5
Following
Strong tea and good books
“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
SPOILER ALERT!
The Man in the High Castle
It seems to abruptly end which disappointed me as I was enjoying the book more as it progressed. I liken it to seeing how far the rabbit hole goes, only for it to end after a foot or so.One facet of the book that I did like and thought was treated well was the handling, explanation, and characterisation of the Japanese psyche. The importance of honour, standing, and respect. Reading it did make me feel that PKD had studied and understood the culture.
SPOILER ALERT!
The Forever War
An interesting tale about a soldier who fights in a war that sees him miss centuries of human progress on earth as he fights in an interstellar war. The book is less about war than it is about society, soldiers, their treatment, how a soldier can be alientated from the civilization and people he is fighting for, and the effects of war on the psyche.
WINTER IN MADRID
I recall this book being a recommendation to me as a result of my love for [b:The Shadow of the Wind|9529|The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)|Carlos Ruiz Zafón|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347296353s/9529.jpg|3209783]. I subsequently picked this up and was drawn once again into the era during and around the Spanish Civil War, a period and place in history my knowledge of was previously non existant.This is an excellent novel that has convincing characters and a genuine feeling of authenticity about the conditions in Madrid following the Civil War that evoke the scenes being written and the grimness into your mind. The story line itself has many parallel threads that develop to a conclusion full of suspense and drama.
While it is historical fiction it is also both spy novel and a love story. The historical basis shows the developing political machinations in Europe at the time, with the risk of Spain allying with the Germans against Britain, and the efforts of British diplomats to avoid this by subtle relationship building with key people in the Spanish government.
The effects of the Spanish Civil War on the various classes of people in Spain are documented well and the novel also explores the bitter wounds caused to family and social relationships by the polarisation of the nation into two different sides.
Cloud Atlas
I was expecting this book to eventually weave the stories together in a way that you didn't expect and to do it very well, but it did none of those things, the links were minor at best and had almost no effect on each individual story, each of the six stories would have been no worse for having no link with the others. It annoys me that his book was such a disappointment to me as I really believed that a few of the six stories had potential, and would have been good stories if further developed in their own right but it never came together and they were all lacking in some respect when each one eventually concluded. Even as I approached the final few pages I was still holding out hope that it would come together in a way that would make me either understand or appreciate the book but it did neither.
The Songs Of Distant Earth
The Songs of Distant Earth is an intelligent science-fiction novel with a, rare for the genre, character driven story.With the Sun about to die, the people of the earth build seed ships to save humanity, sending them across the galaxy to populate habitable planets. One of these planets is Thalassa, a planet dominated by water.
The book deals with the effects of this history on the populace, together with the arrival of people from Earth hundreds of years after the birth of humanity on Thalassa. It is a wonderful and interesting read.
Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air
When I have the time, a comprehensive review will follow, but in short: READ. THIS. BOOK. You can obtain it free here: http://www.withouthotair.com/download.html
City and the Stars (Sf Masterworks 39)
The concept of The City and The Stars is interesting, the characterisation is weaker than many of Clarke's other novels but it doesn't detract too greatly from the quality of the story. A city who's inhabitants do not venture outside of its walls, one where they choose to live and can decide to go back into the 'banks' ready to come back much later in the city's existence is intriguing. It is however not clear, at least to me, what exactly the inhabitants do all day, but we know that one resident, Alvin, is unhappy with his existence and wants to explore outside the city walls. I find it strange, that this most innate human desire, to explore, is almost completely absent from this human society for thousands of years, and this is not explored by Clarke in any great detail, though it is briefly.
When it comes to its end, the prospect of what happens from then on is left undeveloped, and to me that would have been a very interesting exploration to experience.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
A very short story where not a great deal happens and which mainly deals with reactions to Button getting younger and younger. The film is I am sure a great detal better in quality, and others have confirmed this to me.
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon)
When you read a Dan Brown book you aren't necessarily reading it for its literary qualities, and though you may be thought of less by some, there is no escaping that Dan Brown books have a racing, rapidly developing plot and mystery that keeps you reading and following along, even if the standard of the writing in terms of character development is not of the highest quality.Of his books, this is the one I liked the most, preferring it by some distance to the Da Vinci Code. It is a good summer read, good for a plane journey or holiday purely because it isn't terribly taxing on the mind and you'll get through it quite quickly.
It is not a novel that will change your mind, affect you, or inspire you but it is what it intends to be, a mystery adventure novel.
Shadow of the Wind
I love to discuss books with people and due to commuting into London and working in an office I read voraciously on my commute, so there is usually a book on my desk that people invariably comment upon or strike up a discussion about books.Once the conversation inevitably meanders to 'So... what's your favourite book?' I just respond with this one, the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The next question is of course, 'what's it about?' to which I respond... '...erm...' and then...
'It is a story about someone's most treasured book, a story that treasures books, reading, bookshops and libraries, it is about the Spanish Civil War, oppression from the police, it's about poverty, it's gothic, it's mysterious, it's about love, and love forbidden.'
I've purchased this book four times, once for lending to others, once as a present for a friend, once as a present for a colleague, and once for myself. I love this book, and the series as a whole. I recommend it to everyone, I recommend it to you.
The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson
This is a comprehensive and detailed account of the life of Horatio Nelson that analyses and describes his life, his motivations, and the events that occur, those that influenced him, and those he influenced. It adds depth to any casual interest in the man, and although it can drag at times, it is fastiduously referenced and researched and taught me many things I did not previously know about Nelson.