willoyd

Reading group today, where we discussed Moonwalking with Einstein. It seems we either decently enjoyed it, or just didn't finish it (only 3 out of 8 of us finished), no ifs or buts between. Full review to follow, but interesting that 2 of the 3 were the only men in the group - coincidence or not? Anyway, I've now moved on to The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey, which has started really well, recommended by a friend. Book group choices for this month: I See You by Clare Mackintosh I Claudius by Robert Graves Looking forward to both - the latter especially as it's been on my list for some years now - and enjoying the recent variety.

Completed Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer, the latest read for one of my book groups. We choose from a list of books provided by Bradford Council for reading groups, and to be honest it's a bit of a mystery why some of them are on the list. This is one - it's not bad, but given how few non-fiction books are provided, I can't for the life of me see why anybody selected this particular one. Subject material - yes (an exploration of memory), but otherwise it's just a fairly bog-standard ordinary. TBH, getting bored with so many of this group's selections (a complete contrast to the other group who have not limited themselves to any list of books). 3/6 stars - an OK read.

I would agree with you pretty much the whole way, including not really seeing why it made the top 100. I haven't read all of her books yet, being about half way through, but even so have certainly enjoyed others more. Best to date, for me, has been A View of the Harbour.

June update I've not added to this blog for almost a whole month now (although have been tracking books read on the Book Activity thread), so one big update covering the last 4 weeks. First of all, reviews; I've completed 4 books so far this month: Barring Mechanicals by Andy Allsop **** A slim volume, being an account of Andy's efforts in riding the British Blue Riband event of audax cycling, the London-Edinburgh-London (usually known as the LEL). The event is held every 4 years, and the challenge is to complete the ride in just over 116 hours (for 1400km). Every 60-100km there is a control at which your 'brevet' (route card) is stamped, and at which food, and sometimes a bed, is available. Andy did the ride on a recumbent - not the best vehicle for the northern hills. It's fairly lightly and well written, very absorbing, and I ripped through it in a day or so. Probably one that will largely appeal only the specialist fan, but the insights are I think universal. They aren't laboured, but they are there. The mental grit shown by those who complete (only 40% of the field in 2017) is pretty awe-inspiring, but it's all so understated by all concerned. The event itself is heading towards legendary status. Daughter of the Desert by Georginal Howell ****** (later retitled Queen of the Desert) A biography of Gertrude Bell, one of the most amazing people I've ever read about. My first real insight into her life came with the film 'Letters from Baghdad' produced by and starring Tilda Swinton (phenomenal in Orlando). This unfortunately came out at around the same time as the film 'Queen of the Desert', based on another biography (by Janet Wallach) and starring Nicole Kidman, which rather overshadowed 'Letters' in the publicity stakes in spite of being vastly inferior - the Wallach book is also vastly inferior to the Howell. Howell started the book as the result of a project at the newspaper where she worked, The Sunday Times, when the editor commissioned staff to write about their particular hero for the magazine - and Howell wrote about Bell. It then grew into a full-blown book. Bell herself led a remarkable life, breaking down barriers in Victorian - early 20th century Britain left, right and centre. The first woman to take a first in modern history at Oxford (one of very few who even went to university), desert explorer extraordinaire in the Middle East, climber in the Alps with a number of first ascents ( in her first seasons, taking her skirts off at the first hut she reached, presumably to climb in her substantial underwear), internationally respected archaeologist, led up organisng and developing missing persons bureau for the Red Cross in France at the start of WW1, only woman to hold formal rank in the Middle East expeditionary force during the war, diplomat and virtual architect of the state of Iraq.....and so on and so on. At times Howell's work does drift dangerously close to hagiography but, given Bell's hero status, that's not really surprising. It is also, on occasions, a little bit unsettling, as Howell follows a theme through to its end in one chapter, then effectively goes back in time to deal with the other aspects of Bell's life in the next. Thus, for instance, a whole chapter is devoted to her relationship with the great love of her live, Dick Doughty-Wiley, ending with his death in 1915; the next chapter then resumes in around 1906 and examines her desert explorations in more depth. It's understandable why, but it can phase the unwary! Aside from these (relatively minor) caveats, it's an absolutely superb read: Howell's narrative gallops along, she uses Bell's own (and extensive) writing very effectively to really bring her to life, and neatly fits in a wealth of description and detail. She's not afraid to address some of the more controversial or contentious aspects of Bell's life (like her support for the anti-Suffragist movement) either. In short, I loved this book from start to finish, and it's the first book this year to receive a full 6 stars. It was read for our reading group, and that opinion was more generally held too. It certainly provoked one of the fullest discussions we've had for a while - almost 2 hours worth, there was so much to talk about (Bell's life mainly!). The Art and Science of Low-Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney **** An excellent introduction to eating a low carb diet as an athlete. This is something I've started taking an interest in, mainly because I've discovered that I'm pre-diabetic, but the implications of the science are far more widespread if there really is a connection between the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the pre-diabetic state (now reckoned to represent between one-third and one-half of the over-60 population), and the institutional move to the view that carbs, even complex carbs, are 'good' and fats, particularly saturated fat, are 'bad' (gross simplification warning!). I'm still exploring these ideas, but this proved an interesting and thought provoking first read on the subject. Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown ***** Thorfinn Ragnarsson is a good-for-nothing dreamer schoolboy living in the Orkneys in the 1930s. The author follows him through his life and his dreams, revealing through them changes to the island (fictional Norday) and his life, and the impact of these dreams. The story is told in deceptively simple language, which left me wondering early on whether I was really going to get much out of the book, but this very simplicity and its sense of poetry almost hypnotically pulled me into the dreams and the story as a whole. GMB was a prominent poet, and it shows. Another book group read, and another one that I loved, if not quite achieving 6-stars (at least, not yet). I'm certainly seeking out more of his writing, and may even reread this in the near future - I read it in one evening without putting it down so that would be no chore! Books acquired this month for reading France, A History from Gaul to De Gaulle by John Julius Norwich (e-book) Normandy '44 by James Holland Inspector Cadaver by Georges Simenon Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson The Tunnel through Time by Gillian Tindall Colditz, the Full Story by Pat Reid Sowing the Wind by John Keay

