Just Finished Reading: The Poisoned Island by Lloyd Shepherd (FP: 2013) [386pp] 

London, 1812. With the Solander now returned from its Tahiti expedition there is much rejoicing in the banqueting rooms of the Royal Society. Using the very latest techniques, overseen and enforced by the ship's captain, almost all of the plants recovered from that isle have made it back to England in excellent condition. The botanical bounty on the ship being removed to Kew Gardens to great acclaim is not the only thing that has returned from paradise. The crew has returned with stories of blue skies, warm seas and even warmer embraces from dusky maidens. Some have also returned with infection and wild stories of dead volcanoes, dark happenings and ancient gods. A few, a mere handful, have also returned in the grip of addiction and the means to feed it, at least for a while. Within days of the landing Thames River Police Constable Charles Horton finds himself examining the fresh corpse of a Solander sailor. The cause of death is no mystery but mystery nevertheless abounds. The man's sea chest has been ransacked but nothing taken, the room looks like a hurricane has passed through it and, mystery of mysteries, the man seemed to have been smiling as he died. But Charles Horton has little time to ponder such mysteries before he is presented with another corpse and another link back to the Solander and the island of Tahiti. What happened there deep in the rainforests and what followed these men back from paradise to kill them?  

After reading the previous book in this series I was delighted to discover that there were four books in total. I was also delighted to discover that I was hooked on the second narrative from the very start. Not only is Horton a fantastically interesting character but the world of the early 19th century the author creates is rich, deep and full of wonder. The author conjures a world, and a place in London, on the very edge of modernity with missions of exploration and scientific breakthroughs changing the world and challenging previous certainties seemingly every day. Passing comments to new building projects, new docks, new buildings going up around him as Horton investigates the crimes – a new idea in itself apparently – shows how dynamic things are. The environment of the novel is changing as we proceed through it which is pretty neat and is something at the heart of both novels read so far. On one level this is simply a very good historical crime novel. Left at that it would be a recommended read. But, as with Horton’s previous outing, there is MUCH more going on here. The historical side of things is detailed and gives the novel a real sense of living in a different age. Without any great exposition we learn snippets about the ongoing war in America and with Napoleon, about British exploration and the expansion of her Empire, we learn about the birth pangs of the early police service and the very start of modern police investigative techniques, we are introduced to Botanical ideas that would eventually become one element in the future debate on Evolution and so on. But none of that slows the narrative in any way – indeed it ADDS to the narrative! It’s very, very clever and deeply enjoyable. I couldn’t really fault this at all really except in one very minor way. Charles Horton is lucky enough to have Abigail as his wife. Although we don’t ‘see’ her much within the covers of the novel she’s a bit of a scene stealer whenever she appears. Needless to say, I really enjoyed spending more time in Charles Hortons world. Definitely recommended for all lovers of historical crime novels with a sprinkling of the uncanny.     

Yes! It's REAL... [lol]

Just Finished Reading: This New Noise – The Extraordinary Birth and Troubled Life of the BBC by Charlotte Higgins (FP: 2015) [240pp] 

The BBC was born, originally as a Company before it became a Corporation, in October 1922. Over the subsequent 100 years of its life, it grew from a small and limited reach endeavour to a world class orgainsation much beloved (if often criticised) by millions of its listeners and viewers. Its original remit was threefold – to inform, educate and (lastly) to entertain. But from the very start under the direction of its first head Lord Reith it was determined to give its audience what they should have and not what they wanted or thought they needed. The BBC would not cater to the lowest denominator not pander to popular taste. It would enrich, uplift and enlighten – at least to begin with. After a somewhat shaky, and a typically British ‘muddling through’ approach, the BBC really hit its stride during WW2 (of which more later) reporting on the Blitz and reporting to America, the Empire and Occupied Europe. It was at the centre of the TV revolution after the war ended and, for some considerable time, was the only TV broadcaster in the country. Later, of course, came the increasing commercialisation of the airwaves, both on radio and television, that the BBC struggled with. Along with recurring arguments about its status as an independent entity (dependent on the government to operate as well as being paid for by the controversial licence fee) and a fair few scandals in recent years – all too often self-inflicted – the BBC has, generally, weathered the various storms reasonably well all things considered. As an institution it holds, for many, the same regard and respect that they ascribe to the NHS and even the Royal Family. Britain without the BBC, whilst not unthinkable, would be a very strange place indeed. 

