poppyshake Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Hang on a minute … it's your review that's convinced Kylie to buy it! I blame the BBC, as I only bought it after they discussed it on A Good Read on Radio 4. Those evil people at Radio 4 Thank you very much Claire for saying I could keep the book It's the start of my collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 <<Makes note of The Winter Queen>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 <<Makes note of The Winter Queen>> Woohoo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 The Psychopath Test by Jon RonsonSynopsis: What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything ...Combining Jon's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.Review: Not sure really why I bought this. It's really not my sort of thing at all and it was pretty careless of me really as this sort of reading is bound to lead to nightmares. I think I was lured in by the quirky cover and the soundbites written all over it pronouncing its comic genius. Jon is a witty writer so that part is true but oh man ... I now know far more about psychopaths than I wanted to .. when in fact I'd rather not know anything about them at all. I don't want to know what's going on in anyone's head .. not even mine and definitely not a psychopath's. True crime is not my thing .. I'm out of my comfort zone totally.Amongst other things, printed here is the famous Hare Psychopathy Checklist .. a 20 item inventory of personality traits and disorders and you can't help running through the list and seeing how many you would put a tick against. God!! .. I hope I'm not a psychopath (no .. it's alright .. you can relax .. if you are even slightly anxious about being one then you're not ) Of all the books you wouldn't expect to see a pic of toast in this would be near the top of the list but you'd be wrong .. there is one. I hurriedly looked at the list again to make sure that excessive consumption/obsession of/with toast is not on it .. thankfully it's not. I feel pretty sure that people who, when doing book reviews, try and match their title colours to the book covers SHOULD be on the list .. but they're not .. yet It's not my sort of book but having said that it's incredibly well written and Jon's a likeable man. He reminds me of Louis Theroux .. he has a gentle unassuming manner which means that convicted criminals and disgraced captains of industry etc open up to him like flowers. I actually found that I zipped through it .. though that might have been me mentally trying to outrun it. This is where a scoring system might have helped but anyway I did love everything that wasn't a description of what Broadmoor patients had done in order to deserve their incarceration (I grew up within the sound of the 10am Monday morning Broadmoor test siren and can still remember the fear and panic that ensued when it went off at other times .. I was escorted home from school on one occasion but as I was a latchkey kid I had to wait until my parents returned which was not until dark .. and obviously all the time .. in my head .. there was a psychopath waiting in the back garden ) Lots of insight into various mental health issues and treatments. He looks at conspiracy theorists and also the increasing practice (in the US) of diagnosing children with bi-polar/autism and medicating them accordingly. After learning about the checklist, Jon mentally assesses everyone. There's a marvellous bit where he is thinking about the Sunday Times critic A.A. Gill .. and how he has written scathing critiques of Jon's TV progs. Jon can remember reading a piece by Gill talking about how he shot and killed a baboon on safari .. aha thinks Jon .. Item 8: Callous/lack of empathy But then this is habit forming .. Jon can hardly meet anyone without watching them for signs .. perhaps the checklist shouldn't hold such weight? .. maybe we're over analysing people? Very informative and excellently written. Having read it I don't want to keep it so if anyone would like to read it just let me know .. otherwise it too will be heading to a charity shop. Liked it! I did say at the start of this blog that I was only going to write short reviews and I wasn't going to ramble any more Item 4: Pathological lying. Item 10: Poor behavioral controls. Item 13: Lack of realistic long term goals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 It's not my sort of book but having said that it's incredibly well written and Jon's a likeable man. He reminds me of Louis Theroux .. he has a gentle unassuming manner which means that convicted criminals and disgraced captains of industry etc open up to him like flowers. I actually found that I zipped through it .. though that might have been me mentally trying to outrun it. This is where a scoring system might have helped but anyway I did love everything that wasn't a description of what Broadmoor patients had done in order to deserve their incarceration (I grew up within the sound of the 10am Monday morning Broadmoor test siren and can still remember the fear and panic that ensued when it went off at other times .. I was escorted home from school on one occasion but as I was a latchkey kid I had to wait until my parents returned which was not until dark .. and obviously all the time .. in my head .. there was a psychopath waiting in the back garden ) In what ways do you think this element of your childhood has influenced your adult behaviour and opinions? Feel free to not answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 In what ways do you think this element of your childhood has influenced your adult behaviour and opinions? Feel free to not answer. I don't think it has tbh. I was already an anxious child before I moved to Bracknell .. it was just something else to worry about. I already had a long list of fears and phobias. I thought they were triggered by something at infant school but I've come to believe that I was just waiting for the trigger and that it would have come in another guise anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Really good review, Kay. I have it on my TBR pile, so will bump it up towards the top. I'm quite interested in the subject matter, so it's surprising I haven't read it sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Great review of The Psychopath Test Kay, I've added it to my wish list as it sounds like an interesting, if slightly macabre, read. The Broadmoor Siren is still sounded at 10am every Monday, thankfully in the 14 years we've been living here I've not heard it at any other time! How scary to have been on your own for so long when it happened to you. I've always thought that the clever time to break out of Broadmoor would be 10am on a Monday...