I have started The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. I previously read What Alice Forgot and The Hypnotist's Love Story and enjoyed those, so, as it was time for fiction again, this was an easy choice. Here is the blurb:
Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.
Curious, she opens it - and time stops.
John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of others.
Cecilia - betrayed, angry and distraught - wants to do the right thing, but right for who? If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most . . .
26 Nov 2013
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - by Scott Adams
As I expected, this was an entertaining and thought provoking read. I am not sure whether it is a self-help book or an autobiography. Maybe, as it is always good to learn from other people's experiences, all autobiographies are, in effect self-help books ...
Adams covers numerous aspects of life and discusses his approach. Mostly its a matter of applying his core philosophies: have systems instead of goals and embrace failure as just part of the process. There are plenty of amusing anecdotes and off the wall ways to think about stuff which made me smile, but that does not detract from the good advice and food for thought served up on just about every page.
I have been known to express the view that the last name Adams is a sign of genius [as in Douglas as well as Scott]. This book does nothing to change my mind.
Adams covers numerous aspects of life and discusses his approach. Mostly its a matter of applying his core philosophies: have systems instead of goals and embrace failure as just part of the process. There are plenty of amusing anecdotes and off the wall ways to think about stuff which made me smile, but that does not detract from the good advice and food for thought served up on just about every page.
I have been known to express the view that the last name Adams is a sign of genius [as in Douglas as well as Scott]. This book does nothing to change my mind.
17 Nov 2013
What I'm reading ...
I have started How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams. It was time for non-fiction and this book just came out. I enjoy the author's blog and have been a Dilbert fan for years. Maybe I'll learn something or just have a smile. Here's the blurb:
Dilbert creator Scott Adams' funny memoir about his many failures and what they eventually taught him about success.
Scott Adams has probably failed at more things than anyone you've ever met. So how did he go from hapless office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world's most famous comic strips, in just a few years?
No career guide can offer advice that works for everyone. Your best bet is to study the ways of others who made it big and try to glean some tricks that make sense for you. So here Scott Adams tells how he turned one failure after another - including a corporate career, inventions, investments, and two restaurants - into something successful. Along the way he discovered some unlikely truths. Goals are for losers; systems are for winners. Forget 'passion'; what you need is personal energy.
In this brilliant book, Adams shows us how to invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket. While you laugh at his failures, you'll discover some helpful ideas for your own path to personal victory.
16 Nov 2013
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared - by Jonas Jonasson
An excellent read - a book which kept me turning the pages and constantly intrigued about what might happen next.
The structure of two separate timelines worked very well, but, to me, raised some questions. Were the past events supposed to be fact or the ramblings of an old man? Were they just an excuse for the author to take a romp through 20th century political history? In any case, they seemed so unlikely that they made the main story line seem almost plausible.
I was amused to see the book described as "feel good" in a review, which seems surprising as, early on, two young men meet an untimely end. But I guess that, by contrast to other "Scandlit" like Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, it is rather tame.
The structure of two separate timelines worked very well, but, to me, raised some questions. Were the past events supposed to be fact or the ramblings of an old man? Were they just an excuse for the author to take a romp through 20th century political history? In any case, they seemed so unlikely that they made the main story line seem almost plausible.
I was amused to see the book described as "feel good" in a review, which seems surprising as, early on, two young men meet an untimely end. But I guess that, by contrast to other "Scandlit" like Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, it is rather tame.
9 Nov 2013
What I'm reading ...
I have started The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It is my next book club book and I have heard good things about it. Here's the blurb:
It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan’s earlier life in which – remarkably – he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun and feel-good book for all ages.
It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan’s earlier life in which – remarkably – he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun and feel-good book for all ages.
How Many Friends Does One Person Need?: Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks - by Robin Dunbar
A fascinating book which I really enjoyed reading. Ever since I read The Blind Watchmaker year ago, I have had an enduring interest in evolution. The author really brings the subject to life, frequently discussing the genetics of a particular evolutionary phenomenon. He even proposes an evolutionary origin for religion and clearly explains why Shakespeare was a genius.
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