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I certainly learnt a lot, and an interesting lot at that, about the BBC’s early days when, for obvious reasons, people employed by it were essentially flying by the seat of their pants (and knew so) because no one had done anything quite like this before. That, as you might imagine, excited many but worried some, especially those in positions of power and influence. It wasn’t only governments but newspapers, long standing interests and the very bastions of the Establishment who were not sure exactly how to deal with or control this ‘new noise’. The book's subtitle is reflected in the structure of the book with it roughly being split between birth and troubled history. I had hoped for more on the iconic programming that I grew up with and which influenced me (and my generation) so much. There were hints of this throughout the book but I was always left wanting more. I don’t regard this as a fault of this well-written look at the organisation but, rather, the fact that this wasn’t really the book I was looking for on the subject. But saying that, this was an interesting insight into the BBC which clearly recognised, beloved or not, that there have been and continue to be problems at the very heart of things. The BBC is far from perfect but is also far from broken. There are those who would love to see it go, to see it privatised, to see it neutered. I am certainly not averse to seeing it ‘fixed’ as much as possible but personally I don’t want the BBC to be just another media conglomerate that we either ‘consume’ or ignore. The BBC needs to be better than that. An interesting read if you’ve ever wondered what the fuss around the BBC was about. More to come in recognition of ‘Aunties’ 100th birthday this month.  

Maybe the last 20 Questions (for now). 

What’s the worst advice someone has given you? 

It’ll be fine. Just ask her..... 

What keeps you up at night? 

These days? Caffeine. 

Would you rather be forced to dance every time you heard music or be forced to sing along to any song you heard? 

Singing, I guess.... I do hum or whistle a bit anyway so it’s not too much of a change really. 

Would you rather hug a panda or hug a polar bear? 

Difficult. Both are bears and both can get VERY nasty. Maybe a BABY polar bear, if its Mum isn’t around or is cool with the whole thing... 

If you could see into the future, what’s one thing you want to see? 

First (hopefully friendly!) Contact with an alien intelligence. 

How many people have you kissed? 

Less than 50. I haven’t really been keeping count. Always one of my (past) fun activities though. 

What is your very first memory? 

I THINK it was my first day at school aged around 4 1/2 

What do you hate about politicians? 

Oh, I think that’s a WHOLE post. But the shortened version would be lying and never giving a direct answer to a question no matter how many times they’re asked it. 

Do you have any insecurities in your life? 

OK, now THAT’S funny! 

Would you rather be completely insane and know that you are insane or completely insane and believe you are sane? 

I think many people are crazy these days (honestly, I think it helps!) and believe themselves to be sane. To be sane in today’s world would send you crazy unless you were already in denial.  

When you were a kid, what seemed like the best thing about being a grown-up? 

Having money and not having anyone telling you what you can spend it on. It’s one of the GREAT things about being a single adult too. No one saying “You paid HOW much... for THAT!” 

What are you most grateful for? 

Pretty good DNA from my parents – except possibly some things I might have inherited from my mother. Thanks, Mum! 

What took you way too long to figure out? 

That it's completely pointless arguing about personal beliefs. We all have opinions about how the world works and how it's supposed to work. But they are opinions and NOT facts or certainties. Arguing about an opinion is a waste of your time and gets you nowhere except for raised blood pressure.  

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself? 

Being able to see 10 minutes into your own future would be an incredible advantage. The things (and people) you could avoid, the money you could make.... The possibilities are endless. 

Would you rather surf or skateboard? 

Skateboard. I never learnt to swim. 

What are your views on what happens after you die? 

LOTS of things happen after you die. They just don’t involve YOU. 

What do you miss about your childhood? 

The lack of any kind of responsibility, plus low expectations. 

Would you rather there be a perpetual water balloon war going on in your city/town or a perpetual food fight? 

WOW, and I thought these questions couldn’t get crazier..... Water balloons. A city-wide food fight with the number of people going hungry tonight would be beyond obscene. 