Finished a quick but very interesting read: The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney. Have ordered the book prior to this, TAALOLC Living to fill in a few holes assumed by the author. Have moved on to The Rhine by Ben Coates, a description of his journey from mouth to source (we cycled source to mouth a few years ago). Got off to a good start.

Finished Georgina Howell's biography of Gertrude Bell, Daughter of the Desert, later renamed Queen of the Desert. A straight 6 stars, making it my 125th book at that level, and the 40th non-fiction book (also the first this year, although I'm thinking about another, but a novel). At a bit of a loss as to what to read next, as I almost always am after a book in which I've been so wrapped up.

Finished Barring Mechanicals by Andy Allsop. A slim volume, easy read, about his completion of the 2009 London-Edinburgh-London audax. One probably for the cycling enthusiast (which I am), but still a well written, easily read (if not easily imagined!) account, with plenty of character. Currently reading Georgina Howell's biography of the remarkable, fascinating, Gertrude Bell, Daughter of the Desert, later renamed Queen of the Desert.

I don't want to clog up your book thread with extending discussion, so won't (!), but as I said it's an interesting one. I can certainly see where you're coming from, and I suspect don't disagree with much of it - more a case of exploring slightly differing interpretations and perspectives.

It certainly could be YA, but I don't think is promoted as such (and I'm never quite certain what classifies something as YA anyway - it's either a good book or it isn't by the time you get to that age). In the review on my book blog thread I suggested that Jodi Taylor fans might enjoy this, although it's not quite as frenetic as her books (not necessarily a bad thing!).

I can think of plenty of ways to describe Wuthering Heights, but have to admit that 'bit of a slog' isn't one of them! I read it for the first time about 10 years ago, and absolutely loved it. Rereading it about 4 years ago, I wasn't quite as fond of it, but still rated it 5/6. I think I found it a just bit too dramatic second time around - maybe because I knew what was going to happen? - although the sense of place and time was palpable. I can understand not liking any of the characters though!

Three more books for May Origins by Lewis Dartnell **** Subtitled How The Earth Made Us, this is a look at the influence of the Earth's geology and geomorphology on human history. At just over 280 pages it can only be a fairly broad brush overview, and much of it is was pretty straightforward, but it was well written and there were some interesting insights - it was an easy, pleasurably educative, read. There is probably room for something that addresses the subject in rather more depth though, although given that so much of history in so many ways has been formed by aspects of the landscape, it might be difficult to keep this within sensible bounds. Perhaps Dartnell's broader approach was the best answer after all! Maigret Gets Angry by Georges Simenon ***** An above average Maigret mystery, one set during his retirement. As enjoyable, as character based and as atmospheric as ever. A Game of Ruff and Honours by Annie Green *** The first novel in an intended time-travel series, this one set in Jacobean London. A light-hearted, enjoyable romp that felt decently accurate historically (as far as such a novel can be!), I galloped through this in one short and one longer sitting inside 24 hours. Independently published by a first time author, initially for the Kindle but now in paperback, there were some minor problems with the proof reading for the Kindle edition (more than one 'X and I' should have been 'X and me', poll axed for pole-axed, inconsistent comma usage, etc) which did distract me once or twice, but that's partly my weakness! I am, however, looking forward to the next in the series. This would, I reckon, appeal to those who enjoy Jodi Taylor's books, although a bit more 'historical', and not quite as frenetic (personally, I preferred this, but then I'm likely to be biased, as I know the author).

