Brian's Reading List - 2015

[Brian.]

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta



Synopsis

With the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it's amazing that were ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better.

The Power of Less will show you how to:

Break any goal down into manageable tasks
Focus on only a few tasks at a time
Create new and productive habits
Hone your focus
Increase your efficiency
By setting limits for yourself and making the most of the resources you already have, you'll finally be able work less, work smarter, and focus on living the life that you deserve.

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

After mooching around the library for a while, I was struggling to find something to capture my attention. Usually when this happens I tend to leave empty handed but I decided to see if anything new was in the Psychology section. This book caught my eye, and without taking too close a look at it I decided to give it a shot. Something about it jogged my memory but after checking my previous loans and determining that I hadn't taken it out before I couldn't think of why.

 

After a few pages it all became clear to me. The book is written by Leo Babauta, the owner of Zen Habits, a blog which I have had a nose around in during the last year. His blog posts are relatively short and cover a broad spectrum of minimalism, Zen Buddhism, health & fitness and productivity all mashed together. I have found some of these posts useful and interesting to read, but none of them have been a massive departure from my current mindset. Having read a book based on a blog before I was a little concerned that it would be a collection of blog posts thrown together. I am happy to say that this is not the case, this is a properly written and edited book and not merely a collection of articles.

 

This book concentrates mainly on how to be more productive in your working life be simplifying things. It is a concept that I am fairly familiar with but I had hoped the book would cover the other aspects of life in more detail. It also really only applies if you do an office job, something which doesn't apply to me. There is also a degree of confusion in the writing as he advocates concentrating on one goal at a time but then mentions doing at least 3 tasks a day and having 3 projects on the go along with various other numerical rules. I understand the basis of what he means but he doesn't communicate this very effectively. He also touches on some other things like reducing stress and things such as health & fitness. The health and fitness advice is very good, it's just a shame that it isn't covered in more depth. In my experience, the tips on improving your health are spot on but unless you are already familiar with them they will be hard to implement as they are not thoroughly explained.

 

Overall I quite liked this book, it's easy to read and the subject is covered in a decent enough manner.

 

3/5 (I enjoyed it).

[Brian.]

My Childhood by Maxim Gorky



Synopsis

My Childhood, which appeared in 1913, is the first part of Maxim Gorky's autobiographical trilogy. The ordinary experiences of a Russian boy in the nineteenth century are recalled by an altogether extraordinary man, whose gift for recapturing the world of a child is uncanny. Across the vision of the boy perched above the stove the Russian contrasts flicker - barbaric gaiety and deep gloom, satanic cruelty and saintly forebearance, clownish knaves and holy fools. A shutter in the mind closes: thirty years later the pictures develop, as fresh, as vivid, as exotic as when they were taken.

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

My TBR jar picked my next book, My Childhood by Maxim Gorky. I bought this, and My Apprenticeship from a second hand bookstore because I have enjoyed most of the Russian literature I have read up to this point. It was my first work by Gorky and apart from recognising his name I knew nothing about him or his work. This book covers his early life living and growing up in a hard family environment and it is the first part of an autobiographical trilogy.

 

Being a book originally written in a language other than English a lot rides on the quality of the translation. I tend to favour Penguin Classics because in my experience their translations are better than some of the cheaper alternatives there. Whether this is down to a long history working with translators or something else entirely, I cannot say, however, I was a little concerned that my edition, being published in 1966, may not have been up to scratch. In the end my concern came to nothing, the translation is superb and the introduction by the translator serves as a very good taste of Gorky's life and work.

 

The book itself is quite harrowing when compared to modern life, especially considering that we are seeing it all through the eyes of a child. Life for normal Russians was extremely hard and this results in family feuds, regular beatings, petty theft and a whole host of infections and diseases. The fact that Gorky is able to recall this so well many years later is very impressive especially as he maintains the innocence that would be experienced by a child. In the early pages he is speaking about his father's funeral and his inability to gasp the seriousness of the situation. Despite the hard times there are some moments of joy, in particular the time spent listening to his grandmother's stories. He also forges some very strong friendships which form the most important relationships outside his immediate family. The writing is relatively easy to read and I really enjoyed my time spent with this book. I shall look forward to the time when the TBR jar decides it is time to read My Apprenticeship.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

[Anna Begins]

I always saw him as a writer for Stalin in his later years, certainly, they had a close relationship, whether a puppet one or a forced one or a true friendship.  I believe it was in the gulag memoir Man is Wolf to Man where Gorky is paraded by to show how humane camps were and then, in the author's opinion, made to write a fictional article about it.  I just come across Gorky in reference to his political leanings.

