Angury

Yes, I definitely felt the same. I can't really grasp what has made it such a hit in the UK. Then again, I often stare at the bestsellers list in my local book shop with a baffled look. I have just added a new book to my growing TBR list: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MDLHUC5/ref=docs-os-doi_0 Blue: A Memoir - Keeping the Peace and Falling to Pieces. by John Sutherland. Sutherland was a police officer for the Met in the UK before suffering from depression in 2013. The book offers an insight into the life of a policeman (and woman) in modern day Britain and the types of events they witness everyday. While some people may think of the police as just arresting people and being involved in car chases, a lot of their work is to do with the vulnerable - being called to suicide calls in a public place (the police have the power to section people here in Britain), breaking news of a death to family members and checking up on vulnerable people in their homes such as the elderly who haven't been seen by their neighbours. It sounds like an incredibly emotional and intense experience. I hope to get a chance to read it soon.

What did everyone think of last nights episode? I thought it was the best so far. I liked the ending, but the entire episode was good - great mix of humour and plot. I always liked Capaldi as the doctor, but he's really grown on me this season.

I think that's a perfect way of describing Steinbeck's work. After reading The Grapes of Wrath, I had to sit down and take a breath. The emotions I felt throughout that story were so intense, yet his writing is so simple and the plot is by no means complex. I read The Grapes of Wrath years ago, but it is one of the few books that has stayed with me.

I really want a barcode tattoo on my forearm: Preferably an ISBN of one my favourite books. Unfortunately my job frowns upon tattoos, and I have to have my sleeves rolled up when working so it would be quite obvious. Oh well, I can dream.. or get it when I retire.

I just finished The Essex Serpent yesterday. It is a well-written novel, no doubt about that. The characters are interesting to follow, and their relationships with one another keep the plot going. But it was nothing amazing. It just felt like a book I would read on my holidays - nothing really stood out for me. Which is slightly confusing as there is so much hype about this book, especially here in the UK. Every single Waterstones store I've walked past has been promoting this novel heavily, and reviewers seem to be drooling over its contents. I feel like I'm missing something here. On another note, I have just bought and started Middlemarch by George Eliot. Admittedly it is a book I have avoided, as I assumed it would be one of those Jane Austen-type books (I'm not a big fan of Austen, sorry!) but I was listening to an interview with the author Zadie Smith, and she had so many compliments for the author that I decided to give it a go. I am enjoying it so far. I really like the writing style of these books, for some reason the first-person narrative has never appealed to me, which is why I avoid a lot of modern novels.

What did you guys think of the book? Out of interest, what is it about the novel that made you love it? I ask because I just finished the novel yesterday and thought it was 'just ok.' The writing is good, the plot was ok, the characters were more-than-ok I guess.. but it was nothing amazing. Just a bit confused about all the hype.

Has anyone seen this film yet/planning to see it? I went to see it yesterday, and was surprised to see the theatre was packed. I did enjoy the film. I was expecting it to be dramatised to a certain extent, but I felt it kept up with the craziness of Laing's experiment with a touch of humour, without going completely overboard. I'm also glad it showed just how radical Laing's way of thinking was at the time, and indeed how dangerous it could be. The only thing I didn't like, and I really, really didn't like it was Oh and finally, David Tennant was fantastic as Laing. If anything, go see the movie for him.

Hey Vodkafan - yes, I got back two weeks ago. Overall my holiday was really good - I travelled around North India and got to see such a variety of culture. It was a lovely break, and it still feels a bit odd being back on placement. I've been speaking to a couple of friends who did their placement in Asian countries, and a lot of them seem to have had similar experiences in terms of rude staff, feeling threatened/bullied etc. It made me feel a lot better knowing I wasn't alone and it wasn't my fault. Plus, my travels afterwards made up for the below-average placement. I have finally, finally finished reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I don't know where to begin. It is an odd novel, and one that takes time and effort to get through. It's also the type of story that you don't get straight away - there are bits and pieces that crumble through as you continue your way through the story. It is a story about many things, but the aspect of it that stuck with me most was its take on addictions. Having met a number of people with addiction problems, I have to say it is a completely different world, and one I just cannot imagine living in. I think Wallace really captured the bizarreness of the disease, but also the fragile human component behind such difficult behaviours. For anyone thinking about reading this book, I would say be prepared. It is a hefty book, not only in terms of length, but its multiple characters and plots that take a while to get your head around, plus the long sentences that fill reams and reams of pages without a fullstop. But yes, definitely a book to try if you have the determination. I am now reading The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. It's a book that I only added to my TBR last week after being recommended it by a close friend, and later seeing it in every single bookstore with numerous awards next to its title. I am about a third of the way through, and it has certainly grabbed my attention. I think I will easily finish it by next weekend.

Oh, I don't really follow the media, and guess I wasn't paying attention. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm interested to see how they make it work, but at the same time I don't want them to make the story arc incredibly complicated (like they did in Sherlock ..).

I have not heard of this!

I agree - it's why I loved the book so much. It makes you see beyond her (selfish) choices, and while it is difficult to try to like such a character, it did make me feel pity for her despite her choices being her own responsibility. I felt the same way when I read Anna Karenina. It's a way of thinking that I've recently tried to adopt more regularly - I've just noticed how easy it is to condemn other people for their life choices without stepping back and realising that everyone is human and therefore fallible.

