Lost in Space

Now, normally I wouldn't bother you with a post about a book I haven't finished.  I don't think it's fair to judge a book without reading it all the way through and I want this to be a positive project full of useful reviews and book-ish ideas.  But I think you deserve an explanation as to why I've given up on 'The Martian' by Andy Weir, a recent international bestseller.

'The Martian' is the story of NASA astronaut, engineer and botanist Mark Watney (MSc. etc).  Injured and unintentionally abandoned during an emergency evacuation from Mars, he's caught in a desperate struggle to stay alive.  He believes he knows when the next Ares mission landing is due, so he's working hard to source, create or ration every resource he needs.  The odds seem stacked against him, but he's intelligent, focussed and determined to stay alive.  But will the next expedition arrive on time?  Can he stay alive until then?  Will he make it back to Earth?

In all honesty, I don't really care.

I should have loved this book.  It's a fantastic idea that offers lots of opportunities not only for brilliantly tense narrative, but also the sort of practical application of science and mathematics that could get people interested in these subjects.  But I just couldn't connect with the narrator at all.  I got to page 40, a little bit into chapter five, his 38th day on Mars, but there had been no mention of the people he'd left behind on Earth.  I had absolutely no sense of the emotional ties that made him want to get back there, only that it was what he wanted to do.  The nearest he came was slagging off the music and entertainment tastes of his former colleagues.  Wouldn't it strike you as a bit strange for someone not to talk about the people they loved and hated if never seeing them again became a real possibility?  Yes, he's focussed on surviving, but such thoughts would be motivation for him, surely.  And he's not working ALL of the time.  He's on his own, so surely he'll get reflective and introspective?  There can't possibly be that many episodes of 'Three's Company' to drown out his inner monologue.

This was the biggest of a number of factors which made it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief and want to remain with this character.  He's a trained Mechanical Engineer and Botanist, qualified at least to post-graduate level.  Seriously?  Not only do I find it hard to believe that anyone could successfully combine study of these areas to such a high level, plus the exceptional physical fitness required for space travel, he talks like he's not left high school.  Not only does he swear a lot (understandable I suppose in his desperate situation), he uses words and phrases which would suit a teenage boy better than a highly qualified scientist. Not awesome.  Really not.

So, unfortunately, I was so disappointed by what I read of the book that I gave up on it.  Fortunately, I have one or two others to read first.  So hopefully this is just a blip and I'll have something much more interesting to tell you about soon.

Now, what next..?

More than Just the Sandwich Man

'Sandwich' is an example of grammatical conversion, i.e. a word that has gained a new linguistic label because its use and meaning changed.  In this instance, a proper noun or name of a specific person or thing became a common noun, not to mention a tasty snack.

'Sandwich Man'
by John Montagu,
11th Earl of Sandwich
(Skyscraper Publications)

I've just finished reading a delightful booklet called
 'Sandwich Man' about the original Sandwich, John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718 to 1792), written by the current, eleventh Earl, also called John Montagu.  In a collection of informative vignettes, the Earl describes the life and loves of his predecessor, his connections with other notable names, including Captain Cook, William Wordsworth and Omai of Tahiti (only the second Pacific Islander to visit Europe), and the origins of his famous foodstuff.  In just a few pages, the Earl takes us on an intriguing, whistle stop journey through the life of his ancestor.

I'm not just buttering up the author here (groan!), I did genuinely enjoy this booklet and learned more than I expected about the man who made a name for himself in quite an unexpected way.  It's funny how you can think you know about a historical figure and be completely wrong.  I'd somehow ended up with an image of a sleazy aristocrat and ne'er-do-well, who was so addicted to the gaming tables that he refused to leave even to eat.  I now know differently!

This booklet came from Mapperton House near Beaminster in Dorset, home to the current Earl and Countess of Sandwich and recent star of the film 'Far From the Madding Crowd'.  It's a hidden gem with historic formal gardens and plenty of lovely, quiet spots for reading in the sunshine, so well worth a visit.  Perhaps I'll be spotted there next summer with one of the books listed in the 'Sandwich Man' further reading list!

To find out more about Mapperton House and Gardens or to order your own copy of 'Sandwich Man', visit the Mapperton House website.

