Reading - November 2015

A Slip Of The Keyboard by Terry Pratchett (2014)

A collection of articles for various papers and magazines. There's a certain amount of repetition across them; maybe you could call them "themes" - such as the belittling of "fantasy" as a literary genre. Entertaining and interesting, in small, manageable chunks.

Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman (1966)

A period piece in some respects, and of its time, but interesting for the background in Judaism. The whole series is available in eBook form from the library, so that works for me and my shiny new Kobo Aura!

The Week (31 October 2015 / Issue 1046)

Sunday The Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman (1969)

Again, of its time but nevertheless interesting and engaging.

The Week (7 November 2015 / Issue 1047)

Guitarist (December 2015 / Issue 401)

The Week (14 November 2015 / Issue 1048)

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2008)

Highly readable pop-science, as expected from Gladwell. I'm not convinced the topics covered all hang together, quite, but there are very interesting viewpoints on a number of subjects. Read it in about 3 days.

Be My Enemy by Christopher Brookmyre (2004)

Parlabane on good form. Again.

The Week (21 November 2015 / Issue 1049)

How Music Works by David Byrne (2012)

A very mixed bag of a book by the Talking Heads front man. Some of it is interesting, some of it is indulgent, some is just a bit silly. Byrne's observation of how a venue affects the music made for it is new to me (although not original, I am sure); whereas his assessment of "How To Make A Scene" is basically just a rundown of what made the CBGB's scene, with little awareness of how a myriad of other factors could come together in a myriad of ways to achieve the same end. Which is odd, because he is one of the more widely travelled "pop" stars. I got a bit impatient towards the end, which was dragging somewhat.

Reading - October 2015

Boiling A Frog by Christopher Brookmyre (2000)

Brookmyre skewers politicians (again). Comfort reading.

The Week (26 September 2015 | Issue 1041)

The Week (3 October 2015 | Issue 1042)

The Firm by John Grisham (1991)

More easy reading. A great story.

The Week (10 October 2015 | Issue 1043)

Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre (1996)

Oddly, despite loving Brookmyre's books (well, not the dull police ones he's doing now), I haven't read his first one for a long time. Not sure why - it's easily up to the same standard as most of the others.

The Week (17 October 2015 | Issue 1044)

Guitarist (November 2015 | Issue 400)

The Week (17 October 2015 | Issue 1044)

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson (1990)

A minor classic, I would argue - so much more accessible than a legion of other books about the origin of English, yet equally informative. Ideally partnered with Made In America.

Rumpole a la Carte by John Mortimer (1995)

Jovial and jolly short stories. Great fun.

Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson
2011

I struggled with this book for two reasons. The first is that it's too long and too heavy. I could have done with half the length and a lot less detail - like Steve Wozniak's autobiography iWoz, which was a nice concise read.

Being so long and somewhat imposing, and having a pompous black and white headshot of Jobs on the cover, is there to tell you that this is An Important Book About An Important Person. Which is my second problem. The myth making. The whole thing is ridiculously uncritical of its subject.

If you've read the book, you might find this judgement slightly surprising. Isaacson writes frequently and at length about Jobs's bad behaviour - the tantrums, the cruelty, the selfishness, and much else. The trouble is that really, he approves of this behaviour. He thinks it's the price we pay for genius and for the series of products that transformed whole industries.

This kind of sloppy thinking annoys me intensely. I think everyone involved in writing and editing of this book should be made to stand in a classroom and write on the board, "Correlation does not imply causation." Steve Jobs behaved really badly at times. Steve Jobs transformed whole industries through his genius. One does not imply the other.

Anyway, "genius"? Give me a break. On the evidence of this book, Jobs was a deliberately and pathologically unpleasant man with a massively over-developed sense of his own worth, whose only talent, if it can be called thus, was for getting his own way. In this, he was perfectly suited to advancement in our imperfect corporate culture, and perfectly placed to take credit for the achievements of other people.

And "transformed whole industries"? I think you can certainly say that Jobs - along with others at Apple, whose credit Jobs appropriated in this respect as in others - was able to spot a trend early. But Apple did nothing first, and nothing that wouldn't have happened anyway. The industries were in the process of being transformed already, by bigger forces than one man or even one company could muster.

