I've heard it said that birthdays become less important when you get older and it looks like it was true of my blog's birthday this year - I totally forgot about it! Nevermind, less than a month late, so the cake won't be too stale nor the champers too flat.
To be fair, the reason I lost track was because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing (reading, just in case you were wondering!). After a very quiet patch at the start of this year (four books in four months - rubbish!), I've suddenly read four books in a month. Amazing what some nice weather and longer days can do for finding time to read.
But there is more to it than that. Despite my best intentions, I've always found it hard to buy fewer books and concentrate on just reading the ones I've already got. And, to be honest, the self-inflicted pressure and guilt was getting me down. On the one hand, I wanted to read what I'm lucky enough to already have, but, equally, brilliant things are being published all the time. My love of reading comes from curiosity and I simply couldn't help being interested in what various new publications had to say.
So I've come to a decision... to go a bit easier on myself. Rather than worrying about what I'm reading, my new focus is on just... reading. It's better for me to be spending time reading something that I really, really want to read than struggling distractedly through something just because I've had it for a while. As I'm sure you've found, every book has it's day and while you may not be in the mood for something one week, you may be the next. I picked up 'The King's General' by Daphne du Maurier three times before I read it all the way through and then I absolutely loved it. But I wasn't in the right frame of mind during attempts one and two.
I have read 26 books over the past 12 months, 24 of which I've posted about. About 12 of these titles were published since I started this blog, but I will always find it hard to resist a new Bernard Cornwell ('Warriors of the Storm'), Caitlin Moran ('Moranifesto'), Neil Gaiman or Philippa Gregory.
Hopefully you've found something interesting among what I've been reading lately. I'm nothing if not varied! Sixteen titles were non-fiction, including Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette (only took me seven years to finish, partly because it's such a heartbreaking story, partly because it's flamin' massive.), 'It's All in Your Head' (Fascinating book about psychosomatic illnesses which has started off an interest in science that has lain dormant since school) and 'My Grandfather would have Shot Me' (Thought-provoking story of a black woman who discovered her ancestor was a notorious Nazi concentration camp commandant). The ten fiction books I've read included favourites such as short stories and historical fiction, but I'm glad to say I finally got around to 'To Kill a Mocking-Bird' (recommended to me by so many people I've lost count) and 'Pet Semetary' (incredibly waiting to be read for nearly 15 years).
Unusually, I had three absolute favourite books this year. As well as 'It's All in Your Head' and 'My Grandfather would have Shot Me', I absolutely loved 'Animal QC' by the most unlikely barrister around, Gary Bell. His story is, without a doubt, completely nuts, but is also one that shows what you can do with drive, focus and hard work. Call me old fashioned, but I like stories which remind us success is not just about getting the girl/boy, passing that exam or winning a competition.
I also dipped my toe once more into a bit of travel writing in 2015 and the resulting post, 'In Search of Wuthering Heights', is far and away the most popular piece I've ever posted. I'm really glad you enjoyed it, it was hard work walking up that hill! It really was a fantastic day out and I'd thoroughly recommend it to Bronte fans and people who like getting some fresh air once in a while. I've got a couple more pieces about book-related places in the pipeline, so watch this space.
Well, it looks like I'm going to have plenty to read and tell you about for a long time yet! Thank you so much for joining me in this project and I hope you keep enjoying the blog for a long time to come.
Now, back to Poldark 5!
The 500 Books Blog: Selections from 2015/16
May
'Marie Antoinette' by Antonia Fraser
June
'In Town' by Mark Steel
July
'It's All in your Head' by Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan
'My Grandfather would have Shot Me' by Jennifer Teege
'Diamonds are Forever' by Ian Fleming
August
'The Spy who Loved Me' by Ian Fleming
'In Search of Wuthering Heights'
September
'The Kingmaker's Daughter' by Philippa Gregory
October
'The Library of Unrequited Love' by Sophie Divry
'Just a Phrase I'm Going Through' by David Crystal
'Sandwich Man' by John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich
November
'A Book for Her' by Bridget Christie
'Jeremy and Amy' by Jeremy Keeling
'Warriors of the Storm' by Bernard Cornwell
December
'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King
'Animal QC' by Gary Bell
January
'Little Tales of Misogyny' by Patricia Highsmith
February
'The Rendezvous and Other Stories' by Daphne du Maurier
'Wishful Drinking' by Carrie Fisher
'To Kill a Mocking-Bird' by Harper Lee
April
'Moranifesto' by Caitlin Moran
Previous Birthday Posts
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
22 May 2016
The Rising Son
As you've probably worked out by now, I'm quite a slow (but determined!) reader. So it tells you something about 'Not My Father's Son' by the actor Alan Cumming that I read it in less than three days.