If you went into a coma and woke up in the year 2120, what would be the first thing you would want to know? 

Probably how the FUCK we made it to 2120! Plus, how on earth am I still alive at 160.....! 

Would you rather be an average person in the present or a king of a large country 2500 years ago? 

DEFINITELY present day. We are MUCH better off that ANY king 2500 years ago. 

Trying too hard? Or taking it to *Boss* level?

Just Finished Reading: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (FP: 1953) [227pp] 

Montag was a happy man. He had a house full of modern conveniences, he had a wife and a satisfying job he was proud of. What more could anyone want? He was happy, until one night, on the way home from work with the smell of kerosene still clinging to him he saw Clarisse. She almost looked like she was waiting for him whilst looking up at the stars. Their first conversation was surreal but Montag was intrigued and began looking forward to her strange questions and almost childlike ethereal quality. Then, without warning, she disappeared. Missing her questioning, Montag began to notice how empty his life was becoming. His wife barely spoke to him and spent her waking hours either plugged in or entranced by her TV ‘family’. Even his job as a fireman, a vitally important job, became the source of tension with the rest of his crew and especially his boss. Worse, he started wondering. Wondering why they did it. Wondering why they put themselves in harm's way, and for what? Knowledge? The lies of fiction? The so-called pathos of poetry? The plays of Shakespeare? But still, he wondered. Was he missing something? Despite what his boss said, so eloquently, about the uselessness of books was he wrong? Were they all wrong to have turned their back on the written word? It was an itch he needed to scratch and so he took a book and started to read... 

The 1966 movie version, directed by François Truffaut, is one of my favourite movies of all time. But oddly, I had never read the original novel until now. I do have a rather vague memory of trying to read it in my callow youth but ended up DNFing it. On re-reading (or actually completing it this time) I can see why. Apart from a few central set pieces the original movie and book versions are very different. The core ideas are the same – a world without books enforced by the ‘firemen’ whose job it is to ensure the books never rise again – but the worlds in both media are quite dissimilar. The moral decay comes across very clearly in the book with parents who both don’t know and don’t care about their children, with seemingly constant war or threat of war (very reminiscent of 1984 I thought), with juvenile delinquency encouraged and not just tolerated and with TV and (presumably) radio designed purely to keep people both ‘occupied’ and off balance as they drown in noise and flashy graphics. What came across time and again is that people have ceased to care about anything and that they can barely remember what happened last week never mind anytime longer than that. In the middle is Montag, the everyman, wondering why he feels lost and wondering how he can find something to keep him tethered to the world. 

I can see why this is such an iconic book and why it became part of western culture, but I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed reading it much. It was interesting seeing how things changed between page and screen and it was interesting finally reading the classic but it hasn’t really aged all that well despite being prescient in some ways (the fact that Montag’s wife constantly had her air-buds in made me laugh muchly). It is very much a book of its time and is definitely worth a read if for no other reason that it's so iconic but I wasn’t massively impressed overall.      

Just Finished Reading: Burning the Books – A History of Knowledge Under Attack by Richard Ovenden (FP: 2020) [233pp] 

Burning books or the destruction of archives neither started, nor unfortunately ended, with the 1930’s in central Europe. Even recently, in the war in Ukraine, we have witnessed the deliberate targeting of cultural centers and libraries by Russian missiles. This is, as it always was, a well-worn method of attempting to erase a people, a belief or a culture from history. Without records for future generations to discover and appreciate it is that much harder for communities to know their own past. Without historical anchors to bind them it is much more likely that cultures, beliefs or entire peoples become adrift in time. 

From the destruction of the Library of Alexandria (which was actually two libraries and didn’t burn down in a single tragic event) to the religious book burnings during the 30 Years War and the Reformation, from the removal of archives in former colonial outposts – partially through blind bureaucracy and partially to deny former colonies evidence for legal recourse – to artillery strikes on libraries during the breakup of Yugoslavia, to the casual neglect of libraries throughout the world as cash-strapped governments cut funds and cut again on what many see as easily disposable activities. Even today on our nightly news we see those who often do not use libraries attempting to force the removal of books to restrict the dissemination of ideas or narratives they deem inappropriate or inconvenient. The symbolic, at least, burning of books it with us today and quite probably in our own town. 

