What I'm reading

I have started One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson. I wanted something to lose myself in and I feel safe in this author's hands, as I have enjoyed her previous books. Here's the blurb:

It is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident - an incident which changes the lives of everyone involved. Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police, ex-private detective, is also an innocent bystander - until he becomes a suspect. With Case Histories, Kate Atkinson showed how brilliantly she could explore the crime genre and make it her own. In One Good Turn she takes her masterful plotting one step further. Like a set of Russian dolls each thread of the narrative reveals itself to be related to the last. Her Dickensian cast of characters are all looking for love or money and find it in surprising places. As ever with Atkinson what each one actually discovers is their true self.Unputdownable and triumphant, One Good Turn is a sharply intelligent read that is also percipient, funny, and totally satisfying.

God Collar - by Marcus Brigstocke

This book was, as I expected, an intelligent and very amusing consideration of what religion is all about, written in very much the way a stand-up comedian might deliver it. The author looks at what the major religions have to offer, but mainly investigates their shortcomings. He considers why religion/God is needed at all and how belief systems have evolved and fit into our world.

The book is also partly an autobiography, drawing upon the author's experiences and including lots of stories from his life. The most thought-provoking aspect is the observation that many people, who have addiction issues and overcome them, tend to find God. In the author's case, he then goes on lose God again, hence this book.

I found it an enjoyable read, that provided much food for thought. Putting over such big ideas, and making the reader think about them, is challenging, but the humorous style makes it painless.

What I'm reading

I have started God Collar by Marcus Brigstocke. It was time for some non-fiction, but I did not want anything too taxing. I have enjoyed hearing the author on the radio - he is extremely funny in a very intelligent way. I am interested in religion from an academic perspective, so this seemed like just the book for me.

The Girl Who Played with Fire - by Stieg Larsson

I was not disappointed with this book! It carries on neatly from the first one, but with a whole new thread. It kept me reading and it got harder and harder to put down. The story is complex, but the big challenge is keeping track of all the Swedish names.
By then end, I have arrived at various conclusions. At a certain level, it is the story of the love between two people, who will not admit it to themselves, let along to one another. The ending is a work of art. The story just stops, but you realise that all the loose ends have been tied up.
I have ordered the DVD of the (original, Swedish) movie and need to resist moving on to book #3 straight away. I feel very acutely the sadness that the world has lost such a gifted author.

What I'm reading

I needed something to get my teeth into, so I have started The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg  Larsson. Having enjoyed the first volume in the trilogy, I am looking forward to being immersed in this one.

It's Not What You Think - by Chris Evans

I was not a Chris Evans fan. I am not really into music radio generally and what I had seen of him just made me think that he was a bit of a jerk. However, my partner persuaded me to listen to his new [at the time] Radio 2 breakfast show a bit and I had to admit that he is a very skilled operator. She also read this book and recommended it.

I have turned around in my views. Evans is clearly a very special guy. He is smart and creative and this book really feels like he wrote it himself. The honesty shines through. He is very happy to blow his own trumpet, but, when he has screwed up (and he's done that a few times) he never tries to blame anyone else. The story has terrific pace and the idea that each chapter starts with a "top 10" is ingenious. His focus and determination are quite inspiring.

At the end I had the feeling that I would really like to meet him. Maybe he can be on my fantasy dinner party guest list. I look forward to reading the second volume of his story.

What I'm reading

I was getting a little tired of Map of a Nation, so I am giving it a rest. It is not that it is a bad book or uninteresting. I just found it hard going and the reverse on un-put-downable. So, I have started It's Not What You Think by Chris Evans. I used to have a rather low opinion of the author, but my partner has guided me to appreciate him more and recommended the book. As I always like autobiographies and this one is not ghost-written, I thought it worth trying. Here's the blurb:

The story of how one council estate lad made good, really very good, and survived – just about – to tell the tale…Chris Evans’s extraordinary career has seen him become one of the country’s most successful broadcasters and producers. From The Big Breakfast to Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday, Chris changed the TV landscape during the ‘90s; and on Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio, BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show and as owner of Virgin Radio he ushered in the age of the celebrity DJ.But this is only part of the Chris Evans story. In this witty and energetically written autobiography, Chris describes the experiences that shaped the boy and created the man who would go on to carve out such a dazzlingly brilliant career. Born on a dreary council estate in Warrington and determined to escape, Chris started out as the best newspaper boy on the block, armed with no more than a little silver Binatone radio that he would take to the newsagents each day and through which he would develop a life-long and passionate love affair with the music and voices that emerged.From paperboy to media mogul, It’s Not What You Think isn’t what you think - it’s the real story beyond the glare of the media spotlight from one of this country’s brightest and boldest personalities.

What I'm reading

I have started Map of a Nation by Rachel Hewitt. I have always liked maps and learning history in relation to something familiar can be interesting, so this book appealed. Here is the blurb:

Map of a Nation tells the story of the creation of the Ordnance Survey map - the first complete, accurate, affordable map of the British Isles. The Ordnance Survey is a much beloved British institution, and Map of a Nation is, amazingly, the first popular history to tell the story of the map and the men who dreamt and delivered it. The Ordnance Survey's history is one of political revolutions, rebellions and regional unions that altered the shape and identity of the United Kingdom over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It's also a deliciously readable account of one of the great untold British adventure stories, featuring intrepid individuals lugging brass theodolites up mountains to make the country visible to itself for the first time.

