What I'm reading ...

I have started A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale. After the last book, I have high hopes of this one. It is very unusual for me to read two consecutive books by one author. Here’s the blurb:

In the golden 1900s, Harry Cane, a shy, eligible gentleman of leisure is drawn from a life of quiet routine into marrying Winnie, eldest daughter of the fatherless Wells clan, who are not quite as respectable as they would appear.
Winnie and Harry settle by the sea and have a daughter; conventional marriage does not seem such a tumultuous change after all. When a chance encounter awakens unacknowledged desires, however, Harry is forced to forsake the home and people he loves for a harsh new life as a homesteader on the newly colonized Canadian prairies. There, in a place called Winter, he will come to find a deep love within an alternative family, a love imperilled by war, madness and a man of undeniable magnetism.
In a dramatic departure from anything he has written before, Patrick Gale boldly projects his own fears and loves to tell the dramatic story of an Edwardian innocent's gradual understanding of his own nature. Based on the real life mystery of the author's own great-grandfather, and drawing on the understanding of psychology and relationships which infused Rough Music and Notes from an Exhibition, A PLACE CALLED WINTER charts the gathering of wisdom of a kind suppressed in most family histories.

A Perfectly Good Man - by Patrick Gale

I was recommended this book very highly, so I started it with optimism. This was not unfounded. The story is not too complex, but has little nuances which I found fascinating. The author leads the reader to realisation, instead of spelling everything out and he does this very skilfully. Each chapter is from a different viewpoint and has a title which is a character’s name and their age. The chapters do not appear in consecutive time order, so the effect of an action may be covered before the action itself. This sounds confusing, but it was not. I was quickly drawn in to th ebook and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I often finish a book and vow to investigate other books by the same author. On rare occasions, I finish a book and feel excited that there is a catalogue of many more books, by the same author, awaiting my attention. This book was one of these rarities.

What I'm reading ...

I have started A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale. It was recommended and my initial impressions are very positive. Here's the blurb:

When 20-year-old Lenny Barnes, paralysed in a rugby accident, commits suicide in the presence of Barnaby Johnson, the much-loved priest of a West Cornwall parish, the tragedy's reverberations open up the fault-lines between Barnaby and his nearest and dearest. The personal stories of his wife, children and lover illuminate Barnaby's ostensibly happy life, and the gulfs of unspoken sadness that separate them all. Across this web of relations scuttles Barnaby's repellent nemesis – a man as wicked as his prey is virtuous.

Returning us to the rugged Cornish landscape of Notes from an Exhibition, Patrick Gale lays bare the lives and the thoughts of a whole community and asks us: what does it mean to be good?

A Man Called Ove - by Fredrik Backman

I really enjoyed this book. It started off rather oddly, appearing to be about a rather annoying guy called Ove. Indeed the book is about him and he would probably be annoying to be around. However, ultimately it is a love story - or a couple of intertwined love stories. And probably the most moving one that I have ever read. After the first 50 pages or so I was totally drawn in; I was very surprised by how emotional the ending made me.

My past (limited) experience of Swedish literature has always been rather dark. I assume that this was originally published in Swedish. I will check out other work by the author for sure.

What I'm reading ...

I have started reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. This book was recommended and sounded entertaining. Here’s the blurb:

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.
But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?
In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible...

Beautiful Ruins - by Jess Walter

This is a somewhat complex story, with multiple timelines and viewpoints. In at least one place the timelines leapfrog, so that you are aware of the result of an action before you hear about it occurring. However, none of this is confusing and I’d say the book is quite well written. Many aspects of the story are desperately unlikely, but that makes for a good tale. It is ultimately a love story, but succeeds in investigating many other aspects of human behaviour in the process. I am not sure about the technique of including a real person in a fictional story. I guess that’s a matter between the author and the celebrity’s lawyers. The name of the hotel - Adequate View - is genius. And I like th little bits of untranslated Italian, which I think give context without taking away meaning.

I liked the quality of the writing. There are a lot of “one liners”, which I enjoyed:
“What kind of wife would I be if I left your father simply because he is dead?"
“… and a map that looks like it was drawn by a ten-year-old on meth."
“A writer needs four things to achieve greatness: desire, disappointment and the sea.” “That’s only three.” “You have to do disappointment twice."
“But only if you stop wiping your ass on my language."
“Having a baby?” She looked away. “It was like shitting a hen."
He assumed that enough polite post-orgasm conversation had passed, at least it would have in America; he wasn’t sure of the British exchange rate.
“… as if his face had been sculpted in separate pieces and then assembled on-site."

What I'm reading ...

I have started Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - my next book club book. Here’s the blurb:

The story begins in 1962. Somewhere on a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and views an apparition: a beautiful woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an American starlet, he soon learns, and she is dying.
And the story begins again today, half a world away in Hollywood, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot searching for the woman he last saw at his hotel fifty years before.
Gloriously inventive, funny, tender and constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is a novel full of fabulous and yet very flawed people, all of them striving towards another sort of life, a future that is both delightful and yet, tantalizingly, seems just out of reach.

Levels of Life - by Julian Barnes

I was not quite sure what this book was about. It turns out that it is about ballooning, photography, love and grief. This sounds like an odd combination, but the author skilfully uses them to express some ideas in a novel way. Although he tells stories of ballooning and photography, he also uses that part of the book to set up metaphors for use later.
I was particularly impressed by the way he talks about thoughts and emotions that I have experienced, but was never able to express in words:

• The idea of a little voice murmuring “I’m free” after the death of a loved one.
• The fact that someone is dead may mean that they are not alive, but it doesn’t mean that they do not exist.

