What I've been reading

The Tenderness of Wolves
by Stef Penney

"1867, Canada: as winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man's cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives."

I liked the style of writing, interesting subjects, plot in the background, but so atmospheric. The cold, the wet, the isolation, the descriptions of people who would choose to move there (Norwegians and Scots - makes sense, I suppose). In a reversal of the usual routine, I'm giving this one to Lola II to read next.

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
by Jeanette Winterson

"This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God's elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts. Innovative, punchy and tender, this book is a few days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession."

Mr A was having a clear-out and this book came to light, even though it was one of mine rather than his. Rather than get rid of it straight away (as I did with some of my university Industrial Sociology textbooks that appeared in the same clear-out) I thought I'd read it again. It's much better than I remember: kind, gently funny, highlighting the quirks of the slightly unhinged evangelical mother and her supportive daughter, who finds that her own convictions clash irreconcilably with those of the Church. Maybe Lola II will like this one too?

The House of Silk
by Anthony Horowitz

narrated by Derek Jacobi

"Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221b Baker Street. Intrigued by the man's tale, Holmes and Watson find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events, stretching from the gas-lit streets of London to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston."

This is a Sherlock Holmes story written by a modern author in the Conan Doyle style, and it's better than the last lot of short stories I read by the original author. Half way through I started to think he'd opened too many different story strands, and I was having some difficulty remembering how we'd reached this particular situation, but it resolved very well in the end. Skilfully written, and worth reading.

It Just Occurred to Me...
by Humphrey Lyttelton

"The legendary band leader and jazz trumpeter, broadcaster and humorist looks back at his extraordinarily rich and varied life and the many colourful characters he has known and played with - from Duke Ellington to Louis Armstrong."

This was lying around after Mr A's book clear-out, and I started browsing it. I've actually read it before, just over two years ago, but didn't remember a word. Still good, lovely light reading.

Obesity: The Biography
by Sander L. Gilman

"An account of the history of obesity, looking at the changing attitudes towards the body, from regarding it as 'God's temple' to more mechanical and practical concerns from the Enlightenment onwards."

Not as interesting as I was expecting, it described the history of obesity as described in various lay and academic sources through the ages, both in the Western and the Oriental world. The view of 'acceptable' fatness has changed, although the side effects in terms of ill health and early death have been recognised for longer than I imagined. Still no answers, though.

The Light Fantastic
by Terry Pratchett

narrated by Nigel Planer

"The Discworld is on a collision course with a malevolent red star, and only one person can save it. Unfortunately, it's the cowardly wizard, Rincewind, who was last seen falling off the edge of the planet. "

I was led to believe that it was worth following up the fate of Rincewind (thanks, Hugh), and this sequel is just as good as the first, especially now I have come to understand the style and look forward to some of the jokes. Reminiscent of the wit of Douglas Adams, and clearly providing inspiration for the work of J K Rowling, the wizards, trolls, dwarves, dragons and luggage all have personality and a sense of humour, although I'm still not entirely sure why the Discworld wasn't hit by the red star. I'll probably read some more of this series.

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold

"On her way home from school on a snowy December day, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured into a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer. Susie struggles to accept her death while still clinging to the lost world of the living, following her family's dramas over the years."

Another good one, with the notable feature that at no point did the story go where I was expecting, right up to the very last page. Not that it ended badly, but I was looking forward to the usual resolution - killer brought to justice, lovers in their rightful places and everyone happy, and it didn't happen. The movie of the book has an interesting cast and director, so I might watch it if reviews are good.

What I've been reading

The Colour of Magic
by Terry Pratchett

narrated by Nigel Planer

"The magical planet of Discworld is supported by four massive elephants who stand on the back of the Great A'Tuin, a giant turtle swimming slowly through the mysterious interstellar gulf. Its very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the arrival of the first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land."

I've made many repeated attempts to read Terry Pratchett's novels, not least because they are incredibly popular, but more importantly, people I regard highly think they are great. Until now I hadn't managed to finish a single one. For me, it seems, they have to be read out loud, because this time I enjoyed the story immensely, even though it was pretty silly. And it ended on a cliffhanger - would those who are already familiar with the books tell me: will I find out what happens to Rincewind in the next book? Will it be worth it?

Testing Treatments: Better Research for Better Healthcare
by Imogen Evans, Hazel Thornton, Iain Chalmers and Paul Glasziou

"How do we know whether a particular treatment really works? How reliable is the evidence? And how do we ensure that research into medical treatments best meets the needs of patients? These are just a few of the questions addressed in a lively and informative way in this book."