Steve Jobs was not a "perfectionist". He was not "blunt" or "driven" or "abrasive", or any other of the many pathetic euphemisms used to excuse inexcusable behaviour. He was a cunt. His legacy is not the Apple products; they don't make people's lives better really. His legacy is the continuing myth that in business, it's OK to behave like a petulant five year old.

The world would be better without arseholes like these, and the inescapable conclusion is that the world would have been a better place without Steve Jobs.

Reading - September 2015

Modern Manners by Philip Howard (2013)

Very disappointing. Billed on the cover as "The Essential Guide to Correct Behaviour and Etiquette", it is actually a loosely organised collection of letters from a regular column in The Times, which in book form is tediously repetitive and shallow. Go and read Debrett's; it's actually quite interesting.

The Week (5 September 2015 | Issue 1038)

Love Lives by Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees (2003)

The style here is very suggestive of Lisa Jewell and in my opinion that's a good thing. I was reminded of this novel by a visit to friends in Littlehampton; sitting on the beach there made me wonder what it is like growing up in a seaside "resort" that is actually just a town next to a beach, and this book captures some of the sense of life in a resort somehow. Plus it's two sweet romances in one, kind of.

The Week (12 September 2015 | Issue 1039)

Friday The Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman (1964)

First in a series of murder mysteries with a rabbi as a detective. Decent plot (although I have already forgotten who dunnit) and interesting asides about Judaism. I have a couple of books in this series inherited from C's grandma, but this was read on her Kobo, and the ebook borrowed from the library. 

The Week (19 September 2015 | Issue 1040)

Rumpole and the Age of Miracles by John Mortimer (1988)

I read on Wikipedia that, contrary to my assumption, the short stories are in fact adaptations of the TV series and not the other way round. Nevertheless they work as written stories and Rumpole is such a wonderful character. Great to dip into.

Guitarist (October 2015 | Issue 399)

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (2011)

Myth-making doorstop.

Reading - August 2015

The Week (1 August 2015 / Issue 1033)

The Running Man by Stephen King [writing as Richard Bachman] (1982)

I hadn't read this for a while and although I remember the basic plot, I was surprised by how detailed some of the background is. Utterly compelling, utterly believable - even if it is set (now) only ten years in the future.

The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman (2002)

Accurately identifies and articulates the oddities of the career politician. My theory that anyone who has succeeded in any sphere is not entirely normal (the level of single-mindedness required is beyond 90% of the population, I reckon) applies equally here, although one might argue with the definition of "success" in the case of most politicians. In any case, the book sets out the bizarre life of the British politician and you're left with a disconcerting sense that the job is increasingly only appealing to the kind of person you wouldn't trust to look after your cat, let alone your country. Extra marks for including the unintentionally hilarious review from William Hague: "It left me disappointed."

Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett (1993)

One of my favourite Discworld novels, mainly because it has a bit of a romantic element to it and I am a sucker for a happy romantic ending. Also I am constantly marvelling at Pratchett's lightness of touch as a narrator; he doesn't spell things out but implies them, so you feel clever for spotting them.

The Week (8 August 2015 / Issue 1034)

Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson (1995)

This is on my list of favourite books (non-fiction category) for a reason: it's such an enjoyable journey. Even though it's now twenty years old and some elements of the country he toured have changed, it's still very accurate about English people and their nature and fascinating about many places.

Rock Stars Stole My Life! by Mark Ellen (2014)

An easy holiday (re)read. What struck me this time is how acerbic he is about the takeover of EMAP (publisher of Q, Select etc) by corporate management consultancy bollocks. I don't blame him for getting out, but the ending of Word magazine does sound a bit sad.

The Week (15 August 2015 / Issue 1035)

The Week (22 August 2015 / Issue 1036)

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter (2012)

A fantastic central concept (if slightly obvious - parallel universes are not a new idea, of course) with loads of great ideas, that simply takes too long to get going. The whole book feels like it is scene-setting - something you'd expect of the first few chapters of the book, not all fifty-two - and it ends on a kind-of cliff-hanger, presumably for the next novel (which is conveniently advertised on the inside back cover).

