What I'm reading ...

I thought it might be interesting to read some epic sci fi for a change, so I have started The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton. This is a massive book and the first of a trilogy. I will see how it goes ... Here's the blurb:

In AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature’s boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems. And throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace. A true golden age is within our grasp. But now something has gone catastrophically wrong. On a primitive colony planet a renegade criminal’s chance encounter with an utterly alien entity unleashes the most primal of all our fears. An extinct race which inhabited the galaxy aeons ago called it “The Reality Dysfunction”. It is the nightmare which has prowled beside us since the beginning of history.

The Girl on the Train - by Paula Hawkins

I read this book quite quickly and, ultimately, enjoyed it. Clearly I am not alone, as I observe that it is the #1 selling Kindle book in the UK at the moment. The story was easy to read, but complex enough to keep me interested, employing 3 viewpoints and 2 timelines. I have to say that the characters are quite clearly depicted, but I did not like any of them. That is OK - I do not have to like the people to enjoy a book. What concerned me was that the main female characters are all rather self-obsessed and the males are testosterone-driven thugs. What does this say about the author and her background?

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I wanted some straightforward fiction to read. I had heard mixed views on this book, but it has been a best seller, so I thought I'd give it a go. Here's the blurb:

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough.
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…

H is for Hawk - by Helen Macdonald

I was recommended this book, it has won awards and the reviews that I have read have been very positive. So I had high expectations. A memoir about a part of someone's life - someone whom I had never heard of and whose passion is falconry - seemed unlikely to light my fire. However, the author's passion really shines through and, along with the superb quality of the writing, I was sucked in and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I would commend it to anyone who likes quality writing, even if for them, like me, birds of prey hold just a very passing interest.

What I'm reading ...

I have started H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. I was after non-fiction and this is well spoken of. Here's the blurb:

From the age of seven Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer. She learned the arcane terminology and read all the classic books, including T. H. White’s tortured masterpiece, The Goshawk, which describes White’s struggle to train a hawk as a spiritual contest.
When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel for £800 on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this widest of animals.
‘To train a hawk you must watch it like a hawk, and so gain the ability to predict what it will do next. Eventually you don’t see the hawk’s body language at all. You seem to feel what it feels. The hawk’s apprehension becomes your own. As the days passed and I put myself in the hawk’s wild mind to tame her, my humanity was burning away.’
Destined to be a classic of nature writing, H is for Hawk is a record of a spiritual journey - an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming. At the same time, it's a kaleidoscopic biography of the brilliant and troubled novelist T. H. White, best known for The Once and Future King. It's a book about memory, nature and nation, and how it might be possible to try to reconcile death with life and love.

The Red House - by Mark Haddon

It's always an issue, reading another book by an author after you have enjoyed something else by them. In this case, I was far from disappointed. I was very quickly engaged with the book and found it hard to put down, which is surprising because, on some levels, not a lot happened - it is just two families on a week's holiday together. The characters are, IMHO, very clearly drawn. The book is written from [at least] eight viewpoints and changes without any particular warning or indication, but I was never lost; the characters' voices are always clear. I was very impressed by the perspectives of the four male characters, as I could identify with so many details. Both the boys exhibit views that I recall from being their age; some aspects of each man resonate with me.

Will I read any more books by this author? Definitely!

What I'm reading ...

Time for my next book club book, so I have started The Red House by Mark Haddon. Having enjoyed his previous book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I am looking forward to this one. Here's the blurb:

Two families. Seven days. One house.
Angela and her brother Richard have spent twenty years avoiding each other. Now, after the death of their mother, they bring their families together for a holiday in a rented house on the Welsh border. Four adults and four children. Seven days of shared meals, log fires, card games and wet walks.
But in the quiet and stillness of the valley, ghosts begin to rise up. The parents Richard thought he had. The parents Angela thought she had. Past and present lovers. Friends, enemies, victims, saviours.

Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery - by Henry Marsh

An excellent book. The author maintains a healthy balance between talking about the actual brain surgery, his feelings and views about his work and the rest of his life. It is written with what I felt was great humility. He is proud of what he has achieved, but deeply saddened by his own failings. I am humbled to read about someone working with such skill and expertise, but still caring and modest.

What I'm reading ...