This was recommended by Ben Goldacre, who wrote a Foreword and is mentioned several times through the book. It is really good, very readable, and a useful reminder that the headline 'Risk of X reduced by 50% with treatment Z" carries a different weight compared with the same fact conveyed as "Risk of X reduced from 2 in ten squillion to 1 in ten squillion with treatment Z.' And some other things too, including how not to become a patient, and sensible questions to ask your GP before s/he tries to give you any treatment. I would like to read this again after about a year when I will need reminding, but realistically, I am unlikely to.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"The stories reflect the disillusioned world of the 1920s in which they were written, and Conan Doyle can be seen to take advantage of new, more open conventions in fiction. Suicide as a murder weapon and homosexual incest are some of the psychological tragedies whose consequences are unravelled by the mind of Holmes before the eyes of Watson."

The last book of short stories, and somewhat inferior to the best of the series, I think. But it is a long while since I read any others, and maybe they are all of this kind but have gained substance in my memory. I didn't notice any story containing homosexual incest either, but I'm not going back to find it. The book is also an 'Oxford World's Classics' edition complete with asterisks in the text leading to endnotes giving explanations and definitions which are annoyingly unnecessary for this reader - the meaning of the words 'cravat' and 'spats' could be found in any half-decent dictionary.

What I've been reading

Homicide
by David Simon

"The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the centre of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of men confronted by the darkest of American visions. David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and his remarkable book is both a compelling account of casework and an investigation into our culture of violence."

David Simon went on to write 'The Wire', one of the best TV shows I have ever watched. So I bought this for Mr A, and after he'd finished reading, it was my turn. It is a very fat book, following a year in the life of the homicide police teams working in Baltimore, a world of which I have little idea other than what I'd seen on 'The Wire'. It's well written and interesting enough to keep me reading, although there are few satisfying outcomes and obviously no trace of a plot, given that it is non-fiction written by a journalist.

The Secret History
by Donna Tartt

narrated by Donna Tartt

"A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them."

Quite a long book, and no long car journeys means a fragmented read, but sufficiently tight narrative meant that I kept up with the plot. It's an odd book, because the murder happens right at the start, and there's no mystery involved in who played a part, but the whole book serves to describe why it happened, and what happened next. You hear a lot about the participants, and I understood a bit about them by the end, but none is particularly attractive and there's little 'relaxation' when bad things aren't happening. Well written, a good read, but somehow unsatisfying.

Gormenghast
by Mervyn Peake

"Titus, 77th Lord Groan of Gormenghast, is restless in his cobwebbed kingdom of crumbling towers and ivied quadrangles, dank passages and battlements elbow-deep in moss. The castle is instinct with spreading evil: Titus's father, his twin sisters and several castle officials have met terrible and secret ends and Titus feels that, if he isn't destined for a similar fate, his life can only ever be an endless round of pre-ordained ritual. Somehow he must cut off the evil at source - or escape into the unknown world beyond Gormenghast."

This is the second book of the trilogy, and much like the first, uses language like a bludgeon to beat you into submission. New word from this book: 'marcid', which means 'Lean, withered, characterized by emaciation.' This book is much the same as the first, quite a lot happens but very, very slowly until quite near the end, incorporating lots and lots of words, but evoking an inordinately vivid image of the action and the location. I have the third book ready to go, but I'll need to read something a bit lighter after these three hefty books.

What I've been reading

Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy

narrated by Judy Franklin

"Anna Karenina is beautiful, married to a successful man, and has a son whom she adores. But a chance meeting at a train station in Moscow sets her passionate heart alight, and she is defenceless in the face of Count Vronsky's adoration. Having defied the rules of 19th-century Russian society, Anna is forced to pay a heavy price. "

Tolstoy is a breeze compared with Dostoevsky, and the story is engaging and easy to follow, despite its length - a mammoth 35½ hours. Luckily I had plenty of car journeys, and it was the ideal accompaniment to painting the kitchen ceiling. While Anna, her husband and Vronsky feature quite a lot, there are plenty of other stories going on - Anna's brother and his sister-in-law have their own adventures, of equal interest. I was given a print version long, long ago as a school prize, and I'm sure I read it too, but at that age I certainly didn't gain any insight into the Russian world at that period - land economy, a shooting party, local politics, class distinctions - and I'm sure I missed some points on this reading that a Russian or historical scholar would notice. It tails off rather than ending, but apart from that it was a good read.

Shirley
by Charlotte Bronte

"Written at a time of social unrest, the book is set during the period of the Napoleonic Wars, when economic hardship led to riots in the woollen district of Yorkshire. A mill-owner, Robert Moore, is determined to introduce new machinery despite fierce opposition from his workers; he ignores their suffering, and puts his own life at risk. Robert sees marriage to the wealthy Shirley Keeldar as the solution to his difficulties, but he loves his cousin Caroline."

