tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77496345759747448442024-02-20T05:20:29.629-08:00BacklightA collaborative book review blog for busy peopleBacklighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11549536361775959179noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-91861007833801598282013-09-12T10:46:00.002-07:002013-09-12T10:46:47.481-07:00The Mayan Codex by Mario ReadingSometimes there are bad books that you read as a guilty read and that's alright. Then there are books that you read that are just plain awful and you feel like you've wasted your time - this is one of them.<br />
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This is a continuation of a first book called The Nostradamus Prophecies but is supposed to be able to be read as an individual book. Herein lies the first of MANY problems with this book, the first book story is repeated continually to every new character introduced - thus reminding us regularly, roughly every 25 pages.<br />
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Then we get to the characters, ticking every box for Christianity references - there are 12 people who are part of a cult to kill the main character who knows where the Antichrist is going to be born because he discovered, learnt and then destroyed the missing prophecies written by Nostradamus. All these 12 people are freaks of nature exhibiting all sorts of physical deformities with demonic names and they've been brought up to believe they are in the right.<br />
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The story starts in France, moves to America when the main character is introduced and then moves to central America where we then start to tick all the boxes in stereotype Mayan legends - pyramids etc. The story even stumbles into telepathy which feels hopelessly and pointlessly added on. The story ends with a jump back into Europe where the Antichrist is going to be born to a gypsy woman and then stops abruptly, for no apparant reason. The story is continued in the 3rd part of the trilogy and I felt totally robbed.<br />
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Now, it is a page turner, I accept that as a book it is not meant to tax the brain too much. However, the language was so simple and consisted of lots of short words, there are lots of 'dangs' and 'darn it's' the only swearing is done by the French character and even then it's in French and the description were far too simple - in other words it just REALLY REALLY annoyed me.<br />
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The thought occured to me that this is written for a completely different audience than me, I quite honestly thought it was awful and have absolutely no intention of reading the first or third part. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625803402214393223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-52533035157842403062013-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:002013-09-12T10:00:14.858-07:00Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D JamesTo start this I am going to make a bit of a sacrilegious comment: I am not a real fan of Jane Austen. I mean i've read one or two of her books and didn't really enjoy them.<br />
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This book, a spin-off of Pride and Prejudice, begins with build-up to a ball, an arrival, a murder, a magistrate investigation and ends with a trial - I don't want to spoil anymore because it is all about the style but all I'll say is that I didn't get who the murderer was!<br />
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This is a very clever book written by a lady who is 93. It reads as a Jane Austen novel in language, style and description with a focus on the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth and the effect of the murder. I started this book expecting not to enjoy it but curious to read it and by the end I was mightily impressed with a murder mystery written in the 18th Century style.<br />
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Anyway, it's definitely worth a read and has made me consider re-reading an Austen novel - somthing I was not expectingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625803402214393223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-54309254241943371642013-09-12T09:27:00.001-07:002013-09-12T09:27:10.373-07:00The President's Hat by Antoine LaurainIf I am in the mood, a whimsical book is just what I want to read and by golly this was marvellously whimsical and charming. <br />
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The story is basically the effects of President Mitterand of France's hat on various sorts of people of various ages. But it raises interesting thoughts about whether the hat has magic powers or whether the hat gives people the encouragement to make the decision to change their lives for the better.<br />
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I'll admit the idea of some 'thing' being used as a mechanism to change a character's life is nothing new, but this book translated from it's native French was really engaging (even if it does sag slightly in the middle) and the slight twist at the end made this book just lovely and a thoroughly entertaining read.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625803402214393223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-77577754025842818172013-08-08T16:31:00.002-07:002013-08-08T16:48:19.478-07:00Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills 2: Mr Dispenser<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: Allerta; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Community pharmacy can be a pretty lonely career at times. It can be a horrendously stressful and pressured environment to work in. It can also be hysterically funny, and those times often make the rest of it worthwhile. In a workplace that is ultimately centred around illness, the pinpricks of hilarity become all the more important.</span><br />
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Its good, then, that someone decided to make a book of all those funny moments that happen in the average pharmacy day. Its even better when they decide to do so twice. Enter the second instalment of Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills by fellow anonymous pharmacist Mr Dispenser.</div>
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Those of us pharmacy types who use (for which read obsessively depend on) Twitter or who read any pharmacy magazines will no doubt be aware of Mr Dispenser, who is a regular day-brightener with his wit and humour. </div>
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Partly constructed of tweets, part blog-anthology, this is a warm and good natured collection of anecdotes. All but the most curmudgeonly of pharmacists will find themselves laughing out loud, and there will certainly be many moments of recognition in there too. You find yourself thinking 'oh I've got one of those stories too'.</div>
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Its a nicely inclusive format, which I think in its own little way helps to address the isolation of the job. If you look closely enough, you'll even find a couple of pearls of wisdom from yours truly, which is nice. Its like sitting in a pub with a big group of other pharmacists and having a good old chortle about the daft things you encounter everyday. You're left feeling much cheerier about your lot, and with a nice sociable glow. to a non-pharmacy eye, some parts may be slightly close to the bone, but I think that from within the profession its clear that it is meant affectionately.</div>
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There is, however, a bit of a disappointing #everydaysexism moment later on in the book in 'Gender Bender'. Given that I write this whilst an unfinished blog post about how harmful portrayals of women can be sits in my blogger account, this is me courteously reminding Mr Dispenser that all women do not merely discuss hair and nails and read Hello magazine, nor do they all coo over babies whilst men leer at sports cars and read Top Gear magazine (Which, by the way, I used to have a wardrobe full of. despite having no driving license). So less of the stereotyping, please, and we will all get along fine at this year's Pharmacy Show</div>
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Now lets address the font. Very attentive readers of this blog will know that there is one font that I consider to be an abomination against mankind. Comic sans is not big, its not clever, and its certainly not jaunty. It doesn't make me think "ooh, a light-hearted and humourous piece of writing!", but rather makes me stabby. There's is nothing wrong with good old arial, and the writing in this book is funny and clever enough on its own without having to resort to comic bloody sans.</div>
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Hxxx<br />
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DISCLAIMER: This book isn't actually due out yet for 8 weeks or so and may be subject to font changes and editing. If this occurs, I'm going to leave this post as it is, as a testament and reminder of how I can occasionally have some influence. Also possibly because I will be too lazy to amend it. <br />
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You can also find this post over at my other blog, <a href="http://healthydoseofskepticism.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">A Healthy Dose of Skepticism</a>, in which I mainly blog about skepticism in health care but also ramble on about many other things.</div>
SparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-4190473510809641172013-08-08T03:53:00.000-07:002013-08-08T13:06:41.643-07:00Everything Beautiful Began After - Simon Van Booy <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I love the way Simon Van Booy uses language, and particularly enjoyed <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Secret-Lives-People-Love/dp/1933527056">The Secret Lives of People in Love</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">His words sing.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">But there is a large portion of this book that just didn't work for me.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The prologue is a thing of beauty, and Book One is a heartbreaking joy of beautiful prose and gorgeously flawed characters. Not much happens for most of it, but it's utterly compelling. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Book Two is where my infatuation began to wane. There was a sudden switch from third person to second person narrative. It grated, because "you" is actually "Henry" And instead of making me feel closer to him, it forced a distance that wasn't there in the third person narrative. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It might have worked for me if it was just done for the period of the dramatic event that happened at it's beginning - Henry's shock and disorientation reflected in the way I responded to the change in pronoun - but it continued throughout both Book Two and Book Three and I ceased to care. Until Book Four and a return to third person narrative.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I am almost certain that the jarring disconnect caused by the switch of narrative styles was intentional and it's very cleverly done. But it is cold and calculating where the rest of the story is warm and human and incredibly beautiful.</span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-51496472454537922232013-08-05T16:05:00.002-07:002013-08-05T16:05:31.245-07:00We Need To Talk About Kevin- Lionel Shriver 2003<i>There But For The Grace Of God Go I.</i><div>
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A strange phrase for me to use to open this review, given that I am an atheist. But I think the sentiment stands. This book is, for me, utterly, completely terrifying, because it is a stark reminder of how my life could have turned out, had I not had the strength and courage to stick with my <a href="http://healthydoseofskepticism.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/child-free%20by%20choice" target="_blank">child-free convictions</a>.</div>
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The first time I read this book, I loved it. I was so drawn into Eva's character- her complexities, how she talks, her failings and successes. I could see myself, were I as clever and successful as Eva, writing in a similar style to her. Then those last few pages happened, and they were- unusually- a complete shock. I sat for hours after I had finished it, just processing the cruelty and horror of it. </div>
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I've read it over and over since, and each time it has left me with a creeping cold fear. The last time I saw it was part of the Tyneside Cinema's Book Club, when the film came out, and the discussions were fascinating. Who was to blame for the outcome, why is the outcome so extreme, why why why? People were enthralled by the story, and particularly by Eva. Tilda Swinton was perfect. </div>
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I have been in a situation where it would have been very easy to relinquish my child-free status and just decide to have a child for the sake of an easy life, and to keep the love of my life. But I know that I would have experienced a lifetime of low level resentment which would have had negative effects on everyone. I would make a terrible mother, and this book partly reinforces to me how right I am to acknowledge this, be true to myself, and stick to my child-free guns no matter what. Whilst the outcome in WNTTAK is extreme, its merely an exaggerated version of a truth that is one of the last taboos: some women do not want motherhood. I think Shriver has gone for the exaggeration because it allows some distance from the more terrifying, everyday truth that is just too hard for many to face. </div>
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Eva's heartbreaking situation, her grim determination and potentially unreliable narration, the complexities of who is to blame, the sheer frustration of Franklin's attitude, and above all, the enigma of Kevin all intertwine to produce a stark and devastating portrait of what happens when the family dream doesn't live up to expectation.</div>
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I was on holiday once and I saw someone reading WNTTAK by the pool. She was nearing the end. It was honestly all I could do to not go over, take the book off her and say "Leave it there. You're on hoiliday, and that ending will ruin your day."</div>
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That's the mark of a powerful, profound book. One which has been and still is, to some extent, life-changing. </div>
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SparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-68110398173726592312013-08-05T14:00:00.000-07:002013-08-05T14:37:58.728-07:00Forbidden Flowers- Nancy Friday 1994I very much dislike this whole Fifty Shades of Grey fashion that is going on at the moment. This is not because I am particularly prudish, but instead because I find the whole concept of the craze rather distasteful and patronising. I do not believe that women need to be given permission to be able to admit to enjoying something written about sex, and I don't like how books like this reinforce the belief that to make sex acceptable to women, it needs to be dressed up as a second-rate romance. Furthermore, its utter crap, and in the few paragraphs I have read (out loud, in a dramatic voice, from our office communal copy which has since mysteriously gone missing) I have been driven to distraction by the poor quality, half-arsed writing style of it (denote that she is thinking by <i>writing in italics</i>. Finish every sentence with either <i>Holy crap, Holy Jesus, Holy shit</i> etc etc, because then the reader will know how very innocent she is and will be able to identify with her because we are all delicate flowers)<br />
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Anyway, that all helps to put this review of Forbidden Flowers into context. This is a follow up book to My Secret Garden, which I haven't yet read, but I don't think that makes much difference. </div>
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The concept is simple. Instead of attempting to address female sexuality in the context of some hokey romance, it appears to have occurred to Nancy Friday that it would be worthwhile actually asking women themselves to describe their fantasies. They are categorised into sections like "Looking", "Frustration", "Daydreaming" and "Masturbation", and the author spends a bit of time analysing them and discussing the common themes that emerge, although lets be honest here and say that most people will skip past those bits.</div>
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What results is a diverse collection of stories and thoughts, which is as it should be really, given that women are not a homogenous bunch. Some of the fantasies are just plain weird, whilst others resonate (a carefully chosen word). In some places it is pretty hot, and the good thing about it being a varied collection is that there will probably be something in there to appeal to most women, and men too I should imagine. Importantly, nothing is judged, and it is accepted throughout that women are completely entitled to have these sorts of thoughts.</div>
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Now, I know that there have been criticisms of Nancy Friday's work, as its not done in the most scientifically rigorous of manners. I'm not entirely convinced that I agree with all of her assessments of the fantasies. However, its nice to find a book which just sits back and allows women to think and write about their experiences as they want to, without any of it having to be sugar-coated. Its nice to- for a change- be told that we're not weird for thinking the way we do, we're not sick or wicked, and nor should we feel guilty for any of it. </div>
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Not a book to read on your Kindle on the bus, mind. </div>
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SparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-45809953129532326072013-08-04T07:17:00.002-07:002013-08-04T07:18:44.313-07:00Tropic Of Capricorn, Henry Miller.Miller's anti-narrative of life in 1920s New York reads like a rude, careering, vent of frustrated ambitions and intelligence; a bad-mouthed On The Road that goes nowhere until after the narrative finishes. There are numerous things that will put a reader off this book: the plot-less, almost stream-of-conscious delivery that gallops along through the chaos of the author's life, the crudity of the language, particularly in reference to sex (this has to be the most uses of the C word in a classic novel I've encountered). Indeed, accusations of misogyny have troubled the book for years, and the casual (at least) attitude toward women and sex may shock some, but perhaps no more than fans of On The Road. Speaking of other books, the contrast of this life style to the more upper class lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald's characters, albeit in the same period and similar area, is considerable.
