Books

[Carnage]

GSPCA shop in Galway usually has a few gems secreted among the shite. Found out recently that a huge amount of books are dumped as they don't have room to store them, that goes for all the charity shops too. Shameful.

[StoutAndAle]

GSPCA shop in Galway usually has a few gems secreted among the shite. Found out recently that a huge amount of books are dumped as they don't have room to store them, that goes for all the charity shops too. Shameful.

Yeah - I read a newspaper article about leather bound hardback collections (Dickens maybe) donated to an Oxfam in the UK which they dumped into a recycling landfill because they take up too much space.

It is somewhat understandable on mass produced paperbacks and stuff like that but classics in that format...?

[Eoin McLove]

Leather-bound volumes to go with your leather-bound pounds in your leather-bound wallet?

[Carnage]

Aye, a bit of discretion in the sorting process would be no harm. I'd have thought libraries would take some of them but no - a friend of mine just closed his secondhand bookshop during the lockdown, he'd rang around the county and country trying to get rid of the stock, nobody was interested. Other shops, charity shops, libraries, nobody. He ended up giving most of it to the town band to sell off to fund a new roof for their hall.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

You will find a copy of "The Time Of My Life" by Gay Byrne in every charity shop across the nation.

So, is it any good?

[StoutAndAle]

You will find a copy of "The Time Of My Life" by Gay Byrne in every charity shop across the nation.

So, is it any good?

I have actually read it.  Well... bits of it. I bought it for my granny as a Christmas present 20 odd years ago.

There's a few good stories in there. Mostly involving Mike Murphy. One of which goes something like - GB and MM leave some bar in Donnybrook after fair few pints. They decide to go in town. While they're trying to hail a cab they spot a fella completely mullered and trying to take a piss against the door of a closed shop. They have a good laugh at him. Still no cab.

"Hee-or" roars the drunk. "Is it yerselves or am I seeing things?"

"It's us. From the television" says Gay in his TV voice smirking at MM and adding "Do you want an autograph?"

The drunk ignoring GB says "Ah Mike, yer a gas man so you are!"

GB notices that your man is still taking a slash.

"Thanks" says Mike

The lad finally turns and sticks out his piss-soaked hand to GB who instinctively takes it.

"Ah Mike, yisser... fuggin' fuggin gas"

He's still gripping GB's hand and turns to him"But youse... youse are fuckin' brutal, pal!"

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Haha! I was only thinking about Mike Murphy there yesterday and all.

I never minded Gaybo myself, though there's a fair laype to go between that level of not minding him and the amount of spare interest needed to go reading his autobiography.

[Eoin McLove]

I finished Jane Eyre last night. I enjoyed it, I have to say. It's always interesting to rip into the classics and see what they have to offer.

Another classic up next: I have started into The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. I read The Chrysalids by him recently and really enjoyed it so let's see if this hits the mark as well.

[Blackout]

Currently reading The Great Gatsby.

Having never seen the movie nor read this before I have to say its a tough but compelling read.

[nukeabuse]

Finished the old man and the sea in two sittings. it should have been the one sitting but started to late in the day and didn't realise it was going was going to slow so well.

Was lovely to read

[Caomhaoin]

Currently reading The Great Gatsby.

Having never seen the movie nor read this before I have to say its a tough but compelling read.

I had to read that twice as my attention levels were insufficient the first time. Cool book.

I'm reading Chris Jericho's autobiography at the moment, the second one. I enjoy the stories but his 'I'm such a lad' guff is very contrived in places.

[Necro Red]

GSPCA shop in Galway usually has a few gems secreted among the shite. Found out recently that a huge amount of books are dumped as they don't have room to store them, that goes for all the charity shops too. Shameful.

I find that very sad. I wonder if there was a local carboot sale that the books could have been sold at? I don't really understand charity shops dumping books. Could nobody working there put some away in their attic or garage until they sell what they have in the shop? Fairly simple solution as opposed to dumping something that someone will buy.

[Carnage]

It's the never ending stream of books coming in that's the problem. A mate works in a charity shop* in town, at times they have to refuse books because they've got such a mountain of them to get through, same all round. There has to be a better solution than dumping them though.

*The upside of this is that I get a shout if anything decent comes in.

[leatherface]

There used to be loads of second hand book shops/flea markets around Dublin. No shortage of places to dump unwanted books. Places like Chapters, and countless basements which weren't at all organized, you just had to dive in. Same goes for second hand record shops. Used to be a thing, not a thing anymore I see.  I remember a big outdoor flea market in Blackrock, stuffed full of records and books. All of which would probably be sold for a fortune nowadays (greedy sellers who never cared about vinyl before). Every time I come back to Ireland I barely recognize the city.


Currently reading short stories by Maupassant, short stories suit me best. Raymond carver is good for short stories too.

[Carnage]

There was one behind the Stephen's Green shopping centre I used to drop into, always came out with something decent. Another near (old) Tower Records that was more organised. Both presumably long gone.

Just finished Down And Out In Paris And London, throughly enjoyed it. Grim and grimy for sure, but strangely uplifting at times.

The Woman In Black by Susan Hill just came through the letterbox so it's either that or Hilary Mantel's The Mirror And The Light next.