Of course, being a book lover of many, many years, the very idea of deliberately destroying books and most especially old rare or priceless books – no matter their content – is deeply repugnant to me. If a book holds a belief system I do not subscribe to, if a book contains details or opinions that I do not share, if a book portrays lifestyles or behaviours that are different to mine, I do not expect, advocate or demand their destruction. To my way of thinking that’s like asking me to describe the smell of the number 9 – my mind kind of slides off the idea and just can’t ‘lock on’ to it. But such ideas, sometimes all too successful although thankfully often anything but, are nothing new and are universal. But so is, as the author points out repeatedly, the idea that books, ideas, culture should be preserved for all mankind. Tales of those who fight against book banning or book burning are sprinkled throughout this often-compelling narrative, stories of those who hid sacred Jewish texts during the dark times in Occupied Europe, stories of librarians, firefighters and civilians who braved fire, and exploding shells to rescue priceless historical artifacts from museums and cultural archives as well as publishers who continue publishing such works despite the threat of fines, prison or worse. Definitely an interesting, depressing but also uplifting work (as well as a warning!) for all bibliophiles.   

Her picture looked VERY different on the App.........

Day Trip: Bovington Tank Museum  

So, one of my gamer friends had this week off work. He was wondering if I had any ideas of things to do or places to go. I floated the idea of Bovington Tank Museum. As LONG-time gamers we’ve played various games involving tanks – mostly from WW2 – so it seemed like a good idea to go see some of the real thing. It was around a 2-hour drive from my place but took a bit longer than expected as he hit the last edge of ‘rush hour’ plus the local school run. Once past that though, things speeded up. Finding the place was pretty easy (satnav plus some decent signage) and our first bit of amusement was a badly parked modern APC (armoured personnel carrier) clearly not inside the white lines. We were tempted to leave a snotty message about inconsiderate parking but thought better of it. 

My very first impression was a little disappointing when we walked into the main hall and only saw a handful of vehicles. “Is this IT?” I thought. Thankfully it wasn’t and we spent around 3 hours walking around 3 miles (according to my friends FitBit) around the various halls, watching some video presentations, talking to some very well informed and friendly staff, playing tank recognition (we got around 95% right first time), shopping in the gift shop and from an indoor market stall and, finally, a late lunch before we drove back. 

Naturally we were picking out our favourite tanks from our gaming experiences. My friend has quite an attachment to the Sherman Firefly which is his ‘go to’ tank in Company of Heroes II as well as one I’ve just unlocked in WarThunder. We were both impressed by the variety of tanks the museum held. Not only did they have the WW2 classics from the UK (of course), Germany (ditto) and the US but also some VERY chunky tanks from France and a few from Italy. I think the thing that struck both of us was just how SMALL some of the tanks were and just how BIG others were. What was also interesting (to me anyway!) was how the basic design stayed fundamentally the same – tracks, turret, gun – but how the LOOK of the tanks changed radically over time. Compare the original WW1 tanks or even the WW2 tanks with the more modern Challenger II and you can clearly see the evolution of a fighting vehicles but they are still WORLDS apart. I think I said at some point that a single modern MBT (Main Battle Tank) could destroy a battalion of WW2 tanks with little danger to itself. Really, it’d be zero contest. Part of that is because of the changes in tank survivability (and not just the armour) and a good part is the changes in ammunition (also on display). We were both totally fascinated and had a great day out – plus I bought BOOKS! 

If you’re interested in such things and ever wondered if it was worth the trip – the answer is YES.  

     

It's OCTOBER and that means it's Monster & Horror Month here @ SaLT. So, hold on to your garlic and shotguns, we're going in.... [lol] 

Presumably AIR cooled...? [grin]

Just Finished Reading: This Dark Business – The Secret War Against Napoleon by Tim Clayton (FP: 2018) [356pp] 

Wars are neither fought nor won exclusively on the battlefield. This was as true during the Napoleonic Wars as it is today. Indeed, many of the techniques used throughout the 20th century were invented and used for the first time during the decades long war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France.  