The Fear Index - by Robert Harris

I read this book in almost a single sitting - the dubious benefit of a day spent on trains and an aircraft. The story is fast-paced and detailed - just like I would expect from this author. It is more Dan Brown than Stieg Larsson in style, except that I have the impression that it has been subject to the rigorous research that I would expect from Harris and it is not littered with technical errors that seem to characterise Mr. Brown's efforts.

It is a gripping story, but I confess that, at the end, I am not 100% certain that I know what was going on. Had the computer system actually started behaving in amazingly "intelligent" ways or was Hoffmann actually losing his mind? Maybe it is supposed to be ambiguous. 

What I'm reading

I have started The Fear Index by Robert Harris. I thought that it was time for fiction again and wanted something to stretch me a little. I have enjoyed previous books by this author, but they have always been historical novels. As he has a background in history, I have come to trust his integrity and I am confident that I will learn something. This is his first foray into contemporary fiction, which will be interesting. Here is the blurb:

His name is carefully guarded from the general public but within the secretive inner circles of the ultra-rich Dr Alex Hoffmann is a legend – a visionary scientist whose computer software turns everything it touches into gold. Together with his partner, an investment banker, Hoffmann has developed a revolutionary form of artificial intelligence that tracks human emotions, enabling it to predict movements in the financial markets with uncanny accuracy. His hedge fund, based in Geneva, makes billions. But then in the early hours of the morning, while he lies asleep with his wife, a sinister intruder breaches the elaborate security of their lakeside house. So begins a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence as Hoffmann attempts, with increasing desperation, to discover who is trying to destroy him. His quest forces him to confront the deepest questions of what it is to be human. By the time night falls over Geneva, the financial markets will be in turmoil and Hoffmann's world – and ours – transformed forever.

How to Make a Tornado - New Scientist

This book delivered as advertised. It is a edited selection of more off-the-wall reports from New Scientist over the years. The material is assembled logically and introduced and contextualized in a witty manner. As a life-long collector of useless facts, I found it a compelling read.

What I'm reading

I have started How to Make a Tornado, which is published by New Scientist magazine. I thought that it was time for some non-fiction and a science book might be a good choice. As I have always enjoyed collecting random, useless information, this book seemed idea. Here is the blurb:

Science tells us grand things about the universe: how fast light travels, and why stones fall to earth. But scientific endeavour goes far beyond these obvious foundations. There are some fields we don't often hear about because they are so specialised, or turn out to be dead ends. Yet researchers have given hallucinogenic drugs to blind people (seriously), tried to weigh the soul as it departs the body and planned to blast a new Panama Canal with atomic weapons. Real scientific breakthroughs sometimes come out of the most surprising and unpromising work. How to Make a Tornado is about the margins of science - not the research down tried-and-tested routes, but some of its zanier and more brilliant by-ways. Investigating everything from what it's like to die, to exploding trousers and recycled urine, this book is a reminder that science is intensely creative and often very amusing - and when their minds run free, scientists can fire the imagination like nobody else.

Holes - by Louis Sachar

A good read. This is a slightly convoluted and complex story, where past and present events conspire together make the tale. It is also a study of human nature, with some good and bad conclusions. I kept turning the pages, as I was always confident that something was going to happen - and I was not disappointed. I liked all the little twists and unlikely connections and coincidences. I kicked myself for not spotting one connection that is only spelled out in the closing pages of the book. My only concern was that the whole story was a grand metaphor for something. If it was, it went right over my head.

What I'm reading

I have started Holes by Louis Sachar. I wanted an undemanding novel to read and I acquired this a while ago, then my daughter told me what an excellent book it was. Here's the blurb:

Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot.

The Dirty Life - by Kristin Kimball

This was a delightful book. The author managed to present an interesting balance between addressing various angles: the story of her moving to the farm; her relationship with Mark; the operation of a farm; food and cooking; their friends and families. Her writing is very evocative - in particular, the bits about food made my mouth water. It was an interesting contrast to a previous book I read about a couple setting up a farm in the UK. I enjoyed the factual stuff about how things on the farm worked, but also found the passage about the death of a horse quite emotional. Overall, it made me think about the way we run our lives and where our food comes from.

What I'm reading

I have started The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. My partner stumbled across this and recommended it. I think a biography is good after a complex novel. Here is the blurb:

When Manhattan writer Kristin Kimball arrived to interview Mark on a Pennsylvanian farm, she was wearing high heels and a crisp white shirt and had been vegetarian for thirteen years. That evening, she found herself helping him to slaughter a pig. By the next morning she was tucking into sizzling homemade sausages drizzled with warm maple syrup, and within a few months she'd given up her life in the city and moved with Mark, their combined savings, and a dozen chickens to a derelict farm in a remote corner of upstate New York. They gave themselves a year to transform 500 badly neglected acres into an organic community farm. Passionate, inspiring and gorgeously written, this is a story about falling in love with a man and with a different way to live, complete with runaway piglets and dew-fresh lettuce, sceptical locals and a wedding in a hayloft.

