What I'm reading

I have started The Atheist's Guide to Christmas by Ariane Sherine. I am not an atheist, but I thought a collection of entertaining essays on the topic might make some light reading. I am not sure where I found it, but I notice that all proceeds are going to a worthwhile charity [and it was only 93p]. I am reading it as an e-book on my iPad.

Soul Identity - by Dennis Batchelder

This story involves an organization, who are founded on the belief that we each have a soul, the unique identity of which may be determined by studying the characteristics of an individual's eyes. At any one time, only a single individual carries a particular identity, but, over time, many people may carry the same soul - this is a "soul line". The organization - Soul Identity - enables people to pass on artefacts, money etc. to future carriers of the same soul. Soul Identity is being attacked and the book is about the fight against that attack.

Overall, the story is well paced and the beginning sucked me in straight away. The science/technology seems basically sound, though I felt there was often unnecessary detail. The writing style show a little inexperience and is clumsy at times. There are too many characters, a number of whom are not memorable. The love/romance interest is a beautiful, red haired, Russian geekess, who is also rather "fast". I felt that the author was simply documenting his own fantasies, which added little to the story.

As a first novel, I think this book stands up well. I think the author's original thinking shows promise for the future.

What I'm reading

I have started Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder, which I am reading as an e-book on my iPad.

It is a thriller, with some science fiction leanings, as far as I can tell.

I think I was drawn to it by its rating on Amazon, which in turn was achieved in part by its zero price tag. I observe that it is self-published and the authors second, follow up book has a low price.

The Fry Chronicles - by Stephen Fry

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I enjoy autobiographies in general, and I'm a big fan of Stephen Fry in particular. He is top of the list of guests for my fantasy dinner party; on this list, he is in the minority because he is still alive.

The bottom line is that I enjoyed it very much. It took me a while to get through, which was partly because I was busy, but I think I was also not keen for it to end.

As you might expect, if you are familiar with Fry, the book is well written and his voice is very clear - no ghost writing going here! I read it as an e-book on my iPad - mainly because I was impatient to get my copy and the instant delivery is a boon. I was glad I did, because he is a sesquipedalianist - he likes using long, obscure words. Being able to look them up at a touch, without having to keep a real dictionary on hand, was very nice. He also invents new words. I particularly liked "badolescence".

The book is full of quotable lines like "Success has a dozen parents and failure is an orphan" and "The man who put the turd in Saturday Live".

Fry is a great name dropper, but I don't think he can help it, given the circles he moves in. Sometimes he gives some interesting insight into other well known figures. For example, on Alan Bennett: "It is a very Bennetty kind of shyness that sees performing on stage in front of hundreds of strangers as less stressful than attending a party." I never thought I'd empathise so strongly with Alan Bennett, but that rings so true.

All in all, a good read. And I am now going to read his earlier volume "Moab is my Washpot".

What I'm reading

I have started The Fry Chronicles by Stephen Fry. I am a big fan of Fry - I think he's one of the cleverest and funniest people in the media. I very much like his way with words. As I also like autobiographies, the choice of this book was natural.

I am reading it as a Kindle e-book on my iPad. It's what Stephen would have wanted.

The Finkler Question - by Howard Jacobson

I was slightly nervous about reading this book, fearing that a Booker winner might be too heavy going and a struggle to finish. It wasn't easy and it did take a while, but I got through it OK. The writing style is actually quite relaxed and manages to introduce touched of humour, even though the subject matter is quite serious.

On the surface, it is a story of a period of time in the lives of three men - two Jews and one who aspires to be Jewish. But really it is an investigation into what being Jewish is all about. One of the characters is called Finkler and another uses this as an alternative word for Jew. Hence the book title. It also considers the question of what loving someone is all about.

Having spent a lot of time with Jewish people over the years and having some Jewish blood myself, the topic interests me and that curiosity drove me along, as well as wondering what would happen in the story. I learned lots of facts about Judaism, along with strong impressions and feelings about the emotional landscape. Where else would I learn the Yiddish word "svontz"?

Reading it as an e-book proved useful. Apart from the accessibility and portability and being able to acquire it quickly, the availability of an easy dictionary lookup proved invaluable, as there were many words that I needed to check. Sadly there were also some also some errors that crept into the conversion - mostly superfluous hyphens or omitted spaces.

What I'm reading

I have started The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. I was excited when I saw that this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, as I met the author a few times when he used to own a shop down in Boscastle, and I have read some of his earlier books. Although he doesn't live there any more, I have followed his career over the years. So, when the book won, I had to read it, even though I would normally consider a Booker as likely to be too highbrow for me.

I am reading the book as an e-book on my iPad - I was impatient to get my hands on it.