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Excellent review, Poppyshake. I really need to bump this up my list! I've never noticed before that you match the book cover's colour to the colour of your review title. That's so awesome, and so very 'you'! And I love that you incorporated elements of the checklist into your review. I can't wait to see how I score (although you said that if you're anxious about being a psychopath, then you're not, so I should be OK ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Thanks for reading and reviewing The Psycopath Test, Kay … I now know it's definitely not the book for me! I can't read true crime, even within the confines of a wider ranging book, so one for me to avoid, no matter if I do like Ronson's writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 An excellent review poppyshake . I did try to read this book once, but it was one of the book that went back to the library PDQ - just a bit too creepy and scary . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Great review! I did say at the start of this blog that I was only going to write short reviews and I wasn't going to ramble any more Item 4: Pathological lying. Item 10: Poor behavioral controls. Item 13: Lack of realistic long term goals Well, for what it's worth, I like reading your reviews . I've never noticed before that you match the book cover's colour to the colour of your review title. That's so awesome, and so very 'you'! And I love that you incorporated elements of the checklist into your review. I like that too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 An excellent review poppyshake . I did try to read this book once, but it was one of the book that went back to the library PDQ - just a bit too creepy and scary . Even more evidence to back up my own theory that this book is not for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Really good review, Kay. I have it on my TBR pile, so will bump it up towards the top. I'm quite interested in the subject matter, so it's surprising I haven't read it sooner. Thanks bobbs If you like the subject matter then I'm sure you'll love it as it's very interesting and thought provoking. Also, thanks to Jon's chatty style, it's an easy book to read and not as alarming as it might be in other hands. Great review of The Psychopath Test Kay, I've added it to my wish list as it sounds like an interesting, if slightly macabre, read. The Broadmoor Siren is still sounded at 10am every Monday, thankfully in the 14 years we've been living here I've not heard it at any other time! How scary to have been on your own for so long when it happened to you. I've always thought that the clever time to break out of Broadmoor would be 10am on a Monday...... Thanks Hayley Haha .. yes .. I always thought that .. why did the patients never cotton on to it? They've got it under control now hopefully .. I think the last break out was early nineties. It was a woman who broke out mid seventies .. we didn't know that at the time of course. Might have made me less nervous but then .. she was a Broadmoor patient .. best not to be too trusting I think it was about five/six hours before they found her but I don't think she'd got far in that time .. was hiding most probably (in my back garden ) They had a couple of very alarming break outs at the beginning of the eighties .. both within a month of each other and one of them (a double murderer) wasn't recaptured for years and years It's nice, in this changing world, to know that some things have stayed the same. I'm glad the siren is still sounded and that they don't just send local residents text alerts or something Probably the local vicinity is the safest place to be .. escapees probably want to get as far away as poss. You don't think of that as a child though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Excellent review, Poppyshake. I really need to bump this up my list! I've never noticed before that you match the book cover's colour to the colour of your review title. That's so awesome, and so very 'you'! And I love that you incorporated elements of the checklist into your review. I can't wait to see how I score (although you said that if you're anxious about being a psychopath, then you're not, so I should be OK ). Yes .. you'd be fine I was very glad to learn that if you startle easily then you're not a psychopath. They have no startle reflex apparently. If they see something gruesome for instance .. they are interested not disturbed. I am like a startled rabbit most of the time, I jump when the toast pops up .. and I could never willingly look at anything gruesome (and that includes my baking failures ) Everyone would score something on that list .. but it's when you tick all or most of them that alarm bells ring. Thanks for reading and reviewing The Psycopath Test, Kay … I now know it's definitely not the book for me! I can't read true crime, even within the confines of a wider ranging book, so one for me to avoid, no matter if I do like Ronson's writing. I'm glad I have averted you from danger I think I can't have been quite right in the head (not the same as psychopathic and a temporary condition anyway ) when I picked it up and decided it was the book for me. It was never going to be but then I've found I like the writer and his style of journalism so I wouldn't rule out reading books by him in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 An excellent review poppyshake . I did try to read this book once, but it was one of