This book doesn't have the passion of Jane Eyre, nor the sweeping plot, but has historical detail instead. Rather than the characters or the plot, the most interesting thing for me was the discovery that at the time of writing, 'Shirley' was a man's name, only becoming associated with women as a result of this novel. All progresses and ends as it should, of course, but for me there were too many subsidiary characters, most of them associated with the church - I don't really know the difference between a vicar, rector, curate and parish priest, but it seemed to matter. And it's stuffed full of references to biblical and Graeco-Roman characters, all of which made me feel I was missing something. Meh.

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

narrated by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, Cassandra Campbell

"Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Aibileen is a black maid raising her seventeenth white child. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is the sassiest woman in Mississippi: a wonderful cook with a gossip's tongue. Graduate Skeeter returns from college with ambitions, but her mother will not be happy until she's married. Although worlds apart, Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny's lives converge over a clandestine project that will change the town of Jackson forever."

This was a freebie from the Observer newspaper, and I'm very glad it was, because it's an absolutely brilliant book. Really excellent, and worth hearing rather than reading because the deep South accents of the narration added a wonderful extra dimension and authenticity. The book ends at about the time I was born, and it's sobering to hear the degree of casual and institutional racism at that time, not all that long ago, albeit in southern USA. Well worth reading, and a great accompaniment to shower room renovation. The film of the book has just been released in this country, and is getting good reviews.

The Shakespeare Secret
by J. L. Carrell

"A deadly serial killer is on the loose, modelling his sickening murders on Shakespeare's plays. But why is he killing? And how can he be stopped?"

In contrast to that last wonderful book, this one was appalling. It's a 'Da Vinci Code' ripoff, substituting Shakespeare for Leonardo, and consisting of a Shakespeare expert chasing around the world following 'clues' to try and find a lost Shakespeare play, shadowed by a murderer who threatens her and kills off various people who help her. I wasn't in the least bit interested in any of the characters, couldn't follow the tortuous relationships either in the present day or in the flashbacks to the 17th century, and didn't care about any of it. Rather than pass this book on as soon as humanly possible, I'm tempted to throw it in the bin, and I NEVER do that.

Stephen Fry in America
by Stephen Fry

"Stephen Fry has always loved America, in fact he came very close to being born there. Here, his fascination for the country and its people sees him embarking on an epic journey across America, visiting each of its 50 states to discover how such a huge diversity of people, cultures, languages, beliefs and landscapes combine to create such a remarkable nation."

Obviously being a fan of the great Fry this went down very well. The book to accompany the TV series, it consists of short chapters covering highlights of his time in each state, mostly visits to just one or two towns or attractions. In the case of Delaware, he just drove through and didn't really see anything, and Ohio missed out too, but most of the time there was at least something that drew his attention. Very light reading.

Dawdling by the Danube: With Journeys in Bavaria and Poland
by Edward Enfield

"Edward Enfield sets off on his latest cycling trip, carrying few preconceptions but plenty of wit, along the banks of the Danube from Passau to Vienna, taking in castles, churches and good food along the way. As Edward amply reveals in this charming book, there is no place from which to see a country that is nearly as good as the saddle of a bicycle."

Acquired (at very low cost) because of a trip along the Danube planned for next year. Very short, easy to read, gently humorous and mostly interesting. It isn't terribly informative about the tourist sights, but if I ever wished to go on a long-distance cycling trip in Germany or Austria, I'd probably take his advice. But it's even lighter (and shorter) than the Stephen Fry above, so I'll be attacking something with a bit more heft next.

What I've been reading

The Island of Sheep
by John Buchan

"A long-forgotten promise made by Richard Hannay finds him honour-bound to resolve a violent vendetta in which the lives of a young father and his daughter are in danger from unscrupulous and desperate men. Hannay sets out on a high-octane chase from the rural tranquillity of his English manor to the Scottish Borders and, ultimately, to Scandinavia."

The last in this compendium of five John Buchan stories about Richard Hannay, and apparently the last book that he wrote. This time the final scene of good overcoming evil was unexpectedly short, given how protracted the previous battles have been. It's pretty good again - the only slightly weak book of the series was Greenmantle, which was too complicated and 'of its time' for me to follow. But The Thirty-Nine Steps is definitely the best, followed by The Three Hostages.



Challenging Obesity: the science behind the issues
by Heather McLannahan and Pete Clifton (eds.)

"There are strong individual differences in body weight, and hardly a month goes by without the announcement of yet another gene 'for' obesity, with discussion of the implications for those who hope to reduce their body weight. How should individuals and governments respond to the different challenges of obesity?"

This book told me nothing that I didn't already know, which is a pleasing reflection on my recent educational and personal journey. Obesity is caused by an excess of energy intake over energy expenditure, but this definition does not reflect the complications of the statement. There are no easy answers or quick fixes, and a number of behavioural, pharmaceutical and environmental solutions are being sought in both the private and the public sector. We just have to eat less and do more, but how this will be achieved is one of the most challenging questions faced by those working in the health and government sectors today.



