This year I’ve decided on a whim to try and keep track of the books I read and what I thought of them. If you’ve thoughts on my thoughts – do share. Also happy to receive suggestions along the lines of ‘if you liked that, you’ll enjoy this…’ Thanks for dropping by.
Reviews below: Can Any Mother Help me? – Getting Up and Down – The Secret Life of Trees – English Constitutional History – Taming Your Gremlin – The Happiness Purpose – Three Cups of Tea – Piracy, Turtles & Flying Foxes – Digital Fortress – Toby Alone – A Face to the World – The Long Road Home – Being White – Cycling into the Sunrise – Letters to my Grandchildren – Bel Canto – Paradise Now – Winner Take Nothing
Currently reading:
What are your optimistic about? by John Brockman, Pocket Books, 2007
Tao te Ching by Lao Tse
REVIEWS
Winner Take Nothing by Ernest Hemmingway, Jonathan Cape, 1934. This book is a masterclass in descriptive writing. Wikipedia tells me this is his third short story collection, in the period when he was summering in Wyoming and wintering in Key West. The 14 tales aren’t so much stories with a beginning and an end, but artful vignettes that snap fragments of people’s lives. I really enjoyed them – particularly the ‘homage to switzerland’ which retells the same scene in a railway station cafe three times with a different central character for each part. The only reference to the title is in a poem at the beginning of the book which reads ‘Unlike all other forms of lutte or combat the conditions are that the winner shall take nothing; neither his ease, nor his pleasure, nor any notions of glory; nor, if he win far enough, shall there be any reward within himself’. Worth reading for the skill of the writing. 6/10
Paradise Now by Jari Moate, penpress, 2010. Jari Moate is an excellent writer whose style reminds me of Ben Okri. Paradise Now is filled with delightful and surprising descriptive turns of phrase, and the story itself is shrouded with a sense of questing mystery. The main character, Elektra, is filled with uncertainty and her doubts raise questions which aren’t neatly resolved. The book, once finished, isn’t finished with you.
Set in Bristol, the plot centres on the convergent paths of a local artist who shoots unexpectedly to fame, and an Afghan shopkeeper who seeks to avenge injustice. The Company [sic] represents the forces of corporate greed, but the ‘bad guys’ aren’t a caricature of evil. The only parody is the main Company representative, whose exaggerated entrance seemed out of place and unconvincing. Having said that, his swagger faded and he became more credible as his insecurities gradually unravelled, leaked in private asides to Elektra.
There were a few passages in the book which I simply didn’t understand, and although I wasn’t clear exactly what was being said, it felt authentic. These were arty freestyle Bristol characters with their own smoky logic and language and the mood they created was tangible. The writing was at home. This flair for writing shines brightly as Jari turns on a very different style for the scenes in Afghanistan. Although most of the action unfolds in Bristol, the Afghan portions of the story are so engrossing that the balance feels strong and the stage is well set for different worlds to collide.
The twists and turns that finally bring the two main characters together work well, and the pulsing power of The Company grows and grows in the background, becoming a deafening roar as the pace quickens towards the end. The on-stage denouement is surprising, and there’s an eerie hush about the final scene of the book. The tattered loose ends seem to flap in the wind and I wasn’t sure quite what I thought of it all as I put the book down. I felt as though I’d viewed a giant painting too close up, and had to retreat to a distance to take it all in.