I was after a non-fiction, easy to read book and have started Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Here's the blurb:

Do No Harm offers an unforgettable insight into the highs and lows of a life dedicated to operating on the human brain, in all its exquisite complexity. With astonishing candour and compassion, Henry Marsh reveals the exhilarating drama of surgery, the chaos and confusion of a busy modern hospital, and above all the need for hope when faced with life's most agonising decisions.

Middle Watch - by Loretta Proctor

This book is unusual nowadays, as it has a single timeline and is told from a single viewpoint. The language used in the book is straightforward and makes for easy reading. The story, however, does have complexities, specifically the various relationships that Bridie has with the other characters, which is ultimately what the book is about. On a certain level, her uncertainties in this area are resolved by the way circumstances turn out. But I was left wondering whether she was happy to have everything clear or was just living with what was inevitable. The book left me with some questions [which is OK, as I will meet the author in a few weeks], but also with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. I wonder: and then what ... ?

What I'm reading ...

I have started reading Middle Watch by Loretta Proctor. This is my next book club book, which is particularly interesting, as the author is local to where I live. She is going to attend a meeting of our group in June to discuss writing and answer our questions. Here's the blurb:

Middle Watch is a time when a man alone on a lighthouse in those wee small hours feels he's the only person in the world. A man awake and alone in the darkness of the night has time to think, and sometimes those thoughts turn towards revenge and hate. Bridie O'Neill was taken in as a baby by Dad Joe, whom she adores as if he were her real father. Unfortunately, Joe is away at sea most of the time and Bridie has grown up under the thumb of his mean-spirited wife, Millie, and her two bullying sons. The only joy in her life comes from the beautiful coastline near their home and Joe's occasional visits. When things come to a head between Bridie and Millie, Joe realises he needs to take Bridie - and himself - away from his poisonous wife. He starts a job as a lighthouse keeper at Longships Light. Bridie's life is transformed by this new life close to the wild Cornish seas. There she meets the dark, brooding Ryan, son of the Principal Keeper. The two young people fall deeply in love with one another. But Joe's family are not ready to let Bridie go. She is haunted by the idea that Millie will come after her, and Joe's older son Jim is starting to look at Bridie with a most unbrotherly interest. Wanting to escape the emotional turmoil and prove herself, Bridie sets out on her own to find work in London - but her actions set forth a chain of events that will end in tragedy on a lonely lighthouse amongst the crashing waves of the sea...

The Ruby in the Smoke - by Philip Pullman

Overall I thought that this book was a good read. As I gather it is aimed at younger readers, it is not very challenging to read, but that is not a criticism. The story is somewhat complex, but not baffling. There are quite a lot of significant characters, but I was never lost, so I suppose there weren't too many. It is a thriller, so I guess the fact that the whole story is incredibly unlikely doesn't matter. For a while, I found Sally a rather irritating character, as she seemed intelligent, but clueless. Then I remembered that all 16 year old girls are irritating.

I am not sure that I will read any more books in this series, as I have much competition for scarce reading time, but I would not reject one either.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman. This is my next book club book, which is annoyingly unavailable on Kindle. I have read other books by this author, but I am fairly sure that I have not read this one. Here's the blurb:

Sally is sixteen and uncommonly pretty. Her knowledge of English literature, French, history, art and music is non-existent, but she has a thorough grounding in military tactics, can run a business, ride like a Cossack and shoot straight with a pistol. When her dear father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, Sally is left to fend for herself, an orphan and alone in the smoky fog of Victorian London. Though she doesn't know it, Sally is already in terrible danger. Soon the mystery and the danger will deepen - and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the ruby in the smoke...

Talk Like TED - by Carmine Gallo

In some ways this is a typical American business book - it has some fairly basic ideas, which are repetitively addressed in a variety of ways. Having said that, I felt that the ideas were valid and useful and the discussion and background gave them context. I believe that many presenters would learn a lot from this book. I have sat through too many long, boring presentations, so I see room for improvement.

Personally I did not learn a great deal of new stuff from this book, but a number of my ideas about how to make presentations better were reinforced and justified by the author's research. This will give me greater confidence in implementing them myself and advising others.

Bottom line: IMHO, anyone who does presentations - even infrequently - should read this book.

What I'm reading ...