This is a story of raw, rude, visceral, frustrating intelligence trapped in a mundane life of working drudgery. What marks Miller's Tropic books out are his philosophical underpinnings. Miller sees an emptiness pervading America, in every coast, city, street, apartment, room and mind. He loathed and feared the acceptance of consumerism before it became consumerism, rebelling against it in his daily existence, seeing a nation of automatons defined by their pointless consumption. Long before the counter-culture of the 1960s espoused such values, Miller was railing against this creeping emptiness and vowing to never fall to it. As such, he moved to Paris for some years, where the precursor to this novel (Tropic Of Cancer) was wrote and published, detailing his time there in much the same manner as Capricorn.
Like On The Road, and Tropic Of Cancer, the writing left me breathless, a tumbling, reckless, thundering storm of intelligence, self demanding, questing and questioning. It is self aware to a painful, self loathing, degree: all too aware of his failings, his cravings, his deceptions and lusts. But at the same time, his expectations and belief in what people can be, what he can be, are the driving force of this restless book.Smoggywood Productionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312651725733902088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-20985598392088252582013-07-29T13:20:00.000-07:002013-07-29T13:20:51.318-07:00Love In The Time Of CholeraLove In The Time Of Cholera is a Nobel Prize winning novel by Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, first published in Spanish in 1985. The book is set in an un-named city on the Caribbean coast over the adult lifespan of the main characters – roughly from the 1880's to the 1930's. It follows the love life of Florentina Ariza, a persistent man of romance, novels and most of all, letters. He falls in love with the other main character of the novel, Fermina Daza, during their early teens; a love that is entirely correspondence and passing at distance at public events. Unfortunately for Senor Ariza (spoiler alert) Ms Daza turns him down and marries a doctor who is prominent in the city. Thus begins the dominant dynamic of the novel – Ariza's decision to devote himself to her, to wait for his opportunity, if he has to wait for her husband to die of old age or accident if necessary. Perhaps surprisingly, Florentina Ariza avails himself of women, sexually and romantically, although he does limit his commitments.
As a premise, this might sound like a yawning and protracted essay on unrequited love, and in many ways it is. I found it did swerve dangerously close to a sense of self indulgence, but there is a quality to the writing that never lets the attention drift from the story. It is detailed and clamorous, much like the sweltering days, sticky nights and the fevered passions of the protagonist. Throughout, the novel tests one's sympathies towards the lovelorn Ariza who, despite his total devotion, carries on a life of sexual indulgence that cares little for the feelings and life of those he, effectively, uses.
Ariza's archaic, secretive and romantic optimism is established as an opposition to the controlled, dignified and public determinism of Fermina Daza and her husband. As the novel progresses, these two forces and approaches to life each become eroded in the face of time and the impossible progress of age. As time progresses and the characters find themselves aliens in their own city, their own society and to their own bodies, the novel brilliantly takes you from the certainties of their earlier years and their commitments, to the acceptance of time, life and even love.