Case Histories - by Kate Atkinson

I guess this was a "typical" Kate Atkinson book: multiple story lines, which are connected in some way or another; lots of characters, some of whom are not all they seem; multiple timelines, sometimes obvious, other times a chapter takes place just before the previous one. All in all, a read that needs a fair amount of attention or getting lost is inevitable.

The author also has the knack of tell the reader just enough, but no more, information than they need to figure out what is going on. On finishing it, I sat back to wonder whether I got everything. Was Laura's killer who I thought it was? Was the girl with yellow hair Tanya?

Overall it was a good story, that demanded my attention and kept me turning the pages. All I ask from a book really.

What I'm reading

I have started Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. A while ago I read the 4th in the Jackson Brodie series, Started Early, Took My Dog, and enjoyed it, so I bought the first 3. This is the initial one. Here is the blurb:

Cambridge is sweltering, during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet – Lost on the left, Found on the right – and the two never seem to balance.Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life haunted by a family tragedy, he attempts to unravel three disparate case histories and begins to realise that in spite of apparent diversity, everything is connected…

The Sense of an Ending - by Julian Barnes

I am not sure about this book. It is basically the [fictional] life story of a guy. It is told in two [long] chapters. The first covers his school days into early adulthood; the second is set in his old age and is all about him figuring out what really happened in earlier years and understanding why various people behaved like they did. There is an interesting twist at the end, which makes some sense of it all and provides a real ending [closure] to the story.

I essentially enjoyed reading the book, but felt vaguely unsatisfied when I had finished.

I will now wait, with interest for the Booker Prize announcement ...

What I'm reading

I have started The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. I spotted this on the Man Booker long list [13 books] a few weeks ago and it looked interesting for some reason - also a good price on Kindle. I later heard that it had not only made the short list [6 books], but was the favourite to win. So, of course, I was keen to read it before the winner is announced [18 October].

Here is the blurb:

Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life.Now Tony is in middle age. He’s had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He’s certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer’s letter is about to prove.The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. 

You've Gone Too Far This Time, Sir! - by Danny Bent

I think that I can say that this book "did what it says on the tin". It is a personal, quite light-hearted account of the author's bicycle journey across Europe and down into India. Having said that, he does not paint a rosy picture - there was much hardship and he was close to failure numerous times. I felt that it was written honestly and it made me feel like I knew him a little bit. I was glad that he succeeded in his goal.

The downside of the book is that it makes any cycling I have done, or am ever likely to do, seem ridiculously tame.

What I'm reading

I have started You've Gone Too Far This Time, Sir! by Danny Bent. After the last book, which was long and required a lot of intellectual effort from me, I thought that a light autobiography might fit the bill.  Here is the blurb:

When Danny Bent cycled 15,000 kilometres from the UK to India to raise money for ActionAid, it was a decision that took twenty years and one minute. For twenty years he had wanted to do something to raise money for charity. The one minute was when as their teacher he was put on the spot by his pupils and declared that the means was by bike, and he was going to India.

What he had signed up for was slogging along roads with trucks bearing down on him, unable to see and choking in the smog; shooting down treacherous descents with 100 foot drops, shaking with cold and too numb to brake; muscle burn and saddle sores; delirium and food poisoning; thirst and malnutrition; foul and insanitary conditions; life-threatening crises; obstructive border guards, crazed dogs and inquisitive passers-by.

'You've Gone Too Far This Time, Sir!' is a real and compelling blow-by-blow account of Danny's trip across Europe, the former Soviet Republics, Russia, China, Pakistan and India.

And what people he met! They are the true delight of this book, mostly charming, sometimes reckless, occasionally threatening, always unpredictable, and forever inviting Danny to be up for the challenge of entertaining them, in one instance by dancing in front of a packed stadium, in another by eating sheep's brains in a local night market.

Danny turns the wheels, you turn the pages. The pace is relentless. The story is both heart-stopping and heart-warming. The arrival is breakdown-and-cry emotional. And there's loads of fun and wonderment along the way too. 

The Leopard - by Jo Nesbo

This was a long book and it took me a while, but fortunately it got un-put-downable quite fast and the Kindle doesn't make a book look so dauntingly big.

It is a complex mystery story about a serial killer in which the author frequently plays tricks on the reader, making you think you know something and then surprising you with a twist. There is some very gruesome violence in the book and the scene is set for this in the first chapter, where a horrible killing takes place.

The writing is definitely out of the same mold as Stieg Larsson, but I think Nesbo is actually a better author. Just like Larsson he sustains a complex story line, pays attention to detail and draws characters with just enough detail. Unlike Larsson, he does not waste pages on unnecessary ramblings - complete computer specifications for example.

All in all, a very good read which kept me totally engaged right up to the end. Although I did not like the violence, it was not gratuitous, so I am likely to investigate Nesbo's other books.

