Kobo, Audible and kick-starting my reading again!

This year has been a poor year for my reading - various factors have conspired to deprive me of the time I used to spend with my books - and as a result my Goodreads profile indicates I've only finished 9 books this year - a shockingly low number. Worse, it doesn't include the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings which it should have done as this was one of my Tolkien years.

Thankfully, I have lately taken action to start redressing this situation - this has been in three forms:

1. I have finally purchased an eReader. After years of wanting one but having been unable to justify such a purchase to myself, I have succumbed. I would have had one a long time ago if I had a job which involved a commute which allowed reading, or travelling away from home. What I had failed to realise was their practicality even for reading around the house and carrying about on a daily basis. And the ability to change font, font size and spacing is fantastic.

A couple of things finally persuaded me: the new generation of front-lit devices and reports that Amazon say they find that Kindle customers read four times as many books as others - and still purchase a mix of electronic and physical books.

Having got fed-up waiting on the realise of the Nook Simple Touch Glowlight, and having reservations about tying myself into Amazon's ecosystem and never truly owning Kindle books, I purchased a Kobo Glo. It may not be as sexy as Amazon's Paperwhite, but it does the job and the books are mine for keeps.

2. I've finally joined the Library. One of the key attractions of an Open Platform eReader, as opposed to a Kindle, was the ability to borrow eBooks. Joining the library allows me to download time-limited eBooks for nothing and to cost-efficiently explore new authors.

To date, I have downloaded two books in this way: Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father. I had been reading my physical copy for months but was struggling to complete due to other commitments; having a time-limited version focused my mind and I was able to finally finish it   The next book was Roald Dahl's Completely Unexpected Tales (Both his volumes of Tales of the Unexpected) - I finished this earlier and will post a review in the next day or two.

Now I'm about to embark on The Lord of the Rings. Like my edition of The Hobbit, my copies of the three LotR volumes are showing their age (28 years)... so I have invested £13.99 in an electronic version of the complete book.

3. I've joined Audible - which lets me download audio books once a month (and also ad hoc) - and will, I hope, also help to broaden my "reading" horizons. (The library also has an electronic audiobook lending service which I hope to likewise explore!)

My first Audible book from them was "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill. Given it's weighty political philosophy, I need to sit down and properly concentrate on it sometime, so it was maybe not the best choice to start. 

I've since, though, downloaded Alexander McCall Smith's "44 Scotland Street" which I very much enjoyed. Originally written as a daily serial in The Scotsman, its bite-sized chapters were great for episodic listening and his wry wit and all too acute observations cut a scythe through a certain sector of Edinburgh society.

My latest download is a "semi-staged" version of Dawn French's latest novel "Oh Dear Sylvia" - which features the author's own narration, a full cast and additional sound effects. I'm only a few chapters in but am enjoying it immensely.

So, there we have it - 2012 has been a poor year on the reading front, but action has been taken and things are on the up...

Andrew 

Plus ça change...

I'm currently reading Kenneth Williams' diaries which I'm enjoying but, it has to be said, is a pretty hefty tome! I intend to review it on completion.

Throughout, however, there have been a number of moments where things have been said which could have been written in the last year, rather than in the fifties, sixties or seventies (I'm currently up to 1978). Here's just three examples which have stuck in my mind.

First, an excerpt from an extended entry regarding his purpose in professional life and a section which discusses the Arts Council, although that is not what grabbed me about this particular bit, as will be clear:

"Of course, like so much else which starts out nobly (viz. News of the World newspaper) it seems that the years lend corruption and lay a glazed meaning or interpretation over original motives."

Friday-Wednesday 2nd-7th February 1951

Next, an excerpt which could have relevance in today's economic climate:

"Went in to Louie [his mother] and saw the State Opening of Parliament on TV. It was terribly funny. The Queen in fabulous robes talking about 'my government's need to economise because of balance of payments deficits' and wearing a Crown with enough precious stones to raise several millions."

Tuesday 29th October 1974

(That entry concludes with "When she came to the bit about a Wealth Tax, I thought she ought to stop, point to the crown and say, 'I hope you're not going to include this?' It would have got a big laugh.")

Finally, I imagine we'll see sentiment to this effect from some quarters a little later in the year:

"Everything seems utterly bleak to me and all these jubilee celebrations malapropos; in a time of economic recession, the Queen should have set an example of austerity: thousands of pounds wasted on processions and bonfires, which could have been used for better purposes."

Tuesday 7th June 1977

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. That's your actual French, that is.

Andrew

I. Just. Can't. Wait.

Every four years since I was a teenager I have, without fail, re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The completeness and consistency of Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth has never ceased to amaze me and I will never tire of it.

From the creation myths of The Silmarillion to the ending of the Third Age in The Return of the King, from the homely familiarity of Hobbiton to the huge variety of peoples, societies and languages portrayed, Tolkien's work is a masterpiece and towering achievement of English Literature.