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| 'Not My Father's Son' by Alan Cumming (2015, Canongate) |
Alan Cumming may be a star of stage and screen, but this is not your average celebrity memoir. 'Not My Father's Son' is a book about family, physical abuse and the need to understand. Mr Cumming and his brother, Tom, grew up in fear of their violent father, their childhoods overshadowed by his explosive rages, their adulthoods hastened by a desire to get away as quickly as possible. Eventually, Alan was able to accept the reality of his traumatic past, through therapy and the support of friends and loved ones, but one day his long-estranged father contacts his sons with news that threatens everything. This is the story of a defining period in Mr Cumming's life, during which he not only confronts the horrors and mysteries of his own past, but coincidentally those of his maternal grandfather too.
This is a beautifully written book. Instead of being melodramatic, self-indulgent or a 'misery memoir', it reads more like a subtle suspense-thriller as Mr Cumming searches for the truth behind his ancestor's death (with the help of the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' programme) in parallel with trying to understand his father's behaviour and its affect on his own character. By moving between the past and the present, he drip feeds information and builds a tension that makes this a real page-turner.
The key theme is understanding. It's not about vengeance, it's not about pity or 'poor me', it's not about abuse voyeurism, although it could so easily have become so in the hands of another writer. I admire Mr Cumming for managing to stay focussed on the story he wanted to tell rather than slipping into sensationalism. The plain English used keeps the book simple and factual and it works. 'Not My Father's Son' is heartbreaking, thought provoking, analytical and hopeful. It also acknowledges that there were good times too, although they were often overshadowed by the fear of abuse yet to come.
Overall, I would recommend this book. Mr Cumming is brave to tell this story and to do it in this calm and honest way, especially as many fans would want a more glamorous tale littered with celebrity names and showbiz anecdotes. Instead, Mr Cumming uses the voice his success has given him to talk about something that happens at all levels of society and show us all that victims shouldn't be ashamed.
Now, back to the books.
08 May 2016
An Audience with Brian Blessed
I nearly called this post 'A Quiet Night in with Brian Blessed'. Ha! Who am I kidding? For a start, I don't think I've ever finished a book in one evening, and for a finish, I doubt Mr Blessed has ever been quiet in his life!
Last week, I was distracted by 'Absolute Pandemonium', Brian Blessed's latest autobiography. I was looking for something entertaining, read the first few pages and was hooked.
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| 'Absolute Pandemonium' by Brian Blessed & James Hogg (2015, Sidgwick & Jackson) |
'Absolute Pandemonium' is an energetic romp through Mr Blessed's life, full of love and passion and deftly linking more subjects than you can vigorously shake a stick at. From his childhood and school days in South Yorkshire, to boxing and acting, Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, the tribulations of falling in love, 'Z Cars', 'Star Wars', the return of Hong Kong to China, death and, of course, 'Flash Gordon', every chapter brings a fresh avalanche of stories that entertain from beginning to end. Far from the standard celebrity biography, this is a book built on themes and anecdotes that lifts the spirits with an infectious lust for life.
As you can probably already tell, I really enjoyed 'Absolute Pandemonium'. Near the start, Mr Blessed encourages readers to imagine he is in the room telling them his story, so they should hear his voice in their head while reading. As if I could do anything else! The writing style is colloquial enough to be personal without becoming unreadable and adds to the energy of the text itself. It really does feel like you have an audience with one of our most idiosyncratic national treasures!
Mr Blessed has lived a wide and varied life (so far, although I don't think hitting 80 will stop him!) and I was pleasantly surprised by the range of stories in 'Absolute Pandemonium'. When I started reading, I never expected to hear about Katherine Hepburn, for example. Equally, I never thought I'd find myself enjoying reading about boxing, so hats off to Mr Blessed for that! This wondrous variety does mean that I think many people will find much to enjoy in this book.
Although I loved the style, however, it may not suit everyone. Mr Blessed's passion can manifest in choice vocabulary that some may find offensive, but he makes clear from the introduction what kind of book you hold in your hands. Let's face it, if you find yourself po-faced at the Everest-poo story that introduces the book, then you might want to try something else.
Overall, I would heartily recommend 'Absolute Pandemonium'. It's full of bounce and go and you really do feel like you've spent time with the author by the time you reach the end. It was almost exhausting, but what a ride.
Now, back to Poldark!
07 May 2016
Ginger Noted
I have a confession to make. It's hard to say it, but you had to know some time. Now, please, try not to judge me. I'm hoping you won't, I mean, after all you're lovely, book-reading types, aren't you, you wouldn't get all judgy on me now, after nearly six years, would you? Oh no, I'm babbling now. OK, well, here goes.
I'm a redhead.
Yes, folks, I'm a redhead. Titian gold. Carrot-topped. Ginger. A Pre-Raphaelite stunner! And that's why 'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' by Jacky Colliss Harvey recently caught my eye.
