January Reads
Categories: reading
Date: 04 February 2009 23:56:57
I did do a fair amount of reading in January; nice summer days to be out in the backyard or in a sun-filled room reading the day away. And after spending a bit more than I intended on my US adventure, activities were rather combined to free and cheap ones until the next pay rolled around. :)
While in Canada, my friend John and I spent rather a lot of time in The World's Biggest Bookstore. And a rather big bookstore it is. They knew how to get me in, having a "Buy 4 Pay For 3" Offer, so I did. Two books for my friend Ramsin to say "Thanks" for letting me stay with him in San José and two for me. In terms of the two books for me, one was very good and one was very, very bad.
How Proust Can Change Your Life, Alain de Botton. I've enjoyed a few books, and a TV series, by Alain de Botton previously and had wanted to get this book for a while. I doubt I have the intelligence to read Proust and comprehend it all, so this introduction to his work, his life and his thoughts was a very enjoyable read to whet my appetite and give me some understanding. De Botton does write well, and in a humorous manner, so I was constantly engaged throughout. With chapters such as How To Read for Yourself, How To Suffer Successfully, How To Be A Good Friend and How To Put Books Down [last chapter of course! :)] there is plenty of great and interesting reading to be had.
1421: The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies. And then there was this book. Foolishly, I had not read anything about it, only seeing it several years back in a bookstore and upon seeing it again remembering I had some interest in. It is well-written; it is engaging; it is extremely interesting -- did China travel around and map the world centuries before the Europeans? Sadly, no. I was a bit suspicious of his claims as I read more and more, as the evidence did not seem to be clear or point to what he was saying, and even a cursory Google and look at the Wikipedia article revealed many criticisms which appear well-founded. Given the strength of the Chinese empire at the time, I do not doubt they were advanced; but it would be better to stick with the facts that try and embellish achievements without evidence. Thankfully, being the cheapest of the books, this was my free one: some consolation.
Smudgie and Rosamundi, through comments on Facebook, put me on to Jasper Fforde late last year. Enjoying The Eyre Affair, I scoured the library shelves [well, searched online the catalogue and reserved them really -- doesn't sound as exciting though] and have been working my way through his others. I decided to start on the Nursery Crime series, which are wonderful fun -- think Jack Spratt and Mary Mary [quite contrary] investigating all manner of crimes against nursery rhyme characters in a world populated by fictitious and real people, all set in the town of Reading.
Fforde has an exceptional imagination and a great way with words -- and puns. These books are indeed a delight to read. Out of the two Nursery Crime books, The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear, the latter is my favourite -- who could not love a story including Goldilocks and the Three Bears with a maniac Gingerbreadman on the loose, and a used car salesman named Dorian Gray whose cars miraculously stay well maintained? Plenty of laughs, plenty of action and simply great reads. The Big Over Easy concerns poor Humpty Dumpty who did fall off the wall and could not be put back together again -- but did he jump? Or was he pushed? Or something more sinister? A good read and a great introduction to Fforde's amazing nursery rhyme world. I particularly like the advertisements in these books for all manner of odd things that appeal to nursery rhyme characters living in the "human world".
Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett. From the world of Nursery Crimes to DiscWorld. Terry Pratchett is truly an amazing author and while I am not generally one for fantasy books, he has captured me with his fascinating and hiilarious DiscWorld books. I cannot think of one I have not enjoyed and Monstrous Regiment is one I enjoyed a great deal. It is set in highly-conservative and extraordinarily puritan [almost everything is an abomination unto its deity, Nuggan] country of Borogravia, continually at war with its neighbours. The main character is Polly Perks who sets off to find her brother Paul by enlisting in the army, which she must do disguised as a man as women joining the army are yet another "Abomination Unto Nuggan". Will she succeed? Will she be found out? The story takes a number of great twists and turns, all described wonderfully by Pratchett. One of his best, I think.
Recovering the Icon: The Life and Work of Leonid Ouspensky, Patrick Doolan. This book came to me as part of my subscription to the St Vladimir's Seminary Press Book Club and I finally got around to read it -- or should I say reading and viewing it for it contains over 100 of Leonid Ouspensky's icons, together with descriptions of them and explanations of the Saints and events they depict. Patrick Doolan, a monk who oversees the Workshop at Saint Gregory of Sinai Monastery in California, studied under Leonid Ouspensky so reading you do get a personal insight into this superb iconographer. There is also a short biography on his life by his wife at the front of the book. You can see some of the pages, and icons, through this preview from Google Books of this most wondrous and beautiful book.
Finally, two books on being a Wedding MC which I bought after being asked by my friends if I would MC their wedding reception. I had a quick read through both to get an idea of what is required of me and will read them again over the weekend. Perhaps a bit premature judging them as good books before the big day [February 27], but I found them both exceptionally helpful in getting me to think about the questions I need to ask the bride and groom and family.
Easy to read and both well-written, I realised that while I did have some questions in my mind, I realised while reading these books that there were a lot of [seemingly obvious once I'd read them!] questions I had not thought of and some very good tips as to how to make the night one to remember. And that is all I can hope -- that it will be a most wonderful evening for two very good friends.