I still remember when I heard that The Lord of the Rings was to be filmed. I recall the fear that what would result would be a travesty, completely unworthy of the book. I can remember as stills were released in the months prior to first film the gradual realisation that these were as I envisaged them, that what was being committed to film was (for the most part) faithful to my own interpretation of the books. And I remember finishing work early and going to the Odeon in South Clerk Street, Edinburgh on the day "Fellowship" was released - full of excitement and expectation and not being disappointed. 

And now? Now we have The Hobbit to look forward to. This time there is no fear - after all, in the hands of Peter Jackson, how could there be? But there is excitement and there is expectation. You can be sure you will hear again from me on this matter but for now, though, here are some pictures from the set - Mr Jackson himself in Bilbo's Hobbit hole.

You can follow production more closely through the official Facebook page, theonering.net and also through the Hobbit in 5 weekly webcast on YouTube.

Andrew

My Crêpes Suzette

On Sunday I met a friend for lunch prior to him attending an event in the Bristol Festival of Ideas. With little persuasion, I agreed to join him to hear Christopher Stevens discuss the life of Kenneth Williams, whom he's written a biography of. 

Over the course of around an hour and a half he talked freely about Williams' life, peppering the narrative with anecdotes and quotes from those he interviewed during his research. There were also a number of clips of Williams, including this one of him sing Crêpes Suzette as part of his An Audience With.... 

The afternoon was entertaining and informative - for example, I wasn't previously aware of Williams' years as a cartographer or in Rep in Newquay. Given the hours of research Stevens had obviously done and his enthusiasm for his subject, I'd be inclined to buy this book (it's now on my Amazon Wishlist) and to recommend it to those interested in finding out more about the man behind the Carry On façade.

My friend has written a fuller review and Christopher Stevens' book "Born Brilliant" is out now.

Andrew

Nocturnes

Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my favourite authors. His books take the reader on voyages of the imagination; not just to other times and places but into the thoughts, feelings and memories of the central characters. He explores the power of the past on individual motives and actions. The unreliability of memory and the ways in which time, emotion and personal perception act as a prism to distort recollections are recurring themes.

It always takes me some pages to truly get into an Ishiguro novel. His writing has its own particular cadence and the dialogue is often stylised and - to my mind - betrays his Japanese routes even in those novels which aren't set there. Once I get into them, however, I find they have they have their own peculiar momentum and are ultimately satisfying.

Nocturnes is different. It is a series of five bitter-sweet short stories with a musical theme. The characters are all at some form of decision point whether personal or professional and reflecting on how they arrived at their current situation as well as their next steps.

For all that the stories were, of themselves, nice stories, the book lacked the impact that his novels have. Partly this was because none of the stories had a killer punch in the way, say, Remains of the Day does, partly this was because the short story format doesn't lend itself to the author's style. Ishiguro's books are populated with characters with complex feelings and motives which are developed and revealed gradually - many of the protagonists in Nocturnes are as well but these are underdeveloped. As a result, this reader was left with a lack of empathy for them.

Nocturnes is a pleasant distraction which belies the skill and talent of the author. One or two of the stories hint at something bigger - a story which could cover the canvas of a novel. Indeed, two of the stories share a character and I wonder if these might have originally been part of a greater whole in Ishiguro's mind. As it is though all that is left is, at best, a series poignant vignettes some of which could well have been critical points in a larger work but none of which left a lasting impression.

Andrew

P.S. I found it difficult to write this review and to criticise Ishiguro. For something more positive, please click here. For alternative views on this book, turn to Amazon or Goodreads.

My Reading Update

Since my last post on the subject, I'm afraid to say I'm still not much further forward in getting back up and running with my reading which in turn means a shortage of book reviews. Meanwhile, I've been happy to purchase more books!

I'm still determined to finish The Storm but need to somehow incentivise myself to make reading a regular part of my day again and to get through it. Here's hoping I'll be posting a review of it soon. Any ideas welcome!

Andrew

Reading Update

Regular readers will have noticed a lack of book reviews in the past couple of months. This is because I'm going through one of my periodic reading droughts.

The last book I read was Ian Rankin's Doors Open, which I fear I never reviewed here. I finished it at the tail end of April., just before I moved house. Unfortunately, moving house and the establishment of a new routine has squeezed my reading. Although I made a start to Vince Cable's The Storm, I never made much progress and fell out of the habit of making time each day to read it.

I'm writing this on Sunday night and hope that by the time of publication on Tuesday I shall have made some movement towards re-establishing a reading regime. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a brief review of Doors Open.