What I'm reading

I have started The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. My partner is reading this for her book club, so she asked me to get the Kindle edition. Reading the reviews, I thought that I would give it a go. He is described by some as the second Stieg Larsson. Here is the blurb:

In the depths of winter, two young women are found dead, both drowned in their own blood. Inspector Harry Hole, deeply traumatised by an investigation that threatened the lives of those he holds most dear, initially wants nothing to do with the case but his instincts take over when a prominent MP is found brutally murdered. The victims appear completely unconnected to one another, but it’s not long before Harry makes a discovery: the women all spent the night in the same isolated mountain hostel. And someone is picking off the guests, one by one...

365 Nights - by Charla Muller

My attention was drawn to this book a while ago. The idea of a couple setting out to have sex every night for a year was different, at least. I guess writing about it is either just as odd or inevitable, depending upon your perspective. Then I saw it at a bargain price as a Kindle e-book ...

First off, this is not a book about sex. We know how often they had sex, why they did it and how the author felt about it, but we are not privy to details of exactly what happened in their bedroom. I confess some slight curiosity, as "having sex" can mean different things to different people at different times, but we never find out.

The author takes the initial concept and uses it as a means to discuss numerous aspects of a woman's life in middle-class, 21st Century America. She uses "The Gift" as a thread through the story in quite an ingenious way. We learn a lot about her feelings and details of her life. For a man, reading about a woman's feelings is always an insight and this book is no exception. But this is also the flaw of the book - it is written purely from a woman's perspective. I would have loved to hear her husband's angle.

As it is, I think she makes two errors: First, she portrays sex as something that women deliver [maybe under sufferance] for men's pleasure. In my experience, it can and does work both ways. Second, she talked in terms of it being a challenge for her to "deliver" every night for a year and seemed to assume that her husband was blissfully happy with the arrangement. Perhaps he was. But, as a man, I would not want to receive this gift, as I would find the pressure to perform and the artificiality of the arrangement very off-putting.

Its faults aside, all in all I found this a good and enjoyable read and maybe I understand just a tiny bit more about how women see the world [or maybe I don't].

What I'm reading

I have started 365 Nights by Charla Muller. I was intrigued by the concept of this book as it challenged a taboo, which is always interesting. Here is the blurb:


For an entire year. The Mullers had a solid marriage and two wonderful children, but over the years sex had fallen low on their to-do list. The lack of intimacy wasn't causing them to drift apart, exactly, but their connection didn't seem as great as it could be. Charla decided that the couple would emabrk on a year of scheduled sex - falling over toy trucks and piles of laundry in an effort to make time for each other. There were obstacles along the way - when disasters at work intruded on their home life and when there were questions about the sex itself and faking it. Would physical love - whether good mediocre or ugly - make up for things that weren't so good? Charla and her husband had a whole year to find out...

Bombsites and Lollipops: My 1950s East End Childhood - by Jacky Hyams

This book is a quite well written [the author is a journalist] memoir of growing up in the East End of London in the 1950s. She describes living at that time very well and I thought that she gave a very good feel for what life was like. The latter end of the story - she finishes as she enters adulthood - coincides with the first few years of my life. So, I have no memory of those times, but it does have some familiarity. Some things were a surprise, of course. Most notable was the author and her friends encountering strong antisemitism in Paris in the early 1960s. The book is a nice blend of her personal story and an illustration of the time.

What I'm reading

Time for non-fiction again. I have started Bombsites and Lollipops: My 1950s East End Childhood by Jacky Hyams. I stumbled across it and thought that it sounded interesting, particularly as my own family had its origin to the East of London. Here is the blurb:

World War Two is finally over. Millions all over the country are starting to wonder if peacetime really is much of an improvement on the War. Food shortages, endless queues, power cuts, rationing and freezing winters make it extremely difficult to make ends meet as husbands return from battlefields to families they hardly know. Yet some East Enders are living large...in a bombed out damp and squalid Hackney slum, one family are leading a life of luxury, a loadsamoney world funded by illegal betting, where virtually everything is available, thanks to a thriving black market. The Hyams family has a retinue of unofficial servants: a chauffeur, a cleaner and an army of delivery men. They take seaside holidays in posh hotels and dine on the finest foods and delicacies money can buy...but at the core of their daily life, an ever-growing nightmare lurks, threatening to wreck their luxurious existence. In this honest and sincere memoir, Jacky Hyams revisits the 'live for today' world of her childhood, a world where money was no object, growing up in a household underpinned by betting, booze and bribes. From stories of her parents partying with the Krays in the East End of old, to the optimistic swinging sixties of London's West End, this is the intimate story of a unique childhood, set against the backdrop of squalid, post-War Hackney.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - by Stieg Larsson

As I commented before, I felt under pressure to enjoy this book, as it has had such good press. I need not have worried. I was not far through before it got to the un-put-downable phase. It is quite a long book, with a complex story and lots of foreign names, but I never felt lost or confused. I think my reasonable familiarity of (and affection for) the country probably helped.