The Week (29 August 2015 / Issue 1037)

I Think You'll Find It's A Bit More Complicated Than That by Ben Goldacre (2014)

Bite-size chunks of Goldacre magic, which can mostly be found on badscience.net but are still nice to have in book form. The book is split into multiple sections covering various topics, but a recurring theme is the inability of journalists to understand, check or communicate basic science - a failing that, as Goldacre points out, has serious, even fatal consequences; for example, the whole MMR farce, which was almost entirely media driven. (One such takedown provoked an unintentionally hilarious "rebuttal" from a science journalist, rightly summarised by Goldacre as "explaining why health journalists can't be expected to check facts." So much for trusting any other reporting then ...). What makes Goldacre so much fun, apart from the obvious joy of watching idiots get exposed, is that his writing is funny and flavoursome.

Reading - July 2015

Guitarist (August 2015 | Issue 396)

Prelude To Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1988)

I find it amusing that my copy of this book has the following quote on the front: "One of the most staggering achievements in modern SF" (from The Times). The quote's not dated but Asimov's Foundation series, staggering as it indeed is, is not modern SF and wasn't when this novel was released. This particular book is a little too long and has the trademark clunky-ness but Asimov fans quite like that, I think. A nice easy read.

The Week (4 July 2015 | Issue 1029)

iWoz by Steve Wozniak (with Gina Smith) (2006)

The world according to Woz.

The Week (13 July 2015 | Issue 1030)

This week's Week came with a free copy of the US Week of the week. I expected greater differences in reporting but as well as the format being almost identical, many of the stories were not just the same, but written pretty much the same way. Obviously there are differences in domestic reporting and it's interesting to reflect that if their political in-fighting seems trivial to me, from a distance, so does ours to anyone else.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

Even more enjoyable the second time round. Full of great ideas even if the kitsch 80s references start to get a little too cute.

Brian May's Red Special by Brian May (with Simon Bradley) (2014)

Another read of this fascinating book. I still can't quite believe all the thought that went into the one guitar Brian and his father made. So many good ideas that haven't made the mainstream of guitar making - I wonder why not?

The Week (18 July 2015 | Issue 1031)

Forward The Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1993)

Second in the Foundation series but the last to be written, this does a decent job of pulling together some of the pieces in earlier books, but is probably one for completists really. A good read though.

Guitarist (Summer 2015 | Issue 397)

The Week (25 July 2015 | Issue 1032)

Another Man's Life by Greg Williams (2007)

Kind of male chick-lit - the cover quote compares it to Nick Hornby which is close enough. The big concept is of two men - twins - one single, one married, who decide to swap lives for a fortnight - "with hilarious consqequences", as the cliche goes. Predictably, it turns out that both of them can learn from each other. Aaaah. An enjoyable read though.

iWoz

Steve Wozniak (with Gina Smith)
2006

The world according to Woz

So synonymous has Steve Jobs become with Apple that most people don't even realise that there were other people involved, let alone the fact that it was arguably this other Steve who was the real driving genius behind the Apple II and Apple's original success. Steve Wozniak is certainly not short in the ego department, but as he explains, as an engineer, all he wanted was to be able to do engineering. So he never took the limelight in the same way as Steve Jobs.

In fact, Jobs doesn't get much space in this book. Wozniak spends much more time on what he obviously considers the important subject - the engineering - and appears unconcerned with, or even downright scathing of, the sales and marketing which must have been an equally important part of Apple's success. (In his few appearances, Jobs comes across as a bit of an arse.)

One thing that Wozniak does have in common with Jobs - and indeed with just about every successful person - is that he gives too much credit to his own genius, effort, application and insight - and too little to luck. If Wozniak hadn't designed the Apple II then someone else would have designed something similar or something that would have taken its place. It was clear (with hindsight) where the industry was heading and Apple was far from being the only company working in the area. History is written by the winners and the winners are often just fortunate. No-one's going to deny Wozniak is a legend, but there are plenty of unsung geniuses who just weren't in the right place at the right time.

The book is an interesting read, even for someone like me, who has no real interest in Apple as a company. It is fairly clear that it was only "written" in the loosest sense by Wozniak; he probably spent hours talking to Gina Smith who then transcribed it. The tone is surprisingly childish in some respects; maybe "conversational" would be another way to describe it - it's not particularly stylish.