What do you mean by being 'bad'? I am curious as I often hear people use the word 'evil' in relation to this character and I am never sure what they mean, because in my mind there is no such thing as someone being 'good' or 'bad'. Again, not sure what you mean by implausible - there are certainly people like Humbert out there.

I just came back from tea with a friend who told me she read a short extract of the book (When Breath Becomes Air) in a magazine and burst into tears. Sounds like one to read.

I've heard a lot about When Breath Becomes Air - especially how moving it is. It is on my TBR list. Have you read it? If you're interested in this kind of topic, the past winners and nominees would be a great way to dig deep into this area.

Have heard so much of this novel recently. Is it worth the hype?

The Wellcome Book Prize is an annual award given to works of fiction and non-fiction that cover the theme of medicine, healthcare or illness. This years winner is Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal: https://wellcomebookprize.org/ Her novel follows the journey of a heart as it is removed from the body of Simon Limbeau following a car accident, and transplanted into another persons body. I am always on the look out for books involving healthcare, and this novel sounds different. I have just bought it for my Kindle, and was wondering whether anyone else had heard about it/bought it/read it.

I am now back from India, and just finished reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It's a very well-known book, but its Goodreads page is filled with some very negative reviews. While I don't depend wholly on Goodreads, I do like to have a quick overview to see what other people think. However, having just finished this book, I can say that it is a fantastic book. I can see why some people may not like it - the writing is flamboyant (but beautiful) and the characters are 'up themselves' so to speak. Yet this is also why it is so good. It takes a while to like the characters, but they are so fascinating and so different, that just reading about their thoughts is enough to make up the whole story. I love how the story is interspersed with little thoughts on Philosophy and culture, but it also points to a bigger issue of class structure and how it is still very much present in our minds and the way we behave towards others. It is certainly not a book for everyone, but it is one that deserves a special mention. I am now going to go back to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace - I was about a third of the way through. I had to stop reading it when I was in India because it was a bit too heavy during travelling (in writing, not in size), but now I can get back into it. I also bought a two-part volume on Indian Philosophy while I was in India. It is written by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a famous Indian philosopher who brought Indian thought to the West and subsequently became the 2nd President of India. It offers an overview of Indian philosophy, something that I think is often ignored. I've just read the Introduction so far but I am hoping to intersperse my reading of it with Infinite Jest.

It's sad to see there's so much corruption in the country - I think it's one of the main reasons why the country is so underdeveloped despite the work ethic and determination that I saw in many of the people there. The placement was very insightful in terms of seeing a completely different healthcare system. I had assumed that there would be a significant difference in the types of mental health problems given the different culture (religious, collectivist etc) yet what I found was that the mental health problems were similar to those in the UK, but it was the doctors who were completely different in terms of their manner, the patient-doctor relationship and the use/abuse of medical ethics and human rights. Anyway, I just finished reading Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig - finished it in two days. It's one of the few books I've read that revolves around an emotion. While there is a clear plot and character development, the main foundation of the story is the emotion of pity and how it can cause havoc with our lives. There were so many moments throughout the novel which I could relate to - will definitely write a more thorough review about it later.

Has anyone heard of Stefan Zweig? I just finished reading his book The Royal Game and loved it so much that I'm about to start Beware of Pity. Can't believe I'd never heard of him until a month ago.

Do you find many differences in the British culture compared to your own? It's interesting how bizarre I find so much of the culture here in India, yet when I mention it to my family they just raise their eyebrows, because for them obviously it's all pretty normal.

I am interested in reading some of Pynchon's work, but I've always been put off because of how difficult I find his writing. Do you find his work difficult to read through? How do you get through it?

Just finished my five week Psychiatry placement in North India in the Himalayan mountains - amazing experience, incredibly eye opening. On my last day I asked the Head of Psychiatry to sign a form I needed to get completed, and he asked for £100 in return. He refused to sign the form until I had paid the money. I asked several of the junior doctors in the team to sign the form instead, and they had all been told by the Head not to sign any forms. Really illustrates the amount of subordination and corruption in India's hospitals, particularly in a profession that is supposed to be held to a certain ethical and moral standard.

Apologies for the lack of updates, I have been in India up in the Himalayan mountains undertaking a five week Psychiatry placement which has just ended. On my last day, I asked the Head of Psychiatry to sign me off, and he asked me for £100 in return.. describes the subordination and corruption in India pretty well I think. Anyway, I have just finished reading Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (fantastic book, I will write a more thorough review in a few days), and am half way through Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, a book about the wars in the Middle East, immigration, and the climate of our current political culture from the point of view of two individuals. A very relevant book I feel. I will be spending the next two weeks travelling around India, which means I will have a lot of time to read on the journeys, so I will make sure to keep this blog updated. Would love to hear how everyone else's reading has been going.

If only. Nine hour flight followed by an eight hour taxi ride. I don't mind the taxi ride as much as I get to stare out the window and observe a whole different culture. I just hate, and have always hated, long-haul flights. Oh well, it'll be over 'soon' ..