willoyd

Just finished The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald. As ever, find it difficult to work out quite what I think about her books, but they are curiously addictive, and grow on my after I've finished (as this is already doing). Muriel Spark and Elizabeth Taylor tend to have the same effect on me! 5 stars out of 6. (Later edit) And later on in the day: Felicie by Georges Simenon, the next in the series of Maigret novels I'm reading (in publication order). As good as ever. 4 stars.

A few days away, exploring Hadrian's Wall and around. Finished 3 books (stars out of 6): A Walk Along the Wall by Hunter Davies: description of a year's exploration of Hadrian's Wall back in the 70s. Very interesting comparing with today! An enjoyable read **** A Death in the Dales by Frances Brody: enjoyably insubstantial, fun. Not exactly a whodunnit, more a 'how are they going to find out?'. Likeable, if fairly stereotypical, characters. Will probably read more. *** The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry, examining the state of masculinity. Some good points, and very engaging in parts, but needed clearer structuring and more coherent progression. ***

Just finished with Tom Holland's Dynasty, his history of the Julian-Claudian Roman emperors. Stopped almost exactly half way through: the language and narrative was somewhat over-blown and over-worked, yet nothing really being added to the histories from Tacitus and Suetonius (who are much more succinct). I Claudius makes for better history too. Just couldn't take any more padding. Really surprised at the number of 5 star reviews, but suspect they're mostly from people who've not read much else on the subject, and are more interested in the story than the history. 2 stars out of 6. Not sure what's next, but will read Alistair Moffat's The Wall soon, as we're going to spend a few days exploring Hadrian's Wall in the near future.

Borrowed it from the library, so it was definitely also a bit dog-eared! Although I was aware of many aspects of the Stasi and conditions of East German life (Thomas Harding's The House by the Lake is particularly interesting on this topic), I hadn't realised quite how much down the route of Big Brother they had gone. Really, really scary. By focusing on just a few individuals, I think Funder said a whole lot more than many/most broader histories could have done, and, of course, made it a whole lot more personal. BTW, I thoroughly recommend the Harding book - one of the best histories I've read in the past few years: another book successfully telling a broader history through the intensely personal.

Finished Stasiland by Anna Funder. Eye-opening, and very moving in places, concentrating very much on the personal experience rather than the overall picture, although effectively illustrating the latter. 4, possibly 5, stars out of 6.

Just finished Mrs Moreau's Warbler by Stephen Moss, a look at the etymology of bird names. Fascinating stuff, that ties into the histories of both ornithology and the English language. Very readable. 4/6 stars.

Given all that, I suspect it's actually about making money rather than any real health promotion. Shows they have absolutely no understanding of true health issues, if that's their response to your son's needs. I wonder if they are actually guilty of discrimination. Salt tablets are available through amazon etc. Look for sports electrolyte or rehydrating tablets with a high sodium content.

Speak for yourself - I've just completed my longest ever bike ride! But you are right, the single biggest cause of middle-age weight gain is reduced activity. It's here because it stems from reviews of a couple of books I read on the subject; I'm just delighted that a book topic can provoke a discussion. It would certainly be a good subject for the debating thread, but I've not any problems with it here for the moment as long as nobody else has either. But if admin would like it moving, fine with that too.

That's interesting: in my situation, 'low carb' is only half the equation, the other half being 'high fat', not least because in the absence of carbohydrates, fats are needed as the main source of energy (and saturated fat is an essential part of that). Low carb also leads to an increase in the loss of sodium and water by the kidneys, so an increase in salt uptake is recommended too. So, whilst high salt, high fat may not be regarded by some as 'healthy', there are an awful lot of people taking both as part of a diet aimed at improving health, even if, as you say, it's not what is usually considered 'healthy'! I can understand the arena only selling certain foods, but to not allow anything else is plain wrong (if increasingly common); it'd be interesting to see the arena's menu, as some so-called 'healthy' food is anything but. Backing up your theme, I have a very good friend, a Type 1 diabetic, who always carries something sugary round with him in case he goes hypo. Again as you say, healthy means different things to different people in different circumstances. BTW, what about salt tablets? Not a food per se, more like a medication. Much more difficult to say no to, I would have thought.

Wishlists on Amazon, plus photos of front covers of books I see in libraries/book shops etc on my phone.