Overall, I really liked this book. I liked the way it stayed with me afterwards, growing and developing of its own accord. It’s a great debut for Jari, and with so little resolved, the door is wide open for more. I hope he’s writing hard…
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Harper Perennial, 2008. Liz read this one and loved it, so it landed on my side of the bed and leapfrogged the other books there. Patchett is a natural story-teller whose characters play with your imagination to become vivid. This one would be good for a book club group as the story offers layers of meaning that would stand a lot of conversation. The basic story is created from a Japanese businessman’s love of opera, which is used to lure him to a latin american country hungry for the investment of his company. The whole party is taken hostage by a group that opposes the government, and the story of the siege unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for it’s entertainment value, fine writing and for offering good brain food. 10/10
Letters to my Grandchildren, thoughts on the future by Tony Benn, Hutchinson, 2009. This small book contains 39 ‘letters’, each only a few pages long. I’m a great fan of Mr Benn, and the book was written to inspire young people to reject pessimism and cynicism, and to have confidence in themselves. The book is very ‘of the moment’ with references to events that are so recent I wondered how he had managed to write it so fast. Having said that, the snippets of thought in each chapter piece together a loving philosophy which is ageless. His curiosity, accumulated wisdom and insights are (I think) inspiring, and this book is a delightful read. 10/10
Cycling into the Sunrise by Gregory Yeoman – unpublished. Greg’s a good university mate who cycled across Russia. The first draft has a good story in it, but he’s still got work to do…
‘Being White in the helping professions (Developing effective intercultural awareness) by Judy Ryde, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009. This one was recommended by a friend and colleague, then I happened to be at an event with Judy and she had copies of her book for sale! The book is about the invisible context of being White, where the view of ‘normal’ includes an easy and privileged position in society. There is remarkably little written about ‘being white’, and simply by drawing our attention that way, I thin she’s doing us all a great service. In conversation, Judy has found that White people have trouble ‘getting’ the idea, describing us as white fish in a white sea, with no idea of the sea’s existence. An example of this is the tendency to talk of ’Skin Colour’ as though it means whiteness, rather than a wide spectrum of shades. Black people know what she means immediately. The point of the book is that many white people who consider themselves ‘colourblind’ are unwittingly insensitive. By raising awareness about our racialized context, Judy aims to help us all be more sensitive and effective in dealing with our differences, and so contribute to a more peaceful world. The book has quite a bit of academic language, so isn’t a simple Romp of a read, but it’s peppered with helpful examples – overall, she’s clear that confronting ‘white centeredness’ is a process which needs time, so the book is a small, but significant step on a great journey. It’s clear that our experience of each other is dramatically improved when white people make the effort to understand how different cultural values are lived in our society, rather than dismissing them as ‘wrong’. Getting rid of racism is not simply a matter of finding it and changing our minds – it requires a deeper acknowledgement of much larger shifts in cultural consciousness. White people need to listen undefensively and understand that colonialism lives on in white advantage. She concludes with five pointers: Start with ourselves because white is a privileged racial category; Remember that racism is built into the organising principles of society; develop an inquiring attitude and have the courage to discuss your experience; Don’t dismiss feelings of shame and guilt; Remember that change in [caring] professions is part and parcel with change at both individual and societal levels. These conclusions will make much more sense if you read the book. If the academic language and references were edited out, leaving the stories, insights and challenges to our thinking, I’d certainly give it 10/10…
The Long Road Home, Aftermath of War, by Ben Shephard, Bodley Head, 2010 – I read this one because I was chairing a Talk given by Ben on the book. My understanding of the aftermath of WWII was dramatically improved – fascinating insights into the politics and characters that did their best to deal with the millions of ‘Displaced People’ right across Europe. Ben describes the forces that shaped both the emergent United Nations and the new state of Israel using lots of personal accounts. Thoroughly illuminating, well written, and engaging, if a little more detailed in places than I felt I needed. 7/10
A Face To The World by Laura Cumming, Harper Press, 2009 - I was asked to review this book for the Festival of Ideas (I’m on the Advisory Board) - Laura Cumming clearly possesses a fantastic knowledge and love of the visual arts, and she’s managed to cram a lot of great material into this book. By the end, I felt I’d been slightly cheated of a great read. The key connecting narrative through the book was weak, and the writing seemed to have three styles, as though aimed at three distinct audiences. Some passages were academic, some were filled with the authors personality, and between these were the artists stories I really enjoyed. If only she’d stuck to one of these, I’d have known what to do with the book. As it was, I constantly alternated between a desire to put the book down (treacly academic writing), throw the book away (OTT gushing Art Luvvy writing), or read it avidly (glimpses of the worlds that shaped the artists and their work).
