Brian's Book Log 2014

[bobblybear]

Nice purchases! I read The Grapes of Wrath last year (or maybe it was this year!) and really enjoyed it.

 

Glad you liked The Sisters Brothers. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, being a western, so I was pleasantly surprised.

[Kylie]

Great reviews of Homage to Catalonia and The Sisters Brothers. I really should move the latter up my TBR pile. I read the first few pages when I first bought and enjoyed what I read, so I have high hopes for it.

[Brian.]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain



Synopsis
From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is redolent of life in the Mississippi River towns in which Twain spent his own youth. A somber undercurrent flows through the high humor and unabashed nostalgia of the novel, however, for beneath the innocence of childhood lie the inequities of adult reality—base emotions and superstitions, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery. In his introduction, noted Twain scholar John Seelye considers Twain’s impact on American letters and discusses the balance between humorous escapades and serious concern that is found in much of Twain’s writing.
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

I've had this on my TBR for a while and bought is simply because it's a book that almost everyone has heard of even if they are not readers. As is usually the case for me, I hadn't planned on it being my next book but once I had finished my previous book it jumped off the bookcase to me. I wasn't sure what to expect as this is the first Twain I've read but I didn't expect it to be a hard read as I was aware that it is typically associated with younger readers.

 

I really enjoyed this book and I wouldn't say that it is suited to only younger readers. There was enough of interest to keep me occupied and the humour is spot on. It's a bit like some of the episodes of The Simpsons where certain jokes will make everyone laugh and certain things will only be picked up by adults. The characters of both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were great and I am very glad that I have the Huck Finn book on my TBR as well for later. Some of the old world language was a little tricky to grasp, especially certain American colloquialisms but if anything, they only added to the charm of the book.

 

I'm very happy that I chose this to read and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it before.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

 

[Athena]

Great review ! I'm glad you enjoyed this book. I have it on my TBR, in an omnibus with Huckleberry Finn, I'll get around to it at some point. The old world language you mention though does make me worry a little bit, as English isn't my first language and I find older English sometimes difficult to follow. But as you say, it is a children's book so maybe it won't be too bad .

[willoyd]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

 

I am very glad that I have the Huck Finn book on my TBR as well for later. Some of the old world language was a little tricky to grasp, especially certain American colloquialisms but if anything, they only added to the charm of the book.

Personally, I reckon Huck Finn is the better of the two books, so hope you enjoy it too.

 

 

The old world language you mention though does make me worry a little bit, as English isn't my first language and I find older English sometimes difficult to follow. But as you say, it is a children's book so maybe it won't be too bad .

In his introduction to Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain talks about the story being partly for boys and girls, but by 1905 he was very clear that neither Tom Sawyer nor Huck Finn were children's books, and were aimed exclusively at adults. Of the two, TS is more child friendly. Personally, I would not classify either as 'children's books', particularly given the language used, as the context needs to be fully understood.

BTW, it's not so much older English, as an attempt to reflect the language and speech pattern of the southern states. I found HF took some getting used to, but found myself soon enjoying the rhythms and overall experience.

[Athena]

In his introduction to Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain talks about the story being partly for boys and girls, but by 1905 he was very clear that neither Tom Sawyer nor Huck Finn were children's books, and were aimed exclusively at adults. Of the two, TS is more child friendly. Personally, I would not classify either as 'children's books', particularly given the language used, as the context needs to be fully understood.

BTW, it's not so much older English, as an attempt to reflect the language and speech pattern of the southern states. I found HF took some getting used to, but found myself soon enjoying the rhythms and overall experience.

Ah, thanks for telling me that! It'll be difficult for me as I don't really know how people from those areas would speak. I'm bad with reading accents and speech patterns and such , I prefer it when the text is just proper language (whether it's Dutch or English). Still, I might give the book a go at some point , but I won't be in a rush to do so.

[Brian.]