the book that went back to the library PDQ - just a bit too creepy and scary . Thanks Marie You did the sensible thing. There were a couple of things I read that kept me awake .. this is why I don't read true crime etc .. because it will just put thoughts in my head and I've got enough of those kinds of thoughts in there as it is. I'm quite capable of keeping myself awake at night without any help from outsiders Great review! Well, for what it's worth, I like reading your reviews . I like that too ! Thanks Gaia It's very kind of you to say so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hi Kay I followed up something that was attributed to you somewhere, a Marrying Mr Darcy card game....it was a ridiculous price but instead I found on Amazon a Jane Austen Action Figure http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_25?url=search-alias%3Dtoys&field-keywords=jane%20austen%20action%20figure&sprefix=jane+austen+action+figure%2Caps%2C219 which I have bought as the perfect gift for Thoughtful Daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Hi Kay I followed up something that was attributed to you somewhere, a Marrying Mr Darcy card game....it was a ridiculous price but instead I found on Amazon a Jane Austen Action Figure http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_25?url=search-alias%3Dtoys&field-keywords=jane%20austen%20action%20figure&sprefix=jane+austen+action+figure%2Caps%2C219 which I have bought as the perfect gift for Thoughtful Daughter. That is brilliant .. I like the thought of Jane as an action figure Yes, the game is a ridiculous price I quite agree .. luckily hubby never ever checks the price of things. He is totally irresponsible as far as that's concerned and though he shops frequently could never tell you what bread or milk cost etc. I think he lost touch with it when he stopped having actual cash in his wallet. It's down to me to try and keep us on the straight and narrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter MoersSynopsis: A delightfully illustrated cult novel, literary satire and epic adventure. 'Within the first 15 pages I was carried away by the sheer craziness of it all. Some Minipirates find a baby bear with blue fur inside a walnut shell floating on the ocean towards a giant whirlpool. They rescue him and teach him about knots and waves, and that a good white lie is often considerably more exciting than the truth. Then, when he outgrows their ship to such an extent that he is in danger of sinking it, they abandon him on an island with a bottle of seaweed juice and a loaf of seaweed bread. Thus Bluebear comes to the end of his first life and embarks on his second. By the end of the book, he has expended exactly half of his 27 lives. Again and again, Moers confounds our expectations as the narrative twists and turns, travels backwards and forwards in time. Part science fiction, part fairy tale, part myth, part epic, the book is a satire on all these genres and so constantly satirises itself. Very amusing'Review: This is probably the antidote to The Psychopath Test .. it is madness but it's fun. It's a real hold on to your hat book. Don't even try to understand it or second guess it .. just open your mind and prepare for it to be filled by Walter's amazing and inspired imagination. It's incredibly exciting, like a real old fashioned adventure book but much more surreal .. even Alice's adventures weren't this crazy. Possibly Walter took his inspiration from some of the great travelling tales that have gone before .. stories like Gulliver's Travels, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit etc .. people journeying to strange lands etc and he's affectionately parodied them. I loved his droll sense of humour .. on every page there is something to laugh or smile at even though, for most of the book, Bluebear is in the most dreadful peril. Walter's exquisite drawings also add to the fun and quirkiness .. I was ridiculously excited every time I turned a page to find one.We follow Bluebear from his birth as a tiny little Bluebear floating in a walnut shell, taking in his education firstly by the Minipirates, then the Babbling Billows and then the pinnacle .. Professor Nightingale's Nocturnal Academy after which he is let loose on the world to make his way in it. In his head he very helpfully carries Professor Nightingale's Encyclopedia of Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamonia and its Environs which comes in handy whenever he's in mortal danger .. which is always. As he roams across Zamonia .. traversing places such as the Demerara Desert (yes .. a desert made of sugar ), the Gloomberg Mountains and Hobgoblin Island he meets with some extraordinary creatures. Probably my favourite life was 'Life 7: My Life in the Great Forest' and one of the reasons for this is that it contained one of the many appearances from probably my fave creature (other than Bluebear) ... the Troglotroll. The Troglotroll turns up time and time again like the proverbial bad penny to lead Bluebear up the garden path and into peril. Bluebear knows not to trust him but somehow he can't help giving him the benefit of the doubt. Shortly after entering the Great Forest, Bluebear finds himself stuck tight in a fearsome Spiderwitch web. The Spiderwitch is away from home but surely he will return soon .. in the meantime someone might come to his aid .. oh no! .. it's the Troglotroll. 'Ak-ak-ak .. I may look like a Troglotroll but don't be misled. I am really a forester - the Great Forest's forester-in-chief. Incognito, of course, hence my deceptively genuine-looking Troglotroll disguise. Does that sound convincing, at least, or should I admit right away that I'm a Troglotroll?''Cut it out!' I snapped. 'I'm in an extremely unpleasant predicament. There's some water over there. If you'd be good enough to -''One moment,' the Troglotroll broke in, lounging comfortably on the grass. 