What I'm reading ...

I have started The Turning by Tim Winton. I was recommended this book by a friend, who was impressed by the quality of the writing. Although I’m not a fan of short stories most of the time - I like something to get my teeth into - the fact that these are linked piqued my interest. Here’s the blurb:

In these extraordinary tales about ordinary people from ordinary places, Tim Winton describes turnings of all kinds: second thoughts, changes of heart, nasty surprises, slow awakenings, abrupt transitions. The seventeen stories overlap to paint a convincing and cohesive picture of a world where people struggle against the terrible weight of their past and challenge the lives they have made for themselves.
Tim Winton is indisputably one of the finest storytellers working in the English language. Now he gives us seventeen exquisite overlapping tales of second thoughts and mid-life regret – extraordinary stories of ordinary people from ordinary places. Here are turnings of all kinds – changes of heart, nasty surprises, slow awakenings, sudden detours – where people struggle against the terrible weight of the past and challenge the lives they’ve made for themselves.

In Search of Nice Americans - by Geoff Steward

This book was an enjoyable, easy read. It made me smile a lot and laugh out loud from time to time. Whilst I would not want to follow in the author’s footsteps for the most part, there were two or three places which I thought I might like to visit. The book was an ideal holiday read. The promotion for the book suggests that it is in the same class as Bill Bryson. To me, I can see why they might be compared, but, as a long term fan, I have to say BB still has the edge.

What I'm reading ...

I have started In Search of Nice Americans by Geoff Steward. I wanted light, non-fiction for a change and something autobiographic would fit the bill. This book was “sold” to me on Facebook and the reviews were mostly good. Here’s the blurb:

Like most of us, Geoff Steward was rocked by 2016's litany of horrors. Unlike most of us, Geoff did something about it.
Turning his back on his day job as a lawyer - and the requirement to account for every six minutes of his time - Geoff set off across America in hot pursuit of bears, honky-tonk bars and, above all, nice Americans to restore his faith in the world.
Armed only with his blend of waspish wit and mischievous charm, Geoff roamed from New York to Alaska, meeting ordinary Americans such as Joe le Taxi, the former NYPD police officer who was one of the first on the scene at the Twin Towers; Pam and Bob, a paranoid psychiatrist and a failed actor who once saw the back of Meryl Streep's head; and Sheriff Duke of Calhoun County, who reintroduced Geoff to the long (and armed) arm of the law.
For anyone at a crossroads, contemplating a temporary or permanent career break, this hilarious travel romp offers a new hope.

The Current War - by Adam Cline

This book essentially delivered in terms of providing some further background to the film, which I found interesting. Some of the details conflict with what occurred in the film, but I am not going to be picky. I have two gripes. Firstly, the book is not particularly well written and the editing seems to be non-existent. Also, it did not answer what, for me, was a key technical question: Why was it more efficient to send AC over long distances compared with  DC? Was it simply the fact that voltage changes with AC are easy and harder with DC?

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Current War by Adam Cline. I have just seen this film and I was interested in some background information and this short book looked as if it might do the job. Here’s the blurb:

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, the introduction of electricity brought with it two competing systems of electric power transmission. A powerful individual backed each system.
On one side was Thomas Edison, the savvy inventor and businessman. On the other side was inventor and industrialist George Westinghouse.
The two of them got embroiled in a nasty confrontation as each of them fought to ensure his system would become the industry standard.
In this book, Author Adam Cline gives a fascinating account of a commercial and technological feud that involved a public debate over the safety electricity, an aggressive and deceitful propaganda campaign and the introduction of the electric chair. 

Consider Phlebas - by Iain M. Banks

It was interesting to read a sizable sci fi book again - and this one kept me going for a while. A key criterion of mine was met: there was no clear violation of the laws of physics. For me, sci fi has to be a vision of the future or another part of the Universe that I find credible. Although long, this book was well-paced and it kept me turning the pages - it certainly lived up to some people’s description of it being a “space opera”.

I guess that I have 2 criticisms of the book. First, I found the death toll rather wearing. Second, at the end of the book I had this “where do we go from here?” feeling. All the loose ends were tied up, which I would normally regard as a good thing. However, this is the first book of a series [there are 10 currently], so I expected it to be a “scene setter” for the subsequent books. Other than explaining more or less who/what the Culture is, it gave me little in the way of expectations for the other books.

I am wondering whether each book in the Culture series is essentially stand-alone and the Culture merely provides a consistent framework for the stories. Maybe I will find out sometime, as I think I will probably read more of the series in due course.