 

Just someone I've never read, but read a bit of, so thanks for the review

[Brian.]

I always saw him as a writer for Stalin in his later years, certainly, they had a close relationship, whether a puppet one or a forced one or a true friendship.  I believe it was in the gulag memoir Man is Wolf to Man where Gorky is paraded by to show how humane camps were and then, in the author's opinion, made to write a fictional article about it.  I just come across Gorky in reference to his political leanings.

 

Just someone I've never read, but read a bit of, so thanks for the review

 

Thanks for the info, I shall have to do some more reading into him as his political affiliations were not really covered in the introduction. The only mention of any political connections were confined to a brief mention before his years spent in Capri.

[Brian.]

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby



Synopsis

In 1956, Eric Newby sent a fateful cable to his friend Hugh Carless - CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE? The immediate three-word response, OF COURSE, HUGH, would soon set in motion a legendary journey from Mayfair to Afghanistan, and the mountains of the Hindu Kush, north-east of Kabul.

Inexperienced and woefully ill-prepared, the amateur explorers embarked on a month of adventure and hardship in one of the most beautiful and challenging wildernesses on earth. With self-deprecating humour, sharp wit and keen observation, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush made Newby's reputation as one of the greatest travel writers of all time

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

This book has been on my wishlist for a very long time and I finally decided to reserve it at my local library. I first became aware of it quite a few years ago while reading about the flora of the Hindu Kush region online. The title of the book was mentioned in the comments section and I thought to myself that I must read it one day. Over the course of a few years, every time I read a list or article about the best travel writing Newby's name kept coming up. I did not know that the book was based around an expedition to climb Mir Samir but I have an interest in climbing and mountaineering so this was more than welcome.

 

The book begins with Newby working in the fashion industry in London and becoming bored at what he is doing. Out of the blue he decided to send a cable to his friend Hugh Carless with the simple but fateful message - Can you travel Nuristan, June? An affirmative reply followed a short time later which set the wheels in motion for a quite crazy expedition. It soon became apparent that for them to be allowed into the region they would have to travel under the premise of doing some climbing. Newby initially assumed that Carless had a good degree of climbing experience but this was revealed to be a misguided assumption. The solution for most people at this point would be to postpone the trip but they decided that four days spent climbing in Wales would be sufficient for their needs. This climbing trip in Wales revealed to them how short of experience they were, but in the tradition of slightly eccentric British explorers of the time, they set off anyway.

 

The rest of the book details their travels from London all the way to Afghanistan, and their attempts to scale Mir Samir. How they made it back alive is quite incredible given their lack of experience and the hardships they ran into along the way. Despite this, it does not come across as a fools errand, even though, in the cold light of day it clearly was. I really liked the way that Newby doesn't shy away from the tensions that arose between the members of the party, even if they were short lived. The book is written in good humour and there were a few passages that had me laughing out loud. My edition had an epilogue written by Carless for the 50th anniversary edition and a collection of about 10 black and white photographs. There would have been more photographs but for an accident during the last stages of the expedition that damaged most of the photography equipment.

 

This was a really enjoyable book and I can see why it is so highly regarded.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

Edited March 17, 2015 by Brian.

[chesilbeach]

Glad you enjoyed it, Brian.  I must get round to reading more of his - I've read this one and Love and War in the Apennines and Slowly Down the Ganges so far.  I think we have all his books in the house, so I just need to pick one to read at some point … I think either Round Ireland in Slow Gear or On The Shores of the Mediterranean would probably be top of the list.

[Brian.]

Glad you enjoyed it, Brian.  I must get round to reading more of his - I've read this one and Love and War in the Apennines and Slowly Down the Ganges so far.  I think we have all his books in the house, so I just need to pick one to read at some point … I think either Round Ireland in Slow Gear or On The Shores of the Mediterranean would probably be top of the list.

