Books I have been reading

Here are some brief reviews of things I have read recently (and not so recently). I have provided links to the books at Amazon UK and Amazon, not because I particularly suggest that you buy them from there, but because it's the easiest way to get publication details to you. You really ought to buy books from your small, local bookshop - they need your support. Ultimately when you add in the postage and things, Internet shopping really isn't that much cheaper and bookshops are nice places. That being said I have purchased from Amazon UK and the quality of service was very high.

I get much of my reading material from the library of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne. This is the oldest surviving Lit and Phil Society in the world having been founded in 1793. If you love books and you come to Newcastle you should visit the library. If you live in Newcastle you should join as it needs your support.

If you want to comment on the books or the reviews, then click on the speech bubble at the start of the line. (Currently uses popups!)

On the horizon

I have a page with a list of books that sound promising which I will read when, and if, I see them. Be warned that some of them may be dreadful.

Incoming

The Trials of Radclyffe Hall Diana Souhami

Strange Angel George Pendle

Blind WIllow, Sleeping WOMAN Haruki Murakami

The Pursuit of the Millennium : Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical Anarchists of the Middle Ages Norman Cohn

Singer and the Sewing Machine Ruth Brandon

Put Me Back on My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson William Fotheringham

Active Pile

Finished

Written Lives Javier Marias

Short, quirky pen portraits of famous authors. Well worth reading if you come across it.

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Scott McCloud

Essential reading. One of the best books I've ever read. The man is a genius. And I don't even like comics.

A Whole New Mind Daniel Pink

Much raved about but well worth reading. I can't say that I necessarily agree with all his conclusions but there's a lot of good stuff in there.

Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw Will Ferguson

I note that the UK edition is subtitle "Excursions in the great weird north" and the US edition "Travels in search of Canada". Marketing, eh? Quite funny and quite interesting.

Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France Geoffrey Wheatcroft

A bit hard going really - lots of interesting stories, but frankly I'm not all that interested in details of the running of the 193os tours. But still the best history of the Tour around

We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love In the City of Light John Baxter

Entertaining enough but I could have done with more about Paris and it's denizens and less auto-biography.

The Gatekeeper Terry Eagleton

Described as "A memoir" this is a very entertaining collection of anecdotes, vignettes etc. from Eagleton's life. Easy to read and beautfully written.

Feet in the Clouds: A Story of Fell Running and Obsession Richard Askwith

Really enjoyed this - a window on the weird world of the fell runner and a paean to the wonder of the hills too.

The Big Over Easy Japser Fforde

As with the Thursday Next books, this was over clever but it was more readable than the last two Next books. The books would be all much better if the number of clever in jokes was reduced drastically.

The Big Drop: Classic Big Wave Surfing John Long

I love books about surfing. This is a collection of pieces from various sources and it's pretty good. The illustrations are poor quality though.

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Popular Culture Is Making Us Smarter Steven Johnson

Much hyped on the net. An interesting thesis, but really only supported by conjecture and anecdotal evidence : proper investigation is certainly warranted. Certainly one you need to have read to keep current though.

The Empress of Ireland: A Chronicle of an Unusual Friendship Christopher Robbins

Interesting biography of an Irish film producer. Good anecdotes. Worth reading.

The Sex Life of Salvador Dali: The Memoirs of Carlos Lozano Clifford Thurlow

Interesting, though of course hard to tell if it is all true. Dali was a monster.

Vibrator Mari Akasaka

Modern Japanese Novel. I quite enjoyed it.

Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of A Man Who Rescued A Million Yiddish Books Aaron Lansky

Fascinating book about saving Yiddish books from being dumped. Excellent reading.

The Middle Mind Curtis White

Definitely a curate's egg this one. Couldn't decide at all - some of it just seemed to be nonsense and other parts seemed spot on.

Independence Day Jim Keeble

Very dull. Gave up halfway through. I failed entirely to be sympathetic to the author's unrequited love.

Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami

I struggled with this one. I didn't find the story compelling or the characters particularly interesting. I wonder if the problem is the translation.

Rock and Pop Elevens Simon Trewin, Tom Bromley and Michael Moran

Entertaining though uneven (and sometimes actually wrong)

Larpers and Shroomers : The Language Report Susie Dent

A review of new words in the OED in 2004 and some other stuff. A skimmer rather than a concentrated read.