'How did you get into that mess? I mean, you've got to be pretty stupid to get caught in one of those things. I've seen them all over the forest, but I'd never have taken it into my head to try and kiss one. Ugh, looks like a huge spider's web. Anyone who isn't absolutely cuckoo would give it a wider berth.''It's a long story.''I'm listening.''Er, this liquid here makes you think the web is the loveliest thing imaginable, not a web at all .. It positively hypnotises you and, er ... it's very hard to explain .. How come you weren't taken in by one?'The Troglotroll sniffed a bit then shrugged his shoulders. 'No idea. Perhaps because I can't imagine anything lovely, just horrid, nasty things. Ak-ak!''It doesn't matter anyway, not now. Would you be kind enough to scoop some water out of the stream and sprinkle it over my hands? It's the only thing that'll release me.''Is that all? Just some water from the stream?''Precisely, I'd be most grateful.''All right.' The gnome wagged his head and waddled over to the stream. Kneeling down he cupped some water in his hands and carried it carefully over to me like a waiter with a trayful of champagne glasses.Just before reaching the web he stopped short.'Hurry up!' I said impatiently. 'What's wrong?''I came within an ace of forgetting I'm a Troglotroll. I'm behaving like a Boy Scout!''That's neither here nor there,' I said, trying to sound as casual as possible, because I already guessed which way the wind was blowing. 'Just bring the stuff here.'The Troglotroll let the water trickle slowly through his fingers into the grass. 'Phew!' he said 'Only just stopped myself in the nick of time. I very nearly performed a good deed.' He wiped some imaginary sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.'Hey! Would you please fetch some more water and release me at last? The spider may turn up at any moment. This is no joke.''I'm not being funny, I'm a Troglotroll. Don't tell me you've forgotten our little adventure in the mountains?''No, I haven't forgotten it, but I forgive you. Leading someone astray is rather different from leaving them to be devoured by a giant spider. You wouldn't do a thing like that.''Yes, I would. It's my job.''You wouldn't!''Now listen, my boy!' said the Troglotroll, very serious all of a sudden, and there was a genuine look of regret in his eyes. 'You don't seem to grasp what a fix you're in. I'm a Troglotroll, the most abominable creature in Zamonia. I couldn't help you even if I wanted to - which I don't! It's simply not in my nature. All I want, and all I can do, is not to help you! In present circumstances, I'm the most treacherous person you could have possibly met. I mean, it would be only too easy for me to help you - child's play, in fact - but I won't. Lurking back there in the forest is a giant spider as big as a house, and all I'd have to do to save you is fetch a little water. But I'd sooner leave you to your uncertain fate. Only a Troglotroll could do that. You've got a greater chance of being released by the spider itself than by a Troglotroll. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!'And the Troglotroll disappeared into the undergrowth.'I'm really sorry!' he called. 'That's to say, I'm not even that, ak-ak-ak!' Another reason to love Life 7 is Bluebear's eight hour flight from the Spiderwitch which was hilarious but also nerve wracking .. as the Boom Booms (eight in all .. for the eight spider legs) got larger and smaller .. so you could see how near or far the Spiderwitch was in his pursuit. Half of the time Bluebear was besting him .. the other half he was catching up but all the while Bluebear carries on an internal dialogue. The fourth hour was a definite improvement, perhaps because I had ceased to feel my body. I'd become no more than a soaring, incorporeal spirit that glided over the forest floor like a hovercraft. There were two possibilities: either my body had triumphed over pain and exhaustion or - the likelier alternative, I suspected - it had come to a halt at some stage and sat down, because I couldn't feel it anymore. but I continued to run on in spirit, and my spirit was swift as the wind. The spider was now almost out of earshot.BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Imaginative children would love this but of course, so would adults .. as long as you don't mind a huge dollop of surrealism. Ideal to read to a child actually as it's action packed. A huge 700 pager of a book but totally worth every minute spent reading it. Great fun.Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wonderful review! I'm so pleased that it rated a 'Loved it!' from you. I dearly hope that Moers will write about Captain Bluebear's other 13 1/2 lives one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Great review! I would like to read this book some time, maybe my library has a Dutch translation (if it exists). It sounds like a nice read . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Athena, I don't know if this would make any difference, but the book was originally written in German and translated into English. Whenever Moers publishes a new book, there's a long wait for us English readers to get a translated version. Hopefully that means there's a better chance that it has been translated into Dutch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear is one of those books I've seen in the bookshops, and knowing someone here had read and loved it, I've picked it up, and then put it back again, as it's so big, it intimidates me. Of course, now you make it sound so good, how could I not want to read it?! I'm going to have to stop coming in this thread (again!) as you just make too many books too tempting to say no to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I hope you'll let Poppyshake and I convince you to read it, Claire. It's totally worth it! But all credit should go to Paula, who was the first to read and review it a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 That's where I remember it from! I was sure you'd read it, but now you mention it, it was Paula's review that first got me interested. I've already got too many books to read and far too many on the wish list, but I'm going to have to add it, aren't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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