"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read" - Groucho Marx.
A selection of the books I've read in the last few months:
Sometimes it's necessary to step off the normal path and explore something new. Here are three books in which the authors do exactly that.
The Seafarers: A Journey Among Birds - Stephen Rutt - Britain's seabirds occupy a difficult space. Of course they are not "our" seabirds at all; they merely visit us for a few weeks each year in order to raise their young. They cling (sometimes quite literally) to the cliffs, sea stacks and islands around our coasts, often in some of the least hospitable places. When Stephen Rutt tires of life in London he sets off to seek out these remote locations and get to know the birds that briefly reside there. It's not so much an ornithology book (though I certainly learnt much from it) as a travelogue to the remarkable edges of these islands.
Common Ground - Rob Cowan - Edgelands of a different sort are the destination of Rob Cowan; he explores an odd bit of wasteland on the edge of an urban location. It's become an almost "trendy" idea to regard these unattractive sites as havens for nature in recent years, with several books championing the cause. "Common Ground" makes the most complete and satisfying job of all of them, weaving nature, history, politics and his personal life into a beautiful whole.
Under The Stars: A Journey Into Light - Matt Gaw - Matt Gaw's untrodden ways are into the night-time darkness of these islands. You have to warm to Gaw for his complete honesty, whether he's recounting his irrational fear when spending a night in the forests of Northumberland or trying to interest his children in the stars (the ones in the sky rather than the ones on Twitter). Along the way he makes a powerful argument for preserving darkness from artificial lighting and appreciating its attractions.
Three novels that worked their way into my consciousness in different ways:
Fludd - Hilary Mantel - I should really have read at least one of Mantel's Booker Prize winners, but I'm always deterred by their sheer size. This little tale is more manageable for a slow and steady reader like me. The story revolves around a small church, hidden away in a moorland valley. It's supposed to be set in the 1950s but at times you'd think we were back in the Middle Ages. Fludd is the rather mysterious curate who appears to help out the crusty and difficult old vicar, though Fludd is clearly more than he first seems. Hilary Mantel says that its style is influenced by her childhood when all sorts of strange things seemed possible. What evolves is something akin to a modern morality tale that is full of sly, wicked humour.
The Island - Ana Maria Matute - When a book turns up on Penguin Modern Classics and I've never heard of it, or its author, I see it as my duty to investigate. On the surface it's a little coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, though the unrest is just a shadow that falls across the island on which the action takes place. The writing is superbly evocative, especially the powerful portrait of the elderly aunt who seems to pull the strings of everything that happens on the island, and I've been looking for translations of other books by the same writer, though none seem to be available.
And now three about the evolution of new ideas in different centuries:
Darwin's Most Wonderful Plants - Ken Thompson - Charles Darwin was also a scientist who had to wrestle with the religious implications of his work, most obviously in The Origin Of Species. But Darwin was interested in a wide range of other topics, in fact he could not prevent himself from investigating anything which grabbed his attention. Darwin did not have the technology to answer many of the questions that he posed for himself, but was ingenious in his approach to botany by what was little more than the intelligent and obsessive pursuit of gardening.
Where Do Camels Belong? - Ken Thompson - Not the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East; they're relative newcomers there. They evolved first in North America, of all places. Most members of their family can now be found in S America (llamas, alpacas etc). The only Dromedaries living wild nowadays are in Australia. From this bewildering series of contradictions Dr Ken Thompson goes on to investigate the science of "invasive species". To people like me who've grown up (and grown old) believing that "invasives" are always a "bad thing", this is a refreshing and enlightening volume.
The Rosie Trilogy - Graeme Simsion - Don Tilman, the fictional central character in these three books, is also a scientist. Like many outstanding brains, his is firmly on the Autistic Spectrum, a fact that is obvious to everyone else in the story - except to Don himself, of course. At the age of 39 he decides that he ought to find himself a "life partner" and he sets out on his project. His logical brain suggests to him that the most effective way of doing this is to prepare a questionnaire which he will distribute to potential partners, he will then apply scientific method to the answers to find the most compatible person to be his wife. What could possibly go wrong? While pursuing the ideal partner he falls in love with Rosie, who may be the least compatible person in the world. I must admit that romantic comedies are not my usual reading matter, but I found these brilliant, not only for the comedy (which was hilarious) but also for the serious points which it makes about our attitudes towards people who have Autism as their superpower.