 

I am definitely going to seek out more of his writing, I think I'll probably try to get hold of A Small Place in Italy next.

[Brian.]

The Final Testament of the Holy Bible by James Frey



Synopsis

James Frey isn't like other writers. He's been called a liar. A cheat. A con man. He's been called a saviour. A revolutionary. A genius. He's been sued by readers. Dropped by publishers because of his controversies. Berated by TV talk-show hosts and condemned by the media. He's been exiled from America, and driven into hiding. He's also a bestselling phenomenon. Published in 38 languages, and beloved by readers around the world. What scares people about Frey is that he plays with truth; that fine line between fact and fiction.

Now he has written his greatest work, his most revolutionary, his most controversial. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible. What would you do if you discovered the Messiah were alive today? Living in New York. Sleeping with men. Impregnating young women. Euthanizing the dying, and healing the sick. Defying the government, and condemning the holy. What would you do if you met him? And he changed your life. Would you believe? Would you?The Final Testament of the Holy Bible.

It will change you. Hurt you. Scare you. Make you think differently. Live differently. Enrage you. Offend you. Open your eyes to the world in which we live. We've waited 2,000 years for the Messiah to arrive. We've waited 2,000 years for this book to be written. He was here. The Final Testament of the Holy Bible is the story of his life.

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

I bought this book a few years ago based on the cover (yeah, I am a sucker for a good cover) and the fact that the synopsis sounded interesting. I had no idea who James Frey was or that this book came out with some degree of buzz around it. On the odd occasion I have picked this up in the past I have put it down again because the first chapter is pretty strange. I have to admit that once I drew this out of the TBR jar my heart sank a bit. I hoped that I would enjoy this and get through it quickly because I have another library book that I wanted to get to ASAP.

 

I really don't know where to start with this book so I will just come out and say that I didn't enjoy it. I can't say that I found it offensive in the way that I find Bret Easton Ellis offensive but I imagine that many people will find it offensive. It seems like Frey set out to come up with a messiah figure that would be as shocking as possible and in my opinion it doesn't work. People like me who enjoy 'dark' writing won't find the character of Ben Zion shocking and those who have deep religious convictions will just be turned off and not read this book. Same sex relationships just are not shocking anymore. As a rule I give a book 100 pages and if I hate it at that point, it gets abandoned. I got to 100 pages pretty quickly so I decided to give it another 50-60 pages. Because I found it easy and quick to read I pressed on until the end. This sums the book up for me. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it either, I think 'Meh!' describes how I feel about it.

 

The chapters are written from the point of view of the characters who were part of Ben Zion's story. There are twelve characters who tell us their story and I assume this is done as a mirror of the 12 apostles. None of the characters are well developed and in fact, they are horrible stereotypes. For example, Mariaangeles is a single mother who is down on her luck so she starts stripping to make money. In the space of a few paragraphs she starts selling her body and turns to drugs. Ohh and she names her daughter Mercedes  . She is 'saved' by being kissed and having sex with Ben Zion who has sex with anyone and everyone, I'm only surprised that Frey didn't have him having sex with his sister as well. The black characters all have anger issues and the deeply Christian/Catholic characters all are secretly homosexual. The prose is also shockingly bad in places. I cannot recall any descriptive writing, everything is laid out in black and white and this is why it is a quick read.

 

The stupid thing about this book is that I get the message, Frey's conviction is that all religions are evil, worshippers stupid, governments corrupt, people greedy and we are killing the planet. I am no fan of the government, we do live in a consumer society and we are killing the planet. I am not a religious person but I do not believe that everything to do with religion is evil and I certainly do not believe that religious followers are stupid. Frey is as extremist in his atheist doctrine as those who he is staunchly against and that is something that I just can't get along with. As I often do, I read some of the goodreads reviews once I had finished and I get the impression that people love or hate this book. However, most surprising to me was the fact that some people said this book changed their life and they started to look at things differently. Maybe I am being really unkind but I can't help but think "Really!, You have never thought about this kind of thing before?". I can't fathom not being skeptical of the consumer society we live in or being suspicious of our governments.