Reading - June 2015

The Code Book by Simon Singh (2000)

An interesting, accessible, well-written introduction to cryptography and related subjects. Its only drawback (at least in the edition I have) is that it is now out-of-date; it discusses the theoretical possibility of quantum cryptography, which now appears (incredibly) to be a reality.

Guitarist (July 2015 / Issue 395)

The Week (6 June 2015 / Issue 1025)

The Year Of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2007)

This charts the author's attempt to fulfill all the commands in the Old and New Testaments for a year - not just the obvious ten, but all the minor, obscure, ignored or just plain daft. In doing so, Jacobs isn't attempting to grind any particular axe. It would be easy to conduct this exercise as a way of showing up the ridiculousness of religious fundamentalists or literalists, but he never does, and indeed genuinely tries to understand those who do follow those paths. However, at the end, he reaches the only reasonable conclusion; anyone religious practices a form of "cafeteria religion", and to criticise someone else's choice is pointless.

The Week (13 June 2015 / Issue 1026)

Self Made Man by Norah Vincent (2006)

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely (2009)

All the various experiments Ariely and various colleagues have done to show that however logical we like to think we are, it doesn't take much to show we aren't. His main point is to try and inject some sense into market economics which (he says) is all based on the assumption that everyone acts rationally, and is summarised best in one paragraph (which I will have to paraphrase because I can't find it): we don't design roads with the assumption that everyone is always a perfect driver, so why design an economic system assuming that everyone is a perfect economist? Entertaining and thought-provoking.

The End Of Eternity by Isaac Asimov (1955)

Taken of the bookshelf for B to read, but ended up re-reading it myself. Great stuff, but inevitably dated in many respects; it's fascinating how rooted in their own time science fiction stories are, but that said it a lot easier to spot with sixty years perspective!

Jeeves And The Feudal Spirit by P.G. Wodehouse (1954)

Fantastically comic writing, of course, but even at the time this was written this must have been an anachronism. Maybe we should call it "out of time". A lovely little story to amuse.

The Week (20 June 2015 / Issue 1027)

The Week (27 June 2015 / Issue 1028)

Self Made Man

Norah Vincent
2006

I first read this about five years along with another book - it served as an unintentional yin to the extreme yang of The Game by Neil Strauss, the notorious chronicle-slash-manual of the "art" of pick-up artists. I've often thought about it since, so I thought re-reading was worthwhile.

The book is like the equivalent of Watching The English but for (American) men - an inside view from an outsider. Norah Vincent spent a year disguised as "Ned", in largely exclusively male environments (including bowling leagues, strip clubs and a monastery) and also in mixed environments (for example, dating) as a man. She discusses and make contrasts between the way men behave amongst themselves and received women's wisdom about how and why men act; and between women's assumptions about men's motives and what she discovers to be their real motives.

Since Norah Vincent is a journalist, this is an account of her journey and resultant opinions rather than anything scientific (is the latter even possible in this context?), but nevertheless she reaches the only reasonable conclusion: whatever generalisations, simplifications and stereotypes women and men hold about each other are both right and wrong. Or, to put it another way, it's not that simple. Yes, the stereotypes exist for a reason. No, that's not the whole story. Duh.

The book struggles a bit with length, since the material doesn't quite stretch, but it would be too much for a Sunday supplement article. Still very interesting. Now if only someone would do it the other way round!

Reading - May 2015

Guitarist (June 2015 / Issue 394)

The Week (2 May 2015 / Issue 1020)

Confessions Of A Record Producer by Moses Avalon (1998)

As a student of the pop music industry, I have read quite widely around the subject - not just pop bios but also the business side of things. Nevertheless this managed to surprise me in a number of respects - mostly the one-sidedness of contracts even forty years on from the most notably exploitative ones. Interesting, revealing and essential reading for anyone assuming that whoever you see on your television is automatically rich, let alone anyone thinking they might enter the business. The fact that this edition is quite old (nearly 20 years!), and as a result notably wrong about the impending digital revolution, doesn't lessen its impact.

The Week (9 May 2015 / Issue 1021)

The Week (16 May 2015 / Issue 1022)

Twentieth anniversary issue! A fact denoted by a small flag on the front cover, a brief mention on the editorial and nothing else (the thousandth issue was even less celebrated).