I have started reading Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo. My wife drew my attention to the book, having heard the author on the radio, so I had a listen and my interest was piqued. Then I spotted it was #1 on a best seller list for business books. I figured it might be helpful professionally. Here's the blurb:

TED talks have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking around the world. TED and associated Tedx conferences are held in more than 130 countries and are being viewed at a rate of 1.5 million times a day. These are presentations that set the world on fire, and the techniques that top TED speakers use are the same ones that will make any presentation more dynamic, fire up any team, and give anyone the confidence to overcome their fear of public speaking. Communications coach and bestselling author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, Carmine Gallo has broken down the top TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters as well as the top researchers in the fields of psychology communications to get their cutting-edge insights and to reveal the 9 secrets of all successful TED presentations. From 'Unleashing the Master Within' and 'Delivering Jaw Dropping Moments' to 'Sticking to the 18-minute Rule' Gallo provides a step-by-step method that makes it possible for anyone to create, design, and deliver a TED-style presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable. Ideas are the true currency of the 21st century, and Carmine Gallo’s Talk Like TED gives readers a way to create presentations around the ideas that matter most to them, presentations that will energize their audiences to spread those ideas, launch new initiatives, and reach their highest goals.

The Life and Science of Richard Feynman - by James Gleick

This book took a while to read, but it was worth the effort. I was only slightly familiar with Richard Feynman before, but now feel that I know him quite well. The book is an excellent balance between a discussion of him as a person and him as a scientist. The science is covered in a lot of detail at a level that I found accessible and interesting. From time to time the book goes off at a slight tangent and spends a few pages talking about one of his colleagues. As they were always of significance in his life, I found these interludes helpful and interesting.

By the end of the book, I was a little sad that Feynman is less of a household name than some other scientists of the 20th Century, with whom he was associated. Einstein, Dyson and Oppenheimer come to mind. I do feel that the author made a good effort to set the record straight.

Heart of Darkness - by Joseph Conrad

The bottom line is that I did not enjoy reading this book. Even though it is quite short, it seemed to drag on for ever without going anywhere. It reminded me of the description of the play Waiting for Godot: "The play in which nothing much happens. Twice." I had the general impression of Marlow rambling on to his shipmates through the night - long after most had fallen asleep. The style of writing is rather Victorian - very much a case of "why use one word when 12 will do". The character Kurtz is supposed to be "memorable", but I was left with no real impression of him and was mystified by Marlow's string feelings about him. When I [mercifully] got to the end of the book, I felt as if I had read a book, from which a large number of pages had been removed. [But, on a Kindle, that would seem unlikely.]

What I'm reading ...

I have started Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, having put my previous book on hold for a while. This is my next book club book. We have chosen to read two Conrad books because his son used to own my house and we liked the historical connection. Here is the blurb:

First published in 1902, Conrad's story describes intensely and in stark detail how greed can so easily drive civilised and enlightened men to revert to primitive savagery. Set against the background of the European ivory trade in Africa, 'Heart Of Darkness' is narrator Marlow's account of his journey in search of the legendary and mystical Kurtz, the most successful trader of them all, who is now reported to be ill. Marlow's quest becomes both a harrowing journey of self-discovery and haunting description of the brutality of colonial exploitation; while Kurtz himself is one of the most memorable creations in modern fiction.

What I'm reading ...

I decided it was time for something serious, but not too heavy. Biography is a good bet. So I have started Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick. This should feed my interest in science too. Here's the blurb:

An illuminating portrayal of Richard Feynman—a giant of twentieth century physics—from his childhood tinkering with radios, to his vital work on the Manhattan Project and beyond
Raised in Depression-era Rockaway Beach, physicist Richard Feynman was irreverent, eccentric, and childishly enthusiastic—a new kind of scientist in a field that was in its infancy. His quick mastery of quantum mechanics earned him a place at Los Alamos working on the Manhattan Project under J. Robert Oppenheimer, where the giddy young man held his own among the nation’s greatest minds. There, Feynman turned theory into practice, culminating in the Trinity test, on July 16, 1945, when the Atomic Age was born. He was only twenty-seven. And he was just getting started.
In this sweeping biography, James Gleick captures the forceful personality of a great man, integrating Feynman’s work and life in a way that is accessible to laymen and fascinating for the scientists who follow in his footsteps.