Not an easy novel to get through and appreciate, the style seems almost as monomaniac as the protagonist, but if you can adhere to it as he did you may find a surprising and rewarding denouement. Smoggywood Productionshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312651725733902088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-83789552468095468032013-07-28T12:05:00.001-07:002013-07-29T07:10:03.011-07:00The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean by David AbulafiaLet me first make it clear, I love a good historical book. A good historical book with a specific focus in mind, for example Peter Ackroyd's magnificent book on the history of London. This isn't one of them, it might be because I was reading it as a hardback rather than a paperback but it just didn't really grab me completely and utterly but in parts it was fascinating. <br />
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A history of humanity and it's growth within the Mediterranean is a hugely ambitious topic to write about. If this book had been about a specific period it would have worked but as an over-arching book it was just too cumbersome for me.<br />
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To give an idea, the first 230 odd pages go from 2200BC to 600AD. This is obviously the period that fascinates Prof. Abulafia but took me absolutely ages to get through and I'm sure I didn't understand all the various tribes and groups in this period. Whilst the period from 1830 to 2010 is dealt with in under 100 pages, an equal amount of time per period just doesn't happen and this was probably down to the editing. It just feels out of balance as a history.<br />
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However, in parts the book is intriguing in posing questions for what could have been, the total expulsion of the Jewish people from Spain in 1492 for example, and the effect that had on the flowering of art and culture within the Ottoman Empire is explained beautifully and really made me wonder what just could have been in 15th Century Spain. Another fact that is not quite relevant to this review but I found very funny is that there were a group of Barbarians at the time of the Romans called the Alans who invaded Spain with the Vandals...I had great fun imagining conversations about being an Alan called Alan.<br />
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Anyway, that is slightly irrelevant, this book, whilst fascinating in parts and covering an immense history, had the one problem of reading to me like a variation on an academic theses. The sections within chapters were too long and regularly crammed too much in for a lay reader to get in a few reads. It might be easier to read in paperback or on an Ibook because the size of it as a hardback makes it very difficult to carry around.<br />
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It's a valiant attempt to cover an enormous period of history and succeeds in parts but just didn't really hold my attention for long - if you are feeling up for a challenge it's worth a go! I need to read some fiction quite urgently now, i've got historical overload!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625803402214393223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-47596914271274422562013-07-26T03:47:00.002-07:002013-07-26T03:47:48.378-07:00Harmonic Feedback - Tara Kelly<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Drea is definitely a person.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">That might seem like an odd thing to say, but I have felt let down in the past by books with characters who have ADHD/Aspergers/autism. They either fudge the issue by not naming it or treat the character with autism as an issue to be dealt with.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Don't get me wrong, I have got a lot out of those books. But then I am a parent to two children with varying degrees of autistic spectrum disorders and ADHD; I myself have no diagnosis. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I'm not sure I would want my children to read those books until they are more comfortable in their own skins. Because despite the best of intentions, they "other" them. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I want them to be able to find books that have a character they can identify with, who's like them: a person whose diagnosis or disability is just a part of who they are. Neither good nor bad. This one fits the bill beautifully. </span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-34909236693324808102013-07-24T05:50:00.001-07:002013-07-25T05:49:54.663-07:00On The Road- Jack Kerouac- 1951<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"And as I sat there listening to that sound of the night
which bop has come to represent for all of us, I thought of my friends
from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in
the same vast backyard doing something so frantic and rushing-about" </i></blockquote>
<br />
I find it really hard to construct lists of "All-time favourites". I'm too indecisive, and my tastes shift constantly depending on what mood I'm in. I can fairly confidently say though that if I had to decide on an all-time, top 5 favourite books list, this would be in it.<br />
<br />
Two things strike me about people's reactions to this book:<br />
<br />
<b>Its a Marmite book.</b> You either love it, and are consumed by it, or it leaves you totally cold and you can't understand what all the fuss is about. I know a lot of people who read it hate the characters and hate spending time with them, and really can't get into the frantic pace of it. <br />
<br />
<b>People who love it tend to describe reading it in the same way. </b>When the film came out, I went to the Tyneside Cinema's book club screening of it. In the discussion afterwards, it was amazing how similarly the people who loved it described how they read it. "It hit me like a train" or "I was knocked over by it" or "it was like hitting a brick wall" or "It stopped me in my tracks" or "I read it constantly over two days and I just couldn't stop reading". My friend Ian says in his Goodreads review: "I tore through it, unable to put it down for two days". I've heard similar things over twitter and in conversation too.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
The same happened with me when I read it at school. I didn't think I'd like it, but I ended up entirely consumed by Sal Paradise's world. I like my comforts when travelling, and point blank refuse to go camping. I can only just cope with the Megabus to London and get exceptionally tired and whingey, and travel sick. I am suspicious of hotels that have less than four stars. But this book made even me want to pack a rucksack and head off into the night, with no plans other than to see where the world takes me. I was left breathless with the excitement and sadness of the Beat Generation. Breathless is another word that comes up pretty commonly in descriptions of this book.I've now read it goodness only knows how many times, and each time I'm surprised by it and enthralled by it.<br />
<br />
On the Road is essentially a chronicle of the travels-from one side of America to another, and back again several times-of Sal Paradise and his unconventional ragtag group of friends. On the way they find humanity, self-knowledge, jazz and the thrill of the energy of life itself. Its a dirty and gritty journey loaded with drugs, alcohol, selfishness and cruelty, and I can really see why some people hate these characters. But I was with them the whole way, sharing their enthusiasm and their vigour and admiring their courage.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
The pace is frenetic, the descriptions dynamic and energetic. Sal Paradise's (for which read Jack Kerouac's) intensely powerful, consuming friendship for Dean Moriarity (for which read Neal Cassady) runs throughout the book and is written beautifully, with all of its pitfalls and ugliness and love. <br />
<br />
I haven't ever done drugs in my lifetime, owing mainly to my job and the fact that I would be too terrified of losing my registration, but also due to the fact that I'm embarrassing enough with a combination of alcohol and Piriton, never mind anything else. But with books like this, (and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), I don't particularly feel that I'm missing out on anything profound. I can see it all through the safety of someone else's words. I am, just as Sal is, shambling after the people who interest me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“...and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn
like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the
stars.”</i></blockquote>
<br />
If you think I'm gushing about this book like an infatuated girl, that's because I am infatuated with it. I would never have even a sliver of the strength needed to take a journey into the unknown like Sal does, but this book allows me a little window into how it must feel to be pushing yourself so hard into a future that is as terrifying and dark as it is full of possibilities. Some people think these characters are arrogant shits, but I think they are pioneers.<br />
<br />
HxxxSparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-48479259717975700282013-07-22T09:10:00.001-07:002013-07-22T09:10:03.633-07:00You Against Me - Jenny Downham<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> I don't know what I think about this book, only that I was completely caught up in it. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">For a book dealing with the subject of sexual assault, it was surprisingly ... I can't think of the right word ... "calm" is wrong, but the closest I can come up with - My emotions were engaged without ever being overwhelmed; There was a sense of being safely guided through events without ever being protected from them. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">And I loved the way Mikey and Ellie's relationship developed, despite it's Romeo & Juliet overtones. The scene where they escape everything for a day and we see experienced, street-smart Mikey's vulnerability when it comes to Ellie is beautifully done and made me sigh at the memory of that first-love rush, and the feeling of wonder that someone else could feel exactly the same about you as you do about them. Of finding out you are worth something, and more than you dared believe. </span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-47636472934743368682013-07-22T02:38:00.003-07:002013-07-22T02:43:56.077-07:00The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick Ness <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I read this trilogy a while ago now, but it has stayed with me. So I want to share it with you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This, the first book in the series, made me physically ache with joy, pain, hope and despair. It has the most beautiful, equal relationship at the centre of it between two, well, children really - at least by chronological age. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The setting is kind of Sci-Fi/Western. The pioneer way-of-life, the fact that these people came together as "settlers" on a new planet, allows for Todd's strange combination of maturity and childishness, practical knowledge and social ignorance. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">In Prentisstown, there are no women, they all died over a decade before the story begins, and "Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise." Todd's struggles to filter and control the "Noise" - a world of information overload with no escape, no way to filter out or mask the unwanted thoughts and feelings except to try to hide them in plain view by putting out other thoughts to blur the "Noise" you make - made my heart go out to him.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/show/12841207">This book found my vulnerabilities and spoke to them. </a></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Everyone's response to this book will be different. because this is one of those books that tells you as much about yourself as it does about the characters portrayed. Patrick Ness might well become one of my favourite authors because of his ability to do just that.</span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-31515408672477726622013-07-21T13:46:00.002-07:002013-07-21T13:46:49.049-07:00Partitions- Amit Majmudar 2012I read this book as part of a book club, but unfortunately I never made it to the book club meeting. I was looking forward to reading it- it fit in quite nicely with my current interest in learning about religions, cultures, and the effects of those of individual peoples' lives. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is set in 1947, as Pakistan is created. What resulted was violence, prejudice, and a lot of displacement and upheaval. Religions clashed, pitting neighbour against neighbour, separating families, and causing untold harm.</div>
<div>
This is a period in time that I know nothing at all about, so I was eager to learn about the time and setting. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Majmudar uses a supernatural device to tell the story: our narrator is a ghost. I could have done without this element, and would have been happier with a deceased narrator looking back. It distanced me somewhat from the story- just as i was getting into a human storyline, I was reminded of the ethereal narrator and his ability to swoop to different locations, and I would lose my connection to the story. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are plenty of cultural details in the book, but I felt that they sometimes weren't explored deeply enough to satisfy a heathen like me. I found myself thinking "I'll have to google that later", or putting down the book to look up words or cultures which I just wanted to know a little bit more about. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is a compelling, human story, and the characters seem real and individual. Towards the end, though, I found the "partition" devices and imagery became a little obvious, and the story became too contrived to seem true. I was left a little disappointed that it wasn't more realistic and earthly.In the end, it becomes clear that neither religion nor class should divide people, and that above all, through horrendous violence and hatred, love and goodness will win out, even in a ragtag, umconventional way. I think the moral of the story is a worthy, humanist one, but it is pushed too much to the fore, when we should be able to work it out for ourselves. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This book did, however, open my eyes to an important bit of history that I had no idea about. I'm left wanted to learn more about that time. </div>
SparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-14724533681714645602013-07-21T12:22:00.000-07:002013-07-22T03:17:05.921-07:00The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There were bits about this book that didn't sit quite right with me, but there was much that I loved too: </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">For the first few pages, I thought Pat was an adolescent. It came as a shock to realise that he was a grown man in his 30s. His obsession with his beloved Nikki and his self-absorbed belief that by improving his body & mind he would get her back made his "voice" that of someone much younger.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There's a moment of insight from Pat, quite early on in the book, that reeled me in and had me caring about what happened to him. His friend was warning him off forming any kind of friendship with his sister-in-law because she is "a little odd":</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">' Ronnie tells me what he believes is the story of how Tiffany lost her job ... He tells me what co-workers wrote in their reports, he tells me what her boss told her parents and what the therapist has since said ... but he never once tells me what Tiffany thinks or what is going on in her heart: the awful feelings, the conflicting impulses, the needs, the desperation, everything that makes her different from Ronnie and Veronica, who have each other and their daughter, Emily, and a good income and a house and everything else that keeps people from calling them "odd." ' </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">What I most liked about this book was the fact that there was no sudden recovery from mental illness, no shying away from grief and pain and the ugliness of casual hate, but always a sliver of hope and openness to the chance of happiness. </span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-88871946721757014562013-07-20T10:38:00.000-07:002013-07-20T10:38:19.624-07:00The Book Of Rachael by Leslie Cannold <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This book transported me to a different time and place. I was there, shyly standing behind Rachael. I was her shadow and her witness, simultaneously cheering her on and worried for her - for her inability to pretend to be what was expected of her as a woman of that place and time. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This is a beautifully written story, it's characters fully fleshed out, flawed individuals. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I fell in love with clever, angry, rebellious Rachael and then fell in love with Judah as seen through her eyes. My heart broke with hers at the injustice done to quiet, obedient Shona. I adored her brother Joshua and father Yosef - both quiet, kind men and honourable in the true sense of the word, rather than the facade of "honour" required by the society and time they inhabit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I seethed with anger at the injustice that was a fact of life for the women in this story, and cried for Rachael's family - the men as well as the women. I would despair for my two sons if they had to grow up in a society like this.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">In short, I loved this book. Read it and enjoy a tale well told. What you take away from it is entirely up to you.</span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-84388430219016901542013-07-19T08:10:00.000-07:002013-07-19T08:56:29.893-07:00London Belongs To Me- Norman Collins 1945<br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
I bought this book because I loved the title. At the time, I had a boyfriend in London and was travelling to and from the big smoke on a regular basis. I am very much a city girl, and love nothing better than the sight of tall buildings, the sound of distant sirens (actually, they didn't tend to be that distant in the area the ex-boyfriend lived in), and the anonymity of a crowd. So I thought I'd give this a shot, knowing nothing about it whatsoever other than the title. </div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346974538l/6267715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="London Belongs to Me" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346974538l/6267715.jpg" width="130" /></a>It ended up in my tsundoku pile, unread and nearly forgotten about until long after that relationship ended. When I eventually got round to reading it, I was really pleasantly surprised and charmed by it. <br />
<br />
Set in 1938, the story follows the occupants of 10 Dulcimer Street, Kennington. I found that Collins' conspiratorial writing style really drew me into the minutiae of his characters lives. It feels like you have a tour guide, pulling you by the hand into the front rooms of families and whispering all the gossip into your ear.<br />
<br />
In focusing on the lives of the inhabitants of just one house, Collins manages to also encompass lots of imagery and themes of the wider community of London at the time. The war hangs over this book like a character in itself, creeping slowly
closer to the daily lives of our friends at 10 Dulcimer Street. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
This is a book about ordinary, working class folk. But they're far from boring, despite the drudgery of some of their lives, and the time and city around them. Most of the characters are vivid and believable, and I found myself missing them after I finished the book and wishing I could spend more time with them, especially the Jossers- an old fashioned, salt of the earth, decent sort of a family. Other characters were less well written- Mr Puddy springs to mind, but in the grand scheme of the book it didn't really seem to matter. <br />
<br />
The psychic part of the storyline really tickled me too, given my skepticism for such things. Its dealt with with a subtle, dark humour and gentle ridicule whilst still managing some sensitivity. <br />
<br />
I often found myself thinking that this would make a good film. Not a noisy Hollywood blockbuster, obviously, but an understated, sweeping drama about ordinary folk in an extraordinary time. Its a hefty book, and at first glance might look a bit intimidating, but its worth it. <br />
<br />
Hxxx<br />
<br />
<br />SparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-63884401255807691332013-07-16T05:02:00.001-07:002013-07-16T05:03:21.282-07:00Fox Populi- Kate Fox-2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->I know of Kate and her poetry from a couple of stand-up
comedy gigs I have been to which she has performed at. She’s always come across
as warm and funny and personable on stage.