Two books finished in one morning: I Claudius by Robert Graves and, a very quick but delightful read, Six Lives of Fankle the Cat by George Mackay Brown. Both 5/6 stars (comfortably). Now on to Mrs Moreau's Warbler by Stephen Moss, but must soon turn to Tom Holland's Dynasty to read the history to go with Robert Graves's ficitional take on the early Roman Empire, whilst the latter is still fresh in the mind.

From what I've read and experienced, can only agree with you @poppy . I think that it also extends beyond simple, processed carbs - particularly for those with abnormal insulin function: blood sugar spiking can come from complex carbs too. I'm not yet at that stage (although prediabetes suggests a build up of insulin resistance), but have now cut out or drastically reduced most cereal based foods - especially pasta, bread, rice (wholegrain or otherwise), plus potatoes etc - with carb volume equally reduced; most of what I do get is from vegetables and fruit (moderated). The difference has been marked, not least sloughing off the weight with surprising ease. I also feel far better, and find that I have no desire to go back to eating those foods. But, as you say, this may well be horses for courses. I remain increasingly suspicious though of standard dietary balance recommendations favouring carbs of any sort and demonising saturated fats (this includes current NHS recommendations even to prediabetics).

I think it also shows how much politics (personal, if nothing else) creeps into science. The book is basically written on the same lines as Ben Goldacre's books (Bad Science, Bad Pharma etc). The question for Teicholz is the quality of the science behind well-established guidelines, and the answer increasingly appears to be that it simply isn't there, too much relying on epidemiological evidence - which can only show an association, not a causation - and too little on clinical trials, which are difficult, but where undertaken simply don't show the causation that those who propound high carbs low fat would like to see, rather the opposite. The latter have then worked hard to denigrate and discredit the work undertaken, whilst at the same time failing to do the quality work themselves. It's the same with concepts such as 'the Mediterranean Diet'. This is often referred to (there was an article just this week in the national papers talking about the influence of this diet), but nowhere is it clearly defined and, where it is described (in general terms, never delineated), it's plain wrong. For instance, fish is an important element of the Mediterranean diet it is claimed, yet fish consumption amongst the populations upon which this diet was drawn is actually low compared to meat such as lamb and pork (there is other evidence to show fish is an important part of a healthy diet, but the point is that there is no evidence from the populations studied in developing the Mediterranean diet concept). So it's not about interpretations alone, although that is an element (in particular overstretching interpretations), but about the quality of the science undertaken and the way a theory has been put forward and accepted by natonal bodies without proper scrutiny, when the science might actually be pointing exactly the opposite way, i.e. our western diet is overloaded with carbs and insufficiently based on fats and protein, particularly meat. Prediabetes is a somewhat controversial concept, in that some authorities don't like the idea as it can make patients out of healthy people (eg some prediabetics being prescribed medicine that would normally be restricted to diabetics), and distract attention from the need to improve population-wide diets etc rather than just focusing on a limited population (prevention versus cure I suppose). I've found it useful though, as a warning signal that things have been going the wrong direction and that I need to put changes in place.

The classice example has to be Virginia Woolf. I'd also say that quite a lot of the classics have little actually happening (especially given the size of the book in some cases!); in crime, I think Simenon is a perfect example. The phrase 'not much happens' is probably a bit simplistic and distracting - what I'm really contrasting is the plot-driven novel versus the character-driven novel. The latter can have things 'happen', but much of what does derives as much as or more from character as from any outside agency. The former tend to be about the plot as devised by the author, and the characters are often fairly irrelevant. So, in much of Jane Austen (for instance) things do happen - if not quite to the same extent or as frenetically as in most plot-driven novels - but they happen primarily because of the interaction between and the development of the characters. Even in something like a Dickens, where there is plenty going on usually, it's fundamentally the same. Even when the plot is dictated by an outside agency, the focus is on how it affects and changes the characters. In a Patterson, Child or any mumber of (mainly) thrillers etc, plot is all, and for me they are thus usually as dull as ditchwater.

I think it's only damning if one is focused on plot, which a lot of writers and readers are; thus the popularity of the thriller genre. I tend to avoid them nowadays, and have enjoyed quite a lot of books where 'not much happens'. Indeed, most of my one star books are plot driven novels (including both those so far this year)..

Reading your review reminds me that I really need to return to Anne Tyler. I've read a couple of her books, and both have been pretty much as you describe. No, nothing much happens (actually, in one it did, but it didn't feel like that), but that's not the point. She's so into character examination and development, that that is where the focus lies, and the plot is pretty much about how or why people turn out the way they do. Compulsively readable and thought-provoking.

