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I hated that. It could have been really interesting, but he made it into a sort of "Look, here's me being amusing in Finisterre" sort of jobby.There is a different book to be written on this subject.
I'm reading this at the moment...Bloody marvellous… Link
Quote from: Barman on November 05, 2007, 01:03:31 PMI'm reading this at the moment...Bloody marvellous… LinkSNAP! Me too! Got it free from readitswapit
Quote from: tailgunner on November 05, 2007, 01:11:33 PMQuote from: Barman on November 05, 2007, 01:03:31 PMI'm reading this at the moment...Bloody marvellous… LinkSNAP! Me too! Got it free from readitswapitYeah, but it's crap!
11 of 21 people found the following review helpful: Shipping Forecast - becoming good, book - occasionally poor, 31 Mar 2006 By Radio 4 Fan (surrey) - See all my reviews I'd agree with "A reader" below that while the premise of the book is clever and the subject matter pretty interesting, the constant need the author felt to shoehorn witty asides into the text was irritating. This would not have been so bad if more of them had been genuinely funny. On reading the book, I was forever coming across examples of wit which would simply trip me up or stop me in my tracks.It is ironic that while the author praises the terseness and economy of the Shipping Forecast itself, the book is brimming with many pointless asides which could have been edited out to good effect.
The premise of this book is excellent and it contains some gems of interesting information. Unfortunately, however, Charlie Connelly felt the need to inflict hundreds of obvious and, frankly, unfunny 'jokes' upon his readers. My recommendation would be to skim read this book, focusing upon such fascinating sections as the history of the Principality of Sealand and the work of Henry Blogg of Cromer, whilst trying your hardest to ignore the irritating banalities of the author.
Quote11 of 21 people found the following review helpful: Shipping Forecast - becoming good, book - occasionally poor, 31 Mar 2006 By Radio 4 Fan (surrey) - See all my reviews I'd agree with "A reader" below that while the premise of the book is clever and the subject matter pretty interesting, the constant need the author felt to shoehorn witty asides into the text was irritating. This would not have been so bad if more of them had been genuinely funny. On reading the book, I was forever coming across examples of wit which would simply trip me up or stop me in my tracks.It is ironic that while the author praises the terseness and economy of the Shipping Forecast itself, the book is brimming with many pointless asides which could have been edited out to good effect.QuoteThe premise of this book is excellent and it contains some gems of interesting information. Unfortunately, however, Charlie Connelly felt the need to inflict hundreds of obvious and, frankly, unfunny 'jokes' upon his readers. My recommendation would be to skim read this book, focusing upon such fascinating sections as the history of the Principality of Sealand and the work of Henry Blogg of Cromer, whilst trying your hardest to ignore the irritating banalities of the author.
This was one of my surprisingly good reads of 2006. Having never heard the shipping news (well, consciously at any rate), this would never have been a first choice and I must admit to being a little dubious about receiving it as a gift.
This is a great book! If you have ever wondered where North Utsire is or what it may be like to have a North Easterly Gale force 8 blowing across Lundy, then this is the book for you. Connelly reveals each of the sea areas of the shipping forecast in turn in a very easy to read format. He is quite ready to share with us his failings but he also tells the reader about life on the edge of the coast with a gentleness lost in some others writings. If you liked Bryson, Hawks etc then you will like this book, even if you don't know your Bailey from your Viking.
The idea behind "Attention All Shipping: A Journey Around the Shipping Forecast" is so ingenious you wonder why nobody has ever done it before. Whereas many globe-hopping travel writers struggle desperately to come up with increasingly outlandish odysseys, Charlie Connelly has accomplished a much more impressive feat: revealing the extraordinary diversity that exists right here in the British Isles and their near neighbours. In a book brimming with characters and anecdotes, my favourites are the Crown Prince of Sealand (a rusty World War Two military platform in the North Sea) and the Pythonesque women who cheerfully bully their customers into buying Belgian waffles in the Choxaway Café at Land's End Aerodrome.
Simply one of the best books I have ever read.
The world is full of idiots. I am usually surrounded by them!