The Accidental Apprentice - by Vikas Swarup

This is a fairly long and complex book, but it is quite coherent, so I enjoyed the ride. I am interested in life in India and I guess this gave me a different perspective. The characters are well described, so I had clear pictures of them in my head. My only challenge was handling some of the Indian names, which can sound similar. The book also has a proper ending, with some interesting twists, which did not feel rushed. Along with being entertaining, the book is also thought provoking, which is a bonus.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup. I got this book because I heard some of it serialized on the radio and it sounded interesting. I was after some creative fiction to read next. Here's the blurb:

In life you never get what you deserve: you get what you negotiate…
What would you do if, out of the blue, a billionaire industrialist decided to make you the CEO of his company? No prior business experience necessary. There is only one catch: you need to pass seven tests from the 'textbook of life'.
This is the offer made to Sapna Sinha, an ordinary salesgirl in an electronics boutique in downtown Delhi, by Vinay Mohan Acharya, one of India's richest men.
Thus begins the most challenging journey of Sapna's life, one that will test her character, her courage and her capabilities. Along the way she encounters a host of memorable personalities, from a vain Bollywood superstar to a kleptomaniac Gandhian. At stake is a business empire worth ten billion dollars, and the future she has always dreamt of. But are the seven tests for real or is Acharya playing a deeper game, one driven by a perverse fantasy?

More Fool Me - by Stephen Fry

I was looking forward to reading this book, having enjoyed the previous two volumes. However, I would rate the experience as just "OK". Fry is a very intelligent, creative guy, but that is not particularly apparent in this book. The main problem is that there is little new material. The first part of the book was a summary of the previous two, which I felt was redundant. A large part of the rest of the book was the verbatim text of his diary that he wrote in the 1990s. All in all, the work appears unstructured and very lazily put together. But I guess I'll still end up reading volume 4 ...

What I'm reading ...

I have started More Fool Me by Stephen Fry. After reading a longish novel, I needed something different and biography is a good option. I have read the previous two volumes, so when this was published (at a good price on Kindle), I had to get it. Here's the blurb:

In his early thirties, Stephen Fry - writer, comedian, star of stage and screen - had, as they say, 'made it'. Much loved in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster, author of a critically acclaimed and bestselling first novel, The Liar, with a glamorous and glittering cast of friends, he had more work than was perhaps good for him.
What could possibly go wrong?
Then, as the 80s drew to a close, he discovered a most enjoyable way to burn the candle at both ends, and took to excess like a duck to breadcrumbs. Writing and recording by day, and haunting a never ending series of celebrity parties, drinking dens, and poker games by night, in a ludicrous and impressive act of bravado, he fooled all those except the very closest to him, some of whom were most enjoyably engaged in the same dance.
He was - to all intents and purposes - a high functioning addict. Blazing brightly and partying wildly as the 80s turned to the 90s, AIDS became an epidemic and politics turned really nasty, he was so busy, so distracted by the high life, that he could hardly see the inevitable, headlong tumble that must surely follow . . .
Containing raw, electric extracts from his diaries of the time, More Fool Me is a brilliant, eloquent account by a man driven to create and to entertain - revealing a side to him he has long kept hidden.

The Cuckoo's Calling - by Robert Galbraith

This was just what a detective novel should be like - a complex story, with lots of threads (but not so many that you get lost) and details. The characters are well drawn and, although there are quite a few, again I was never lost. I was quickly engaged with the story quite quickly and keen to get to know Strike. It was soon unputdownable. The pace through the story was just right and the ending was not rushed. I look forward to reading further books in this series (we have the next one - I hope there'll be more).

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith. I fancied something different that I could bury myself in and this came recommended. Here's the blurb:

The Cuckoo's Calling is a 2013 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. 
A war veteran, wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger . . . 

Twelve Years a Slave - by Solomon Northup

When I first started this book, I thought that I would find the language style troublesome, as it is written in US Victorian English. However, after a few dozen pages, I became attuned to it and no longer noticed. 

It is quite a short book and, to be honest, has quite a simple story. But that misses the point of the book, which is really to document the plight of slaves in the American South, the attitude of their owners (and the white people in general) and the unfortunate circumstances under which the likes of the author could find themselves thus subjugated. 