The characters are well drawn, but leave enough to the imagination to keep me interested - Salander, in particular, is full of surprises. I think it is important to consider the quality of the storytelling and the quality of the writing separately. The story is powerful and well thought through and this will drive me to read the following two books. It is slightly hard to assess the quality of writing, when a book is read in translation. But I did feel that there were quite a few examples of excessive, intricate detail - like Salander's old and new computers, where we get a detailed specification. I also wonder if there was more sex in the book than necessary. I am not being prudish - I just thought that some of the sexual references detracted from the main story, which already had a sexual theme.

Now, out of curiosity, I will watch the DVD of the movie.

What I'm reading

I have started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This book is very well known, so I will not include the blurb. I think I am the last person in the Western world to read this book and feel under some pressure to enjoy it, as everyone tells me that I will. My past experience with Swedish novels has been less than positive - all rather gloomy. But I should not condemn all Swedish writers on the basis of two books.

The Donor - by Helen FitzGerald

I was intrigued by the concept of this book - to the extent that I pre-ordered it ahead of publication on Amazon [getting the Kindle version of course]. There is a single Dad with twin daughters, both of whom have a congenital kidney condition which is killing them. What is he to do? There was obviously lots of scope for a dilemma for him.

The subject was handled very well and the book really delivered. I was hooked quite quickly and it soon became hard to put it down. Some of it is rather unpleasant, but not gratuitously so. I am not sure that I liked the main characters, but I am not sure that I was supposed to!

Early on in the book, I thought [feared] I'd spotted an example of the "Dan Brown effect" - i.e. badly researched technical inaccuracies. The main character is using a digital camera in the mid/late 1990s. I later concluded that it was credible that he was an early adopter and had no more "scares". Around the middle of the book, I realize that there would be a twist at the end. I do not think it is obvious - I think I just happened to pick up the clues. It did nothing to diminish my enthusiasm to keep turning the pages.

What I'm reading

I have started The Donor by Helen FitzGerald. It was time for fiction again and I though I thought this very recently published book was an interesting concept. Here is the blurb:

Will Marion has two perfect kidneys. His daughters aren't so lucky. Question is: which one should he save? Will's 47. His wife bailed out when the twins were in nappies and hasn't been seen since. He coped OK by himself at first, giving Georgie and Kay all the love he could, working in a boring admin job to support them. Just after the twins turn sixteen, Georgie suffers kidney failure and is placed on dialysis. Her type is rare, and Will immediately offers to donate an organ. Without a transplant, she would probably never see adulthood. So far so good. But then Kay gets sick. She's also sixteen. Just as precious. Her kidney type just as rare. Time is critical, and he has to make a decision. Should he buy a kidney - be an organ tourist? Should he save one child? If so, which one? Should he sacrifice himself? Or is there a fourth solution - one so terrible it has never even crossed his mind?

The World's Greatest Idea - by John Farndon

The idea behind this book was interesting. The author and a small team arrived at a proposed list of the 50 best ideas ever conceived by mankind. By means of a website, they got lots of people to vote on them to establish an order. The ideas, from #50 to #1 are presented in order, with a short chapter for each one. The breadth of topics is wide, as the ideas range from writing to sense of self and from use of fire to logic. I think the depth of coverage of each one was just right and I enjoyed learning loads of random (useless?) facts. I did not cheat and skip ahead to see what chapters/ideas were coming, which helped me keep turning the pages.

What I'm reading

After a couple of fiction books, I thought it time to go back to non-fiction. I fancied a change from biography, so I have started The World's Greatest Idea by John Farndon. It looked like my kind of book, with lots of miscellaneous facts about the world. Here's the blurb:

An exploration of mankind’s greatest-ever ideas, from the author of the bestselling Do You Think You’re Clever?Where would humanity be now without fire, vaccinations, farming … or wine? A great idea is one that has changed the path of human civilisation. But which is the greatest of them all? John Farndon, author of the bestselling Do You Think You’re Clever?, has set out to find the answer.A distinguished panel of experts agreed on a list of 50 ideas, and each chapter of The World’s Greatest Idea sees Farndon explore the argument for a different one. The candidates are intriguingly varied: Electricity grids enable us to power our cities, but then sewers allowed those cities to grow. Without the wheel, modern civilisation would be pretty much impossible, but take away Logic and we’d lose the essential structures for rational thought ... But then what would be the point of all of this without the idea of romance?The World’s Greatest Idea is an enthralling voyage of discovery through the most powerful intellectual, social, scientific and creative brainwaves humans have ever had. They are ranked in the book determined by a public vote on www.theworldsgreatestidea.com But will you agree with the verdict?

Limitless - by Alan Glynn

This was quite a book! The basic premise - about a drug that provides the mental equivalent of the performance-enhancing drugs that sportsmen use - is quite straightforward. We hear the story from Eddie Spinola, who is a user of the drug, talking retrospectively. The story is gritty with some surprising twists. I suppose I was broadly sympathetic with Eddie and began to care about his fate.

The book soon had me hooked and turning the pages. I plan to get the DVD to see the movie.

What I'm reading

I have started Limitless by Alan Glynn. I thought that a lighter weight novel might be in order. I seem to recall that I got this at a bargain price and understand that it was made into a film earlier this year. The main premise of the story is the existence of a drug that greatly increases intellectual performance and the cumulative effects of such added capabilities.