It’s a lonely feeling when a discussion starts up around you about a soap opera you’ve never seen. The more you know about the characters, the more interesting the discussion becomes, but Laura’s encyclopaedic knowledge was lost on me and at times I was left out in the cold. She confides with readers to draw them in – ‘Vincent, as we intimately call him’ (Nope – it’s Van Gough to me) and writes at length about minute details of some of the portraits, magnifying them until (to me) they seem out of proportion to the art itself. She projects herself into the artists lives to describe their feelings (‘devastated’, ‘hopeless’, ‘blazing’ etc.), but I’m left feeling she’s daubed too much of her own vivid colouring all over their palettes. I wish I could have shared her joy, but her enthusiasm made mine wane.
Overall, I was disappointed. It felt like a fascinating train of thought about self portraiture had arrived at the platform, but it pulled away leaving half the carriages behind. My verdict would be ‘light reading, heavy in parts, with scattered enjoyable bits’. 5/10
Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle, Walker Books, 2008 – Some friends very sweetly sent this book to our son Toby as ‘a gift for no reason’ a few months back. It’s worthy of the awards it’s won in France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Taiwan and the UK, and carries the hallmarks of ‘classic’ children’s writing. The characters are strong, the storyline entertaining and imaginative, and if I were a teenager, I’d have absolutely loved it. There are some good creative twists on classic storylines which carry you swiftly through the book. Much better than Digital Fortress. 8/10
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. An easy holiday read. Oscillated between mild interest and Irritation. Seemingly desperate to become an action movie script, so a bit too breathless, and easy to guess what’s coming up. Worth 4/10 if you’ve nothing better to do.
Piracy, Turtles & Flying Foxes by William Dampier, published by Penguin as part of it’s ‘Great Journeys’ series in 2007, extracted from A New Voyage Round the World, 1697. I really enjoy journals that bring a different age to life through their descriptions of little details of no great significance, and the way things felt at the time. Dampier was a kind of 15th century backpacker – switching ships, taking his chances and getting into scrapes (like fordingrivers whilst fleeing Spanish troops, and surviving storms at sea in an open canoe) and so whilst he’s not a great writer, it was definitely an entertaining read. My own experience as a carefree globe trotting sailor made it very easy for me to be in Mr Dampier’s shoes, so the writing may not feel as tangibly immediate to others. I was very struck by the way his account shows the systematic and competitive exploitation of people and local resources by the colonising nations of England, Holland and Spain. Overall, the account made the 1600′s feel like very recent history and I think this kind of material should be essential reading for anybody with an interest in international trade and justice – there’s lots of good food for debate. Scores on the doors for me are 6/10.
Three cups of Tea (one man’s mission to promote peace…one school at a time) by Greg Mortenson & David Relin, Penguin books, 2007. My brother sent this book to Liz for her birthday, and rather than put the book down when she’d finished the last page, she immediately gave it to me. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the ordinary lives of people who live on the mountains around the Pakistani/Afghan border, and how Greg Mortenson helps them build schools. I really enjoyed learning a little more about their culture and the local politics which are never reported in the news bulletins we hear. The book is a good argument for compassion and respect as a realistic alternative to war. Both Greg’s organisation, the Central Asia Institute ( https://www.ikat.org/) and the book get my vote. I give it 8/10.
The Happiness Purpose by Edward de Bono, Pelican Books 1977. This book belonged to Liz’s parents, and so has probably been in our house for at least 4 years, but I’d never seen it before. As we’re about to launch the Happy City Initiative, it seemed heaven sent, and I had to read it there and then. This book has all of de Bono’s usual clarity of thought and it’s easy to read. Written in three parts, the book covers the Nature of Happiness, the Application of the basic principles to life, and Actions to put the Principles into effect. In it all, you can see the roots of many other people’s writing where there are strong overlaps with his ideas about thinking skills. This book was essential reading for me, confirming much of what we do at modoto whilst adding some useful ideas for engagement. I liked it so much that I’m attempting to get de Bono to Bristol for a lecture as part of Bristol’s Festival of Ideas. Definitely 10/10.
Taming Your Gremlin (A surprisingly simple method for getting out of your own way) by Rick Carson, Collins Living, 2003 (updated from the original of 1983).