He also abhors the euphemism “pass” used instead of “die”.
All in all I found this to be a very enriching book, which might serve anyone who wants to understand about bereavement and grief. Somehow, it succeeds in this job without being grim or morbid. It is excellent writing, which came straight from the author’s heart.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Levels of Life by Julian Barnes. It was time for non-fiction, probably biography and this little book looks intriguing. Here's the blurb:

You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed…
In Levels of Life Julian Barnes gives us Nadar, the pioneer balloonist and aerial photographer; he gives us Colonel Fred Burnaby, reluctant adorer of the extravagant Sarah Bernhardt; then, finally, he gives us the story of his own grief, unflinchingly observed.
This is a book of intense honesty and insight; it is at once a celebration of love and a profound examination of sorrow.

To Kill A Mockingbird - by Lee Harper

I always have a slight reluctance when I start out reading a book which is regarded as a "classic". It commonly seems that such books are more to do me good than provide me with enjoyment. In this case, any reluctance was misplaced, as I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover.  The story is really quite simple, but the details and nuances were very skilfully portrayed by telling the story from the perspective of a young girl. All the characters were very clearly drawn, which brought them alive for me. Add to that a clear ending to the story, and I was well pleased.

The only remaining question is: should I now read Go Set a Watchman?

What I'm reading ...

I have started To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper. I realised, hearing all the discussion about the new book [“Go Set a Watchman”], that I had not read the classic original. So I decided to put that right. Here’s the blurb:

Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.

Americanah - by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

An excellent, well-written book, IMHO. The story is quite simple - essentially about Ifemelu going from Nigeria to the US and then returning. As a result, one gains a lot of insight into life in Nigeria and about racism issues in the US. There is also coverage of similar topics resulting from Obinze spending time in the UK. Overall, i found the style of writing engaging, as there is a careful blend of facts, descriptions of places etc. and consideration of feelings. It was good to read something, written in excellent English, but with a “voice”, that is different from British and American authors [a similar pleasure can be found in the work of Indian authors]. I will certainly investigate the other work by this author.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have been sitting on this book for a while - I think I first heard an abstract on the radio. I thought it would be nice to read something with a non-English “voice”. Here’s the blurb:

As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face?

How It All Began - by Penelope Lively

I am fascinated by the interconnections and complex interactions between people - 6 degrees of separation and all that. This book is primarily about just this subject and addresses it very well.

There are quite a few characters in the book - necessary for such a story - but not too many. And the author handled their presentation quite well - I felt that I had quite a clear picture of all of them. I even found some of the characters quite likeable [Charlotte, Rose, Marion], though not Jeremy, obviously. The story kept me turning the pages and I found it reasonably credible. The wrap-up at the end was slightly artificial, but the only alternative would be to leave matters hanging, which I would find frustrating.

I will certainly be interested in reading more of this author’s work.

What I'm reading ...

I have started How It All Began by Penelope Lively. First book I've read by this author - book club selection, of course. Here's the blurb:

When . . . Charlotte is mugged and breaks her hip, her daughter Rose cannot accompany her employer Lord Peters to Manchester, which means his niece Marion has to go instead, which means she sends a text to her lover which is intercepted by his wife, which is . . . just the beginning in the ensuing chain of life-altering events.

In this engaging, utterly absorbing and brilliantly told novel, Penelope Lively shows us how one random event can cause marriages to fracture and heal themselves, opportunities to appear and disappear, lovers who might never have met to find each other and entire lives to become irrevocably changed.

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian - by E L James

This book "does what it says on the tin". The story is retold from Christian's perspective. As a result, we learn about where his tastes, fetishes and fears come from. So, it makes for an OK read. His perspective is very different from Ana's and we learn all the details.

Overall, I quite enjoyed what was ultimately a trivial book. I was dismayed to discover, when I got to the end of the book, that it is probably the first of a trilogy...

What I'm reading ...

I have started Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian by E L James. I will admit to being swept up by the hype and buying this book [at a reasonable price] a few hours after publication. I do not have high expectations, but having invested time in reading the previous books, I thought that this might be interesting. Here’s the blurb:

In Christian’s own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.
Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty – until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him – past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart.
Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?

Wild - by Cheryl Strayed

This was a very engaging and thought provoking book. The story is a rich mixture, telling the tale of the actual journey itself, the people she met and the emotional journey that she experienced. The author's lucid writing style gave me a very clear impression of the world and the people around her. I was also impressed with the candour with which she told the very personal parts of the story. I think I'd like to see the movie now ...

What I'm reading ...

I have started Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I was after something serious - something more down to earth - to read. I had heard good things about this book (and the movie) and it seemed to fit the bill. I have read the first chapter, which covers the author's mother's death, and found it very moving. I think that I am in for an emotional ride. Here's the blurb:

At twenty-six, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's rapid death from cancer, her family disbanded and her marriage crumbled. With nothing to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to walk eleven-hundred miles of the west coast of America and to do it alone. She had no experience of long-distance hiking and the journey was nothing more than a line on a map. But it held a promise - a promise of piecing together a life that lay shattered at her feet...

The Reality Dysfunction - by Peter F. Hamilton

At over 1200 pages, I think this must be the biggest book that I have ever read in one go. The author uses the large canvas to good effect, constructing a detailed, consistent universe set a few centuries into the future. The story is wide ranging and kept me turning the pages. I also think that the characters are quite well drawn, regardless of there being a large number. I am always critical of the science in science fiction, but this book is quite credible, overcoming long distance travel using wormholes and introducing some novel ideas like biological starships.

Although it was an enormous book, I got through it quite quickly, as I was pulled along by the story. Ultimately, this led to my one disappointment. The end of the book just arrived. It was not really an end - the book just stopped, with numerous story lines still unresolved. Of course, this is just the first book of a trilogy, so there is plenty of time/space for more development. However, am I up for another 3000 or so pages ... ?

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.