'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' is... erm... all about redheads. It covers the subject from a range of angles, drawing on science, history, art, fashion, advertising and more to try and make sense of the stereotypes and attitudes attached to the small but noticeable percentage of the world's population with hair of a red or orange tint. Why are redheaded men and redheaded women seen differently? Is red hair really becoming scarcer? And what the heck are all those redheads doing in Breda each year?
I was really excited about this book. To be honest, I've never really taken much notice of my hair colour (well, you don't really if you've got your nose stuck in a book), although others with the colouring have always stood out for me in popular culture (think Elizabeth I, Satine in 'Moulin Rouge' and Elizabeth Siddal in John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia' to name just three.) I hoped that this book would provide some insight into what it means to be a redhead.
Well, it does and it doesn't. On the one hand, it has clearly been very well researched, so draws on everything from recent medical studies of links between hair colour and pain tolerance or certain illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease, to historical references to redheads in Greek and Roman texts. On the other, for some reason, hardly any of the information seemed to stick or be funnelled down to the personal level.
While the book is highly readable, it does feel detached and like an A Level essay. It starts with the genetic origins of the hair colour and keeps going until the present (skipping most of the 1700s, perhaps because not much was happening on Planet Redhead). I think this may be part of the problem. Perhaps the book would've worked better if grouped by themes rather than chronology, allowing the author to cherry pick the most interesting information and set the pace herself rather than having it set for her. The issue of prejudice against redheads comes up a number of times, an issue she clearly cares about, but the topic feels shoehorned in. A different structure might've allowed her some room to manoeuvre, as well as translate her wonderful research into something individuals can relate to more easily.
The amount of research by the author shows that she has a real passion for the subject, but somehow I felt that it was lost in the published text, possibly because of the time-based structure. My favourite sections drew on her personal experience, for example, when she visited the redhead festival in Breda, Holland, or talked about attitudes towards her related to her hair colour. Unfortunately, there weren't many of these sections. This made everything feel more abstract and separate, like the book was ABOUT redheads rather than FOR redheads.
On the whole, this book was a bit disappointing, not just for me as an interested reader, but because it's clear a lot of work has gone into it and it didn't quite work, for me at least ('Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' received excellent reviews when it first came out.). I'd really like to see something on the same subject that has more of a factoid-based structure, so that I find myself thinking "That's interesting." every other page. Unfortunately, 'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' isn't it.
I'm a redhead.
Yes, folks, I'm a redhead. Titian gold. Carrot-topped. Ginger. A Pre-Raphaelite stunner! And that's why 'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' by Jacky Colliss Harvey recently caught my eye.
'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' is... erm... all about redheads. It covers the subject from a range of angles, drawing on science, history, art, fashion, advertising and more to try and make sense of the stereotypes and attitudes attached to the small but noticeable percentage of the world's population with hair of a red or orange tint. Why are redheaded men and redheaded women seen differently? Is red hair really becoming scarcer? And what the heck are all those redheads doing in Breda each year?
I was really excited about this book. To be honest, I've never really taken much notice of my hair colour (well, you don't really if you've got your nose stuck in a book), although others with the colouring have always stood out for me in popular culture (think Elizabeth I, Satine in 'Moulin Rouge' and Elizabeth Siddal in John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia' to name just three.) I hoped that this book would provide some insight into what it means to be a redhead.
Well, it does and it doesn't. On the one hand, it has clearly been very well researched, so draws on everything from recent medical studies of links between hair colour and pain tolerance or certain illnesses, such as Parkinson's disease, to historical references to redheads in Greek and Roman texts. On the other, for some reason, hardly any of the information seemed to stick or be funnelled down to the personal level.
While the book is highly readable, it does feel detached and like an A Level essay. It starts with the genetic origins of the hair colour and keeps going until the present (skipping most of the 1700s, perhaps because not much was happening on Planet Redhead). I think this may be part of the problem. Perhaps the book would've worked better if grouped by themes rather than chronology, allowing the author to cherry pick the most interesting information and set the pace herself rather than having it set for her. The issue of prejudice against redheads comes up a number of times, an issue she clearly cares about, but the topic feels shoehorned in. A different structure might've allowed her some room to manoeuvre, as well as translate her wonderful research into something individuals can relate to more easily.
The amount of research by the author shows that she has a real passion for the subject, but somehow I felt that it was lost in the published text, possibly because of the time-based structure. My favourite sections drew on her personal experience, for example, when she visited the redhead festival in Breda, Holland, or talked about attitudes towards her related to her hair colour. Unfortunately, there weren't many of these sections. This made everything feel more abstract and separate, like the book was ABOUT redheads rather than FOR redheads.