Titus Groan
by Mervyn Peake

"Titus, heir to Lord Sepulchrave, has just been born: he stands to inherit the miles of rambling stone and mortar that form Gormenghast Castle, and its surrounding kingdom. Inside, all events are predetermined by a complex ritual, lost in history, understood only by Sourdust, Lord of the Library. There are tears and strange laughter; fierce births and deaths beneath umbrageous ceilings; dreams and violence and disenchantment contained within a labyrinth of stone."

It's not often that I encounter unfamiliar words: 'calid' and 'lambent' were two (they mean 'warm' and 'illuminated, radiant' respectively), and that's the whole beauty of this book. There's not much story, and what there is moves dreadfully slowly and is quite peculiar, but the language is beautiful, even if it does go on a bit. I'm not even sure that 'umbrageous' (in the quote above) is a real word, but its meaning is clear and it evokes perfectly the dark, cloudy environment of Gormenghast Castle. Part 2 of the trilogy is waiting in the pile To Be Read.



The Mark of Zorro
by Johnston McCulley

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"Old California, in a bygone era of sprawling haciendas and haughty caballeros, suffers beneath the whip-lash of oppression. Missions are pillaged, native peasants are abused, and innocent men and women are persecuted by the corrupt governor and his army. But a champion of freedom rides the highways. His identity hidden behind a mask, the laughing outlaw Zorro defies the tyrant's might."

The original story that spawned a hundred more tales and movies. It was originally published as a serial, which always means a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, but it didn't seem contrived or forced, and was unexpectedly gripping. The American narrator didn't have any unfortunate English or French proper names to struggle with, and any Mexican/Spanish errors would have passed me by, so there were no jarring notes in the reading either. A good listen!



If You Could See Me Now
by Cecilia Ahern

"Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse's young son Luke and with her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count. Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? Has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again?"

I don't often read this type of book - modern fiction with a straightforward story - and I got through the whole thing in a day. It played on the theme of the invisible or imaginary friend, and I shall probably spend a few minutes toying with the idea, thinking it through, and then I'll forget all about it in a week. It's refreshing to take on some lighter reading occasionally, some froth to temper the heaviness of my usual non-fiction and weighty authors, but with its pink cover, it's never going to make it into the company of books I intend to read again one day.

How to Eat: The pleasures and principles of good food
by Nigella Lawson

"Nigella Lawson combines a refreshingly down-to-earth practically with a passion for food and a writer's ability to find just the right words to evoke the taste of a succulent roast chicken or a home-made custard. Her excellent advice on how to organise your kitchen (and your life) for the minimum of fuss is interspersed with moments of sheer, unadulterated pleasure as she pauses to relish what she is preparing to eat. "

This is a very thick book from back in 1998, at the start of Nigella's meteoric career towards Kitchen Goddess status. It's been on my shelf for ever, although I must have read at least some of it when I first got it. There are irrelevant (to me) chapters on food for children and for dinner parties, but a contrastingly useful and interesting one on low calorie options, which I fully endorse since it strongly emphasises oriental options that are naturally low in fat, although she doesn't seem to hold with the notion of moderation in salt intake. I've highlighted about ten recipes that I wouldn't mind trying, and in fact I cooked one last night: a coating for salmon that was very good indeed.

What I've been reading

I've been weeding out books that I don't want to keep, and listing them on Bookmooch. Eight have already gone, but the Morecambe and Wise book in this post and three others are still available: Mansfield Park, One Hit Wonderland and Longitude. If you are interested in taking any of them off my hands, go create yourself an account, put up some books you want to give away, and then mooch these from me (user name leam38) - it's free! Or, alternatively, drop me an email.



Morecambe & Wise
by Graham McCann

"This book charts the progress of the duo from a conventional working class music hall act to a mass-audience television team to a national institution. From northern working men's clubs at the beginning of their career to the 1977 Christmas special that had an audience of 28 million, Morecambe and Wise were a double act continually changing the dynamics of their relationship to reflect their influences and their times."

A comprehensive biography of the men and the times, nothing especially revelatory, but a reminder of the fun that used to be Saturday night television. And they are revealed to be very nice men, with integrity, who worked hard for their success. Which they richly deserved, in my opinion. I will always laugh when an emergency vehicle goes by with its siren blaring, and someone says, "They're not going to sell much ice cream going at that speed!"



Following the Equator
by Mark Twain

narrated by Michael Kevin

"This vivid chronicle of a sea voyage on the Pacific Ocean displays Twain's eye for the unusual, his wide-ranging curiosity, and his delight in embellishing the facts. The personalities of the ship's crew and passengers, the poetry of Australian place-names, the success of women's suffrage in New Zealand, an account of the Sepoy Mutiny, and reflections on the Boer War as an expression of imperialistic morality, among other topics, are the focus of his wry humor and redoubtable powers of observation."

