goes into any depth. But that is exactly as advertised, a quick read over Branson’s life, not a biography or a look at any complicated issues. Quick and easy, a surface look at the lessons Branson has learned..
But really it is nothing more than a collection of “positive mental atitude” saying and doesn’t really offer any real advise.
Tags: 338.04092, 6 Stars, biography, business, non-fiction, quick read, Ricard Branson, Screw It Lets Do It: Lessons in Life