Long Song - by Andrea Levy

This book is the story of the life of a slave girl in Jamaica in the mid-nineteenth Century, told in her own words. It is a very graphic story, some of which illustrates how horrifically some people can treat their fellow human beings. It is more than just a study of the life and conditions, it is a true life story with lots of insight into the characters of the people around the author - both black and white.

I was impressed by the use of language. It is written in the appropriate patois, but this is rendered with a light touch, with just enough unusual words to give it a genuine ring, but not so much that it gets in the way of clarity. I found it quite straightforward to read and it kept me turning the pages. I read it amazingly quickly, helped by dead time during a recent business trip.

I had high expectations of the author's work and I was not disappointed.

What I'm reading

I have started Long Song by Andrea Levy. Time for some more fiction. I don't think that this book will be an easy read, but I read Small Island a while ago [and saw the film], which was excellent, so I know that it will be worthwhile. It was recommended by a friend who read it for her book club and said that some of the description of how slaves were treated is rather harrowing.

Moab is my Washpot - by Stephen Fry

Having read the second volume of Stephen Fry's autobiography, I had high expectations of this, the first volume. I was not disappointed. The book covers all his early life up until he went to university. He writes with almost shocking honesty, covering very personal things like his early sex life and homosexuality, his criminal exploits and an attempt on his own life. One of the clearest things, that I observed, is that he never seems to try to put himself in a good light, as many celebrities do - quite the reverse, in fact. Maybe it's a kind of double bluff.

The book is written in the inimitable Fry style, which means that it is always entertaining and his penchant for unusual words meant that I was glad to be reading it as an e-book and could do dictionary lookups so easily.

I still don't understand the title.

What I'm reading

As usual, after fiction I want something else. The last book was emotionally hard work, so now I need something easier. I read the second volume of Stephen Fry's autobiography a while back and enjoyed it a lot, so now's the time to step back and read about his earlier life - I have started Moab is my Washpot. Odd title.

Room - by Emma Donoghue

This is an amazing book, which was very hard to put down.

The story is told by Jack, who is 5 years old and has spent all his life in an 11 foot square room with his mother. It quickly becomes apparent that they are being kept prisoner and we can see how his mother has evolved ways to handle the situation. The author had a big challenge to firstly put herself in the position of such a young child. She did a very convincing job of showing how different [and odd/illogical] the world would seem. She also had to consider how these very unusual living circumstances would affect that view and, again, her attention to detail is excellent.

Looking at the premise for the story, one might expect it to be rather grim or shocking. At times it is both. At other times it is very funny. What it is never is boring. The book has an amazing pace that kept me turning the pages right up to the end. It also does have an ending; it doesn't just stop. However, I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that there is not something horrendous waiting to bite you late in the story.

What I'm reading

Time for fiction again and I have started Room by Emma Donoghue. The premise for the story intrigued me: It is written from the viewpoint of a 5 year old boy who lives in a room with his mother and knows no other world. I have a feeling that it won't be a bundle of laughs...

What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography - by Alan Sugar

I was interested to read this book, as I enjoy autobiographies most when they are about someone whose life has been connected, or at least concurrent, with my own. Although the author may not have been familiar to me over all those years, the events that he writes about and his companies and products are very familiar.

The book is quite comprehensive, covering: his early life, starting in business, the rise and fall of Amstrad, involvement with Sky, his work in football, The Apprentice and his recent political activity. The strong factors, that I see all through the story, are his intelligence and clear-sightedness, along with his short temper, but he is always thinking about and relying upon other people.

I am sure that many autobiographies are ghost written. There is something about the style of this one that makes me feel that it really is Alan Sugar's words. In some respects, the writing style is clumsy, but he's not a professional writer. I suppose it could just have been written very cleverly by someone else. I choose to believe the honesty of the writing and enjoyed the book very much.

What I'm reading

After some fiction, time for some non-fiction and biography is always a good bet. I have started What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography by Alan Sugar.

Imperium - by Robert Harris

I was looking forward to this book, as I have enjoyed several of the author's previous ones. It took me a while to read, but I was not disappointed. The story is broadly about Cicero's rise to power - ultimately becoming Consul. In the process I learned a lot about Roman politics and how their society was organised, all at a brisk pace that keeps the pages turning. In particular, it was interesting to appreciate that the process of law was the cornerstone of their government - much the way it is in Western democracies today.

At one point in the story, a character is endeavouring to gain some absolute power and is positioning himself accordingly as the only way to defeat a rather Ill-defined enemy - some pirates. He states: "Those who are not with us are against us". Familiar, eh? I think this was the author humorously likening the political system then to the current "war on terror".

The story is told from the viewpoint of Cicero's slave and private secretary, Tiro. This is a mechanism that works well. I was only about a quarter of the way into this book, carried along by the pace of the story, when my enthusiasm made me purchase the next volume, "Lustrum". I understand that the third and last will be published this year.