On the whole, this book was a bit disappointing, not just for me as an interested reader, but because it's clear a lot of work has gone into it and it didn't quite work, for me at least ('Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' received excellent reviews when it first came out.). I'd really like to see something on the same subject that has more of a factoid-based structure, so that I find myself thinking "That's interesting." every other page. Unfortunately, 'Red: A Natural History of the Redhead' isn't it.
Carmilla Cameleon
Like most normal people, the minute the days start getting sunnier and warmer, I get an incredible yearning to read horror novels. As such, I recently read 'Carmilla' by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, one of the unholy trio of classic 19th century vampire novels in my collection. (The others are Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' (1897) and Dr John Polidori's sideswipe at Lord Byron, 'The Vampyre' (1819).)
Published in 1872, 'Carmilla' is the story of a young aristocrat named Laura and the mysterious Carmilla. Living in a remote castle with her father and two governesses, Laura feels the bite of her isolation keenly and longs for more contact with those of her own age. Her prayers seem to have been answered when her father offers refuge to a young woman, Carmilla, involved in a dramatic carriage accident nearby. But the dream soon becomes a nightmare as Carmilla proves an idiosyncratic house guest, prone to passions and melancholies and unexplained nocturnal absences...
As you know, I often struggle with 'classic' books and, even though I hate to admit it, my blood often runs cold when I think about reading them. 'Carmilla' surprised me because I found it highly readable, a page turner even, and I really wanted to keep reading it right until the end.
The classic vampire is an aristocratic male, so I was curious about a story with a female revenant. It's interesting that whether villain or villainess the overall structure of the vampire tale and a number of traditional features are pretty much the same. For example, when Carmilla is at her most obsessive about Laura, there is a definite sexual energy and her femininity and animal magnetism save her on a number of occasions. She's also charming, aristocratic and able to appear in animal form. There are predictive dreams, mysterious deaths, a historic back story and an expert in vampires who helps sort everything out. Basically, there's everything you'd expect.
Overall, I'd say that this book is worth a read, although, like any vampire tale, it's teeth are probably blunter because variations on the story have stolen its originality over the past 150 years ago. As well as the female vampire, I think it is Laura who makes the difference. Her honesty, naivety and vulnerability made it hard not to root for her and hope things turn out well. It's a compliment to the writer that I didn't think her a sap!
In many ways, Carmilla's changeable personality made me think of the complexities of growing up and being a teen, so perhaps this is something teenaged readers might relate to in particular.
'Carmilla' is ripe for a new TV adaptation. We've seen Dracula and other vampires revived so many times on screen, it would be interesting to see what the female of the species has been up to all this time. The New Year slot seems to have become the home of gothic dramas, so perhaps 'Carmilla' will turn up there in a few years time. One thing I am sure of - she's far from dead and gone.
Published in 1872, 'Carmilla' is the story of a young aristocrat named Laura and the mysterious Carmilla. Living in a remote castle with her father and two governesses, Laura feels the bite of her isolation keenly and longs for more contact with those of her own age. Her prayers seem to have been answered when her father offers refuge to a young woman, Carmilla, involved in a dramatic carriage accident nearby. But the dream soon becomes a nightmare as Carmilla proves an idiosyncratic house guest, prone to passions and melancholies and unexplained nocturnal absences...
As you know, I often struggle with 'classic' books and, even though I hate to admit it, my blood often runs cold when I think about reading them. 'Carmilla' surprised me because I found it highly readable, a page turner even, and I really wanted to keep reading it right until the end.
The classic vampire is an aristocratic male, so I was curious about a story with a female revenant. It's interesting that whether villain or villainess the overall structure of the vampire tale and a number of traditional features are pretty much the same. For example, when Carmilla is at her most obsessive about Laura, there is a definite sexual energy and her femininity and animal magnetism save her on a number of occasions. She's also charming, aristocratic and able to appear in animal form. There are predictive dreams, mysterious deaths, a historic back story and an expert in vampires who helps sort everything out. Basically, there's everything you'd expect.
Overall, I'd say that this book is worth a read, although, like any vampire tale, it's teeth are probably blunter because variations on the story have stolen its originality over the past 150 years ago. As well as the female vampire, I think it is Laura who makes the difference. Her honesty, naivety and vulnerability made it hard not to root for her and hope things turn out well. It's a compliment to the writer that I didn't think her a sap!
In many ways, Carmilla's changeable personality made me think of the complexities of growing up and being a teen, so perhaps this is something teenaged readers might relate to in particular.
'Carmilla' is ripe for a new TV adaptation. We've seen Dracula and other vampires revived so many times on screen, it would be interesting to see what the female of the species has been up to all this time. The New Year slot seems to have become the home of gothic dramas, so perhaps 'Carmilla' will turn up there in a few years time. One thing I am sure of - she's far from dead and gone.
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