I have started An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris, my next book club book. Harris is a favourite author of mine, so I am looking forward to this. This is the first time my book club has returned to an author, so I guess my view is not isolated. Here’s the blurb:
Paris, 1895: an army officer, Georges Picquart, watches a convicted spy, Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of a baying crowd.
Dreyfus is exiled for life to Devil's Island; Picquart is promoted to run the intelligence unit that tracked him down.
But when Picquart discovers that secrets are still being handed over to the Germans, he is drawn into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit and corruption that threatens not just his honour but his life...
29 Jan 2016
Inflight Science: A Guide to the World from Your Airplane Window - by Brian Clegg
As expected, this was a pleasant, light-weight read, which air travel as an excuse to discuss various scientific topics. I learned some things here and there and had other matters clarified, which is all I might have expected. However, when I read "When Krakatoa erupted in 1883 around 20 cubic kilometres of ash and rock was spewed out by the explosion – the equivalent of a cube of material around 20 kilometres on each side.”, I was perturbed and somewhat lost faith in the author’s integrity. [A cube 20Km on each side would be 8000 cubic Km; a 20 cubic Km cube would be about 2.7Km on each side. Which did he mean?]
22 Jan 2016
What I'm reading ...
I have started Inflight Science: A Guide to the World from Your Airplane Window by Brian Clegg. It was time for some non-fiction and I wanted something fairly light and entertaining. This looked about right. Here’s the blurb:
There are few times that science is so immediate as when you're in a plane. Acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg shows how you stay up there – but that’s only the beginning. Inflight Science explains the ever-changing view, whether it’s crop circles or clouds, mountains or river deltas, and describes easy-to-do experiments, from showing how a wing provides lift to calculating the population of the towns you fly over. You’ll learn why the coastline is infinite in length, the cause of thunderstorms and the true impact of volcanic ash on aircraft engines. Fascinating facts to discover include: The jet stream winds are so fast that a plane travelling west to east within them can fly beyond the speed of sound. The wingspan of a 747 is around twice the distance flown by the Wright Flyer on its maiden flight. With good visibility and total darkness, the human eye is so sensitive that you could see a single candle from the cruising height of a plane. Packed full of amazing insights from physics, chemistry, engineering, geography and more, Inflight Science is a voyage of scientific discovery perfect for any journey – even if it’s just in your armchair.
There are few times that science is so immediate as when you're in a plane. Acclaimed science writer Brian Clegg shows how you stay up there – but that’s only the beginning. Inflight Science explains the ever-changing view, whether it’s crop circles or clouds, mountains or river deltas, and describes easy-to-do experiments, from showing how a wing provides lift to calculating the population of the towns you fly over. You’ll learn why the coastline is infinite in length, the cause of thunderstorms and the true impact of volcanic ash on aircraft engines. Fascinating facts to discover include: The jet stream winds are so fast that a plane travelling west to east within them can fly beyond the speed of sound. The wingspan of a 747 is around twice the distance flown by the Wright Flyer on its maiden flight. With good visibility and total darkness, the human eye is so sensitive that you could see a single candle from the cruising height of a plane. Packed full of amazing insights from physics, chemistry, engineering, geography and more, Inflight Science is a voyage of scientific discovery perfect for any journey – even if it’s just in your armchair.
Rivers of London - by Ben Aaronovitch
I would generally describe myself as not being a fan of fantasy, as a genre of fiction writing. However, it occurs to me that there are broadly two types of fantasy. There is the type where one is presented with an alternative Universe, where everything is different; Terry Pratchett’s stuff falls into this category. The other type is where you are presented with an alternative view of the world that we live in, where there is more to it than we normally see; Harry Potter falls into this category. And so does this book, which is a kind of “Harry Potter for grown ups”. I realise that I am OK with this category of fantasy.
The book has a somewhat complex story line with lots of fairly well defined characters. The main protagonist, Peter, is quite clear and essentially likeable. Nightingale has an air of mystery about him, which is appealing and interesting. For the most part, I could accept and enjoy all the magic stuff, which I felt was quite well thought through. The ending of the story, however, was a little more fuzzy and abrupt than I might have liked. Also, there were numerous times when Peter seemed to know what to do next and it was unclear [to me] how he gained this knowledge. Maybe it was just the result of his magic talents.
I might be inclined to read more books in this series.
The book has a somewhat complex story line with lots of fairly well defined characters. The main protagonist, Peter, is quite clear and essentially likeable. Nightingale has an air of mystery about him, which is appealing and interesting. For the most part, I could accept and enjoy all the magic stuff, which I felt was quite well thought through. The ending of the story, however, was a little more fuzzy and abrupt than I might have liked. Also, there were numerous times when Peter seemed to know what to do next and it was unclear [to me] how he gained this knowledge. Maybe it was just the result of his magic talents.
I might be inclined to read more books in this series.
4 Jan 2016
What I'm reading ...
I have started Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, my next book club book. I am not a big fan of the fantasy genre, but this book comes well recommended, so I’ll give it a go. here’s the blurb:
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ... and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden ... and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.
Gut: the inside story of our body's most under-rated organ - by Giulia Enders
This was an absolutely fascinating book. After reading it, I have a new-found respect for an important part of my anatomy.
The book is written in a very accessible style. There is enough scientific detail to give it credibility, but it does not seem turgid and technical. Although it is a translation from the original German, the text is very well crafted, making it entertaining and readable. The book covers the topic systematically, but not in the “home doctor” style; there is no intention that the reader should self-diagnose anything - just have some understanding of what’s going on in all those pipes ...
The book is written in a very accessible style. There is enough scientific detail to give it credibility, but it does not seem turgid and technical. Although it is a translation from the original German, the text is very well crafted, making it entertaining and readable. The book covers the topic systematically, but not in the “home doctor” style; there is no intention that the reader should self-diagnose anything - just have some understanding of what’s going on in all those pipes ...
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