Personally, I reckon Huck Finn is the better of the two books, so hope you enjoy it too.

 

 

 

In his introduction to Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain talks about the story being partly for boys and girls, but by 1905 he was very clear that neither Tom Sawyer nor Huck Finn were children's books, and were aimed exclusively at adults. Of the two, TS is more child friendly. Personally, I would not classify either as 'children's books', particularly given the language used, as the context needs to be fully understood.

BTW, it's not so much older English, as an attempt to reflect the language and speech pattern of the southern states. I found HF took some getting used to, but found myself soon enjoying the rhythms and overall experience.

 

I noticed that Huck Finn is in the '1001 books' list and Tom Sawyer isn't so it stands to reason that Huck Finn is the better book. I think you sum up the language and tone of the book perfectly as it's not so much old language but appropriate to the time and place. Another thing I forgot to mention in my review is that a common derogatory term for black men is used at times, but as with all books I find this doesn't bother me as long as it is reflective of the time and in this case it is. If anything Twain is quite forward thinking with the way Tom Sawyer talks about people who the adults tended to look down on at the time.

[willoyd]

Ah, thanks for telling me that! It'll be difficult for me as I don't really know how people from those areas would speak. I'm bad with reading accents and speech patterns and such , I prefer it when the text is just proper language (whether it's Dutch or English). Still, I might give the book a go at some point , but I won't be in a rush to do so.

No need to blush! I have lived in Yorkshire for almost 40 years now, and still struggle with writers' efforts to write things in Yorkshire accents/dialect (including Wuthering Heights!). And as for trying to understand the Austrians or Swiss when they speak German........!

[Brian.]

I had started to read We by Yevgeny Zamyatin but after about 20% of the way through it I don't seem to be in the mood for it so I am going to put it aside and grab something else.

[Janet]

Orwell is one of my favourite authors so I'm glad you're enjoying him, Brian.      I would agree with Claire that Down and Out in Paris and London is a fantastic read.  My favourite fiction is A Clergyman's Daughter. 

[Kylie]

I had started to read We by Yevgeny Zamyatin but after about 20% of the way through it I don't seem to be in the mood for it so I am going to put it aside and grab something else.

 

I did the same. In the end, I think it took me about a year to read! It was good, but not quite what I was expecting.

[Brian.]

Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh



Synopsis
Lucidly and beautifully written, PEACE IS EVERY STEP contains commentaries and meditations, personal anecdotes and stories from Nhat Hanh's experiences as a peace activist, teacher, and community leader. It begins where the reader already is - in the kitchen, office driving a car, walking in a park - and shows how deep meditative presence is available now. Nhat Hanh provides exercises to increase our awareness of our own body and mind through conscious breathing, which can bring immediate joy and peace. Nhat Hanh also shows how to be aware of relationships with others and of the world around us, its beauty and also its pollution and injustices. The deceptively simple practices of PEACE IN EVERY STEP encourage the reader to work for peace in the world as he or she continues to work on sustaining inner peace by turning the 'mindness' into the mindful.
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

This has been kicking about on my shelves for a while and I'm fairly sure that I have read it once before. Nhat Hanh is one of those Buddhist writers that I seem to always come back to, just like Pema Chodron. I don't know why but I felt compelled to read this again.

 

Nhat Hanh has a way of writing that is very lyrical. I'm pretty sure that he writes in English but if I am mistaken then his translator need a huge amount of congratulations. There are some passages in this book which completely sucked me in and I found myself making notes on a few things as I went on. This is something that I almost never do and speaks volumes about the book. There are 3 main parts to the book, 'Breath, You Are Alive!', 'Transformation and Healing', and 'Peace Is Every Step'. All 3 deal with different aspects of mindfulness and there is very little Buddhism in the religious sense discussed. If you are after an introduction to Buddhism then this isn't the book for you but if you want to read about everyday mindfulness then this is great.