The author paints a very vivid picture of his experiences and of the people and places around him. Having seen the movie, this was quite familiar to me. Some of the scenes of severe cruelty - like Patsy's beating - are very harrowing to read. However, what I found more shocking was the attitudes of the owners, who regarded the slaves as, literally, livestock. They seemingly could not empathise with them as human beings at all. This seems so ironic in a country that prided itself (still does) on its citizens' inalienable right to life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

What I'm reading ...

I have started Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup - my next book club book. Having seen the movie a while back, it will be interesting to see how they compare. Here is the blurb:

12 Years a Slave is a riveting true account of a free man captured and sold into slavery in the pre–Civil War South. Solomon Northup’s narrative explores one of the darkest times in American history and captures in vivid detail the unimaginable realities of slavery.
In 1841, the educated musician Solomon Northup, a free man living in New York who is cruelly deceived by the promise of a job in Washington, is drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. Once Solomon arrives in New Orleans, he is given a slave name and soon realizes that any mention of his rights as a free man is sure to bring cruel punishment or death. Denied his freedom and ripped away from his family, he spends twelve emotionally and physically gruelling years on a Louisiana cotton plantation enduring the hardships and brutalities of life as a slave. When Solomon eventually finds a sympathizing friend, a daring rescue is attempted that could either end in Solomon’s death or restore his freedom and reunite him with his family.
When Solomon Northup published this harrowing account of slavery in 1853, it immediately stirred up controversy in the national debate over slavery, helping to sway public opinion in favour of abolition. His book 12 Years a Slave remains one of the most insightful, detailed, and eloquent depictions of slavery in America. It demonstrates the extraordinary resilience of one man’s spirit in the face of extreme suffering and his incredible will to survive.

The Spa Decameron - by Fay Weldon

I was warned, when I started this book, that it would be rather feminist. Be that as it may, it was a good read. I thought that it was an interesting ploy - using the spa stay over Christmas as a framework into which a set of short stories could be packaged. This also gave the author the opportunity to write in a number of voices, which was interesting. Some of the stories were more credible than others, but they all kept me turning the pages. Normally, I find short stories rather unsatisfying. 

A particular aspect of the writer's style appealed to me: she seems to go into intricate detail in places, but leave holes for the reader to fill in others. So the text never becomes clumsily verbose or annoyingly sparse. I will certainly come back to Fay Weldon in the future.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Spa Decameron by Fay Weldon. Another fiction book, like the last, which is also by a very well renowned author, but I believe that the similarity will end there. Here's the blurb:

Ten high achieving ladies are gathered together in the week between Christmas and the New Year, at the expensive Castle Spa, seeking, through Botox, aromatherapy and general all round pampering, a new beginning to their lives.The Ladies lounge around in the Jacuzzi, drinking champagne and eating chocolate telling each other the stories of their lives. Starting with the Trophy wife's tale: her spell in a Greek prison has left her in serious need of a makeover; the Brain Surgeon's tale: of twins and mistaken identity; the Judge's tale: of the sex change which allowed him to judge the pleasures of the bedchamber from both male and female perspectives. The manicurist, the public speaker, the journalist, the company director, the ex vicar's wife, the screenwriter, all share their stories, ending with the stepmother's tale, a reversal of Cinderella's fate, with the stepmother as victim… Sparkling, witty, always compassionate and occasionally libidinous, Fay Weldon's new novel recalls Boccaccio's late medieval masterwork, The Decameron. Boccaccio dedicated his book to the ladies of his time, who were forced to hide their amorous passions under a veil of discretion, while men were free to indulge theirs.

The Kite Runner - by Khaled Hosseini

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well paced and beautifully written. The author's ability to describe a scene, a situation or how a person is feeling is amazing. Even though I had seen dramatised version while I was reading and, hence, knew what was coming later, I continued to be eager to read on. Will I read more work by this author? Definitely.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which is my next book club selection. I am also about to see the dramatised version at the theatre. I have no idea whether seeing this before I have read the book is good or not. Here's the blurb:

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

Only When I Laugh: My Autobiography - by Paul Merton

I started Only When I Laugh: My Autobiography by Paul Merton as I wanted some light reading after the previous epic book and thought that this would fit the bill. Here's the blurb:

Known for his intelligent and often surreal humour, Paul Merton's weekly appearances on BBC1's Have I Got News For You - as well as Radio 4's Just A Minute and his travel documentaries - have seen him become an artfully rebellious fixture in our lives for over 25 years.
He also has a real story to tell. In ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, his rich and beautifully-observed autobiography, Paul takes us on an evocative journey from his working-class Fulham childhood to the present day.
Whether writing about school days, his run-ins with the nuns and other pupils; his disastrous first confession; his meatpacking job; taking acid; leaving home to live in bedsit; his early brushes with the opposite sex - and not forgetting his repeated attempts to break into the world of comedy - Paul's writing is always funny, poignant and revealing. And when his star finally ascends in the atmospherically drawn 1980s alternative cabaret scene there is a sense of excitement, energy, camaraderie, momentum and dramatic impending success.
And then CRASH! In an unflinching and brilliantly written section that defines the book, we experience the disorienting and terrifying sustained manic episode that he suffered which landed him in the Maudesley hospital. These, and other tougher moments, are written about candidly and with sensitivity and honesty.

As with many biographies of people who have lived through recent times, I enjoyed reading a different viewpoint on various events that I remember. In talking about his life, Merton paints a good background, particularly about the show business, radio and TV worlds in which he moved. Having been very familiar with his TV and radio persona, it was good to learn about the "real" man. I did feel that it was written quite honestly. His account of his mental problems and his stay in a psychiatric hospital was particularly enlightening.

The Bone Clocks - by David Mitchell

This book, as expected, took a while. But 2 hours on a train and a 10 hour flight meant that I could read the second half - 300 pages - more or less in one sitting. However, a well structured and thought out large book is rewarding to read and this one made the grade.

The story is very complex, with lots of characters and events, multiple viewpoints and numerous interconnections that are quite a stretch to keep tabs on. Unusually, the story is essentially a single timeline, which helps. The initial part of the story is historic, then contemporary and is mostly "normal" with only small fantasy components. As it moves into the future, the fantastical parts are more dominant and fully explained. The last part of the book, in the more distant future, describes a somewhat distopian, but, to me, sadly realistic world.

Overall I enjoyed the book because the characters were well drawn and the story made sense, having a beginning, a middle and an end. I am not really certain that all the fantasy stuff needed to be explained thoroughly. In a way, the war between the Horologists and the Anchorites was rather "Doctor Who". I also never quite saw where The Script fitted in.

A small concern is about the author's integrity. I expect a lot from writers and expect them to have done their homework, finding silly errors annoying. For example, there is a reference to CD-R and CD-RW in the early 2020s; this terminology is rather anachronistic even now in 2014. Elsewhere there is a note about a barn owl hooting. It is tawny owls that hoot; barn owls screech. But I'm being picky ...

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. This was on the long list for the Booker Prize, which brought it to my attention. Sadly it did not make the shortlist. However, I enjoy the author's work and he used to live in the area near my home. I am daunted by the 600 pages, but I do have a couple of long flights coming up. Here is the blurb:

One drowsy summer's day in 1984, teenage runaway Holly Sykes encounters a strange woman who offers a small kindness in exchange for 'asylum'. Decades will pass before Holly understands exactly what sort of asylum the woman was seeking . . .
The Bone Clocks follows the twists and turns of Holly's life from a scarred adolescence in Gravesend to old age on Ireland's Atlantic coast as Europe's oil supply dries up - a life not so far out of the ordinary, yet punctuated by flashes of precognition, visits from people who emerge from thin air and brief lapses in the laws of reality. For Holly Sykes - daughter, sister, mother, guardian - is also an unwitting player in a murderous feud played out in the shadows and margins of our world, and may prove to be its decisive weapon.

Stoner: A Novel - by John Williams

I enjoyed reading this book. It reads somewhat like a biography in that it tells the story of Stoner's life, which, in itself is not that exciting; there are no dramatic incidents or thrilling adventures which can make a book unputdownable. But I was always happy to return to reading and found the pace just right. I quickly engaged with the characters - even if I did not necessarily like or empathize with them - and I wanted to know how things turned out for him.

Some of the descriptive writing I found to be really skilled and evocative. The ending of the book - the ending of Stoner's life - was particularly well handled; it was neither rushed nor drawn out. I was intrigued [and, I suppose, amused] by the way Stoner started out thinking that his English lecturer [Archer Sloane] was weird and eccentric, but, later in life, he was almost exactly the same.

What I'm reading ...