 

Don't bother.

 

1/5 (I did not like it).

[Athena]

Oh dear, I hope your next read will be more enjoyable .

[Anna Begins]

I got all caught up in his Million Little Pieces controversy.  It is too bad that he "plays with truth; that fine line between fact and fiction" in the manner that he does...it sure ruined his career.  Love how his little bio set up in the beginning of the synopsis makes him sound like a martyr

[Brian.]

Oh dear, I hope your next read will be more enjoyable .

 

Thanks, I'm sure it will be.

 

I got all caught up in his Million Little Pieces controversy.  It is too bad that he "plays with truth; that fine line between fact and fiction" in the manner that he does...it sure ruined his career.  Love how his little bio set up in the beginning of the synopsis makes him sound like a martyr

 

I read a little about that once I had finished the book and he does seem to be a fairly reckless and polarising individual.

[Nollaig]

I remember reading A Million Little Pieces when it came out, without knowing the controversy around it. I liked it, I thought it was a decent book, overshadowed by an irrelevant debate about whether it was true or not. It was one of those ones that did the 'you have to read this' rounds, though I never really got why. That Bible one just sounds atrocious.

[Brian.]

Along with the books I normally read I have made a start on the collected works of TinTin. I probably won't bother to review each individual book on here as there's just not enough to write about each one in turn.

[Brian.]

Yoga For People Who Can't Be Bothered To Do It by Geoff Dyer



Synopsis

This isn’t a self-help book; it’s a book about how Geoff Dyer could do with a little help. In mordantly funny and thought-provoking prose, the author of Out of Sheer Rage describes a life most of us would love to live—and how that life frustrates and aggravates him.

As he travels from Amsterdam to Cambodia, Rome to Indonesia, Libya to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert, Dyer flounders about in a sea of grievances, with fleeting moments of transcendental calm his only reward for living in a perpetual state of motion. But even as he recounts his side-splitting misadventures in each of these locales, Dyer is always able to sneak up and surprise you with insight into much more serious matters. Brilliantly riffing off our expectations of external and internal journeys, Dyer welcomes the reader as a companion, a fellow perambulator in search of something and nothing at the same time.

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

I don't recall how this book came into my awareness but it has languished on my wishlist for at least 2 years, if not longer. I liked the premise of the book, part travelogue, part memoir, and full of humour. The blurb on the front and back cover really forced the humour, promising a barrel of laughs and plenty of wit. I had looked for a copy in the bookshops that I frequent but in the end I had to opt for library loan.

 

The book is a collection of essays which each feature a different place that Dyer has visited or spent time as a writer. Reading the list of these places filled me with enthusiasm as they covered a wide ranging mix of cultures. I looked forward to reading about the adventures that Dyer had in each of these countries and in particular how he got on on Libya, a country un-used to tourists. None of the essays is particularly long and each follows a vaguely similar stream of consciousness approach and this is where I hit my main issue with the book.

 

I don't mind stream of consciousness writing as long as there is a story under there somewhere but in this case I struggled to find the story. Each of the tales is a stumbling mess with little substance to interest me. The only one that grabbed my interest in anyway was about his time Libya. The interest there was mainly down to the fact that tourists were unheard of and all the locals found this very peculiar. I also didn't need to be told numerous times by the author that he was an intellectual, I assume that as a writer this is a given.

 

The humour in the book completely passed me by, perhaps I am not intellectual enough to get it as others seem to have found it deeply hilarious. The philosophical stuff gets very repetitive after a while, there is only so many times you can tell people that travelling solo has periods of boredom and hardship.

 

 

1/5 (I didn't like it).

[Athena]

Such a shame this was another one that you didn't enjoy .

 

Are you enjoying the TinTin books? I think I may have read a few when I was younger.

[Brian.]

Such a shame this was another one that you didn't enjoy .

 

Are you enjoying the TinTin books? I think I may have read a few when I was younger.

 

The Tin Tin books are ok but not as good as I recall them from my childhood.

[Brian.]