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (2006)

The Week (23 May 2015 / Issue 1023)

Slash by Slash with Anthony Bozza (2007)

I couldn't name more than about two Guns 'n' Roses songs and fewer of any post GNR bands Slash has been in, but I was intrigued enough by his story to keep going through what is a fairly lengthy book. There is no way this guy should be alive! Although he says it's the music that has kept him together, there's not really much about how he arrives at it - maybe he or the publishers think that the general public won't be interested. Still, it's made me keen to go and listen to his albums ... I just have to see how long I can bear Axl Rose's voice (who btw comes across as a prize tit in this book).

The Week (30 May 2015 / Issue 1024)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
2006

I didn't know exactly what age this book is aimed at, but it's published in the UK by Electric Monkey, an Egmont imprint that specialises in teen/YA (presumably "young adult") fiction. Since Norah is eighteen in the book, and Nick a touch older, I would guess that the intended readership is therefore roughly fifteen-plus. Is the "plus" bit of that supposed to extend all the way to 46? No matter - I'm a sucker for a nice bit of romantic fiction and I enjoyed the film so I thought, let's try the original book, even if it is for kids.

Well. Um. Teen fiction sure has changed since I was that age. I can't remember exactly what I was reading when I was fifteen, but I'm pretty sure that none of the characters swore (at all), had abusive ex-boyfriends or (almost) gave blow-jobs in public places. In fact, the whole thing is much more like one of the racier Harlequin novels (maybe something from the Desire series) than what I had expected - although for Harlequin they would have to reduce the teen angst.

Oh - and seriously tone down the language. This book has probably the single highest FpP ("fuck" per page) count of any I have read recently - and when you consider that I am also currently reading Slash's autobiography, that's really saying something. I know that's how kids talk, and it doesn't offend me, but generally you don't write dialogue exactly how people talk because it doesn't come across right ("Like, um, so, he said, I dunno, something, right, and I was so, like, um ...") - unless you're going for a specific effect. Here, it just speaks of an insufficient vocabulary. Maybe that's right for the characters when speaking (although they are both supposed to be intelligent) but for their internal dialogue, it just seems lazy.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. It successfully captures a very teen experience; the heady, hormonal rush of meeting someone amazing and becoming so involved with them in just a few hours that you feel you know them inside out. I like the "he said/she said" format of alternate chapters from each character's viewpoint, although the motivations are still a little hazy sometimes. But it's a good read, the right length and the right ending.

Would I let my teenage children read it? Well, I actually did already know that teen fiction is a lot different from what I read. My 13 year-old has read the Hunger Games trilogy and although I haven't, I believe it's fairly grim. He wouldn't be interested in this because it's not action/thriller stuff. But my daughter? Well, it contains references to things I would like to think she doesn't need to know about until she's at least fifteen ... but maybe I'm kidding myself. I don't know.

Reading - April 2015

The Illustrated Eric by Terry Pratchett and Josh Kirby(1990)

The usual - very funny in places, some satire, particularly of religion in this case. Rincewind isn't one of my favourite characters but this is at the usual standard.

The Week (4 April 2015 / Issue 1016)

The Week (11 April 2015 / Issue 1017)

Bedlam by Christopher Brookmyre (2013)

Just as enjoyable the second time round. Shades of The Matrix aside, there's some good ideas in here and an interesting side-line in the ethics surrounding what he calls "digital consciousness". And any Christopher Brookmyre is all right with me.

Which Lie Did I Tell? by William Goldman (2000)

Another read of the sequel to the wonderful Adventures In The Screen Trade (although bear in mind that Goldman himself says that, in the movies, sequels are whore's films - because they are always about the money). More about the craft of screen writing this time. Entertaining but could have been a little shorter.

Wood & Steel (Winter 2014 / Volume 81)

The most comprehensive advert I have ever seen. Taylor Guitars' in-house magazine - interesting but only designed to make you want to buy more guitars (and in this it has succeeded. I would love another Taylor.)

The Week (18 April 2015 / Issue 1018)

Le Freak by Nile Rodgers (2011)

I'm not normally a fan of biographies. However this was recommended and in this case the story is so unusual that it is quite an amazing read. And if Nile appears to be a little full of himself at times ... well, he's probably got good reason to be.

