A Little Bit of Politics...

I have just finished my first, really serious book since starting this project and I would definitely recommend it to anyone born in 1979 or after, any parent of someone born in 1979 or after and any one with an interest in what's happening to the generation born in 1979 or after.  Basically, what I'm saying is that everyone in the UK should read this book.

'Jilted Generation' by Ed Howler and Shiv Malik is a polemical analysis of the challenges faced by this age group in the UK, how these difficulties came about and, to an extent, on what can be done about them.  The authors have focused on four main areas; housing, jobs, inheritance and politics.

'Jilted Generation: How Britain has
Bankrupted its Youth' by Ed Howker
and Shiv Malik (Icon Books, 2010)

I found this book absolutely fascinating.  You'd have to have spent the last decade living in a cave to not know that life can be far from easy for the post-79 generation of late.  The housing boom has priced them out of the market, they're finding it harder to get started in a career, the cost of Higher and Further Education is rising and they're facing the long term prospect of an unimaginable national debt.  Basically, it ain't pretty.  This book, in simple-ish language (that even I understood), explained how this generation has ended up in this predicament.

I have been a bit dubious in the past about whether the post-79 generation really had anything to complain about.  It's easy to dismiss them as a spend-thrift, transitory generation that manages to afford huge TVs, complicated phones and tiny MP3 players but not save for house deposits.  They seem to have so much more than previous generations, but you don't have to look to hard to realise that all these things are really just trinkets.  It's almost as if they're all comfort shopping because they're waiting to start a proper life.  That's all very well for the retail sector, but it's indicative of something rather scarier in the long term and bigger pictures.

My one minor criticism of this book is that it seemed to run out of steam a bit towards the end.  It was almost as if having noticed and analysed the problem, the authors bottled it when trying to come up with any answers.  To be fair, though, correcting the 'now, now, now' focus of politicians is not something they can probably do much about!  It probably doesn't help that I'm quite a 'what can I do?' sort of a person and by the end of the book wanted a pull out check list of practical things to do to start getting this potentially devastating situation sorted out.

What this book does do fantastically well is highlight the difficulties faced by the 'jilted' generation and explain what has caused them in simple terms.  As such, it's well worth a read if you care about the future of the UK and I will be recommending it to lots of my friends.  Hopefully the authors will bring out a sequel discussing possible ways to improve the situation in more depth.  Or, better still, maybe enough politicians and voters will read this book to start a change in thinking which will actually do something to help the post-79 generation before it's too late.

Medical Matters

I finished 'Blood, Sweat and Tea' by Tom Reynolds at lunchtime.  I absolutely loved it.

'Blood, Sweat and Tea' is a collection of blog posts made by Reynolds (not his real name) about his work for the London Ambulance Service.  Each post gives a fascinating glimpse into a service that's probably taken a little too much for granted and the people who use and abuse it.

This book's subject matter was what made it.  The standard of English wasn't always spot on (I'm not sure if that's something to do with it's conversion to an ebook or the simple fact that the writer worked shifts, so probably blogged when exhausted), but the stories told and opinions expressed really gave a wonderful insight into what must be a very difficult job.  I can't ever imagine doing something like that (I can't even watch 'Casualty' or those pseudo-documentaries about people's embarrassing illnesses), so to hear the voice of someone on the front line was genuinely fascinating.

I suppose that's the wonderful thing about blogging.  So much of what we get told about things is either controlled by PR and marketing departments or chosen for it's shock value by media companies and journalists, so it's unlikely we ever get a sense of the real picture.  Through an honest blog, you can find out about the personal experiences of other people in a way you couldn't elsewhere.  I rather like that thought.

Because of its origins, 'Blood, Sweat and Tea' was an easy read (despite the subject matter!) and a real page turner.  Because it was made up of lots of short-ish posts, I found it very easy to pick it up to read even when I only had a few minutes to spare.  I laughed, I cried and I sympathised and was sad when I finished it.  Just as well there's a sequel!  Although, perhaps I should concentrate on the books I already have first!

Me and My Kindle

It's nearly a year since I was given my Amazon Kindle and think it's about time I reflected on how I've found using it.

Usability
It's actually surprised me how instinctive and easy to use the Kindle is.  I will stress that although I'm not particularly techy and, of course, the primary structure of an ereader was never going to be that complicated (text, on screen, turn pages).  I probably don't use half of what I could on the device, but what I do use does the job.  I think the strength of these sorts of devices is going to be their simplicity.  I know you can read books on tablets and other things, but then you're paying extra for a lot of distractions that, as a reader, you may not want.  I have had a few problems with the keyboard, it could do with being slightly higher, but, again, it does the job and I might just be a terrible typist!

Crash and Burn?
To be honest, I've probably not used it as much as I could have simply because it frightens me when the Kindle crashes.  It usually only does this when I've been browsing Amazon for a while.  Or it's having trouble picking up a wi-fi signal.  Or when I'm moving lots of books to different folders.  Or it's running out of battery.  Or it's just been charged.  Basically, I've found it can be a bit temperamental at times and, because so many books are saved on the Kindle, I get scared every time it crashes and I have to restart it because it temporarily shows no books on the device.  The thought of losing the 100 or so books I have on there chills me to the bone.  Just think what it would be like if your own collection of books were to catch fire.  Shudder! I'm hoping it's a temporary thing, though, much like the rubbish battery life on smart phones.  Hopefully technology will move on and by the time I need to replace my Kindle it'll be a bit less tetchy!  But, so far, my problems have always been sorted out using the old rule of 'turn it off and turn it on again'.  Let's just hope that keeps being the case!

Battery Life
The battery life is amazing!  I was really worried once I realised that you had to leave it on all the time, but I've probably only charged it about four times in the time I've had it.  I do keep the wi-fi turned off though, which I understand helps extend the battery life a great deal.

Books and Prices
Now, there is a vast array of free books on Amazon and elsewhere on the web, some really obscure and unavailable in print, so it's great fun rummaging around the internet trying to find something interesting to read. Although a lot of books are still unavailable as ebooks, it looks like the publishers are quickly working through their back catalogues.  I love the option on the Amazon website which allows you to tell them if you want to read a book on Kindle.  Hope they listen!  There are also a lot of self-published books available, so it's a nice thought that it may be the start of  the whole 'bestsellers' system becoming more democratic.

My one complaint in this area is that newer ebooks are often more expensive than their hard copy counterparts.  This may be partly because they're VAT-able (unlike paperbacks etc) and that publishers have a firmer grip on their pricing structure (so I read somewhere).  Amazon does run special offers every so often, though.  They did some books for £1 around Christmas and Easter this year and I've just picked up a current bestseller for £1.99.  It ultimately comes down to what you want and why you're using the Kindle.

If cost isn't your main concern, you'll be fine, just like if your aim is to save space or be more environmentally friendly.  Like most decisions, it's a balancing act between what you want and what is being offered.  For me, I really do think I'd buy a lot more and use it a lot more if the books were cheaper, but being as I have so much to read already, would that be such a good thing?!

Samples
I absolutely love that I can get free samples of books before buying!  I am a total magpie and this is a fantastic way of seeing whether a book is something I want to read.  Whoever came up with this idea deserves a big, wet kiss and a free holiday!

Glad or Sad?
On the whole, I'm glad I've got a Kindle, although I doubt I'd ever have bought one for myself.  It would have felt far too much like an extravagance!  But I am very grateful to Prince Charming for getting me one and hope  it's made his life a bit easier now there are fewer teetering piles of new books filling up the flat!