This one was recommended by our good friends Kate and Arvid at Inspired Lives. They’re great coaches, and said they’d found this book consistently useful. It’s got a very simple idea at the heart of it (naming your negative habits and thoughts as a gremlin), and sets out a whole range of self help exercises for exploring the things that can stop us from reaching our potential. I was familiar with a lot of the thinking, which I’ve seen reflected elsewhere, but it’s a very good ‘package’, well written and easy to digest. The key elements of Gremlin Taming are ‘noticing’, ‘playing with options’ and being in process – but of course the summary is useless unless you’ve read the book! I’d definitely recommend the book to people who know they struggle with inner conflicts. A useful 9/10
English Constitutional History by SB Chrimes, a reprint from Oxford University Press in 1978 (originally published in 1948)
Our house is so full of books that I can always find something I didn’t know we had. This particular book belonged to my wife’s parents, and the author used to live on the next street to them. It’s a little dry, and I found myself skimming quite quickly through the somewhat dated sections on the constitutional structures of the day and the medieval foundations. There was a lot of interesting commentary and I enjoyed learning about the tussles that bled away the power of the crown. The book’s blurb calls it a ‘miracle of compression…lucid in argument and vivid…’ and I agree that it gives a really good sense of the sweep of time. I was fascinated by the personalities and reforms that have successively changed the way we are governed and seeing that today’s system of government only really emerged in Victorian times, I felt more confident that we may see better reform in our lifetimes. I’d really recommend this book to anyone thinking about governmental reform, because it supplies vital context. It deserves 8/10 for its content more than its style.
The Secret Life of Trees (how they live and why they matter) by Colin Tudge, published by Penguin in 2005 - This is a book I picked up at the Hay book festival when I went to one of Andy Middleton’s ‘Hay On Earth’ events last year. I started reading it around October and only finished it this month. The reason it took me so long to read was that there are great long sections on the clasification/naming of trees, and detailed descriptions of just about every tree type that ever was. It’s PACKED with information and interesting facts that make it an excellent reference book, but it’s also got great passages of storytelling in it too – so overall it’s a kind of funny mix. It read a bit like a cross country run where you go steaming along down a lovely rolling slope of prose and then hit a very steep rocky scree rise – the scenery’s always interesting, but you have to concentrate much harder in some places than in others…
Our civilisations have all been built with trees – no trees, no great buildings; no trees, no migration across the seas and no trees, no fire for manufacturing – some of the many examples of the ways in which our history has been shaped by them. Had the dice rolled differently, he can imagine how trees rather than grain could now be the mainstay of human food production. I’d never properly appreciated trees before and with a better understanding of their magnificent variety, adaptability and vital importance to all life, I feel Colin has given me a real gift.
The conclusion is for the need to create agrarian economies rooted in biological reality with a true concern for human well being. He urges us all to keep asking the questions ‘what do we actually want/are we trying to achieve? and invests his hope in democracy to keep our leaders (especially ‘career’ politicians) on track to build societies that work.
Overall I really liked the book. The FT quote on the front cover is right that that it’s a ‘Love letter to trees’, and I think it’s a bit too amorous for yer average general reader – a simplified book about 1/3 of the length would be brilliant. Scores on the doors? For me, about 8/10
Getting Up and Down (how to save strokes from 40 yards and in) by Tom Watson, published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1983.
From age 5 to about 26 I played a lot of golf – I was a single figure handicapper largely because I practised what Tom advises in this book. I rarely play these days, but picked the book off the shelf out of mild curiosity, and when I re-read it in an evening, I was reminded what a gem it is (for golfers!). It does exactly what the title suggests and I was surprised to find that although I knew everything in the book, I saw how my golfing habits have got a bit lazy in forgetting some of the tiny details which make a big difference. If you’re interested in golf, then I can’t recommend a better book. 10/10
Can Any Mother Help Me? (a true story of friendship through a secret magazine) by Jenna Bailey, Faber & Faber, 2007.
I found this book at a ‘freeconomy’ event in Stokes Croft last year. The book is about a ‘magazine’ that’s effectively a string of letters reflecting life’s ups and downs, passed between 20 women between 1935 and 1990. The material comes from the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex, which Jenna Bailey found when researching for an Msc. She was so caught up by the stories that she interviewed the few survivors and the children of the deceased. The stories give wonderful glimpses of these women’s character, how they lived and what they felt about family relationships and work through the decades. Charming and diverting. 7/10
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: | books, Opinion, reading, Reviews