Some more mini-reviews I do seem to struggle keeping up with reviews, so another collection of shorter comments to at least keep up with the reading. The Rhine by Ben Coates **** Spotted this in the library, and it immediately appealed as we cycled the length of the Rhine from source to mouth a few years ago. Living in the Netherlands, he travels the opposite way. Unlike previous books on the same topic (I've tried both Patrick Leigh Fermor and Bernard Levin), this proved a thoroughly satisfying read. It never aspired to great literature, but it was very readable, a good balance between information and entertainment, and I enjoyed comparing notes and learning more about the cities along the way. If anything, that also highlights my main complaint - to a large extent it appeared he city-hopped his way along the river, each chapter generally focusing on one, and there was little about the sections in-between. Going back to my diary of the trip, our experience was that the cities had a relatively small impact, and we spent and enjoyed most of our time exploring the landscape and smaller towns/villages along the way. But maybe that just reflects our interests. Whatever, I'm certainly going to read his other (earlier) book about the Netherlands, and keep my eye out for future books. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer *** Read for one of my book groups. The author is a journalist who, having reported on the American Memory Championships and been told that anybody can become competitive as long as they prepare properly, takes on the challenge and works towards competing in it. Along the way, he looks into the history of memory development, or, perhaps more accurately, looks into why our memories have so deteriorated through time (mainly because we've externalised memory to other forms of storage, like writing, printing, electronic etc). The sections on the history I found fascinating; those on his preparations I found increasingly tedious, particularly as the techniques, and their detailed explanations, became more and more complicated and specialised. This was thus a book of 'two halves', and if I could have split the halves apart, I would have done. As it was, I found myself glazing over whilst reading through the technical detail, then snapping back in at other times. There was a very good book on memory in society and how we use it, or don't, but it never quite took off. Incidentally, quite a few of our group found themselves rather put of by the slightly unpleasant first page - the author even apologises for it! You can see what he was trying to do, but it wasn't the best start. The Big Fat Surprise by Nin Teicholz **** Another book in my exploration of diet issues relevant to diabetes development. This is an examination of the science behind the pre-eminence of the complex carb based, low fat, diet promoted by dietary authorities in the US and UK (mainly US), in particular the demonisation of saturated fats. It makes for extremely uncomfortable reading, as increasing levels of obesity and diabetes (a 2014 report published in the British Medical Journal suggested that 1 in 3 adults in the UK are prediabetic*) have coincided with the publication of this advice, and the author suggests that much of this advice has been based on poor science (or, at least, poor interpretation of the science). It's very interesting stuff, which turns so much of what is currently the norm and accepted practice on its head, although quite a few reviewers have found it heavy going; personally, I appreciated the depth of discussion. So, maybe saturated fat, cholesterol aren't quite the devils, and complex carbs and polyunsaturated fat not quite the godsends they are often portrayed. *the concept of prediabetes is itself somewhat controversial, mainly it appears because of the danger of making 'patients' out of healthy people, and certainly there is conflict between the views of WHO and the American dietary authorities on how it's defined and used. However, as a marker of the need for a wider population lifestyle change, it seems to still hold, although those changes many not be what are conventionally portrayed as necessary. The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey *** There is no doubt that Samantha Harvey can write - there's some beautiful material here. However, for me her plotting left a fair amount to be desired: the tracking backwards in time didn't quite work (I found it more confusing that anything else), and it never seemed to be going anywhere. Yes, one finds out what happened (to the victim), but much else? One learns about the relationship of church to village, the power pressures from outside, and several characters start to develop promisingly, but I reached the end feeling that things had never really got beyond the start. A pity, as this held so much promise. Still, the quality of writing suggests that this is an author worth following up, and I enjoyed much of it for that alone. I See You by Clare Mackintosh * A Richard and Judy choice which, at the least, usually indicates at least a solid read. It seems to me they misfired on this one though, although I have to confess that this is a genre I have increasingly little time for; I only read this as it was a book group read. It is promoted as a psychological thriller, and it certainly fits the recent mould, following a similar, well worn, path to the likes of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train et al. So if you liked these, then you may like this, but for me its unpredictability was in fact all too predictable and obvious, I didn't care about any of the characters, there were too many sterotypes, and too much suspension of disbelief was required. A thoroughly unpleasant (in more ways than one) and unrewarding experience.

On reflection (preparing review for book group), dropped to one star. Will cover in review on blog thread when I get round to it (soon!)

