What are you reading now?

[glenshena]

Just finished reading this years (2020) Booker prize winner Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. About a Glasgow family with an alcohlic mother who dies eventually because of her drink problem, and her three children are left to fend for themselves with no father in sight, growing up in a deprived area and living on social security. It is really quite a traumatic and depressing story, involving one son who is gay, and the language used is indecent to say the least. I couldn't give it to any family members as they would be scandalized at the language used.
Not a book I would recommend to the fainthearted, especially in these depressing covid days, and I shall gladly hand it in to the library
on my next visit to Saltcoats. The funny thing is that I ordered it on Amazon and I was sent TWO blessed copies!

[brian f]

That sounds interesting glenshena. I will pop in to my local library to see if they have a copy when things return to normal.. Hopefully soon . Thanks

[bobnetau]

Snuggie Bain was one of the books that I bought Bobby for Christmas. I will have a read of it when he is finished with it.

[Meg]

Dane Love - Ayrshire, Discovering a County - pub 2003. Dipping in and out of this - lots of info about Ardrossan - including the fact that during the 1920s and 1930s it was actually the British base of the Hudson Bay Company and handled large cargoes of fur, sealskin, fish and oil. It really is an interesting stroll through our county.

[Penny Tray]

Meg,

What Harm did the polar bears do you, not to get a mention

GLASGOW HERALD
5 JUNE 1947

ARDROSSAN AND THE ARCTIC

The Hudson's Bay Company who for over 10 years used Ardrossan as the British base for their Arctic fleet, have arranged an exhibit at the centenary industrial exhibition which Mr Tom Johnson will open at Ardrossan on Saturday.

The exhibit is a model of the 1500-ton ice-breaker and supply ship NASCOPIE.

In 1931 a half-completed ship in an Ardrossan shipyard was taken over by the company. The following year it was launched as the BAYESKIMO and used as a supply ship, going out every year to the Arctic trading posts and coming back to Ardrossan with furs, oil, and once or twice with live polar bears for transport to London.

Another ship, the BAYRUPERT, was also built at Ardrossan and became the base-port for the five other ships of the fleet. In 1932, however, Canadian Government pressure caused the company to transfer their ships to a Canadian base.

The last of them to leave was the NASCOPIE. This vessel, built in Newcastle in 1912, had for several years taken part in the annual spring seal hunt off Labrador, and included in her battle honours an encounter with a U-boat in the White Sea during the First World War.

Another of the fleet, the BAYCHIMO, was trapped in the ice many years ago, and is still sometimes sighted and respected as a ghost ship.

[brian f]

Just finished reading this years (2020) Booker prize winner Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. About a Glasgow family with an alcohlic mother who dies eventually because of her drink problem, and her three children are left to fend for themselves with no father in sight, growing up in a deprived area and living on social security. It is really quite a traumatic and depressing story, involving one son who is gay, and the language used is indecent to say the least. I couldn't give it to any family members as they would be scandalized at the language used.
Not a book I would recommend to the fainthearted, especially in these depressing covid days, and I shall gladly hand it in to the library
on my next visit to Saltcoats. The funny thing is that I ordered it on Amazon and I was sent TWO blessed copies!

That sounds interesting glenshena. I will pop in to my local library to see if they have a copy when things return to normal.. Hopefully soon . Thanks

Just reserved a copy online at my library - My position is 44/45 so I think I will have to save the pennies and buy the book from Amazon ..Kindle is a cheaper option but I don't think that will suit me .

[madge]

Just finished The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman from Pointless tv programme

Laugh out loud funny.




Madge