 

Here are parts of a passage that I found particularly captivating. I have trimmed a few bits out of it but you get the gist.

 

If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either..................

 

If we look into this sheet of paper even more deeply, we can see the sunshine in it. Without sunshine, the forest cannot grow. In fact, nothing can grow without sunshine. And so, we know that the sunshine is also in this sheet of paper. ...........

 

And if we continue to look, we can see the logger who cut the tree and brought it to the mill to be transformed into paper......

 

 

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

[Brian.]

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath



Synopsis
We follow Esther Greenwood's personal life from her summer job in New York with Ladies' Day magazine, back through her days at New England's largest school for women, and forward through her attempted suicide, her bad treatment at one asylum and her good treatment at another, to her final re-entry into the world like a used tyre: "patched, retreaded, and approved for the road" ... Esther Greenwood's account of her year in the bell jar is as clear and readable as it is witty and disturbing.
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

The Bell Jar was one of my more recent purchases after sitting in my wishlist for a few years. As is fairly normal for me, I knew nothing about the book beforehand and I also knew nothing about Sylvia Plath. Due to the fact that I had heard her name many times in literary circles I assumed wrongly that she had written several books and was fairly prolific in terms of fiction. There is no special reason why I chose to read this book now, it just seemed to call me from the bookcase.

 

For the first 30-40 pages I really started to wonder what all the fuss was about and I felt as though things were meandering along a bit aimlessly. I found the writing engaging enough but the subject of being caught up in the parties etc didn't excite me. I decided that I would stick with it as it's a short book and I felt that I must have been missing something. I consumed the rest of the book over the course of two evenings and it left me a bit of a mess late last night. No book has ever made m cry but two have succeeded in moving me on quite an emotional level, Alone in Berlin and now, The Bell Jar. I found Ester's fall into a mental breakdown hard to read in places due to the emotion of the writing. I could really feel her pain and loosening grip on things as the story went on. The section dealing with her approaching departure from the mental hospital was particularly  good.

 

Once I had finished the book I decided to read up a bit on Plath's life and this made the book even more poignant. I can see this being one of the few books that I read again in the future.

 

5/5 (It was amazing).

[Athena]

Great review , I'm glad you enjoyed the book. It seems to mainly have positive opinions, which is always a good sign.

[Anna Begins]

I'm glad you liked it, I've read it a few times and get something new each time.

[Brian.]

Declutter by B.J. Watler



Synopsis
How to Declutter your life, a simple 19 steps guide to get clutter free life and home

Get a clutter free home now

Are you tired of trying and badly wish to get clutter out of your way? This text summarizes some amazingly simple and easy ways to declutter your life. We all hold clutter at some part of our life and everyone has a different threshold of clutter holding. The thing that matters the most is your will to declutter. And the factor that matters the most is how you declutter? Clutter is a fairly common issue and five out of every ten people find hard to declutter. In this context, a thorough light has been thrown to help you knock off the clutter of your life. There are nineteen tried and tested ways that guide you to deal with almost every kind of clutter that affects your life and surroundings. Also the ways to identify the clutter has been revealed. You would find this text more like a fun ride and it surely will impart a white wash effect on your clutter.
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

I picked this book up a few weeks ago because it was available for free at the time after a promotion on Reddit. In 2015, one of the things I want to achieve is to minimize the stuff I have collected over the years. I have read some great online guides and blogs about the subject coming at it from many different angles and I had hoped that this short book (50 pages) would add to my knowledge on the subject.

 

As can be common with self published books the grammar leaves a lot to be desired. Parts of the book are fairly hard to follow and it feels as though it has been thrown together over the course of an afternoon. I have read a few books, both self published and traditionally published written by blog owners on their subject of choice. The writers who put in a lot of effort and clearly know their subject matter tend to produce very good books. In this case it feels as though the information has been hastily collected online and there is nothing new or fresh added to it. Had I paid for this book I would have been very annoyed at what, for me, would have been poor value. Another thing that I found particularly annoying is some of the claims without scientific basis at the start of the book. Just saying "clutter will mean you will have poor health" doesn't make it a fact but this writer seems to thing it does. In my opinion you cannot claim something in a non-fiction book without backing it up with at least some form of evidence.