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I was prompted to buy this book after seeing Kate’s one
woman show about being child-free. It was a lovely show, if a little strange to
hear someone saying things on stage that so closely mirror your own thoughts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Its been years and years since I actually properly read any
poetry, and I was worried that I might have lost the technique and wouldn’t be
able to extract any meaning from poetry anymore. But I found this collection accessible
and easy to read. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a nice mix of poems, funny and emotional in all the
right bits. It’s not too long and not too short, and made me think that I
should start to read some more poetry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My particular favourite poem is “Our Ends in the North”</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“On the second day I
was on the bus<br />
when there was a bang and all the lights went out-<br />
and there was a chorus,<br />
of “Call this an Apocalypse? I felt nowt”.<br />
and “Grimsby
hasn’t looked this good since<br />
the Germans redecorated.”<br />
You’ve got to make the best of things,<br />
Northerners are tough like that<br />
nobody else compares."</i></div>
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<br />
I'd recommend it to anyone who maybe feels a bit intimidated by reading poetry, as I did.<br />
<br />
HxxxSparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-57426340346505735452013-07-16T04:18:00.000-07:002013-07-16T04:41:20.990-07:00Bad PharmaI recently wrote a review of Ben Goldacre's latest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Pharma-companies-mislead-patients/dp/0007350740">Bad Pharma</a>, for <a href="http://maneypublishing.com/index.php/journals/mew/">Medical Writing</a>, the journal of the <a href="http://www.emwa.org/">European Medical Writers Association</a>. That review is reproduced below.<br />
<br />
<i>By Ben Goldacre, published by Fourth Estate,
2012. ISBN 978-0-00-735074-2 (paperback) 448 Pages. £13.99</i><br />
<br />
<div class="western">
Bad Pharma is the latest book by the well known
anti-quackery campaigner Ben Goldacre, and attempts to explain to us
that medicine is broken. Despite the title, he criticises not only
the pharmaceutical industry, but also regulators, doctors, academic
clinical researchers, ethics committees, and various other players in
the world of clinical research. His take home message (I don’t
think a spoiler alert is really needed here!) is that we simply can't
trust the evidence that we see about the efficacy and safety of drugs
in common use.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The book is divided into 6 chapters, which cover
different aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. Chapter 1 is
entitled ‘Missing data’, and describes at considerable length the
important problem of publication bias. The take home message from
this chapter is that we cannot assess the evidence for a particular
drug if not all the trials on it are published, and, worse still,
those that are not published tend to be different from the ones that
are. Chapter 2 is a brief and well put-together description of the
drug development process. Chapter 3, ‘Bad regulators’, does what
it says on the tin, and explains the many ways in which Goldacre
believes that drug regulation isn’t working. Chapter 4 talks about
the design of individual clinical studies and how they can be flawed.
Chapter 5 describes how pragmatic randomised trials could be (but
very rarely are) incorporated into routine clinical practice. This
seems a little out of place, as it is not really about ‘bad pharma’
at all, but is interesting nonetheless. Chapter 6, the longest
chapter of all at over 100 pages, talks about marketing in the
pharmaceutical industry.<br />
<br />
Goldacre has a well earned reputation as a
fearless debunker of dodgy scientific claims. His previous book, Bad
Science, mercilessly took to pieces the dubious tricks played by
various pedlars of pseudoscience. He regularly writes articles both
on his own blog and for the popular media in which he rigorously
dissects questionable claims, pointing to the flaws in the scientific
and statistical methods used by those who make them.<br />
<br />
So if you are familiar with Goldacre’s
reputation, then you would expect that this book would be backed up
with similarly rigorous scientific arguments. However, you would be
disappointed.<br />
Goldacre tells us at several places in the book
(quite correctly) about the importance of using systematic reviews
and being careful not to cherry-pick examples that back up a specific
point, and promises to cite systematic reviews to make his points.
Sadly, the reality of the way he presents his evidence does not live
up to those fine promises. He certainly presents the results of some
systematic reviews, but he is far from consistent in doing this. At
one place he presents a single study, which is not a systematic
review, but describes it as a systematic review anyway. In many
places he does exactly what he warns against and cherry-picks
unrepresentative cases to make a point. He sometimes ignores evidence
that contradicts his message. The overall impression is that he
decided from the start that he was going to tell as powerful a story
as possible that the whole system of drug research is flawed, rather
than attempting to follow the evidence in a scholarly manner.<br />
<br />
It would, however, be a mistake to dismiss this
book as being based on poor scholarship and therefore unworthy of our
attention. Despite the shortcomings in his use of evidence, Goldacre
does make some important points whose validity is not in doubt.<br />
<br />
One such point is that much of the evidence on how
well drugs work is not available to patients and prescribers: the
problem of publication bias that he describes in the first chapter.