I enjoyed this for two reasons. One is his humorous turn of phrase, very dry, very Wodehouse. The other is the differences he reveals in the 19th century world through his ordinary narrative of his daily routine. For instance, he describes being given pyjamas to wear in place of his nightshirt, and how he dislikes this garment for various practical reasons, but also because he doesn't want to feel that he is wearing his day clothes in bed. There is no strong storyline, just a series of essays about wherever he is in the world and what he has observed or read or people have told him. To enjoy this I think you have to like Mark Twain's non-fiction, which luckily I do.



Diabetes: A Biography
by Robert Tattersall

"The book describes the story of the disease from the ancient writings of Galen and Avicenna to the recognition of sugar in the urine of diabetics in the 18th century, the identification of pancreatic diabetes in 1889, the discovery of insulin in the early 20th century, the ensuing optimism, and the subsequent despair as the complexity of this now chronic illness among its increasing number of young patients became apparent."

Fascinating account of the history of diabetes, including some discussion of the associated complications. In today's scientific age it is instructive to remember how much we know now compared with former times - the simple fact that diabetes has its origin in the pancreas is a surprisingly recent discovery. The extent to which diabetes affects eyes, nerves, kidneys and the cardiovascular system and how it does so are still topics for discussion and disagreement, and the book lays it all out rather well. It's a sobering thought that the information is probably already out of date.



The Death Maze
by Ariana Franklin

"Henry II’s favourite mistress, Rosamund Clifford, has been poisoned – and, rumour says, by his jealous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. If Henry believes the stories, England will be torn apart as King battles Queen. Twelfth-century anatomist, Adelia Aguilar must once again examine the dead as gruesome events unfold."

This is the second book in the series by this author, and the key characters are sustained from the first, which I liked very much. It has sufficient complexity yet key points in the mystery stand out, so you imagine that, if you could be bothered, you could put together the clues and work out whodunnit yourself. All the people that you should care about are likeable, and even the villains are three-dimensional characters. Very satisfying.

What I've been reading

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot

"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. Born a poor black tobacco farmer, her cancer cells - taken without her knowledge - became a multimillion-dollar industry and one of the most important tools in medicine. Yet Henrietta's family did not learn of her 'immortality' until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences."

This is a pretty good book on what could have been a very dry subject. It's a complex problem: for sixty years the cells that belonged to Henrietta Lacks have helped pharmaceutical and research companies make effective drugs, and their employees and shareholders have profited, while her family are still reliant on public hospitals. But the law says that we no longer own our cells once they are separated from our bodies, and I tend to agree.



Birdsong
by Sebastian Faulks

narrated by Peter Firth

"Set before and during the great war, Birdsong is the story of Stephen, a young Englishman, who arrives in Amiens in 1910. His life goes through a series of traumatic experiences, from the clandestine love affair that tears apart the family with whom he lives, to the unprecedented experiences of the war itself."

I'm not sure where this lies on my quality scale for reading - is it a good book or not? It is another one that is divided into several strands separated by time, and perhaps it is this aspect that I don't much like, like the structure of the Maggie O'Farrell book that I read recently. But the writing quality is good, and life in the trenches during the first World War is vividly captured, so on the whole I'm going to conclude that yes, it is a good book.



Visibility
by Bruce Starling

"As the Great Fog of 1952 descends on London, MI5 outcast Herbert Smith stumbles upon a secret that will change the world - if he can stay alive long enough to tell it. A drunk, perhaps, wandering unsighted through Hyde Park and stumbling into the icy shallows of Long Water. But Max Stensness was stone-cold sober when he died. And in the hours before his death, the young biochemist had claimed to be in possession of a secret that could change the world."

I read this over the weekend that Lola II and I were camping, in the odd moments between activity. Very easy to read, and mostly quite gripping, it purports to be reported fact, and includes details of the period that sometimes seem a little forced - the trial of Derek Bentley doesn't have any bearing on the main plot, and mentioning it doesn't help the rhythm of the story. I'd certainly be prepared to try other books by this author, though.

What I've been reading

A Room With a View
by E. M. Forster

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellow Britisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza. Back in England, Lucy is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor, and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that will decide the course of her future: she is forced to choose between convention and passion."

This is another of the free podcasts read by an American who isn't 100% accurate on pronunciation, but I quite enjoy spotting his errors and his narration isn't bad otherwise. And I've read the story several times, and seen the film, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by that aspect of the book.



Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks: The Essential Alan Coren
edited by Giles Coren and Victoria Coren

"The Queen at a loose end playing I-Spy, QPR fans arguing at the cheese counter, prank phone calls to Mao Tse-Tung, the Roman tax collector Glutinus Sinus dealing with the mud-caked Britons, Gatling guns, an Italian driving school, herons, hearing aids, hosepipe bans, talking parrots... Welcome to the wonderful world of the late, great Alan Coren."