Just galloped through debut author Annie Green's A Game of Ruff and Honours, a time-travelling adventure, set at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, and intended as the first in a series. Good fun and seems historically pretty accurate (as far as any time-travelling fantasy can be!), with the minor caveat that it could have done with tighter proofreading. 4 stars.

Finished Origins (interesting, 4-star, read), and picked up Maigret Gets Angry, my next in the Penguin Simenon sequence. Finished by the same evening! A better than average Maigret - 5 stars.

#13 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for North Carolina *** (so just on a quarter of the way through (only taken 3 years so far!). This is essentially a coming of age story about a 14-year old white girl, Lily, who, escaping from an unhappy one parent home, finds herself living amongst a small group of black women at the time of the 1960s civil rights campaigns. An eminently readable narrative, the author recounts Lily's efforts to find out more about her dead mother and the emotional ups and downs she undergoes. I enjoyed it sufficiently to want to read all the way to the end, but found it rather too sentimental and predictable to rate is as highly as most reviewers appear to. Aside from the race issues, and the initial setting on a peach farm, this didn't really deliver much in terms of sense of place for me, and I didn't feel I learned much of South Carolina that I didn't know before (which wasn't much!). Whilst I hesitate to compare novels in this challenge, The Keeper of the House was a book in much the same style as this, but far superior in pretty much every department.

Thank you Madeleine; glad it wasn't just me! Sometimes wonder if you're missing something when so many reviews rave.

Reading catchup: 3 books. Three books to catch up, all this month (May): The Butterfly Islands by Patrick Barkham **** The author attempts to find all 59 of the recognised native butterflies in the UK in one summer. A well told story, with some interesting material about the butterflies themselves. At times, almost inevitably, it threatened to become a bit repetitious, but Barkham is a good enough writer that it never became so. I'm definitely going to be taking a much closer look at butterflies from now on! How To Read A Novel by John Sutherland ** Disappointingly, this was almost nothing to do with the title subject at all. An awful lot about the mechanics and parts of books (a whole chapter on the 'blurb' for instance), whilst the advice on actually reading pretty muched boiled down to ignore everybody else and do your own thing. Bluntly, I found this rather boring, and started to skim read well before the end. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd *** Masses of rave reviews for this story, set in 1960s South Carolina, of a 14-year old white girl running away from an unhappy single parent home to try and lear more about her dead mother. She lands up in a household of three bee-keeping black sisters where this develops into something of a coming-of-age story. Thoroughly readable, I can see why it was so popular, but I found it rather too sentimental and lacking in nuance. This was the 13th book in my Tour of the USA, the book for South Carolina. Books acquired for reading this month (mostly charity shop) A Game of Ruff and Honours by Annie Green Oak and Ash and Thorn by Peter Fiennes My Garden and Other Animals by Mike Dilger Water Ways by Jasper Winn A Death in the Dales by Frances Brody The Martian Girl by Andrew Martin Gods of the Morning by John Lister-Kaye A Sting in the Tale by David Goulson

That's why Richard Dawkins entitled his book 'The Selfish Gene' - life (as a general term) is all about transmission of genes. Absolutely agree there can be meaning in life for people in other ways as well - but surely that's not an argument against having children, rather an alternative? . Not quite what I said, although do agree that adopting or fostering can certainly be a thoroughly worthy (and meaningful) thing to do. It's an interestingly provocative idea (in the best sense) - certainly had me thinking!

Just finished Patrick Barkham's The Butterfly Islands, the story of his attempt to see all 59 of the UK's species of butterflies. Excellent read, 5 stars. Started Origins by Lewis Dartnell, about how the earth's geography and geology has influenced history.

Intrigued. If we don't have children, what happens to the species? (Which admittedly might be a good thing from the planet's point of view!).

I did Middlemarch for A-level, and, like Emma, really didn't like it by the time I finished my first year. I then decided to read all my texts as books over the summer holidays, and found that I generally really liked, in some case loved, them - I suppose the study to date had provided me with some insight, which I could now appreciate as I put the books all back together again. I loved Emma so much that I went and read all the rest of Austen's main novels (bar Mansfield Park) before the end of the holidays. Both books are amongst my favourite half dozen or so novels of all time. I reread Middlemarch a year or so ago, and it was, if anything, even better than I remember it. The same, admittedly, can't be said for some of the more modern books I studied (Gatsby just about manages 'OK' in my ratings for instance!).