The Man Who Ate Everything: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food, But Were Afraid to Ask Jeffrey Steingarten

Essays by the food editor of Vogue. Excellent. Interesting and Informative. Well worth reading.

Coffin Nails and Tombstone Trails: A Journey Across the Dark Side of America Nick Wood

Brit drives across America to sites associated in some way with death. Interesting enough but not essential.

Raw Spirit : in search of the perfect dram. Iain Banks

I gave up on this one. The stuff about whisky was interesting, all the padding about Iain Banks and his friends was not. Cut out all the crap and this would be a nice little book about whisky, but it is just not worth wading through all the padding to get that information.

The Dreams Our Stuff is Made of. Thomas M. Disch

I was looking forward to this, but what a disappointment. I have never heard of Disch, but he clearly expects me to have. I really dont care about all the famous authors he has met. And none of the chapters deliver on what they promise : they ramble on sort of topic and then drift away and stop. Very poor indeed.

The Accidental Pilgrim: Travels with a Celtic Saint David Moore

Guy rides his bike from Ireland to Italy sort of in the footsteps of Saint Columbanus. Nothing happens to him on the way.

The Rosetta Stone : The story of the decoding of hieroglyphics Robert Solé and Dominique Valbelle

Short but interesting.

Looking for the Lost: Journeys Through a Vanishing Japan Alan Booth

Travels in Japan by one of the best writers on Japan. Excellent. Highly recommended.

Anglo-English Attitudes: Essays, Reviews, Misadventures, 1984-98 Geoff Dyer

Some interesting, some not so interesting - typical collection of essays! Lots of stuff about photographers.

Travels Without My Aunt: In the footsteps of Graham Greene Julia Llewellyn Smith

Travels to various places that Graham Greene visited and used in his books. Nothing startlingly but quite interesting.

Tricky Business Dave Barry

I enjoyed this - light and easy to read

Alexander the Corrector Julia Keay

About the man who created Cruden's Concordance. I skimmed it but it was very interesting.

Knees up, Morther Earth Robert Rankin

Much better than most of the recent ones. A little too long though and too many needless threads.

Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk Through Portland, Oregon Chuck Palahniuk

Disappointing - mostly just a guide book with odd tiny stories thrown in which just about made it worth reading.

Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World Bruce Schneier

Excellent like all of Schneier's books. Essential reading if you are interested in security.

Kings of the Mountains: How Colombia's Cycling Heroes Changed Their Nation's History Matt Rendell

This ought to have been interesting but it was a struggle to read for some reason.

Do Not Pass Go Tim Moore

Funny and interesting. About the places on the London Monopoly board.

A Very Peruvian Practice John Lane

OK, but not one I would suggest you actively seek out.

The Well of Lost Plots Jasper Fforde

This was so dull and complicated I just gave up. Trying far too hard to be clever and swamping the reader in pointless "jokes"

Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Mary Roach

Wonderful. Funny and fascinating. A must read.

Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics John Derbyshire

Yet another book about the RH. But this is the best one so far - I came out of this one with a good inkling of what the maths is all about. Recommended.

The Music of the Primes: Why an Unsolved Problem in Mathematics Matters Marcus du Sautoy

Another book about the Reimann hypothesis. Good on the historical stuff, though there is a lot of side material. I thought this was really badly written though - dice was used as a singular for goodness sake! I also didn't get much of an idea of the maths at all.

Dummyland Steve Aylett

The third part of the trilogy. Just as weird and confusing as the other two parts. Good, even if I haven't the faintest idea what it was about.

everything and more David Foster Wallace

Do not waste your time with this book. I ploughed my way through the end and regret it intensely. It claims to be a complete history of infinity, and accessible to boot. There is probably a countable infinity of ways in which this book is awful : twee words, incomprehensible mathematics badly explained, stupid footnotes. Ughh!!!! Really, do not even think of reading this.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Lynne Truss

Interesting but not as good as it could have been or as the reviews suggested.

Tokyo:: a certain style Kyoichi Tsuzuki

Lovely book of photographs of the insides of small houses in Tokyo. No people anywhere to be seen, just their debris and detritus.