One Day - by David Nicholls

I still do not recall exactly what led me to read this book. I have a suspicion that it may have been pushed at my by Amazon, but, anyway, I have quite enjoyed the read.

The idea is simple. It is the story of the lives of two people, starting from the day they graduate from university. Each chapter talks about the events on a particular day over a number of years, thus giving a series of snapshots of their lives. I think this was quite an original approach and works well.

The story progresses at a good pace, with the odd surprise and temporary confusion. At about 90% of the way through there is a major surprise, which, while trying to not give anything away, completes the structure of the story. Earlier on, I was concerned that the book might just stop, without any real conclusion, which would have been disappointing. I was not disappointed.

I am left wondering whether I like either of the two main characters and I am curiously unsure, but I think the story as a whole will stay with me.

What I'm reading

I have started One Day by David Nicholls. I am not sure where I heard about this book, but it sounded intriguing. Each chapter is about about a particular day in the lives of two people - a sort of couple. Each one is exactly a year after the last. I am reading it as a Kindle e-book on my iPad.

The Help - by Kathryn Stockett

This took me a while to read. I am not sure why, as it is not too long and not particularly hard going. I guess I had distractions. But it was worth the effort. I went through the usual three stages of reading a good book: a little while getting into it; the cruise, when it is hard to put down; slowly finishing, when I don't really want it to end.

The book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963/4 and is largely centred on three characters: Skeeter, white girl from a rich family, who wants to be a writer/journalist, and Aibileen and Minny, who are both black domestic staff. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of these three. Basically, the story is about Skeeter writing a book, which describes the lives of black maids at that time in that area. The book is anonymous, set in a fictional town and all the names were invented. The content of the book is scandalous and a backlash was inevitable, but the subtle nuances that ensue are quite unpredictable.

The author tells us that the story is "fiction - by and large". That is a very good get out and implied that there is a considerable amount of factual material. This strengthens one's feelings about the book. It is, at various times, funny, heart-warming and deeply shocking. It is hard to imagine that people ever treated their fellow man so badly and thoughtlessly, let alone these events being so recent.

All in all, it ranks among the best books I have ever read and will stay with me for some time to come. If this book makes me, and other readers, just think for a moment about how we treat others, the author's time was well spend.

What I'm reading

I have started The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Several people have sung the praises of this book and it is doing well in the Amazon charts, so I thought I would give it a go. I am disconcerted by the way the first chapter is primarily written in Mississippi dialect, but I'll crack on.

Liberty - by Garrison Keillor

This was a fun book that kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed the read.

It is the story of Clint Bunson's slightly late mid-life crisis. He has reached the age of 60 and is wondering whether he made a dreadful mistake nearly 30 years ago and has wasted his life. This is set against the 4 July celebrations in Lake Wobegon, the organization of which is a further distraction to him.

One one side, it is a serious story about getting older and wondering "what if ...", but it is written in a light-hearted and easy to read style, with sharply drawn characters and many moments of humour.

The author's use of words is always precise, with occasional moments of inspiration. At one point, he is discussing the working of a committee and says "After all was said and done, a lot was said and not much done." Elsewhere, he refers to the result of someone passing wind with a charming simile: "The smell in the air was like buzzards had died from eating rotten eggs."

I will certainly come back and read some more by Garrison Keillor in due course.

What I'm reading

I have started Liberty by Garrison Keillor. I have enjoyed listening to The News from Lake Wobegon for many years and I love his way with words, so it'll be interesting to work through a whole book. I am reading it as a Kindle ebook on my iPad.

The Pilot's Wife - by Anita Shreve

I chose this book on the strength of the "blurb" on the back, which promised an intriguing story. On this it delivered. The story starts with a pilot's wife learning of her husband's death in a crash. She then goes on to find out much about him she did not know before.

I found some of the use of language a little awkward, but maybe that is partly to do with the age of the book ('90s), where terms like "telephone receivers" were in common use. Also, it is an American book, so maybe the author can be excused when using the word "ale" to refer to the stuff we drink in pubs. I visualised the laugh I'd get if I ordered a "pint of ale" in most English pubs. Having said this, there is the occasional floweriness or odd turn of phrase that I was disconcerted by. There is a reference to someone's "sexual life"; most people would surely say "sex life".

However, overall I enjoyed the book. It kept me turning the pages, as I wanted to know what would come next, and I read it in a lot less time than the last book! I like the feeling of being engaged with a book and looking forward to the next read and it gave me that. I have no plans to methodically work my way through all the author's other books, but I'd happily read another one if it turns up.