What I'm reading

I have started Imperium by Robert Harris. I have previously enjoyed several books by this author. He fulfils one of my key criteria for reading a novel: I want to feel that I have learned something. I have a lot of faith in his integrity.

The Hare With Amber Eyes - by Edmund de Waal

This book is really a history of the author's family from the mid-1800s to the present day. But he uses a novel way to tell the story - tracing the fortunes of a set of Japanese carvings - the netsuke - over the years.

It took me a while to read, as it is quite a big book. I also struggled a bit at the beginning - it did not engage me until about one third of the way through. I suppose that the lives of the idle rich in the late 19th Century does not interest me, but the background to the first world war and thereafter was fascinating. I learned a lot. I guess my only criticism/disappointment is that there are no illustrations of the netsuke.

I mostly read this book on my new Kindle, but also on the iPad in low light.

What I'm reading

I have started The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal. I like to kind of alternate between fiction and non-fiction and this was being serialised (in abridged form) on the radio (a common source of inspiration for my reading) and sounded interesting. The book seems to have received a lot of media attention and promotion of late.

The Observations - by Jane Harris

This book took a little while, simply because it is quite long (by my standards - 500+ pages in the paper edition). Not a hard read - it kept me turning the pages.

The story is written from the viewpoint of a maid. This is made a little more complex by some parts of the text being extracts from a journal that she was required to write, where she embellishes the truth or even makes things up. Essentially the story is about the relationship between the maid and her mistress, who behaves in odd ways. It turns out that there are are two reasons for this: she is doing what we would call a psychological study of the servant class; she is somewhat unhinged as result of events in the past, which were learn about as the story progresses. The end of the story has a twist and, although there is a true ending, I guess the door is left open to a sequel.

As far as I can tell, this is a new author. On the strength of this book, I'll look out for anything else by her.

What I'm reading

I have started The Observations by Jane Harris. Although I like swapping between fiction and non-fiction, the last book was light-weight and this is a full size novel. I got it at a bargain price from Amazon [Kindle]. I believe it is the first novel by this author. I am rather critical of historical novels sometimes, as some authors are careless. The jury is out on this one.

The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps - by Michael Faber

I read this one very quickly! Partly that was because it was a short book - only 126 pages in the print edition - but also because it was well paced and kept me turning the pages. It was essentially an extended short story in it's form.

The story is told from a single viewpoint, which seems unusual nowadays, but, for a shorter piece, makes sense. It is a kind of love story, built upon an investigation of a historical artefact, which is slowly revealed. In the same way that the investigation reveals more, as the story progresses, we learn more about Sian, the main character. This culminates in a nice twist towards the end. All in all, a good read.

What I'm reading

I have started The Hundred and Ninety-nine Steps by Michael Faber. Time for some fiction again. I got this at a special price for Amazon [Kindle e-book again]. It is not a long book, so it shouldn't take long.

Blink - by Malcolm Gladwell

A fascinating book. It is about our innate ability to arrive at conclusions instinctively, using our subconscious more quickly and effectively than conscious thought. The book is not about neuroscience - more applied psychology. It his full of stories and examples that illustrate the author's points perfectly. I learned a lot about how my brain works. It explained many of my own experiences. A spin off was the clearest description of what autism is all about. Some of the ideas are a little complex, which makes it a slightly demanding read, but it is well written enough to keep the pages turning.

What I'm reading

Time for some non-fiction, I thought, so I have started Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a book about how we think - specifically how we can often arrive at instinctive/intuitive decisions very quickly. Again, I am reading this as an e-book on my iPad.

Started Early, Took My Dog - by Kate Atkinson

What an excellent book! It is a complex story, told from a number of characters' viewpoints and there are flashbacks to the events of 30 years before. Regardless of the complexity and the many characters, I never felt lost, as the pace of the book and the inclusion of "reminders" in the way the text flowed kept me going.

It's essentially a "who done it", but with much more subtlety than that genre might suggest. For a long time you are unsure what they had done, let alone who was the bad guy. The multiple threads all interlink to build up the picture of the true sequence of events. If I have a criticism, it is that the ending is a bit disappointing. The important stuff is all tied up, but one is left unclear about where a couple of the main characters might go next.

I realised that this is the fourth book in a series that feature Jackson Brodie, one of the main characters. I will certainly be reading the others.

What I'm reading

I have started Started early, Took my Dog by Kate Atkinson. I spotted this book in the Amazon Kindle store and, having a recollection that I enjoyed the author's work in the past, thought I would give it a go. After reading just a few pages, I remembered the writing style: excellent economic descriptions and a complex web of characters and story. I was hooked in no time.

Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe by Martin J. Rees

Again, I have read a book in quite a short time. This is partly helped by some train/plane journeys, partly because I'm reading it as an e-book (which seems to encourage me), partly because I am making an effort to put time aside for reading, but it is also because it's a pretty good book.

The idea of the book is to review the current (10 years ago) state of the art in cosmology in layman's terms - though I think a reasonable scientific background is needed to grasp some of the ideas. The author uses the values of six "parameters" of the Universe to drive the story and constantly considers how things would have been different if these values had been just slightly varied. All in all, I felt it gave a good explanation of the Big Bang, dark matter and string theory and provided much food for thought.