Time for a more serious read and my next book club book. I have started Stoner: A Novel by John Williams. Here's the blurb:

William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at nineteen to study agriculture. Later, he becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely.
Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value. Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history, and reclaims the significance of an individual life. A reading experience like no other, itself a paean to the power of literature, it is a novel to be savoured.

William The Fourth - by Richmal Crompton

As expected, this was an easy read that took no time at all. I enjoyed reading these stories again, being reminded that William was not a bad person. He almost always wanted to do the right thing and to help people, but was a bit misguided and, as a result of a combination of naivety and bad luck, tended to cause mayhem.

I suppose the book is now anachronistic - the world has moved on a lot since it was first published. The core of the stories is still good, as human nature has not changed at all. But the context is now very unfamiliar.

What I'm reading ...

I have started William The Fourth by Richmal Crompton. This is my next book club book - we thought it might be interesting to revisit one of the books that several of us had read many years ago. Here's the blurb:

There is only one Just William. The loveable imp and his band of Outlaws have been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting hundreds of thousands of readers for years. Here William invents a water race where competitors have to run with a mouth full of water, without swallowing it or spitting it out. It's just a shame he doesn't have time to think before speaking to (and drenching!) Mrs Adolphus Crane during the race!

Little Lies - by Liane Moriarty

After enjoying the author's previous books, I had high expectations of this one. I was not disappointed. I think it may be her best yet. 

The book is quite long at 450 pages, but the pace is just right, with modest length chapters. From the very start, we are told that a murder has been committed, but we do not know the victim or the perpetrator; this is not revealed until right near the end of the book. The tension builds up steadily, which meant that I read the last 100 or so pages at a sitting.

I guessed at the twist in the story, which meant that I thought I knew who the victim was (and I was right), but I still didn't know the identity of the murderer. This definitely did not spoil anything for me.

The end of the book is tied up neatly, with no loose ends or doubts. It also did not feel rushed, as seems to be the case with many books nowadays.

Overall it is a well written story, which looks at lots of modern issues: bullying, domestic violence and middle class hypocrisy are all addressed.

I look forward to the next book from Liane Moriarty.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I have enjoy three previous books by this author and this is her latest, so I am looking forward to it. Here's the blurb:

Jane hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic seaside town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane finally feels like she belongs. She has friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste - two women with seemingly perfect lives . . . and their own secrets behind closed doors.
But then a small incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground causing a rift between them and the other parents of the school. Minor at first but escalating fast, until whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder . . .

The Magic of Reality: How we know what's really true - by Richard Dawkins

This is a really excellent book on the basics of science - or at least it covers many aspects of the world where science has a clear explanation. The author contrasts the myths that have been used to explain things and then looks at the hard facts and puts them in context. I enjoyed the stories. Most of the science I understood quite well, but still learned some nuggets. I also really enjoyed how Dawkins explained much of the stuff, which will help me when I am trying to do the same thing.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Magic of Reality: How we know what's really true by Richard Dawkins. Time for some non-fiction. This was recommended by a friend. As I am a fan/follower of Dawkins, I thought I would give it a go.  Here's the blurb:

Magic takes many forms. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that the goddess Nut swallowed the sun. The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth. These are magical, extraordinary tales. But there is another kind of magic, and it lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions. It is the magic of reality - science.
Packed with inspiring explanations of space, time and evolution, laced with humour and clever thought experiments, The Magic of Reality explores a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena. What is stuff made of? How old is the universe? What causes tsunamis? Who was the first man, or woman? This is a page-turning, inspirational detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist too.

The Maltese Falcon - by Dashiell Hammett

I found this book rather hard work. It is very much of its time, having been written nearly a century ago. The behaviour of the characters seems very odd by today's standards. The story is reasonably coherent, but there does not seem to be very much to it. It is very much in the old-fashioned detective story style, where everything is explained at the end instead of the reader having the opportunity to glean understanding as they go along. It seemed to me that several opportunities were missed. Some more discussion of why the bird was considered so valuable would have been good. At the end of the story, there were several opportunities for nice twists [like the appearance of a non-fake falcon], but these were missed.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. This is my next book club selection. I was surprised to find that, although the title is very well known, I would not have been able to name the author. I was irritated to find that it was not available on Kindle, so bought a second hand paper copy. Then I found that I could download an electronic version that I could read on my iPad. Here's the blurb:

Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O¿Shaughnessy, and when Spade's partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby's trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him?

