Reading - March 2015

What The Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (2009)

Despite knowing about Malcolm Gladwell, this is the first book of his I've read. I can see why he is popular: the articles (all originally from The New Yorker magazine) manage to condense some complex subjects into very readable, entertaining and thought-provoking pieces. In style, he reminds me of Tom Wolfe. There's a couple of pieces about Enron and their problems - their "star" culture and dodgy financial engineering - that come a little close to home for comfort.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (~1599)

An old favourite and the only Shakespeare play I have ever read. Mainly because of the 1993 film, which we watched load and loads, 20 (gulp) years ago.

The Week (28 February 2015 / Issue 1011)

The Week (7 March 2015 / Issue 1012)

Guitarist (April 2015 / Issue 392)

One-Hit Wonder by Lisa Jewell (2001)

A lovely, warm novel, that I (re)read at almost one sitting. One of my favourites. Great characters and a good story. Why hasn't this been made into a film?

The Week (14 March 2015 / Issue 1013)

Adventures In The Screen Trade by William Goldman (1982)

An absolute classic and a must for anyone with a passing interest in film, or in fact anyone who has ever watched a film. One of the kind of books you find yourself quoting at people whenever the subject comes up. I've re-read it many times.

The Week (21 March 2015 / Issue 1014)

The Week (28 March 2015 / Issue 1015)

Behind The Scenes At The Baked Bean Museum by Hunter Davies (2010)

Hunter Davies is probably best known as the author of the only authorised Beatles biography (a title he is likely to retain forever now), but I first came across him in the pages of Punch magazine in the 70s. This book is sub-titled "My Search For Britain's Maddest Museums" but my guess is that was imposed by the publisher, since the only really eccentric museum is the one in the title. The rest seem perfectly understandable - unusual maybe, but no more than others. He only visits eighteen, out of what I am sure are many more, and at least three of those are proper, legit businesses (or owned by one), like the National Football Museum in Preston (now in Manchester), or the money museum in Edinburgh. So really it's just a wander through a miscellany of museums. Entertaining enough though.