A tiny downside of the book was that there were substantial faults with the "translation" to an e-book. In one place it seems to skip a couple of pages. Not a disaster, but annoying.

What I'm reading

Time for some non-fiction again. This time a science book: Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe by Martin J. Rees. When I first saw the details of this book, I thought it was about numbers like pi and e. But actually it is about some values of cosmological constants that determine the form of our Universe from the sub-atomically tiny scale to the huge dimensions of intergalactic space.

War Horse - by Michael Morpurgo

I read this book quite quickly. Maybe the low reading age helped, but I was also moved along by the pace of the book.

The story is about a horse that is plucked from rural England and used in the battlefields of World War 1. What is interesting is that it is told exclusively from the horse's viewpoint. Somehow the author did this without me having the feeling that he was anthropomorphising the creature. The story is a little sentimental, but not unrealistic. As I have faith in the author's integrity, I am confident that I learned a bit about the war and the world at that time.

All in all, a story with a beginning a middle and an end, which leaves me very keen to go to see the well spoken of dramatisation.

What I'm reading

I have started War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. I was inspired to get it as I have heard a lot about the successful show in London. It is listed as a children's book (age 9-12), but IMHO good writing is good writing and the author has an excellent reputation. It is quite short and should not take me long. I am reading it as a Kindle e-book on my iPad.

Memoirs Of A Not So Dutiful Daughter - by Jenni Murray

There are numerous ways to structure an autobiography, but most writers go for the obvious, chronological approach. This book is different. She writes about a year in her life, with each chapter covering a month - a very challenging year in which she faces the deaths of both her parents and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. She uses this chronology as a vehicle to introduce "flashbacks" that cover her earlier life. Somehow this just works.

The book is written in a clear, straightforward - perhaps journalistic - way, which makes it quite easy to read. But there is much sensitivity and emotion in the words. For me, a lot was close to home: chemotherapy, the death of a loved one and encounters with a care home and a hospice.

It kept me reading to the end and I think a lot of the story will stick with me.

What I'm reading

I have started Memoirs Of A Not So Dutiful Daughter by Jenni Murray. I enjoy biographies, autobiographies particularly, and the author is a very familiar voice to me, as I hear her on the radio several times every week. This does not promise to be an easy or jolly read, but I look forward to it nevertheless. I am reading it as an e-book on my iPad.

The Glassblower of Murano - by Marina Fiorato

At last, I have read a book in a sensible time. I achieved this in two ways: I was travelling on business last week and that leads to plenty of "dead time" [on aircraft etc.]; I have developed a habit of setting aside a little "reading time" each day. The latter is an obvious thing to do, but somehow it had eluded me before.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is well written with enough pace to keep me turning pages right to the end. It is two, parallel, linked stories. Essentially it is about Leonora, who, after her divorce, goes to Venice to try to make her career in glass blowing and look into her family history. The parallel story is a few hundred years ago and is about her ancestor, Corradino, and that mirrors Leonora's voyage of discovery. I have no idea to what extent, if any, the story is based upon historical facts. I need to check up on that. The book would make an interesting movie.

Apart from being set in a fascinating city - Venice - the book brings together two interests of mine. I am learning Italian, so the frequent language references were interesting. Much I could understand or figure out from context, but I still made lots of notes and "dog ears" - so easy to do with a e-book. I have been on a couple of glass blowing classes, so that side of the story interested me. In fact, I just got a copy of the book for a friend who attended one of the classes with me, as I think she will enjoy it. I was intrigued by references to Corradino using his bare hands to work the glass and, thus, smoothing the skin on this fingers, so he left no fingerprints.

What I'm reading

I have started The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato. Time to read another novel, I thought. This was among a bunch of Kindle e-books that I got at a bargain price. As I started to read it, I realised that it brings together two interests of mine: Italian language (which is scatted throughout) and glass blowing. I am reading on my iPad, of course.

Our Farm: A Year in the Life of a Smallholding - by Rosie Boycott

Reading this book seemed to take for ever! It wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it. I think it was, once again, the fact that I don't have good slots in my life for reading, except when I'm travelling. I'm going to fix that.

On the surface, is book is about the author's experience in setting up and running a smallholding. That aspect is certainly interesting, with insights into the finances and the mechanics. She rights with a keen eye for detail - I'm not sure I enjoyed the visit to the abattoir with the pigs! She uses the telling of the story as a vehicle for discussing other topics: the way supermarkets operate with farmers, food manufacturing, Fibbinaci numbers and so on. The diversions were always interesting and I knew she'd get back on track. I used one of her tangential topics for another blog recently.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and felt I learned a lot, which is something I always hope for, whatever I'm reading.

What I'm reading

I have put The Atheist's Guide to Christmas on hold - probably for about 11 months. Now the season has passed, so has my incentive to read it.

I have started Our Farm by Rosie Boycott. It is the autobiographical account of the establishment of a smallholding by the author and her husband. Along the way there is much background information about food production and distribution etc. This is a topic that interests me. I recently joined the excellent local library and this is a "real" book on loan from there.