The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman by Sue Townsend

As expected, this was an enjoyable, undemanding read. Each chapter is a stand-alone essay, so it is easy to pick up and put down. Many of the pieces made me smile, but others were quite thought provoking. I had quite forgotten about the author's quality of writing. The material all dates back to the 1990s, so, in some ways it is dated, but I did not feel that this diminished it in any way - it is simply "of its time".

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Public Confessions of a Middle-Aged Woman: (Aged 55 2/3) by Sue Townsend. I wanted some light reading and this author, who sadly died recently, has never failed to deliver. Here's the blurb:

Enter the world of Susan Lilian Townsend - sun-worshippers, work-shy writers, garden-centre lovers and those in search of a good time all welcome. Over the last decade, Sue Townsend has written a monthly column for Sainsbury's Magazine, which covers everything from hosepipe bans and Spanish restaurants to writer's block and the posh middle-aged woman she once met who'd never heard of Winnie-the-Pooh. Collected together now for the first time, they form a set of pieces from one of Britain's most popular and acclaimed writers that is funny, perceptive and touching.

Hideous Creatures - by S E Lister

I enjoyed reading this book. It has a good pace, that kept me turning the pages, and the descriptions of people, places and events are very vivid. In common with many - perhaps most - modern novels, this story is told using multiple timelines. It starts near the end of the time period covered by the book, then we are taken to the time when Authur travelled to and arrived in America and started his life there. In due course, we are taken back further to Authur's childhood up to his leaving England. I do question whether a simpler beginning to end approach might be better?

As I do not generally read fantasy, maybe I am not good at suspending belief. Perhaps this is why I have a number of nagging questions, which I felt were not addressed in the book (or I was not smart enough to see the explanations):

• What was it exactly that Shelo did to/for all those people?
• What really happened in the Governor's bedchamber? And why?
• Was Shelo dead?
• Why was Arthur so dismissive of the idea of sex?
• How did Arthur know that heading into a cave and swimming in a water course was wise and would lead somewhere sensible? And how did he get to meet Lucas? This is all a bit fuzzy in my mind. Maybe that's just me.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Hideous Creatures by S E Lister. This is another "fantasy" book. Although I normally like to swap genres with each new book, I thought it might be interesting to read two back to back, particularly as the author of this book has been compared with that of the last. I discover books in various ways, but is one is unusual, as it was recommended to my by the author's father, with whom I am acquainted through our mutual interesting photography. As a proud father myself, I knew where he was coming from. Here's the blurb:

Arthur Hallingham is the youngest son of an English earl. He’s on the run from his former life – from a family where painful, half-understood secrets lurk. Arthur travels on a slave ship to America, hoping to lose himself amidst the teeming squalor and vaulting ambitions of the New World. Before long he meets Flora, the tough daughter of an outlaw, and Shelo, a native medicine man with mysterious powers who seems to have a plan for him. The three set off on a journey through the thick forests and along the wide rivers of the lush southern wilderness. As they near their destination, Shelo’s terrible and destructive purpose is gradually revealed. Hideous Creatures is a rich, beautiful and compelling novel that will appeal to readers of Audrey Niffenegger and Neil Gaiman, by a young debut author destined for literary stardom.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - by Neil Gaiman

As I have said before, I am wary of "fantasy" books and approached this one with reservations. However, only a short way into the book, impossible things began to occur, or, at least, be hinted at, and I was OK with that. I was quite surprised by the extent to which I could suspend my disbelief. 

The first line of the first chapter (which is always supposed to be pivotal) drew me in immediately: "Nobody came to my seventh birthday party."

I think the book is very well written in a plain, accessible style, which found easy going. There was enough pace to the story to keep me coming back for more. Notwithstanding the simple form of much of the writing, I felt that the descriptions of people, places and events were very vivid.

At the end of the book I realized that the narrator (I don't think we ever get to hear his name) still has part of the "wormhole" (a good old sci Fi term) inside him. Is that a possible thread for a sequal?

Overall, a good read and I would be interested to loom at more of the author's work.

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I am not sure about fantasy books, but it is my next book club book and won the Guardian book of the year award in 2013. Here is the blurb:

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.
His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.