Pompeii by Robert Harris



Synopsis

Where else to enjoy the last days of summer than on the beautiful Bay of Naples. All along the coast, the Roman Empire’s richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas. The world’s largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Only one man is worried. The engineer Marius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. His predecessor has disappeared. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta’s sixty-mile main line -- somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Marius -- decent, practical, incorruptible -- promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. But as he heads out towards Vesuvius he is about to discover there are forces that even the world’s only superpower can’t control.

(taken from Amazon)


My Thoughts

 

As I'm slowly making my way through a work of non-fiction (Walden) I was delighted when my TBR jar rewarded me with this book. I have previously read Fatherland, Imperium, The Fear Index, and Lustrum by Robert Harris and enjoyed them all. I particularly enjoyed his books based during the Roman Empire, Imperium and Lustrum, I only wish that the third book would come out soon as it feels like I have been waiting for it forever.

 

This book is a nice combination of history, Roman engineering, and a suspense novel all rolled into one and it works quite well. The book starts, and concentrates on the aqueduct and water system which feeds the inhabitants of the Bay of Naples. This is overseen by a young aqua augusta who is new to the job after the sudden disappearance of the previous aqua augusta. Within a few days of taking over the role things start going awry. This starts with the death of some fish owned by a very rich local business man who has a somewhat shadowy past. From then on, more and more things go wrong culminating with the water supply running out. The aqua augusta is dispatched to the surrounding area with a dubious work crew to solve and fix the problem.

 

The plot works well enough despite the fact that we all know what the culmination of the story will be. The history and research into the engineering is top notch and I found this to be the be part of the book. Sadly the characters let the book down a bit as they are all fairly cliched, it's not disastrous but I wanted a bit more depth to the main players. The plot keeps things ticking along at a great rate though and I sped through the book in no time at all. Even though we all know how the book will end, it felt a little rushed and sudden but still worked well enough.

 

 

3/5 (I liked it).

[chesilbeach]

We read Pompeii at my book group, and I liked it too.  I think my criticisms were mainly the same as yours, and the dialogue bothered me occasionally as it felt too modern … but obviously that's one of the difficult things to gauge when writing historical fiction … it's not like he could write it in latin!  I loved the story though, and I really raced through it as the plot rattled along so well.

[Alexi]

Glad you enjoyed Brian. I have Imperium on my TBR after really enjoying Fatherland and Archangel.

[Athena]

The Tin Tin books are ok but not as good as I recall them from my childhood.

Ah okay good to know .

 

I'm glad you liked Pompeii, it sounds like an interesting read. I do find Roman culture very interesting. I've been to Pompeii when I was 17, it was very impressive to see what remained and imagine what it must have been like.

[Brian.]

We read Pompeii at my book group, and I liked it too.  I think my criticisms were mainly the same as yours, and the dialogue bothered me occasionally as it felt too modern … but obviously that's one of the difficult things to gauge when writing historical fiction … it's not like he could write it in latin!  I loved the story though, and I really raced through it as the plot rattled along so well.

 

I know what you mean about the dialogue but I think one strength of Robert Harris is his ability to make his historic novels very accessible.

 

Glad you enjoyed Brian. I have Imperium on my TBR after really enjoying Fatherland and Archangel.

 

Imperium is a fantastic book so if you enjoyed Fatherland then I think you will love it.

 

 

Ah okay good to know .

 

I'm glad you liked Pompeii, it sounds like an interesting read. I do find Roman culture very interesting. I've been to Pompeii when I was 17, it was very impressive to see what remained and imagine what it must have been like.

 

 

That visit sounds awesome, what does the place look like?

[Brian.]

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski



Synopsis

In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely years of his own hardscrabble youth in the raw voice of alter ego Henry Chinaski. From a harrowingly cheerless childhood in Germany through acne-riddled high school years and his adolescent discoveries of alcohol, women, and the Los Angeles Public Library's collection of D. H. Lawrence, Ham on Rye offers a crude, brutal, and savagely funny portrait of an outcast's coming-of-age during the desperate days of the Great Depression.