Lola II gave me this, an anthology of the humorist Alan Coren, and some of it is quite funny. Most of it is faintly amusing, there are a couple that are just clever and not very funny at all, and a further few that I don't 'get' because I don't know much about poetry, or Greek, or whatever the subject of the parody or satire is. It's very handy for breakfast or toilet reading, though, like many such compilations of short articles.



The Hand That First Held Mine
by Maggie O'Farrell

"Lexie Sinclair, from rural Devon, carves out a life for herself at the heart of bohemian 1950s Soho, with the sophisticated Innes Kent. In the present, Ted and Elina no longer recognise their lives after the arrival of their first child. As Ted's search for answers gathers momentum, so a portrait is revealed of two women separated by fifty years, but linked by their passionate refusal to settle for ordinary lives."

Another one supplied by Lola II. I'm not used to reading fiction in print rather than audio, so I had forgotten my propensity to read too fast, skipping detail in favour of finding out what happens next. This was particularly bad towards the end, when the different threads of the story are drawn together and it got a bit tense and exciting. I liked it, although I did get irritated by the majority of the book being divided into two separate strands, chapter by chapter.

What I've been reading

The Number Mysteries
by Marcus du Sautoy

"In ‘The Number Mysteries’, Marcus du Sautoy explains how to fake a Jackson Pollock; how to work out whether or not the universe has a hole in the middle of it; how to make the world's roundest football. He shows us how to see shapes in four dimensions – and how maths makes you a better gambler."

I felt the book was specifically aimed at young people: each chapter starts simple, but leads up to a problem that is associated with a million dollar prize for the mathematician who solves it. I was reading it in the run-up to my exam, and there were quite a lot of proofs involving equations that needed thinking, which I wasn't prepared to do in my spare time.



The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins

narrated by Ian Holm

"Late one moonlit night, Walter Hartright encounters a solitary and terrified woman dressed all in white. He helps her on her way but later learns that she has escaped from an asylum. Walter goes to work in the service of the selfish and unpleasant Mr Fairlie as a drawing instructor and in doing so meets his niece Laura who strongly resembles the mysterious woman in white. The cast is finely characterised, from the intelligent and resourceful Marian Halcombe to the corpulent villain Count Fosco, and the enigmatic woman herself."

This is the second Wilkie Collins I have listened to, the first being another Audible download of The Moonstone, and I have enjoyed both books much more than I was expecting. I believe the author is one of the earliest writers of 'mysteries', living around the same time as Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters, so I was expecting a certain dryness to the Victorian era writing. In fact, I understand that this novel was published as a serial immediately after 'A Tale of Two Cities'. I found it much more engaging than Dickens, and the audio narration was outstanding, as you might expect from Ian Holm.



Life on Air
by David Attenborough

narrated by the author

"His career as a naturalist and broadcaster has spanned nearly five decades and there are very few places on the globe that he has not visited. In this volume of memoirs David tells stories of the people and animals he has met and the places that he has visited."

I listened to the whole 19 hours and 26 minutes in about a week, courtesy of several long car journeys and the kitchen cleaning ordeal, plus the fact that he's a great writer and narrator. Presenting the natural history programmes that he's most famous for was his third career, after a brief post-university stint in a publisher's office followed by time at the BBC as a producer and then Controller of BBC2. While I wouldn't begin to compare myself to the great man, it's encouraging to think that it's never too late to start a new career.



Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"From the beginning we are locked into the frenzied consciousness of Raskolnikov who, against his better instincts, is inexorably drawn to commit a brutal double murder. From that moment on, we share his conflicting feelings of self-loathing and pride, of contempt for and need of others, and of terrible despair and hope of redemption: and, in a remarkable transformation of the detective novel, we follow his agonised efforts to probe and confront both his own motives for, and the consequences of, his crime."

I blame the translation for making this a more difficult read than it needed to be. Fair enough that language in the 1860's was not the same as today, but Wilkie Collins managed to write in a style that I could comprehend and enjoy. But the subject matter was a bit depressing too - I should have heeded the title - by the time we'd had the two murders, an alcoholic killed by being run over by a cart and his wife dying shortly afterwards of consumption, it is fair to say I was hoping it would end soon. And it did, but not before another unpleasant chap had shot himself and the murderer had been incarcerated in Siberia for eight years, although peculiarly he was able to sit on a hillside with a woman whom he had previously scorned and suddenly appeared to fall in love with. Avoid.

What I've been reading

Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think
by Brian Wansink

"Every day we make around 200 decisions about eating. But studies have shown that 90% of these decisions are made without any conscious thought. Brian Wansink lays bare the facts about our true eating habits to show that awareness of our patterns can allow us to lose weight effectively and without serious changes to our lives."