 

Don't waste your time.

 

1/5 (I did not like it).

[Athena]

It's a shame it wasn't good, I'm glad you got it for free.

[Brian.]

Smarter Investing by Tim Hale



Synopsis
Simple yet effective advice for anyone who wants their money to work harder than they do.

Most investment books offer a bewildering array of complex strategies for how best to invest your money. But often the chances of success are remote and the rules are impossible to follow in practice.

"Smarter Investing" introduces you to a simple and powerful set of rules for successful investing, helping you to build an investment portfolio that suits your needs, stays the course when markets get rough and quietly gets on with the job of generating better results.

In this updated and revised edition, Tim Hale gives you all the advice you'll need and demonstrates that the key to successful investing is to do a few straightforward things exceptionally well. "Smarter Investing" will help you:

Establish what you want your money to do for you Work out how much money you need to achieve your goals Avoid the mistakes that generations of investors have made Build a balanced portfolio that's right for you, using a simple set of understandable and accessible building blocks Select robust and transparent investment products easily and effectively
(taken from Goodreads)


My Thoughts

With financial stuff in the news these days, both national and international it can often feel bewildering trying to work out how to deal with your money. When it comes to domestic budgeting I feel pretty confident in my abilities but when it comes to savings and investment I am a newbie. There are two things that I find extremely frustrating when it comes to these things. The first is that many of the financial products available are very complex and require a new language just to navigate them. The second is that savings interest rates in the UK are shamefully low, this is further eroded by tax and inflation. This means that savings lose value in real terms over time and I feel lost when it comes to taking steps to combat this. I have traded shares in a few companies in the past but it has been dumb luck that has prevented me from making a loss. I had hoped that this book would clear up a lot of the financial confusion and it came highly recommended on financial sites I have read.

 

The book starts off with a great chapter on how investing and saving works, the products available and the risks involved in these products. Although I was familiar with some of these things there were many that were new to me and they were all very clearly explained. The risks are something that can be skipped by some writers but these are explained and it is also explains how you can do further research into these risks. One thing that I would have fallen for in the past is that almost all funds advertise their performance over the previous three years. When you are investing for a period of up to thirty or forty years this is far too small a time frame on which to base decisions.

 

The middle of the book covers what the writer feels is the best way to construct your portfolio. The main basis of this is to spread your risks across an international portfolio made up of a variety of products dependent on the risk you are willing to take on. Funds are particularly well covered in this book and the writer goes to great lengths to back up his theories with facts and figures. He also is keen to emphasize that active funds make one group of people rich, fund managers. He argues that a very small minority of people manage to beat the market and the odds of you finding the people that can do this are very small. Everything is backed up with facts and figures and research from very reputable sources.

 

The final section is the nuts and bolts of creating your portfolio. I have to admit that I scanned this section as I am not ready to do this yet. This part of the book requires a fair amount of work on the part of the reader but this is no bad thing. There is also a section to help you decide whether you need to enlist the help of a financial adviser and what to look out for if you do. I have read books in the past which say that you have to use an adviser but there are times when this might not be needed and indeed would be waste of money. Knowing exactly what an adviser can and cannot do for you is a welcome addition.

 

If you are interested in understanding more about investing, especially in the UK, I would recommend this book.

 

4/5 (I really liked it).

[Brian.]

It's a shame it wasn't good, I'm glad you got it for free.

 

It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be an approval process for amazon's self published books as it would probably weed stuff like this out.

[Brian.]

Picked my last book of 2014, The White Lioness by Henning Mankell. It's fairly long so I don't imagine I will finish it until we are into the next year.