What I'm reading

I have started The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve. I have had this book a while, having bought it when I was last in the US in April. It was my insurance against running out of reading matter on the way home. I decided that I wanted a book with a story, so this should fit the bill.

At Home - by Bill Bryson

It took me a while to get through this book! There are several reasons for that. Firstly, it's quite a big book. Second, I just don't seem to get enough time to do reading. Third, I needed to "process" the content.

The book is really a semi-random selection of fascinating social history topics, loosely themed by the rooms in Bill's house. Hardly a page went by when I didn't learn something new or have my beliefs challenged. It is an excellent book, which I enjoyed very much and it easily earns a long term place on my bookshelf.

In a way, I wish I'd read this as an e-book, because I could then have easily added annotations and bookmarks to the particularly interesting bits.

What I'm reading ...

I am just about to start At Home by Bill Bryson. I have read some reviews and heard him discussing it on the radio this afternoon. The book is sub-titled "A short history of private life", which sums it up well. His goal is to write about social history from the perspective of how we use each of the rooms of our houses.

I have been a fan of Bryson's since I heard one of his early books serialized on the radio in the early 1990s. I believe that I have read all his books and I have met him a couple of times - once at a book signing, but earlier at a recording of the Bookclub radio programme. He is about the only author whose books I pre-order, unseen, in hardback when they are first announced. I am looking forward to diving into this one.

More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea - by Tom Reynolds.

Having read the author's previous book - Blood, Sweat and Tea - and enjoyed it, I was keen to see the follow up. Like its predecessor, it is essentially a transcription of the guy's blog, with occasional update comments. The author works for the Ambulance Service in London and his blog is drawn from his everyday experiences. As such, there is really no beginning, middle and end - it just starts and eventually stops. This makes it very easy to dip into and read a little when convenient. This fits my lifestyle very well.

Overall I enjoyed the book. He is very much a people person and it is the little details of people's lives that fascinate him and which drive his writing. This is certainly an interest that I share. It is unfortunate that he often feels moved to comment on the shortcomings of the Ambulance Service and the NHS management. Generally, he is saddened by under-resourcing and too many arbitrary performance targets. He gives a lot of insight into how the service works and it would certainly influence my decision to dial 999 [or not].

I read this as an e-book and found that the format worked well for me. I will definitely be reading more books in this way, particularly if I am travelling.

What I'm reading ...

I have started More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea by Tom Reynolds.

This book is a collection of blog entries by a paramedic talking about his professional life and his observations about people. It is a sequel to an initial volume that I read a while ago. Easy, entertaining reading that is easy to dip into.

As an experiment, I am reading this as an e-book. It seems to be going well so far.

E-books

All my life I have loved books. I was surrounded by them as a child and cannot remember a time when reading was not part of my life. As a child, my ambition was to write a book. When I was 16 I started on a science fiction novel. I wrote about 30,000 words of drivel. I think I still have the MS in my attic. I finally achieved my ambition when I was about 30.

I own lots of books. They take up an inordinate amount of space and just a few in a box make it too heavy to lift. As I am planning to move house, this is an issue that is on my mind just now. In recent years, I have got better at letting them go. Now, once I have finished reading a book, if I am quite sure that I will not refer to it again, I get rid of it - either sell it or donate it to a charity shop. But maybe a better solution is coming along ...

The demise of conventional paper books has been predicted for many years, as they are replaced by electronic books of some kind. Is that going to happen sometime soon?

Of course, we routinely refer to documents on the screen of desktop computes or laptops, but that is hardly the same thing as reading a whole book. I first tried this about 7 years ago. I was a regular user of Palm devices and got one with a larger screen and wondered what else I could do with it. I read a short novel (Nicholas Sparks, if I recall) using this device. It was easy enough, but did not become a regular habit. Why not? The simple answer is availability. This has two facets. First, the number of e-books available was very limited. Second, the device did not have the power capacity to be used for hours at a stretch.

Things are changing. I have been interested in e-book readers for a while - like the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle. But I never felt that they got cheap enough for a single function device. They both made significant advances on the availability front, with quite large libraries of material and excellent battery lives. But then along came iPad.

It is not just an e-reader - iPad is many other things as well. So it's higher price is more readily justified. Battery life is not as good as dedicated devices, but not at all bad either. Availability of material is good too. Apart from Apple's iBooks offering (which I have yet to be able to sample), the Kindle app gives easy access to Amazon's products. I am sure that others are available and more will come.

I am currently giving it a try. I have obtained some Kindle books and seeing how comfortable I am with reading on the iPad screen. I have reservations about staring at an illuminated screen just before going to sleep. Only time will tell whether this is a problem. I love the way that I can litter books with notes and bookmarks and automatically keep my place in several books at once.

