Sunday 22 November 2009

Jobs at Telegraph

Tuesday, 18th November 2008

A Book A Week

Peter Hoskin 4:58pm

Just to flag up a little task I've set myself over at the Spectator Book Club.  The plan is for me to read a book each week, and review and discuss it on the site's discussion board.  The first book will be Tom Bower's biography of Gordon Brown, and the thread for it - along with more information about my future reads - is here.  It 's certainly not obligatory, but 'twould be nice to see some CoffeeHousers over there - if only so you can make sure I don't skip a week...

Blogs: Martin Bright | Susan Hill | Alex Massie | Melanie Phillips | Faith Based | Cappuccino Culture

Actions: Email to a friend  |   Permalink   |   Comments (6) | Subscribe

Post this entry to:   del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Comments Post comment

a source close to William Norton

November 18th, 2008 5:42pm Report this comment

Gordon Brown? Yawn-yawn-yawn. What every household ought to read this year for Christmas is:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Elephant-North-East-Said/dp/1904863280/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227029879&sr=8-14

The Dandiprat

November 18th, 2008 9:43pm Report this comment

Tom Bower, get a life.

How about "Norman Lamont: The Early Years".

Reg

November 18th, 2008 11:17pm Report this comment

A book a week?

Having to for work for a living is such a bitch.

Verity

November 19th, 2008 1:04am Report this comment

Gosh, Pete! Thanks for letting us know it's not obligatory!

Reg - Pete is the anchor that keeps everyone sane around here and with endorphins not totally leeched out of commenters by the design of these blogs. Good grief, poor Pete responds to angry emails from his home on a Sunday evening. He looks for lost emails from people overseas before his working day in Britain begins. He offers peaceful explanations.

I for one am glad to read that he is going to get a chance to loll around reading a book ... although a biography of Gordon Brown, even by the readable Tom Bower, doesn't exactly push the boat out as a debut.

A Doctor writes

November 19th, 2008 9:13am Report this comment

Verity is quite right about the dangers of over-stressing yourself whilst working on a top-flight high-profile blog such as this. I would have no hesitation in prescribing that Pete immediately starts reading:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Elephant-North-East-Said/dp/1904863280/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227029879&sr=8-14

Bruce Fleming

November 19th, 2008 10:55am Report this comment

"White Elephant" by William Norton is a pulsating 480 page slab of hormone-injected political meat; the greatest book about a referendum ever published in the English language; a vast, rambling, mesmeric labyrinth of a book; a total artwork on the trade-off between love and power with a cast of mermaids, dwarves, giants and gods, who age visibly before your eyes as The Drama unfolds. This is the real deal. This is William Norton philosophising with a hammer. Referenda will never be the same again. Political literature will never be the same again. Fall in line, you little men, for the Iceman cometh. Join him this Christmas as he declaims in his cold, white, candent voice, more caustic than silver nitrate and more thrilling than a scream.

"William Norton … wandering over a sea of fog, walking in a winter wonderland." (Philip Hensher, Spectator)

"It will make you laugh. It will make you cry." (Val Hennessey, Daily Mail).

Post comment

Back to top

Tag Cloud

Coffee House archive

sponsored links

Spectator recommends

Spectator classifieds

      GASCONY

GASCONY, SW France, near Condom-en-Armagnac 13th Century stone house, 21st Century luxury for 12 in 5 en-suites. 50 acres +

BIG SAND STEEL BAND

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION and looking for some light entertainment, you can now hire London's busiest steel

BOSC LEBAT, Tarn et Garonne.

BOSC LEBAT, SW France. Only 45 minutes from Toulouse Airport with daily flights from most provincial airports avoiding the horrors