Yes, I think a lot of Kindle versions are just OCRed across, with little checking.

s it self-published? There's more of that around now too. I tend to find that these are the most vulnerable. On a different tack - just 'finished' I See You by Clare Mackintosh for one of my book groups. It's a psychological thriller. I read the first 80 or so pages conventionally, then skimmed the rest. Predictable, but then they usually are (not so much over whodunnit, although the culprit wasn't a suprise, but in the general direction and structure of the plot, the characterisations, techniques used etc etc.). 2/6.

Just finished The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey. Beautifully written, but ultimately unsatisfying - 3/6. Moving on to one of my group reads, probably I See You by Clare Mackintosh.

Just finished The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz. It's a detailed examination of the science, or lack of it, behind the low fat-high carbohydrate diet that has been the recommended standard in much of the western world for the past 30-40 years or more. Have been looking into this a bit more since I received NHS advice on pre-diabetes diet that simply didn't make sense given the causes. Slightly heavy going in places as science gets quite detailed, but readable to the end. 5 stars.

Good summary. Pretty much exactly reflects my thoughts at the time I read it. Like you, I had no inclination to try for the follow-ons.

Did books help develop my character? I suspect there's a certain element of chicken and egg here. It's my character that drives me to read books, but I cannot see how anyone can read regularly (whether fiction or non-fiction), and not have those books influence their character to at least some degree, even if only at the subconscious level. Or, to put it another way, you'd have to be an incredibly unresponsive individual to spend so much time reading, and not be influenced as a person by that reading in any way, shape or form. But whether one can pinpoint particular books? Trickier! All I can say is that some books stand out as landmarks in my reading, or as books that have stayed with me for one reason or another. To that extent, my pattern is not dissimilar to Brian's. As I was apparently reading books to myself by the age of 3, I can't remember any that helped form my early reading. Children's books that stand out as big influences are (in no particular order!) the Winnie-the-Pooh series (so much so that I was nicknamed after the bear!), Paddington Bear, the Grey Rabbit books, Rev Awdry's Railway books, and, almost inevitably, Enid Blyton (FarAway Tree stands out in memory, as does Secret Seven later, whilst her Nature Lover's Book was almost talismanic). I was also heavily influenced by, first of all, Tell Me Why, and then Look and Learn. I also read loads of Ladybird books at various stages. Non-fiction remains a significant proportion of my reading (around 40%). The Swallows and Amazons series was a powerful developer, opening up a whole different landscape and approach to life which has stayed with me for the rest of my life. Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill stands for another historical landmark - I loved history novels, and remain fascinated by history. Early 'adult' books (read from about 11 or so) were Sherlock Holmes and the Hornblower series (both favourites of my father, especially the former - he was a guide for the London Appreciation Society, and one of his specialist subjects was SH). I also ripped through my mother's stock of Georgette Heyer Regency novels - which I still love. Lord of the Rings stands out at around 13. All definitely had influences, but how much is hard to say - they've certainly stayed with me since then,and stand as developmental landmarks if nothing else. My first introduction to the classics was around 14, when we were required to read either Pickwick Papers or Barchester Towers for English. I read both, and loved both! We never did any detailed analysis on either, other than a reading group style discussion in class - our English teacher simply wanted us to read and think about the book, and, dare I say, enjoy it! I can't remember any other book studied at this stage, but Emma and Middlemarch both featured at A-level, the former introducing me to the joys of Jane Austen and totally changing my reading life. Whether they changed me otherwise, I'm not sure, but given my reading is so central to me as a person, I suspect they did. I also had phases of reading certain genres - scifi definitely featured for a while (mainly Asimov and Heinlein), as did crime (Christie!). These stand out as landmarks, but I would suggest that much of one's character development through reading is a very gradual process, each book being just one brick, and the reading wall being just one wall in the house (even if signficantly structural in my case!). Thus, just to quote a couple more small bricks: we read Lord of the Flies in class when I was 11 - I hated it with a passion, and there was a niggling scar there until I reread it a few years ago and appreciated it for the great literature it actually is. On the other hand, we also read, around the same time, Paul Berna's Flood Warning (set in France), the story of which I found profoundly moving at the time. I only found a copy of it (I had barely remembered even the title, just the impact) a couple of years ago, reread it, and whilst it is still a favourite, like Lord of the Flies I have a rather different perspective on it now. What frightens me somewhat is how influential reading was on me, how many books I read - well over a hundred a year at one point - but how few of the books I read can I recall. I suppose many of the individual bricks are now simply part of that wall.