Now back to the marauding vikings!

Life of a Language Legend

Earlier this week, I finished 'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through: My Life in Language' by venerable linguist and writer David Crystal.  Earlier today, I finished writing a post about it, which unfortunately got swallowed by Blogger.  An extreme ellipsis that had me using some choice language I can tell you.  Anyway, here we go again!

Book 128:
'Just a Phrase I'm
Going Through:
My Life in Language'
by David Crystal
(Routledge, 2009)

In 'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through', Professor Crystal gives us a snapshot of what it means to be a linguist.  Driven by a passion for language and a boundless curiosity, he follows a childhood in North Wales and Liverpool with an academic career at University College London and later the universities of Reading and Bangor.  Seizing the opportunities presented by the burgeoning new science of Linguistics, he is able to explore and expand a range of fields and interests, including speech therapy, grammar and language teaching.  Following government cuts in the 1980s, however, Professor Crystal decides to leave academia, but this is far from the end of his linguistics journey.  He finds new roles, including broadcaster, consultant, writer and encyclopedia compiler, applying his endless energy to an ongoing quest to make knowledge accessible and encourage the public's interest in the words and language they use everyday.  It is a route Professor Crystal still follows.

To me, this book was the antithesis of the typical celebrity biography.  Rather than the author being the star of the show, language, Linguistics and Professor Crystal's ongoing passion for them both was centre stage.  His private life is often the catalyst for his work, but on the whole it took a comfortable back seat and is not the main focus of the book.  This means that the reader is able to learn something about Professor Crystal without feeling like they're intruding.

Professor Crystal was a bit of a legend for my A Level English Language group and 'It's Just a Phrase I'm Going Through' reminded me of how I felt about Linguistics in my late teens.  How much it fascinated me and how wonderful it was to have the freedom to study this amazing subject.  Thanks to him, we could pursue our interest because we had access to informative, well written and highly readable books on the subject.  We didn't have to wade through the tomes that almost put him off at our age, so, thank you, Professor.

Overall, this is a funny, interesting, touching, informative book which should appeal to anyone with an interest in the study of language or the Professor himself.  It tends to follow themes rather than exact chronology, but the writer's deft, accessible style means you never feel lost.  In fact, most of the time I was completely absorbed and found Professor Crystal's positivity and enthusiasm for life completely infectious.  I was sad to finish the book and look forward to reading more by him in the future.  Just as well really, I have at least three other books by him...

Now, from one book by a bearded man about a bearded man to another.  Bernard Cornwell's been chronicling Uhtred again!

Talking in the Library

Earlier this week, I finished 'The Library of Unrequited Love' by Sophie Divry, translated from the original French by Sian Reynolds. It's a short book and, with a bit of effort, I managed to read it in 24 hours. Seemed the least I could do bearing in mind it wasn't on my original list... Ahem.

'The Library of Unrequited Love' is one side of a conversation.  One morning, a provincial librarian

'The Library of Unrequited Love'
By Sophie Divry
(MacLehose Press, 2014)

comes into work to find a reader sleeping among her basement shelves. At first surprised, then defensive, then loquacious, she begins to share her opinions on everything from the Dewey Decimal System to customer service, literary snobbery to her admiration for a regular visitor. Intelligent yet confused, passionate but trapped, she finally has a captive audience for her thoughts and observations.

I liked this book because it was unusual. It is, as it's cover says, a diversion, a little novelty that gets you thinking about the nature of narrative and story structure. The first person monologue made getting sucked into the librarian's story very easy. By the end, I didn't want to leave her as she felt like a real person in need of friendship and support. Soppy but true.

Throughout I found myself imagining the whole novella as a play and I really think it would work very well on stage.  Hopefully someone somewhere has plans for a production.

Overall, this book would be of interest to writers because of the narrative style used and librarians.  After all, how could anyone working in such a strongly stereotyped profession not be interested in this latest portrayal?  I think this would also be a good choice for a book group as, even though it's a short work, it leaves much to discuss about how easy it is to loose sight of the people we see everyday, isolation and the purpose of public libraries.

Now, back to Dr. Crystal!