Along with the usual diplomatic maneuvering across Europe to rise allies to the cause and to ensure that they stay in the fight even after early defeats the British government maintained a propaganda war against France – and most especially against Napoleon himself – both at home and abroad. For domestic consumption the UK government financed contributors to magazines and periodicals to write articles and produce political cartoons critical of the French regime and the Revolution that proceeded it. Indeed, the government approved the publication of and often completely financed newspapers to spread that very message – that France was a direct threat and needed to be opposed rigorously and to believe (or act) otherwise was both unpatriotic and dangerous to national security. Needless to say, newspapers and pamphlets who opposed the government were denied publication and their editors or publishers often ended up in court or in prison. If damaging revelations could not be discovered or twisted to fit then fake reports or forged letters would have to suffice and these were often published in both foreign and domestic newspapers to justify actions that the British government had already decided on. But propaganda, no matter how effective, would never be enough – especially in the years when it seemed that Napoleon and his generals were invincible on the battlefield. Something more direct needed to be attempted. 

In 1800 a determined group of men – both old-style Republicans and dyed in the wool Royalists – determined that the only way things would change for the better would be if Napoleon was dead. They determined that they could aid in this by blowing up the dictator with a barrel of gunpowder as he approached the theatre in what is probably the first recorded use of a roadside IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Obviously, it failed as we know from history but it came close, very close, to killing the man who was and would continue to change European history. The plotters had been delivered into France from British warships and had been paid with British gold. A few years later another, much larger, group were similarly infiltrated into France to complete the task, again paid for by Britain. The term ‘assassination’ was to be avoided (however tenuously) but that was the common object everyone had in mind. 

Following both streams in the secret endeavour, the author dives into a great deal of detail (too much in my opinion) on the propaganda side of things with somewhat less time spent on (at least for me) the more interest assassination plans. Both aspects of the secret war involved a LOT of people and I honestly lost track of who people were and skimmed over things a little from time to time both for sanity and for time's sake. If the author had concentrated more of the main players rather diving into the more detailed accounts, I think that the narrative would have flowed both faster and smoother. So, I did find myself struggling through this more than I would’ve liked. Part of that, I’m sure, is that the great majority of the book was completely new to me. I’d honestly never really thought of the political or covert aspects of the Napoleonic Wars until I’d come across the idea in a recent novel based during that period (Clarissa Oakes by Patrick O’Brian). A little stodgy at times but of interest to anyone wanting to know more about the wars progress off the battlefield.  

I had the great pleasure, actually exhilaration, of travelling on one of these beasts between the Italian mainland and Capri. An amazing experience....  

Just Finished Reading: The River of Fire by Patrick Easter (FP: 2012) [367pp] 

The Thames, London 1799. It was obvious to Captain Tom Pascoe of the Marine Police that the grisly discovery was just the start of things. As soon as a local told him that the boat wasn’t local and had probably come from Hastings the word ‘smuggling’ immediately came to mind. Of course, that just prompted even more questions: what exactly where they smuggling, who killed them, was it a deal that had gone wrong, a falling out between thieves or something darker, deeper? Who was the lone figure seen to leave the river near the sunken lugger, was that really a gunshot heard in the night? So many questions and so few answers. But the river was full of questions and Captain Pascoe only had so many men to chase them down. It was only when his boss informed him that an East Indian fleet was approaching that things started to fall into place. With the Pool crammed to overflowing with ships the greatest danger was of fire. If a fire could be started deliberately it would spread quickly from ship to ship and maybe to the harbour buildings themselves. It would be a tragedy to London and a blessing to the French. It might even knock Britain out of the war – unless Pascoe and his crew can find those responsibly before the match was lit. 