Take care
It’s obvious that you enjoy reading John. I like how you chose such a variety of styles. ‘Under the stars’ seems very interesting to me, and The Rosie Trilogy sounds a very good read to me too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your selections which sound very, very tempting.
ReplyDeleteI have read two thirds of the Rosie Effect - and agree with you.
Have you come across Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time'? It is also a really interesting book whose major protagonist is firmly on the autism spectrum.
I think that was made into a musical.... it was performed at one of the big Toronto theatres last year.
DeleteThere are so many books... Of all those, I've only read Fludd. I like the sound of the seagulls and the stars, though. Reading Iain Sinclair's Downriver at the moment - saw a YouTube video of him talking about Blake and thought I ought to try one of his books.
ReplyDeleteHi John - these are brilliant thank you ... I've wanted to read Ken Thompson's books and Tim Birkhead's one ... as I've always admired Ray ...
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas - the others ... I've never got to grips with Hilary Mantel - so this introductory idea sounds interesting. As too the Rosie ones ... I'll definitely look into those ...
Great and brilliant - thank you ... the library will be 'hit'! Take care - Hilary
My conclusions, John, is that you have excellent taste in books! I don't think there is anything here that I wouldn't look forward with great pleasure to reading myself.
ReplyDeleteWonderful ideas for a fall read. Thank you John.
ReplyDeleteSome great sounding books there. Thanks for sharing, John.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book reviews. I'm always looking for good books to read and it helps to have someone's recommendations.
ReplyDeleteThat's a LOT of very interesting books!
ReplyDeleteA varied selection there. I loved the Rosie Project. I'm currently reading Nan Shepherd 'The Living Mountain' about Cairngorm. Not so much a book as a prose picture of the geology, weather, light, nature. I am there beside her, gazing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a super selection of books. I've liked all of Jon McGregors books bar one (something about dogs) which I didn't finish. It's ages since I read the one you mention which was the first of his I ever read, I must re-read one day soon. We saw an exhibition at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham about the Willughby family and his Cabinet of Curiosities was part of the display:)
ReplyDeleteJohn, I want to reach out and grab these books right off the screen!!! But as that's impossible I will add several of them to my Amazon Wish List (although I will first shop my local independent bookshop which I like to support, especially in these strange times).
ReplyDeleteI love book covers such as the first three - beautiful illustrations always draw me in - these remind me so much of the wonderful British artist/printmaker Angela Harding.
John, I would find the Charles Darwin book of interest - he has 'popped up' in so many places I've traveled to. Just finished Bruce Chatwin's 'In Patagonia' (Penguin Classics) and sure enough Darwin was there too! Did you know that in 1861 Charles Darwin completed The Origin of Species in an apartment located in the beautiful Regency Hesketh Crescent in my hometown of Torquay? We have often stayed, when visiting, in the apartment next door to that one - there is a blue plaque about Darwin's stay on the wall.
Thanks for such a great list of books and your personal reviews.
BTW - if you want a short read - and haven't read it - the novel 'A Whole Life' by Robert Seethaler is stunning. One of those books I will keep always, tuck away in a special place, and re-read.
Stay well - Mary
That was quick John! So glad you enjoyed 'A Whole Life.'
DeleteMary -
That’s quite a panoply of genres. I see several I’m going to check out, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteWell that's quite a selection for us to peruse John.. reading is such a pleasure, I can't imagine not having a number of books awaiting my attention 💜
ReplyDeleteAn eclectic mix, John.
ReplyDeleteI've made a note of these books and I'll see if our library has any of them. I'll be looking out for the Hilary Mantel book, I'm currently plodding through The Mirror and the Light, love it, what a great story. Already read Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, next I have to watch the TV version.
ReplyDeleteI love the Groucho Marx quote. There are lots of people on the spectrum. Once you understand the characteristics, you see them all over the place, in a wide variety of configurations some of whom "present" very well.
ReplyDeleteI am finishing the last of the Cromwell trilogy and am delighted to learn about Fludd.
ReplyDelete