Stargazing: Memoirs of a young Lighthouse Keeper Peter Hill

Really good - I enjoyed this enormously. Partly because the author is about the same age as me and has a similar background, but also because of the fascinating snapshot of lighthouse life.

Hotel Bemelmans Ludwig Bemelmans

Reminisences about working in a hotel in New York. Entertaining enough.

Goodbye Tzugumi Banana Yoshimoto

OK, but I prefer her short stories - the atmosphere she creates does nto extend to the full length novel.

The Social Life of Information Paul Duguid, John Seely Brown

Did not excite me

The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write One--How to Deliver It Richard Dowis

Disappointing. Not at all helpful and the choice of "great speakers" is bizarre

Nothing Personal: the Business of Sex Donald McRae

Dull

Monstrous regiment Terry Pratchett

Hmmm, as usual I enjoyed this - some nice ideas and some good jokes, but I don't think it's one of the best by any means.

Going to Extremes: Mud, Sweat and Frozen Tears Nick Middleton

About going to the hottest, coldest, driest and wettest inhabited places. Interesting but I was not in sympathy with the author for some reason. (This the book of a TV programme I believe but I didn;t see it)

War Paint: Miss Elizabeth Arden and Madame Helena Rubinstein, Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry Lindy Woodhead

I got bored about two fifths of the way in and stopped reading - way too much detail and not nearly pacy enough, but reading about the early years of these two was interesting. There is a much better book inside this one trying to get out.

The Witches of Chiswick Robert Rankin

This year's Rankin, and he is back on form - this is a good idea, well executed, and there is none of his terrible poetry in there (Even if it is an old charter or something)

Hold the Enlightenment Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill is always worth reading.

How I Came into My Inheritance, and Other True Stories Dorothy Gallagher

Stories about the author's family. Short and pithy, easy to read.

The Summer Book Tove Janson

This is a must read - go and get it now. I had always wondered about Janson's non-Moomin books and this one is utterly superb.

The Perfect House: A Journey with the Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio Witold Rybczynski

Lovely. Read it.

Tragically I Was an Only Twin: The Complete Peter Cook William Cook and Peter Cook

Mildly funny in places - some of the stuff is only funny when performed, some of it is just not funny except to people who subscribe to the cult of Peter Cook, and some of it is just stupid, undergraduate nonsense. Don't bother unless you are a cult member.

Artifacts: An Archaeologist's Year in Silicon Valley Christine Finn

I was singularly unimpressed by this book. The author appeared to be entirely taken in by the Silicon Valley hype, and seemed to enjoy playing the silly outsider. There was nothing much about archaeology at all. A waste of time.

The Wee Free men Terry Pratchett

Supposedly a children's book, but it didn't read like one particularly. Really rather good.

The Lost Tribes of Israel Tudor Parfitt

Interesting book discussing the myth of the lost tribes of Israel and the various religio-political issues surrounding it.

So What: The Life of Miles Davis John Szwed

If you want to read a biography of Miles then this is the one. But I must admit to getting rather bored and skimming most of it. Too much detail and MD was not the nicest of men.

Elmer McCurdy: The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw Mark Svenvold

A book spun out of the thinnest of material. Definitely a curate's egg. Would have made an interesting magazine article - which is probably how it started.

Swahili for the Broken Hearted Peter Moore

Hmm, I didn't like this author's The Full Montezuma. This was a little better and even interesting in parts but not an essential read.

Dr. Riemann's Zeros: The Search for the $1million Solution to the Greatest Problem in Mathematics Karl Sabbagh

A good read, though I am not really any clearer about what the Reimman htypothesis really is.

A Pound of Paper : Confessions of a Book Addict John Baxter

Autobiographical stories of a book collector and dealer. Worth dipping in to - the collection of ebay gems at the back is good.

Ghost Riders: Travels with American Nomads Richard Grant

Another Brit rides round America style book. It was interesting in places but in others it was just plain dull.

Where Did It All Go Right?: Growing Up Normal in the 70s Andrew Collins

Entertaining in places. I didn't grow up in the 70s, so some of the resonances are faint.

