Tag: Books

I always complain that I don’t read books often enough. This is proof.

bookmark_borderOne Book Meme

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I’ve been tagged with two memes recently, one I’ve done before so I’m not doing it again (life is just TOO short Matt!), and the one you are about to read.

Or not, I’m not forcing you, but let’s be honest, do you have anything better to do?? Ummm, well, obviously you do but it can’t be that important or you wouldn’t be wasting your time here, would you. Ergo, you are going to read this.

Except for you belligerent, uppity, types. You’ll just leap straight to the comments to say that you didn’t read it, won’t you. Well, that still means you are doing something when you have better things to do so the joke is on you. Somehow. In my head.

Um, where was I? Ohh yes, the meme thingy.

This one is a bit of a misnomer, although I’m not exactly sure what it’s called as her wot tagged me didn’t include it in her post, the lazy bint, so I’m calling it the ‘one book’ meme, which belies the fact that it will list several.

I’ll apologise now for my atrocious memory as, whilst I’ve read quite a few books (>10 but <10,000), I tend to forget about them once I’m finished. This makes completing a meme about books that you’ve read decidely tricky. Anyway, enough waffling from me.
Continue reading “One Book Meme”

bookmark_borderOnce upon a book

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Wandering into our bedroom the other night, I spotted a book on Louise’s bedside cabinet.

“Where did you get that?” I asked.

“Ehh… from the bookshelf” she replied, somewhat quizzically (she doesn’t buy many books).

“OUR bookshelf?” I responded, equally quizzically as I didn’t recall buying it, and don’t think I would’ve bought a book by that author.

“Yes, the one in the office”

“Really?” I said, trying not to sound quite so disbelieving.

“Ohh for God’s sake, c’mere” she said, dragging me roughly by the arm into the office. She then proceeded to pull some books away from the front of one of the shelves to reveal a book sized gap behind them. “It was right there!”.

I peered at the shelves, at the gap where a book had obviously once been located, and scratched my head.

“Really?” I offered once more, as Louise left the room, shaking her head.

“Well I didn’t buy it…” I offered, a little too vocally, to her back.

“Neither did I!” came the dulcet tones as she descended the stairs.

Which begs the question, why would someone buy a book, break into our house and hide it in one of our bookshelves? And, more to the point, why would they buy a James Herbert?!

bookmark_borderRighteous Rubbish

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Never one to pass up a free book, most of which come via my parents, I have an ever growing “to be read” pile that is currently tottering at an alarming level. So, lest it fall over and kill someone I’ve started to work through it.

Now, I should explain that I have two ‘sets’ of books that I’ve yet to read. There are the neatly “placed on bookshelf” classics — Don Quixote, Count of Monte Cristo etcetera etcetera — and the the other “piled wherever I can find space” books which are typically more modern and on bestseller lists. What can I say, I’m a book whore. I’ll read anything.

And so it was that I found myself reading an awfully pedestrian, badly written thriller called The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne. No link as I’d hate anyone to buy it. Labelled as… wait for it… yup, the “The Next Dan Brown” (their capitals not mine), it was, quite simply, rubbish. I’ve had more thrills waiting for a bus. I won’t bother you with any more detail than that, my only advice is DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

However, the odd thing is that I still read the damn thing from start to finish, only skimming over the boring bits.

bookmark_borderThe Highest Tide

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The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch

The best books are free (although it’s only £4 on Amazon at the moment, click the link above) and after finishing the Nick Hornby I was casting around for another read when my Mum handed me this. The debut novel for Jim Lynch and not a bad one.

Miles O’Malley is a young boy, small for his age, who spends his every waking hour either on, in or thinking about Skookumchuck Bay and the surrounding waters. Either that Angie, his one true love.

The book is a gentle tale of the events that surround Miles one summer, the events that will shape him as a person and set the course for his future. From his discovery of a washed up giant squid to the closing moments, drifting in a canoe, the story strolls along, charting it’s way carefully and methodically, through the various events of the summer.

A pleasant read, if a little heavy on detail on some occasions, it soon has you turning pages eager to see how things turn out. It may only ripple lightly across the literary pond but it’s enjoyable enough for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

bookmark_borderA long way down

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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

I’ve always enjoyed reading Nick Hornby books. By and large they are easy to read and I guess are considered ‘light reading’ by many. Regardless, his characterisation is usually spot on and in this book — the story of four strangers who meet by chance on the roof of a building as they all plan to commit suicide on the same night — is nicely constructed to allow him to play with four entirely different characters at the same time.

As the story progresses (obviously they decide not to jump that night, or it’d be a helluva short book) the narrative switches between each character, slowly adding more layers to both story and personas. What’s really impressive is how well he manages to portray the key players, from the disgraced TV presenter to the god-fearing single mother, the failed american rock star to the spoiled brat teenager, he captures their thoughts and moods wonderfully.

And it’s funny, but then you except that from Hornby, his dry wit used to as a natural buffer to punctuate the storyline.

It’s not a difficult book to read, which is largely due to the laidback style that Hornby uses throughout most of his novels, but it’s a good one. Part satire, part social commentary, it never preaches nor condescends, and even offers a little affirmation on the joys of being alive.

If nothing else it’s worth reading for the brilliant Jess, the belligerent teenager and easily the ‘star’ of the book.

bookmark_borderBlink

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Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for several months now, however I hate hate hate myself for buying it when I did, when it was the ‘in’ thing to read (in some circles) and so I’ve been avoiding it.

The really annoying thing is, of course, that it’s an excellent and interesting read.

To summarise a book like this is a challenge. Firstly you are competing with the very essence of the book and trying to encapsulate a large and complex topic into… well a blink of an eye. Secondly, you risk ruining the book for others as there is a large amount of pleasure in reading this material. Not least because it is very well structured, taking you from point to point, offering insights and stories to accompany each new theory.

The basic premise is fairly straightforward, Gladwell is investigating that split second moment that you occasionally have when you KNOW you know something but you can’t yet explain WHY you know it. The opening example in the book discusses a greek statue which scientists had tested to ensure it was real (they confirmed that it was over 1,000 years old), lawyers had pored over paperwork to confirm it was authentic, yet the instant a greek statue expert clapped eyes on it they knew it was a fake. Despite all the evidence to the contrary.

There are some insights into ‘mind-reading’ (face-reading), and a fascinating section dealing with autism and high-stress incidents.

I’ve not read “Tipping Point” but think I will now. So, vice versa, if you enjoyed that book, I’d imagine you’d enjoy Blink. It’s utterly fascinating to the point where my wife is thoroughly bored of me starting sentences with: “You know that book I’m reading…”. Always a sure sign that something has gripped my attention.