This is a fascinating subject, explained with adequate references to properly-executed research on the type and amount of food that we eat, and why we eat it. It all matches perfectly with my recent and ongoing experience of weight loss: eating and stopping eating is very rarely related to physiological hunger or satiety, but most of the time is driven by thoughts, feelings, habits and the sensory experience of food - sight, smell, taste. The main thing that I am hoping to embed, in order to make it more comfortable to eat less for ever, is the belief that a small amount of food will be 'enough'. Deliberate behavioural and visual techniques are my weapons: a small plate has been a good start.



Why does E=mc²? (And why should we care?)
by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

"Explaining and simplifying notions of energy, mass and light, while exploding commonly held misconceptions, they demonstrate how the structure of nature itself is contained within this equation."

This is a tough read. Mr A had a go first, and was in trouble because he stole it off my huge pile of books to be read, rather than the equally large pile of books I've already read. As it was, his course demanded too much mental energy to allow him to take on even more in leisure reading, so I took over. The first half is straightforward, especially as I already had some basic grasp of how special relativity works. The second half takes us on to the explanation of why spacetime is defined as curved - in the same way as we perceive the earth's surface to be flat, but two people walking on parallel paths will eventually meet. I might have another go at the second half again at some future time, to see if it gets any easier the second time.



The Three Hostages
by John Buchan

"England is at peace after the end of World War I. Richard Hannay is enjoying the country life with his wife and young son at Fosse Manor. However, Hannay's peace is shattered when a dangerous criminal gang kidnap three children of important national figures. The deadline for searching for the hostages is midsummer."

We're back to form in this fourth story of the John Buchan anthology that I bought ages ago. It builds up properly, with suspense, a number of simultaneous threads to the story, some threat but not too much, and a pretty tidy ending, although the effort he makes to tie up all the loose ends makes it a bit long.

What I've been reading

The Gargoyle
by Andrew Davidson

"The nameless narrator is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and wakes up in a burns ward. One day Marianne Engel, a wild and compelling sculptress enters his life and tells him that they were once lovers in medieval Germany."

One of Landlady Lola's books, and fairly graphic in its exposition at the beginning of the treatment of a burns victim, but given that I did a case study on the subject, it covered old ground. The book as a whole feels a bit like the author really wanted to write short stories, but then managed to tie them together with a tenuous plot. Not too bad really, a bit weak at the end.



The Constant Princess
by Philippa Gregory

"Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur’s young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry."

I think I read this too soon after the other book by the same author - this one covers the era following the death of Henry VIII. It's quite good, and puts forward a version of the rationale behind Henry marrying his brother's widow - a mixture of envy, dishonesty and ambition on both sides. I think I've had enough of Philippa Gregory for the time being, though.



And Now on Radio 4
by Simon Elmes

"What this book intends to do is take you on a journey through that distinctive, instantly recognisable Radio 4 world. I hope that through the programmes I've featured and the voices I talk about, as well as the generous contributions from the many Radio 4 people - presenters, producers, controllers - who've spared the time to talk to me, some sort of coherent picture of the phenomenon that is Radio 4 will emerge."

It's a bit of a mess, to be honest, a mish-mash of verbatim quotes from various luminaries that haven't even been tidied up for grammatical accuracy, jumping here, there and everywhere around the past 40 years of the station. It's a lot less formal and more readable than the serious academic history of Radio 4 that I read a while ago, but where that was very thick porridge, this is thin soup, and ultimately unsatisfying. So there's still a gap, waiting for the perfect book to illuminate my favourite radio station. Step up, Stephen Fry...

What I've been reading

Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen

"The novel's heroine, Fanny Price, is a 'poor relation' living with the Bertrams, acutely conscious of her inferior status and yet daring to love their son Edmund—but from afar. However, with five marriageable young people on the premises, the peace at Mansfield cannot last. Courtships, entertainments and intrigues throw the place into turmoil, and Fanny finds herself unwillingly competing with a dazzlingly witty and lovely rival."

I'd say this isn't one of her best books, and I actually found it quite difficult to read. The language seemed to take my attention away from the story, which wasn't gripping enough to keep me engaged. The heroine is also quite a drippy character, always needing to sit down for a rest or being too overcome to speak. The story unfolds really slowly, and then all the concluding action is packed into one or two chapters at the end, by which time I'd lost all sympathy with Fanny, and wouldn't have minded if she did live out her life as an unhappy spinster.



Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Goulden

"The book tells the extraordinary tale of a geisha, summoning up a quarter century, from 1929 to the post-war years of Japan's dramatic history, and opening a window onto a half-hidden world of eroticism and enchantment, exploitation and degradation."

Although I didn't remember it beforehand, I have actually read this before, and thought then it was a true story, rather than being based on a whole load of research. Well-written certainly, and much easier to read than Jane Austen. But I feel uncomfortable not knowing what is true and what is author's imagination. Despite all the research he might have made stuff up. So it's a good read but I remain wary of the contents.