This had the makings of a good tale. The tension was certainly there with a deadline (defined by tides and wind), a resolute and deadly enemy, a well-crafted sense of time and place and an obvious talent for storytelling. But.... Despite all of that I still struggled with this otherwise interesting novel. Characterisation was good (if not better than good) if a little two dimensional at times, the story I thought was overly complex at times and, contradicting myself here, a little too simplistic at others. I thought that there were too many characters involved with too many interweaving backstories. These stories tended to slow down the central narrative and ultimately take tension away from the central investigation. As historical backfilling and providing added context and realism they served a purpose but I thought they were used too often and too intrusively. Two of the subplots in particular somewhat irritated me mostly because they were both largely irrelevant to the main story and could easily have been left out without any negative consequences – the separated siblings sub-plot and the love interest sub-plot. The other thing that irritated me, and honestly at times felt like padding although it might have just been the authors relative inexperience (this was his 2nd book), was the way that the story kept circling back to locations or people to nudge the story along a bit. But probably the most annoying aspect of this book was something that has long annoyed me throughout my reading career – when a character knows something vital to the hero’s ‘quest’, and also know of its value (or at least suspect its value) and yet either forgets to tell them till later (and often at a dramatic moment) or deliberately doesn’t tell them until it's too late because of a bullshit reason. The only purpose of such actions is to slow down the hero and the plot and its bloody obvious why it's happening. That sort of naked plot device just annoys the crap out of me. Saying ALL of that [grin] this wasn’t a bad book per se, it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. Reasonable.     

Now, that was never REALLY going to work, was it?

A-Z Questions – Borrowed from Marianne @ Let’s Read 

A. Attached or Single? 

Single. It’s my default position. 

B. Blue or Black? 

Tricky... My favourite colour is Blue but I like wearing Black. 

C. Cats or Dogs? 

Love cats (had you noticed?) but really like dogs. 

D. Down 10 flights of stairs or Up to 2 flights? 

Don’t mind stairs, although walking down TOO many flights plays a bit with my knees 

E. Email or Snail mail? 

Can’t remember the last time I sent an actual letter. These days I might send 2-3 e-mails most days. At work I used to send/receive a LOT. 

F. Fairytales or Nonfiction? 

Non-fiction. There’re FAR too many fairy tales floating around these days. We need to be grounded in facts, evidence and solid testable theory. 

G. Gain a pound or Gain some money? 

Well, I’m (slowly) gaining weight over time, so..... Money is always useful though...... 

H. Hop on one foot or Jumping jacks? 

Hop on one foot.... Not sure why I’d want to though! 

I. Ice cream or Ice cones (aka snow cone)? 

Either. I was always a sucker for a 99 in my day (that’s a cone of soft ice cream with a cadbury’s flake in it 

J. Juice or Water? 

Juice. I only drink straight water when I really have to. 

K. Kiss a frog or Hug a bear? 

I do like frogs but I don’t think I’d ever kiss one. If the bear was amenable to a hug I’d be happy to oblige 

L. Lose your heart or Lose your mind? 

People would say I’ve already lost my mind. I always liked being in love though, maybe a little TOO much [lol] 

M. Music or Silence? 

Depends on the circumstance and my feelings. I like music playing @ home (Classic FM on the radio presently) and used to have headphones on when I was outside.  

N. Nuts or Chips? 

Both.  

O. Oatmeal or Cereal? 

Cereal. Never got on with oatmeal although we had it as children for some reason. 

P. Pizza or Spaghetti? 

Pizza. Spaghetti is usually too much effort. 

Q. Queen for a day or Quiet for a day? 

FAR too much effort being Queen so quiet it is. 

R. Rain or Sun? 

Sun, or at least sunlight. Not too much though as I burn easily. Plus being British we see enough of rain thanks! 

S. Steak or Salad? 

Salad. I’m a VEGGIE! [grin] 

T. Talk to a stranger for a minute or talk to your enemy for an hour? 

I don’t really have enemies – none living anyway. Plus, strangers tend to talk to ME. Meeting new people and getting to know them was one of THE fun parts of my last job. I met SO many interesting and nice people. 

U. Unicorns or Unicycles? 

DEFINITELY unicorns. Who could POSSIBLY say no to a UNICORN? 

V. Vanilla or Chocolate? 

Vanilla.  

W. Walk or Run? 

Walk. I walk EVERYWHERE. It’s a really great way to get to know a place and, of course, chat to strangers! 

X. Xray vision or Power to fly? 

Flying. I’ve has SO many dreams about flying that it’d be really great to try it for real. 

Y. Yoga or the Gym? 

I tried the Gym for a while. The hardest part about it I found was the boredom. 

Z. Zipper or Velcro 

Definitely a zipper rather than buttons. Too much faff with buttons. Velcro is SO good though – until it gets all fluffy and stops working.