Many attempts have been made to fix this problem, and most big pharma
companies now commit to publishing all their trials, although
Goldacre describes these efforts (without presenting evidence) as
‘fake fixes’.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, it would be overly optimistic to
assume that every study that takes place is published, and until we
can be sure that it is, then we all need to try harder to ensure more
complete publication. Goldacre also makes the very good point that
even if incomplete publication has now been fixed, there is still a
mountain of studies that were done in the past and are still not
published, even though their results are still relevant to today’s
medical practice. So we should not consider the problem solved until
it has been solved retrospectively as well.<br />
<br />
Goldacre’s criticisms of the secrecy that
surrounds the regulatory process are also very well made. He points
out that it is unjustifiable that regulators have access to huge
amounts of data on the drugs they approve, but do not publish them.
It is hard to argue with this. I personally cannot think of any valid
reason why regulators do not routinely make submission dossiers
available via their websites, and we could all have far more
confidence in the regulatory process, as well as know far more about
the drugs that we use, if they did.<br />
<br />
Medical writers will find some parts of the book
frankly offensive. Goldacre seems to use the terms ‘medical
writing’ and ‘ghostwriting’ interchangeably, completely
ignoring the considerable efforts that EMWA and other medical writing
organisations have made to combat ghostwriting in the medical
literature. He describes professional medical writing thus: ‘They
[pharmaceutical companies] pay professional writers to produce
academic papers, following their own commercial specifications, and
then get academics to put their names to them.’ This is a
caricature of the work of the medical writer based on a few examples
of bad practice mostly dating from the 1990s, and EMWA members will
be acutely aware that this bears little resemblance to the way
medical writing is practised in real life today, even though Goldacre
describes ghostwriting papers for academics who have no input into
them as ‘bread-and-butter activities’ of medical writing. If you
are offended by this mischaracterisation of the medical writing
profession, then I am not surprised. It is telling that Goldacre does
not provide any evidence to back up this claim, other than to quote
some old individual cases where some companies did not play by the
rules in the past. This is cherry-picking of the worst kind: there is
no evidence whatever that those kinds of abuses were common even back
in the 1990s when most of them occurred, let alone today. It would be
like making the claim that most doctors are serial killers, and
backing it up with reference to Harold Shipman.<br />
<br />
Of course, if you did claim that most doctors were
serial killers, no-one would believe you, because most people are
very familiar with who doctors are and what they do, and know that
most of them are conscientious and caring individuals. Sadly,
however, medical writing is not such a well known profession, and it
is probably true that many people who read the book will not be
familiar with what medical writers do, and so will simply believe
Goldacre’s flagrant mischaracterisation of our profession.</div>
<div class="western">
At 448 pages, Bad Pharma is a long book. It is
probably longer than it needs to be: Goldacre’s fondness for using
anecdotes about specific cases to make his point adds more to the
emotive qualities of the book than it does to the scientific data
presented.<br />
<br />
EMWA members will probably not learn much from
this book that is new to them. There are some good explanations of
how drug development works, but this will already be familiar
territory. The book does, however, provide much food for thought.
Although Goldacre goes beyond the evidence and overstates his case in
places, he does, as I mentioned earlier, still make some valid
points. If any EMWA members who read this book are prompted to give
some more thought to how they can help to ensure that the trials they
work on are always published, then it will have fulfilled a useful
function.</div>
<br />
<div class="western">
Adam Jacobs<br />
<a href="http://dianthus.co.uk/">Dianthus Medical Limited</a></div>
<div class="western">
Find me on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/dianthusmed">@dianthusmed</a><span style="color: blue;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
Adam Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12257796809108710423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-57075874893212932672013-07-15T07:23:00.000-07:002013-07-15T07:47:57.207-07:00Leaving Alexandria: A Memoir of Faith and Doubt - Richard Holloway<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recommended to me by <a href="http://alomshaha.com/">Alom Shaha</a>, whose own book Sparkle Wildfire and I review <a href="http://backlightbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-young-atheists-handbook-lessons-for.html">here</a>,</span> t</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">his book is just too damn quotable! I fell into the first half of the book as if it was an old friend. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">This memoir reminded me of everything that is good about religion as well as everything that made me reject it. While reading it, I felt intense love for this man whose battles (both internal and external) resonated deeply with me and spoke of a natural tenderness towards all of humanity.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">I would love to take <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2764.Richard_Holloway">Richard Holloway</a> to a quiet, cosy corner somewhere and talk. I have a feeling I could learn a lot about myself and what it means to be truly human from this man.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Jackie</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-42186863239653350032013-07-14T04:53:00.001-07:002013-07-15T08:03:22.170-07:001222- Anne HoltI bought this book in a haze in the hours following my<a href="http://healthydoseofskepticism.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/lessons-and-legacy.html" target="_blank"> marriage breaking down</a>. I needed distraction and to escape, and was clinging onto any activity I could find that had nothing to do with love, or loneliness, or anything similar. This is easier said than done- most of my books and music are about love in some way shape or form, and even the tiniest hint of it was too much for me in those hours and days. When you're trying to avoid love, it suddenly becomes clear that it is rare to find any sort of media that isn't about it.<br />
<br />
So I found myself desperately downloading a whole load of books onto my kindle, and trying to desperately ignore the fact that the kindle itself was a reminder. Most of those books I still haven't read, nearly three years on.<br />
<br />
I struck gold with this one though. A Norwegian crime novel about the survivors of a train crash who manage to get to a nearby hotel and are then cut off from the outside world by the snow, with an off-duty detective in their midst- what could possibly go wrong?<br />
<br />
The story itself is a modern and I think successful take on the classic All-Holed-Up-Together-With-Nowhere-To-Go crime-writing device. Tensions rise, as you'd imagine they would. Although some of the characters are a little stereotypical, this is forgiven as I think the genre allows a bit of leeway and you expect such things in a mindless crime novel.<br />
<br />