The Queen's Fool
by Phillipa Gregory

"It is 1553, Henry VIII is dead and his young son Edward is now king. 14-year-old Hannah Green, a determined Jewish girl with the gift of foresight, has come to England with her bookseller father to escape the Inquisition in Spain. After a chance meeting with the dashing Lord Robert Dudley at her father's bookshop, Hannah finds a new life as a court fool - and a spy. Reporting to Dudley all that happens around the sickly king, Hannah is also sent to spy on Princess Mary, with whom she strikes up a loyal and lasting friendship."

I've been toying with the idea of Phillipa Gregory in audio book form, but Landlady Lola has several in print so I've taken advantage. It's interesting, a story woven around real events and personalities, and while I have no idea of the level of historical accuracy, I don't really care. And MUCH easier to read than Wolf Hall.

What I've been reading

It's Only a Movie
by Mark Kermode

"Join the author as he embarks on a journey through the former Soviet Union on the trail of a low budget horror flick, cringe as he's handbagged by Helen Mirren at the Bafta awards ceremony, cheer as he gets thrown out of the Cannes film festival for heckling in very bad French, and gasp as he's shot at while interviewing Werner Herzog in the Hollywood hills."

I enjoyed this, but Lola II has possession of it now so I can't refer to it for detail. I gave it to Mr A as a Christmas present, the main reason being Mr Kermode's collaboration with Simon Mayo doing film reviews on BBC Five. What comes across strongly in that podcast is a) Kermodian enthusiasm and passion, and b) Mayo's extraordinary broadcasting talent. I used to listen to Simon Mayo when I was a teenager - he was good then, and he's just as good now. Anyway, the book: it was good, and I laughed quite a lot while reading it.



Lucky Jim
by Kingsley Amis

narrated by Paul Shelley

"Jim Dixon has accidentally fallen into a job at one of Britain's new redbrick universities. A moderately successful future in the History Department beckons if he can survive the probationary year. Not the least of his problems is the necessity to keep in with his eccentric Professor Welch, who although detested and despised by Jim, has sufficient influence in the faculty to affect the continuation of his appointment."

This is one of those 'classic' books that one is told is worth reading, so raising an expectation that it will at least be engrossing. I suppose it was all right, but I didn't much like any of the characters, who were all fairly self-obsessed and/or repressed, but it did feel like a real reflection of life in a provincial university in the 1950's. The only thing that chimed with my own experience is the pleasure and emotional release of making faces at annoying people behind their backs.



My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell

narrated by Nigel Davenport

"This book is soaked in the sunshine of Corfu where the author lived as a boy. The family is vividly portrayed moving between the the strawberry pink, the daffodil yellow and the snow white villas. The 'other animals' are equally carefully drawn: Roger the dog, toads, tortoises, bats and butterflies, scorpions and geckos, ladybirds, glow-worms, rose-beetles, Quasimodo the pigeon, the puppies Widdle and Puke, and the magpies."

I first read this at school, it might even have been a book we 'did' in English, but I know I really liked it. I even recognised some of the phrases this time round, and remembered that I'd had to look up quite a lot of words, this being the first time I'd come across the words 'diaphanous' and 'translucent'. It's still a classic, but in an accessible way that Lucky Jim isn't. Even though Gerald's brother Larry is almost as annoying as the eponymous Jim, I had some sympathy for Larry, yet cared not a whit about whether Jim kept his job or not.



Clinical Biochemistry
by Nessar Ahmed (ed)

"Modern medicine is dependent on laboratory investigation of disease in order to confirm diagnosis, monitor treatment, and for screening and prognostic purposes. This book is concerned with the biochemical basis of disease processes and their laboratory investigation."

I reviewed this for OUP, and it's the most useful book they've sent me so far. Interpreting clinical results has been very hit and miss so far; I only feel relatively secure with high phosphate and potassium being a bad thing in renal disease, and generally high levels of white cells indicating infection. This has chapters on some extremely relevant conditions: lipid abnormalities, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and specific nutritional biochemistry. It's really well explained, nicely laid out, seems comprehensive to the level that I need at this stage, and I'm anticipating it will get used quite a bit on my placement.



Taking the Medicine
by Druin Burch

"From Revolutionary America to Nazi Germany and modern big-pharmaceuticals, this is the unexpected story of just how bad medicine has been, and of its remarkably recent effort to improve. It is the history of well-meaning doctors misled by hopeful intuition, of the startling human cost of their mistakes, and of the exceptional individuals who have helped make things better."

This is another book that recounts a history of medicine, reinforcing the message that basing treatments on evidence gleaned from reliable trials rather than the doctor's best guess is incredibly recent. It has an interesting section on how thalidomide is being used today - obviously not by pregnant women - but its ability to disrupt orderly growth and cell division may turn out to be a boon for one type of leprosy as well as cancer.