I have always been a big fan of Douglas Adams, who was so creative and far sighted. Some years ago, he was the keynote speaker at a conference that I was attending. I was too busy to go to his talk, figuring that I would get to see the Great Man on another occasion. I was wrong, as he tragically died a few months later. One of his most original creations was the concept of the interactive e-book, which he called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It is so sad that he did not live to see this concept embodied in iPad.

Time Traveler - by Dr. Ronald Mallett

Although the title of this book may make it sound like I am on some kind of theme, it is really just a coincidence. I got this book under semi-random circumstances. I had set out for a trip to the US with two reading books and read both of them on the flight over. This left me with nothing for the return flight. I figured that this wasn't a problem, as they have book stores in the US. Not in downtown San Jose they don't! I was amazed to hear that there was not a single book store within walking distance of my hotel, despite it being near the Convention Center and the University. I concluded that this was not a big issue, as I knew there were shops at the airport, but I happened to stop by the shop at The Tech [science/technology museum] and perused their selection of science-oriented books and was attracted by this one.

It is the auto-biography [a genre that I enjoy] of a guy whose father died when he was young. He began to wish he had a time machine to go back and see his father again. This was not just an idle fantasy - it became a lifelong quest. From very humble beginnings, he went on to become a professor of theoretical physics and devoted much research to the possibilities of time travel.

It is a moving and well told story of his journey. As the news has not had headlines of the form "Scientist travels back in time to see father", I am not giving anything away by revealing that he has, as yet, not built a time machine. But I think the author himself would agree that sometimes the journey is more rewarding than the arrival at a particular destination. And he hasn't given up yet.

The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger

It is a little while since I read this book. I had heard many good reports of it, but also comments about it being hard to get into initially, but worth the effort. It did take me a few dozen pages to get my head around the time streams, but I guess that many years of Dr Who, Star Trek etc. had prepared me well. I felt a little trepidation, as it is quite a large book and I had not been reading for a while, but I found that I was gripped well enough to not put it down.

It is a thoroughly enjoyable read, a cracking story, which is ultimately all about the people and their relationships. The time travel is just a very imaginative vehicle to carry the story.

Having read the book, I wanted to see the movie, which had mixed reviews, but I was too late, as it was no longer showing. I had it await the release of the DVD, which I bought and viewed recently. This was what spurred me on to write about the book now.

I felt the movie captured the essence of the book very well and we found it very moving. My only tiny disappointment was that a latter [the final?] scene was not included in the movie.

Portuguese Irregular Verbs - by Alexander McCall Smith

I am not sure where this book came from. Having read some of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, I guess the author's name must have caught my attention.

This book is subtitled A Professor Dr von Igelfeld Entertainment and is a collection of eight loosely linked stories covering the Professor's career. The lynchpin of the stories is the Professor's single major publication from which the title of this book is taken, which has sold as few copies as one might expect for a large volume covering such an obscure subject.

All in all, I was entertained and would happily read the other follow-up volumes, but probably would not seek them out. Entertaining.

The Road - by Cormac McCarthy

I was slightly daunted by this book. Although it is not excessively long [about 300 pages], there are reviews on the back cover suggesting it is worthy of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I tend to dismiss books that win such awards as being too highbrow and hard work for a casual reader like myself. But I was wrong ...

The story is about a man and his son making a trek across a post-apocalyptic [burnt] America. We are never told their names or precisely what the nature of the prior destruction was. Was it a nuclear war, or was it a natural disaster [like the eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano]? What we are told is a lot of detail about the world in which they find themselves, which is portrayed very graphically. Equally, their state of mind and feelings and those of people they encounter is clearly conveyed.

I found the book totally compelling and read it surprisingly quickly, finding it quite un-put-downable. It certainly helped a long flight pass comfortably. Highly Recommended.

Einstein's Dreams - by Alan Lightman

This book was a present last Christmas. It is unlikely that I would have read it had I not received it as a gift, but I am glad that I did.

It is a set of short essays, each presented as if it were a dream experienced by Einstein. The theme is that each dream takes place in a different world/universe, where the nature of time is different from what we are used to. For example, in one universe, the degree of order [entropy] tends to increase, the reverse of what we expect; for instance, a broken object reassembles itself. In another universe, each person's perception of time was different; one individual may observe a woman as rushing by, whereas another observer may see her strolling slowly.

I found this quite easy to read, entertaining and thought provoking. Each dream is described very much in terms of the people and their experiences, which brings it to life. Recommended.

Reading again

After a rather longer than expected break, I have started reading again. As I continue to be able to forget a book as soon as I've read it, I thought I'd get back into the habit of posting a few notes after I finish each book.