Unfortunately the way my mind works, specific details of books and films are quickly lost and I'm left with over-riding impressions, so please forgive the lack of detail:

I like Ian Rankin and to a point I like his books. The Rebus novels are ripping yarns and being set in Edinburgh, my former residence, makes them all the more appealing. I was intrigued to read Doors Open, his first "post-Rebus" novel, told largely from the point of view of the perpetrator of the crime rather than the investigator.

Mike Mackenzie, a multi-millionaire with time on his hands and an appreciation for art - and the value of art - finds himself involved in a plot to stage a heist of several works from the warehouse of the National Galleries of Scotland. His fellow plotters include a Professor from the College of Art, his private banker and a local criminal big wig but can they all be trusted?

The story was quite thin and a bit contrived and the characters were under-developed. That said, it was well enough told and had a bit of a twist at the end. Ultimately, the best thing about it was the setting and being able to picture the various locations really well - it brought it alive in away which an anonymous setting wouldn't have. That said, I still want to read more of Rankin, particularly The Complaints... and his Twitter feed!

Andrew

Books of 2009 - Part 2

Following on from this post in which every two line review was three lines, here is the next batch of the books I have read in 2009.

Look Who It Is by Alan Carr - I've never been much of one for Biography, especially not Celebrity Autobiography, but this was being sold by the book man at work, and I thought it might be worth a giggle for a fiver. The tone of the book was very much as you'd expect, and it was an enjoyable enough read - especially for fans of the self-styled "Tooth Fairy".

The Crow Road by Iain Banks - As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I am engaged in an exercise of re-reading all my Banks' books. The Crow Road is a family epic, telling the story of three generations of the leading family in a small highland town. While things may seem respectable - if tragedy prone - on the surface, below the facade things are far from normal...

Complicity by Iain Banks - My first Banks and still one of my favourites, even if I'd forgotten how graphic some of the violence is - indeed, for my money it is a more graphic novel than the much more widely read The Wasp Factory. It tells the story of a journalist investigating a series of bizarre tortures and murders. Not one for the squeamish!

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels - For a political tract that was published over 150 years ago this was, in relative terms, quite straightforward to read, although the various prefaces to subsequent editions with which my edition was furnished became a bit repetitive and unnecessary. For those interested in the politics of the left, and how practical communism has differed from the theory it is well worth the effort.

Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill - Quite simply a fantastic book. Athill is 92 and facing the end of life square on. She writes about the lessons life has taught her with a light and magical touch. Whether discussing sexual conquests, relationships or the imminence of death, she does so with wit, charm, candour and the wisdom of her years.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - I read this in anticipation of the film coming out but then never went to see it. As with The Da Vinci Code, for which this is the template, Brown tells a ripping yarn in short, moreish chapters. It's easy to be snobby about the quality of the writing itself but this does exactly what it says on the tin. That said, it'll be a while before I brave another of his books!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - Having read Good Omens - Gaiman's collaboration with Terry Pratchett - I finally got round to reading one of his own books. Set in the fantasy world of "London Below", inhabited by the people who have fallen through the cracks, this is a quest novel in which our unwitting hero battles for something which no one has previously achieved - return to normal life in London Above.

So that's the second batch - a third and final batch soon!


Andrew

5 on the 5th - September

This blog is my entry to my friend Stephen's monthly blog feature called "5 on the 5th". This month the pictures are of the last 5 books I started (although not necessarily finished!). For more on my reading habits, see here.

Andrew

For my entry to 5 on the 5th in August, click here.

Life gets in the way of my escapism

Ever since I was a child I've loved reading. My parents read to me and my sisters, we were regulars at the library (this library) and our School reading record sheets were rapidly completed.

I remember the Thomas the Tank Engine books (back when they were postcard-sized hardbacks with beautiful glossy illustrations). As I grew older, I loved the Just William stories, Billy Bunter and Enid Blyton's Famous Five.

Then I discovered The Hobbit, and subsequently The Lord of the Rings - books that I re-visit every 4 years and completely adore. I still have my childhood copies published by the long-gone Unwin imprint. As a teenager, I also enjoyed Robert Cromier and went through a phase of reading Isaac Asimov stories too.

But then something happened. Life started getting in the way. My reading habits fell by the wayside. Telly, friends and the internet all have a way of crowding in and taking up time. Before I knew it a day, week and month could go by and I'd have read nothing more than a cereal packet.

So around 10 years ago I started disciplining myself to read regularly - and to keep a record of what I had read. Every so often, though, I fall off the wagon.

This happened recently - a combination of busy work, TV and newly acquired laptop (and blog!) along with a heavy book and I suddenly discovered that it'd been a month since I'd read anything!

Last weekend I replaced the heavy book - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecroft - with a much lighter one - The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale. It may not be the best book I've ever read but it was exactly what I needed - easy reading, short and straightforward - to kick start my reading habit.

So, if you ever think my posts are too infrequent - it's probably because I'm getting stuck into a book instead! But that's good too, as future posts may well be reviews of those very books.