The Week (25 April 2015 / Issue 1019)

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.

Reading - February 2015

Guitarist (March 2015 / Issue 391)

Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield (2009)

Cute but nowhere near as funny as the YouTube cartoons. K is enjoying it.

The Week (7 February 2015 / Issue 1008)

The Week (14 February 2015 / Issue 1009)

Quirkology by Richard Wiseman (2007)

A compendium of studies into the way people think and act. Mostly fairly trivial things (the kind that make you think, "people get paid for researching this?"), but some that have serious consequences, like what unconsciously affects who people vote for (clue: nothing to do with policies). Very anecdotal but well footnoted, but a few too many occurrences of phrases like "although later studies have called this into question" - which makes me think that perhaps the initial study, however interesting, shouldn't be quoted.

The Second Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd & John Mitchinson (2010)

More amazing facts etc. Mostly very interesting (and with an occasional overlap with Quirkology, above), but sometimes a little too little varied in tone - "here's another thing everyone is wrong about". More for dipping into than anything else.

Simon's Cat in Kitten Chaos by Simon Tofield (2011)

Actually rather wearing after a while. Didn't finish it, despite the fact that doing so would only have taken about 10 minutes.

The Big Issue (16-22 February 2015 / Issue 1141)

The Week (21 February 2015 / Issue 1010)

How To Bake by Paul Hollywood (2012)

A good introduction to a number of types of baking, including bread. Feels a bit like a short book about bread that got expanded with other baking so that they could charge more for it, but decent amounts of info on bread-making techniques and equipment, and including some approaches and recipes I haven't come across before. Good illustrations. Suffers from a common issue with recipe books, which is that it is nicely bound but won't stay open at the page you want while you try actually make the recipe!

Lunarbaboon Vol 1 by Chris Grady (2014)

Lunarbaboon is my favourite web comic and so last year I put some cash down for my first Kickstarter project to get a copy of the first book. It contains comics from the first year, so I've mostly read them, but I think they're good enough to preserve. The book is now more generally available - buy a copy!

Reading - January 2015

The Week (3 January 2015 / Issue 1003)

The Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd & the QI Elves (2006)

aka "The Stephen Fry Lectures", or the scripts of facts he reads out after the "contestants" on QI have finished making jokes. Its possible origin as prompt cards on the TV programme may account for the slightly irritating written style, using a sentence per paragraph in the manner of a Daily Wail article. Still, choc-full of interesting tidbits to be quoted at people (although no citations for verification).

Guitarist (February 2015 / Issue 390)

The Week (10 January 2015 / Issue 1004)

One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson (2013)

Endlessly entertaining but also just a bit endless. Bryson seems to be finally suffering from an ailment common to other very successful authors (notably J.K. Rowling); an over-indulgent editor. A lesser-known author would be more robustly curtailed, one feels. Bryson's trademark asides and fascinating details are all here, but perhaps a little more than necessary. Still, a very interesting book about a time in history that feels close, yet so far away.

The Auto-Biography by Mark Wallington (2013)

A very amusing "life in cars", in which the author recalls the various cars of his life and how they have been interwoven into his own life story, from his parents' first car to his own current car. This is not an enthusiast's nerdy, dull recital but an average man's story. Good fun.

The Week (17 January 2015 / Issue 1005)

The Week (24 January 2015 / Issue 1006)

Inside Out: A Personal History Of Pink Floyd by Nick Mason (2011)

Originally published in 2004 but reissued and updated with additional material about what looks likely to be the definitively last proper Floyd reunion, the 2005 Live 8 concert (although you never know I guess). Gently amusing and gently interesting, but didn't really capture me much. Whether this is because I've never been a massive Floyd fan, or because (auto) biographies don't really interest me, or because of the sense of detached irony that Mason brings to his commentary, I don't know. Took me a long time to finish.

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan (2014)

A sweet, warm book about a woman who escapes to an outpost of south England and ends up opening a bakery. A nice mix of a little drama and a little love; possibly could have done with being a touch shorter (we all know how it's going to end, stop spinning it out!) but very pleasant nonetheless.

The Week (31 January 2015 / Issue 1007)