The GOT Book Club

[COYBL25]

Absolutely. It's stunning.

One of the things to do with the background is what's called the 'transumanza' (transhumance in English). This is when people would drive sheep or cattle over the mountains to summer pastures and then back again at the end of the summer. You can (or could) actually book the very limited places to walk with the South Tyrolean shepherds who still do this in the spring.

https://www.unesco.at/kultur/immate...manz-schafwandertriebe-in-den-oetztaler-alpen (nice photo gallery but all in German)

There are also old smugglers' routes all over the mountains between Austria and Italy, which you can still walk.

From finding pollen in his stomach contents and on his clothing unique to that area, they formed the opinion that " Otzi " had been a shepherd on those very pastures you describe and had been in the process of bringing livestock down from the upper pastures in early Autumn, when the first snows arrive and had suffered a catastrophic accident, that ultimately led to him becoming entombed in the ice and preserved for over five thousand years.

 

[atrottel]

From finding pollen in his stomach contents and on his clothing unique to that area, they formed the opinion that " Otzi " had been a shepherd on those very pastures you describe and had been in the process of bringing livestock down from the upper pastures in early Autumn, when the first snows arrive and had suffered a catastrophic accident, that ultimately led to him becoming entombed in the ice and preserved for over five thousand years.

Did they have all the stuff about having to redraw the border because of the find? And the Italian scientists discovering wounds that the Austrians had missed?

 

[COYBL25]

Did they have all the stuff about having to redraw the border because of the find? And the Italian scientists discovering wounds that the Austrians had missed?

All of that is in there, plus the damage that was done to him, when the original local government officials decided he was " probably " a hiker, who`d died on the mountain and just hacked him out of the ice.

There`s loads of stuff they missed first time around, as every specialist who examined either him, or things like his clothes, tools, stomach contents etc found something new.

The final scientist ( the one who found the pollen ) blew away the accepted version of his death, which was he that died where he was found and virtually proved beyond doubt, that he died somewhere else nearby and was carried to his final resting place by the movement of the ice he was entombed in over the five thousand years he was trapped in the ice.

By the sounds of it, it`s a book you`d enjoy every much.

It`s a bit scientific in parts, but even with my very basic knowledge of things like DNA, I got the gist of what they were talking about.

 

[atrottel]

By the sounds of it, it`s a book you`d enjoy every much.

Yes, we had an Austrian book about it but I think that got chucked in the last clear-out.

 

[Bryan+]

Just finished read Tony Bourdains book, I mentioned it here but can’t find it, probably the best book I have ever read. I’ve come to admire his writing and his very brave honesty.

 

[Bilko]

What it says on the tin, whodunit, lots of suspects,twists throughout.
If you haven't read Karin Slaughter, she's decent.

 

[Bilko]

Found this one hard work, near enough 200 pages of setting the scene, not one I'd run to pick up and got easily distracted from reading.
It was just OK imo

 

[Bilko]

Depth Q, currently running on Netflix, anyone read the novels ?, seems like there are 10 novels, Jussi Olsen the author, I enjoyed the tv programme, wondering whether to invest.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Read Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads recently, from a couple of years back. Technically brilliant as usual, doubt I've read anyone as good as him with characters in a domestic setting - usually one undergoing rapid deterioration. Weaves together different viewpoints at different time periods with exceptional skill.

A little bit miserable tbh - like you get the sense in some books that the author loves certain characters, like it was a joy to write them. Not here, felt like every character was fking their life up in some major way. He is meant to be carrying on the family into a second book so perhaps there will be some big redemption arcs.

 

[Efcjake]

Just finished read Tony Bourdains book, I mentioned it here but can’t find it, probably the best book I have ever read. I’ve come to admire his writing and his very brave honesty.

The bit where he's off his tits building a pastry coliseum sticks in the memory

 

[DualityNSNO]

No idea if I wrote it here, but currently reading Shogun, about to finish it soon (I'm at chapter 47 or 48; total is 61 I think). Great book and hard to put down when you start, just engaging and easy to read. Currently life has been too busy to allow me to read as much as I'd like, but for such a hefty book I didn't expect to go through it as fast.

 

[Old Blue 2]

Hmmm! The first 106 pages (6 chapters) and the Battle of Britain period has not yet been reached! Plenty of quotes from letters home from army troops, paratroopers, and those with AA batteries, and from German newspapers.

One suspects that in this, the 85th anniversary year of the Battle of Britain, many publishers will be trading on the name 'Battle of Britain' to sell works not fully/wholly related to it.

As one who has researched extensively, and written works, on the Battle of Britain over the decades, this kind of work saddens me. And it is not the only one (no names, no pack drill)...

 

[COYBL25]

I’m not into golf at all, but a mate who is recommended this !

Having read this, it’s very hard to put into words how abhorrent Trump is in everything he does.

One line stood out for me, “ Trump is a human flame thrower, he torches everything and everyone he comes into contact with “

It was very very funny in parts, but also tragic at the same time, that this outright grifter is now using his presidency to grift the whole world.