Agree about S&S, which is my favourite, but my other six-star read of hers is Emma (which I did for A-level, and introduced me to Austen). The latter is a lot sharper in flavour than either of the other two though, and may therefore be more of an acquired taste (people usually rate P&P highest). Romantic they are not! The only book that I have a few doubts about is Northanger Abbey, but like/love them all. Lady Susan is IMO her funniest, and is only 80 pages or so long (turned into a film - excellent - that for some reason was called Love and Friendship, which was the name of one of Austen's other stories, although it's usually misspelled Freindship, as that it was Austen did). As you may gather, I'm a fan!

I've been meaning to read Les Miserables for some time. Even my son has raved about it. Must, must, must get round to doing so! Thanks for the reminder! Madame Bovary....hmmm..... When I read it, back in 2012, I was one of only a few here who'd enjoyed it, although I think 'enjoyed' was probably the wrong word. At the time, I wrote (slightly abridged): I found Madame Bovary fascinating, but I can see why others might not. I suspect a prime reason is that there are no really likeable characters, least of all Emma Bovary herself - there are plenty of villains in this piece, especially those prepared to take advantage of Emma's weaknesses. Not surprising, really, as I don't think Flaubert had much time for the bourgeoisie. I struggled to even believe in her character some of the time - could anybody be quite so self-centred and uncaring of those around her, quite so self-deluding, with such an excess of romanticism? But I think that's the point: Flaubert is contrasting her excessive romanticism with the mundanity of provincial life, emphasised by his detailed descriptions, most of which focus on the very ordinary (jam making for instance!). Having said that, I've got a real penchant for well developed settings, and Flaubert certainly works on those, so straightaway I'm probably on-side! This is a book that grew on me, resulting in my being absolutely gripped on a train journey finishing the last quarter or so. Not quite a full six star read - some of the writing is just a bit OTT and there's still that element of Emma not being quite believable enough at times - but a book that made me think long and hard, and one that will certainly live with me for some time. (And as for Ove? Hated that - one star! Can't agree on everything I suppose!)

Well, I think it is. Rated it 6 stars, one of only 120-odd books I've given that rating to. I only did a mini-review of it, as I was a fair way behind on my reviews at the time (summer 2016), so perhaps rather limited in its usefulness. Here it is anyway: Set in nineteenth century England, recently widowed of a domineering perhaps abusive husband, Cora Seaborne moves out of London into coastal Essex to follow her interest in natural history, in particular to investigate a rumoured sea serpent, the stories of which are threatening to terrorise the local neighbourhood. This sounds like the basis of a Victorian mystery, but whilst the plot, and other sub-plots, bubble along, the real centres of focus are the characters and their relationships, particularly that between Cora and the Ransome family, Will Ransome being the local vicar. I absolutely adored this book, wrapped up in it from the opening page. I loved the language (regarded as rather too florid by some, but to my mind simply wonderfully coloured and evocative), I loved the characterisation, and I loved the setting, all crowned by a series of plot lines that gently intrigued me. As close to a perfect read as I'm ever going to get from modern fiction - with the most fabulous dust cover to boot! With a review like Hayley's , and a my experience of Essex Serpent, Melmoth has definitely moved on to my TBR list!

Yes, and that is, as I suggested, probably why I landed up giving it 3, not 2, and why I'll probably land up reading the others. They're a very quick, easy read, so it's not as if they need much investment. I've just bought Frances Brody's A Death in the Dales, for the princely sum of £2.50 (new) for similar reasons. It'll be interesting to compare.

The Body in the Dales by JR Ellis ** Murder mystery set, surprisingly enough, in the Yorkshire Dales. A body is discovered during a caving expedition, and the question is as much about how it got there as who did it. I wanted to like this, and to some extent did, as I had some fun in tracing the geography, given its local proximity (quite a few of the madeup names are fairly obviously based on real names, and thus real places). The plot itself had some promise, but....well it was obvious that there was a but coming up....but the writing left a lot to be desired. I think the best word I can find to describe it is clunky. It just never flows, with dialogue in particular very stilted. The author all too often fell into the 'telling not showing' trap, leaving characters sadly undeveloped (but overworked - even to the extent of describing a character's clothes twice in three pages), and characterisation predictable to the point of corniness; the 'Yorkshireness' in particular was laid on with a trowel. It didn't help that the solution was fairly obvious from fairly early on, whilst I had worked out the culprit by half-way (and if I can do it, it can't be difficult!). And yet, the book isn't unlikeable. I suppose it's just amateurish. I'll probably read the other two, just to see how the author uses the area (and because we already have them from a Kindle sale). So, to that extent, I've just managed to scrape a three star award although, to be honest, it probably should have been a two. PS - it's once you have read a book like that, that you begin to appreciate quite what a good writer someone like Tracy Chevalier is, even when, by her own high standards, she is a bit disappointing. PPS - decided later that this really is only 2 stars - otherwise compares unfairly with other books.