The protagonist, Hanne, is exactly what I needed at that time. She's an interesting spin on the usual cantankerous loner detective. She's paralysed, antisocial, and more than comfortable with her own company.Whilst there is a bit of an emotional arc to her storyline, its not obtrusive, and I was able to take comfort in Hanne. If she's okay wanting to be on her own, I thought, then I'll be okay too.<br />
<br />
I haven't read it- or any other crime fiction, now I come to think of it, since. I'm not sure if I would be able to, as certain images are likely to remind me of how lost I was at the time I was reading it.<br />
<br />
HxxxSparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-42792119760132561932013-07-14T03:22:00.001-07:002013-07-15T11:05:48.711-07:00The Rats - James Herbert<div dir="ltr">
I have a feeling my next few reviews are going to be entirely James Herbert based!<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The Rats by James Herbert is the the first book ever penned by the author. Based in London (like all of JH books I've read so far) where giant mutant rats with a zombie like desire and hunger for human flesh invade, no one is safe.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div dir="ltr">
There are some rather shocking parts where I audibly said "he wouldn't" making reference to an up coming death scene, short answer is - he would! When it was first released in 1974 is was harshly criticised for its gore and poor writing style. I feel its stood the test of time well and JH did like to push boundaries to what was acceptable in a book. As for the writing style- I didn't notice, but I wouldn't know bad writing if it slapped me in the face.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The book is centred around Harris who is a school teacher come hero. All 3 of JH books I've read have had an unlikely male hero as the main role, an everyday guy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Let's just hope some of his later books might feature a strong female character, I'll just have to keep reading and see.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The book deals with quite a lot I feel, its not just a one man hero. It goes into the politics of how such a problem should be dealt with. It focuses on one particular politician who wants to save London and his political career. So its far more than a <i>how</i><i> </i><i>can</i><i> </i><i>I</i><i> </i><i>kill</i><i> </i><i>people</i><i> </i><i>next</i><i> </i>kind of book.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
At 181 pages it is quite short but I don't think it needed to be longer. There are two sequels which I've not read but haven't read great reviews either, still I'm interested enough to probably pick them up at some point.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
If you like horror and gore, this is the book for you, with it being so short you could probably read it in a couple of days anyway!<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I give it 4 out of 5.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Enjoy<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Paul xx<br />
<br />
I read this book via <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=book-DJN_72oR4gkC" target="_blank">Google Play</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-64832510911467405322013-07-13T12:37:00.001-07:002013-07-14T02:42:49.631-07:00The Shock Of The Fall- Nathan Filer-Another ReviewAfter hearing good things about this book from Jackie of this parish and others, I downloaded it yesterday.<br />
<br />
I thought I'd have a quick scan of the first paragraph, but the next thing I knew I had finished the first chapter and was halfway through the second. I found myself surreptitiously reading snatches of it whenever no one was looking, similar to what <a href="http://backlightbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-shock-of-fall-nathan-filer.html" target="_blank">Jackie has already described.</a><br />
<br />
I've spent all of today engrossed in it, to the detriment of my flat's cleanliness. I haven't quite finished it yet but I wanted to make sure that I got some words down sooner rather than later.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Its been emotional. I've previously seen the odd thing here and there that has been written from the perspective of within a mental health disorder. Many of them, no matter how well meaning, can to me come across as just not quite right, or too patronising, or a little bit glamourising. I think this book gets it pretty much spot on.<br />
<br />
I have a fair amount of indirect personal experience of serious mental health disorders. My current day job pretty constantly exposes me to cases of suicide and self harm. I've previously, as a community pharmacist worked closely with Assertive Outreach Teams and Crisis Assessment Teams. I and several of my friends have suffered or suffer from <a href="http://healthydoseofskepticism.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/lets-have-some-honesty-shall-we.html" target="_blank">mental health issues</a> to varying degrees of severity. Most importantly and closest to my heart is the fact that my best and oldest friend suffers daily from a whole range of horrible mental and physical health demons. I find myself in the middle of a long and possibly endless process of having to accept that no matter how ferociously I love her, there is nothing I can do that will permanently fix anything for her.<br />
<br />
So yeah, that's sort of my declaration of interest there I guess. What I can say is that the style of writing intangibly reminds me a lot of my friend, although the character of Matthew and situation he is in is very different to her, so it rings true to me and I think its pitched about right. The different fonts and things, which would probably get my back up in less realistic books as being too gimmicky, didn't bother me at all in this book.<br />
<br />
I think this is a pretty important book for health care professionals too- the writing about the impact of adverse effects, and compliance issues, and how that feels from a patients perspective are important for those of us who routinely dole out antipsychotics to patients we may never see. For me, its a reminder that every case I deal with, and every bit of pale green paper I'm handed, is a person with a story.<br />
<br />
Apologies if most of this isn't actually about the book, but I like to know how books make people feel, so that's what I'm writing about. Its prompted a lot-I really do mean a lot- of thinking. I feel sure that my friend wont mind me writing a bit about her, and hope that if she does see this, she'll appreciate it for what it is- an indirect and awkward way of saying that I think about her lots and love her and yet another apology for my inadequacies in dealing with the whole situation. This book allowed me a little inroad to be able to gain more understanding, and I really appreciate that.<br />
<br />
HxxxSparkleWildfirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05611996118249843556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7749634575974744844.post-82394962990382342882013-07-13T11:48:00.000-07:002013-07-13T11:48:31.317-07:00The Girl Who Could Silence The Wind - Meg Medina<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This is a beautiful story of hope, sacrifice and love. The setting, heroine and elements of "magical realism" all reminded me of Isabel Allende's "Eva Luna" only with fewer individual strands in the story and aimed at a younger audience. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I enjoyed this, but didn't fall in love with it the way I fell in love with Eva Luna. It pales by comparison, which is both unfortunate and unfair to this book. But I can't unread Eva Luna and I can't help my response to it.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10805815202269212754noreply@blogger.com0