Ginger Geezer: the Life of Vivian Stanshall Lucian Randall and Chris Welch

If you ever heard or saw Vivian Stanshill then you should read this. Very sad really - he seems to have been quite mad and often very unpleasant to know.

Tilting at Windmills: How I Tried to Stop Worrying and Love Sport Joseph Pittman

If you, like me, never understood the point of sport then you will find this book very funny. He ends up representing the UK at miniature golf.

A Box of Matches Nicholson Baker

Typical Baker book - short and about minutae. Some excellent little vignettes in it.

Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia Roff Smith

Man cycles round Australia. Doesn't really have a lot of adventures. Australia is hot and dry except where it is hot and wet. Readable enough but not exactly compulsive.

Among the Bohemians Virginia Nicholson

Fascinating look at life amongst British artists of the early twentieth century. Well worth reading

God: The Biography Alexander Waugh

Quite entertaining. God-botherers will not like it....

Colour: Travels through the paintbox Victoria Finlay

A little overegged but a good read. Like a travel book version of Bright Earth

Pattern Recognition William Gibson

Loved it. Good story, good characters. A must read.

The Velocity Gospel Steve Aylett

Just as weird as the first part of the trilogy, and just as good. A must read for lovers of strange books.

After the Quake Haruki Murakami

Strange, spooky stories. Excellent. Highly recommended.

Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books H. J. Jackson

Interesting but hard going. I got lots of ideas from reading the book, but it was rather too scholarly for my taste.

Night Watch Terry Pratchett

Not sure about this one. Basically I think he is bored with writing Discworld novels but doesn't know how to stop - golden goose etc. This is much darker than usual and seems to be an attempt at more of a psychological thriller thing, and it works well enough, but it didn't really grab me. I prefer the funny ones. Bonus points for not having the witches in it though, points docked for almost no wizards and magic.

Temperament Stuart Isacoff

Interesting account of the development of musical temperament systems.

Black Bottom Stomp David A. Jasen and Gene Jones

Short bios of 8 important ragtime and early jazz musicians. Some interesting stuff.

Birth of the Cool Lewis MacAdams

About the idea of cool. Great pictures and interesting text. You can pick it up remainder if you look around.

The Great Unfrocked Matthew Parris

About church scandals. Ought to have been interesting. Wasn't.

They Have A Word For it Howard Rheingold

"A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases" The "lighthearted" should have warned me! This just annoyed me with its tweeness. It's a reprint of an old book too - stick to the Computer stuff, Howard.

Easy Riders Raging Bulls Peter Biskind

Gave this one up too - way too much boring detail about dull and unpleasant people.

Marijuana Time Ken Lukowiak

About a guy in the British army who smuggled marijuana. I got very bored with it about two thirds of the way through and gave up.

Stupid White Men Michael Moore

I have no idea why this book is described as hilarious. I barely cracked a smile - the kind of stuff he is talking about is just not funny. (I disagree with him about recycling and big cars too) A must read though.

Against Oblivion Ian Hamilton

Brief lives of some 20th century poets. Interesting.

Yes We Have No : Adventures in the Other England Nik Cohn

Nik Cohn's books are always slightly odd - I can never tell what is real and what is fictional (if anything!) Worth a read though.

A Season with Verona Tim Parks

As long as I live I will never understand why people are obsessed with football. Nveretheless, this is an interesting read about a Brit who lives in Italy and supports Hellas Verona.

Fargö Rock City Chuck Klosterman

A sort of autobiography and a book about heavy metal. I read this through and realised that though I had heard of all of the bands he mentions, I had not conciously heard any of the music that he talks about, which made for an odd read.

The Full Montezuma Peter Moore

Travels round Central America. Didn't grab me.

Big Deal Anthony Holden

Damn, I've read this before. It's one of the best books about poker around though. (Not that I am that interested in poker)

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse Robert Rankin

Much better than the recent books, though still with its dull bits - alliteration and lists are not funny and, Mr Rankin, please stop writing poetry: you are crap at it. The "up to the minute" digs at George Bush at the end are also pointless. The plot is sound though.

Borders up! Vitali Vitaliev

A drinking tour of Eastern/Central Europe. Funny and informative.

A Thread Across the Ocean John Steele Gordon

Interesting history of the laying of the first Atlantic cables. A little light, perhaps but an easy read.

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