(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

I have previously read Pulp by Charles Bukowski and although I thought it was okay, it never really grabbed me. I was initially surprised at this because Bukowski seems like the kind of writer I would really like. After some searching I discovered that Pulp isn't really considered a good place to start with Bukowski, most people recommend starting with Ham on Rye. During my last book buying spree I spotted a copy of Ham on Rye and snapped it up and the TBR jar decided that it was time for me to read it.

 

The initial chapters of the book had me a little concerned because it felt a little rambling and the prose was very sparse. Bukowski writes in very short sentences and I found this a little disorientating, it felt awkward and I thought "Oh god, how will I get through this". I stuck with it though, and, after about 50 pages I settled into it and really started to enjoy it. I think I enjoyed the subject matter a bit more than the writing but it all fits together and works, the writing suits the subject matter. There isn't really a plot as such, the book follows the early years of Henry Chinaski through into his early 20's and the attack on Pearl Harbour.

 

It's obvious from the outset that the book is very autobiographical and details the struggles many families faced during the US depression in the 1920's. Life was extremely tough for a lot of people, and especially the children. Savage beatings from his father, loneliness at school, and a short temper shaped Henry into a drunk drifter struggling to get by. He manages to land a few jobs but he never keeps them for long and is generally a very difficult person to get along with. There isn't a huge amount I can say about the book, it's one of those that has to be read.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

Edited April 3, 2015 by Brian.

[Brian.]

The Bhagavad Gita



Synopsis
The Bhagavad Gita is an intensely spiritual work that forms the cornerstone of the Hindu faith, and is also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry. It describes how, at the beginning of a mighty battle between the Pandava and Kaurava armies, the god Krishna gives spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realizes that the true battle is for his own soul.

Juan Mascaró's translation of The Bhagavad Gita captures the extraordinary aural qualities of the original Sanskrit. This edition features a new introduction by Simon Brodbeck, which discusses concepts such as dehin, prakriti and karma.
(taken from Goodreads)

My Thoughts

I picked this up at a charity shop a while ago for a few reasons but primarily because I find eastern religion and philosophy very interesting. Although my particular interest is in Buddhism I have also done some reading related to The Vedas and this book appears repeatedly on lists of recommended reading. I was glad that I found this translation as it seems to be a popular choice and has a lengthy introduction explaining certain intricacies related to translating from Sanskrit.

 

I won't be reviewing this book because it seems very wrong to review the merits of a religious text. One thing I will say, is that is very revealing that when this was written man was struggling with same questions about life that we do today. There are connections and similarities between what is written in this book and pretty much all of the world's religions.

 

3/5 (I liked it).

[Brian.]

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells



Synopsis
'For countless centuries Mars has been the star of war'

The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common near London. At first, naive locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag - only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilization is under threat, as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroy all in their path with black gas and burning rays, and feast on the warm blood of trapped, still-living human prey. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear.

The first modern tale of alien invasion, The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential of all science-fiction works.
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

This book has been on my TBR for a while and it also appears in the '1001 Books' list. When it was drawn an random from the TBR jar I was able to cross it off both lists, and read a book I have been looking forward to for a while. I knew roughly what the story was and I have seen the latest movie which definitely had an affect on my mental image of the destruction. My edition came with an introduction looking a little deeper into H.G. Wells and the messages he protrayed in his books. The introduction was a welcome addition to the story even if I didn't really take anything from it.

 

I thought that the book has aged quite well with the exception of the places depicted during the story. I imagine that had the book been written today, more well known places would have been chosen because they would sit in the readers mind a little easier. I found the prose and language a little bit hard to get through in places but I can't put my finger on why. The aliens are a wonderful creation and they are described so well that I can recall very similar images being used in other Sci-Fi creations throughout the years. It is easy to see why the book caused a stir when it was written and even more so when it was turned into a radio broadcast.

 

Despite this, I really couldn't get into the book. I thought it was ok but at the same time I can't say that I enjoyed it. The closest contemporary I can think of would be Jules Verne and I much prefered his books.

 

2/5 (It was OK).

[Anna Begins]

Aw!  That is too bad that you didn't enjoy it very much.  I still can't believe how old that novel is.  My grandfather (since passed) remembered hearing the radio broadcast!

Totally off topic, but can you recommend a non fiction WWII book?