Just Finished Reading: We Are What We Read – A Life Within and Without Books by Vybarr Cregan-Reid (FP: 2024) [271pp] 

After reading and enjoying a previous book by this author (on RUNNING indeed!) I snapped this up on a recent visit to my local Indie bookshop. The plus factor, I would’ve picked it up anyway, was the fact that it was on books and the importance of reading for personal growth. It turned out to be much more than that. 

Essentially the book was divided into three streams which met up, mixed and then separated throughout the text. The main thrust, as you might expect, was about books themselves and how reading them changes us in positive ways. The author pointed to several studies were reading serious (or ‘proper’) literature actually increased a person's empathy, not just at the time, not just for a short time afterwards, but (apparently) permanently by rewiring the brain itself. Presumably “Literature” was used, rather than ‘just’ standard novels because the tests would’ve been performed on Uni students and by educated and professional scientists who wouldn’t ‘stoop’ to using trashy novels that the rest of us read? [I think this is the only, very minor, irritation I had with the whole book – the emphasis on ‘literary’ novels rather than ‘popular’ (and, by implication, trash) ones. 

The vehicle used to showcase the power of books and reading, and their capacity to induce change, was the author’s own lived experience. Much like me, although he COULD read, he showed very little interest in reading until quite late in life. With me it was around the age of 14. With the author it was much later – in his 20’s - but it happened in much the same way. One day a friend (who worked at a publishing house) dropped a book in his lap and advised him to read it. Which he did – eventually – and it completely blew his mind. After that he was (again eventually) reading everything that author had produced, then similar things, then other things and on.... Eventually someone suggested he go to Uni and STUDY literature which, eventually he did, followed by a MA and a PhD and then a teaching job. 

The third, and probably least interesting, theme in the book was the LONG war by the UK government on the Humanities in general and English in particular because, supposedly, such studies are not ‘useful’ or ‘practical’. It always used to both annoy and amuse me whenever I was home that my mother would ask what I was doing my latest degree ‘for’, as if everything had to be work related or have immediate/practical application. Of course, Education in its broadest sense is MUCH more than that – and doubly so with the Humanities or English. 

Although this wasn’t QUITE what I was expecting – especially the author struggling with being a gay teenager in Britain in the 1980’s during the AIDS epidemic/panic - I still enjoyed it a great deal. It did twinge my deeply entrenched belief that I am nowhere near ‘well-read’ (whatever THAT means) a few times and prompt me to dig into my Classics pile looking for books he recommended, but I forgave him for that. Overall, this is a very personal ‘love-letter’ to books and reading as well as a plea for its continued place for study in the University. Recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: What Matters in Jane Austen? – Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullan (FP: 2012)

Yes, yet another book I picked up in the 3 for 2 (actually buy 1 get one half price) deal in my local Waterstone’s book shop. But honestly, how could I not buy this? After all I am a huge Austen fan and have red four out of her six novels so far. I still wonder what she could have produced as she matured rather than being cut down at a ridiculous age. But anyway, I digress as always.

Here, renowned book critic and expert on all things Austen looks at her works and asks 20 apparently simple questions about her work. Each question teases out various aspects of her work and the author uses all six books plus her unpublished last novel and personal letters to friends and family, as well as reflections on the age which brought her works to prominence, to both deepen and widen the discussion and to discover exactly what Austen meant in her work. Some of his speculation and analysis came as a surprise – often of delight – as he teased out hidden meanings, in jokes, hidden critique of social convention and the subversion of form most of which had initially (on my first reading of her books to date) gone completely over my head. Not surprisingly I have been tempted to re-read P&P, Persuasion and Emma again so I can ‘see’ for myself his loving analysis of the text. Funnily I couldn’t help thinking that my avoiding of much Lit Crit to date and my historic avoidance of English Lit at school (I just wanted to read books rather than have them ruined by too much explanation) was misguided at least. The author brought out themes and ideas that had not crossed my mind – until now that is! I think that my reading of Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park will be quite a different process than her previous 4. I fully expect that, after reading this book, I shall be reading Austen with enhanced pleasure rather than reduced please through over-analysis – at least I do hope so!

But the questions, what are they? How much does age matter? [Lots], Do Sisters Sleep Together? [a cheeky one, this one with some interesting asides on the lesbian question…..], What Do Characters Call Each Other? [an interesting discussion on protocol and the importance of names in showing relationships – both existing and would-be], How Do Jane Austen’s Characters Look? [Starting with the fact that both Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley where seriously miscast as the heroines of two recent film adaptations the author discusses just how little we know about Austen’s characters looks], Who Dies in the Course of Her Novels? [just two people apparently…. This was one of my favourite chapters in this book – despite its rather morbid subject – with a fascinating discussion of mortality in Jane Austen’s real world and how it translated into her works], Why Is It Risky to Go to the Seaside? [deeply humorous here as the debate rages between the health giving aspects and potential moral degeneration associated with the sea], Why Is the Weather Important? [one word – randomness], So We Ever See the Lower Classes? [apparently much more than I thought: though I’m not totally convinced by his argument], Which Important Characters Never Speak in the Novels? [several, all for interesting reasons], What Games Do Characters Play? [my second favourite chapter as it explains why certain games are played in her books and what they signified. Seemingly a game of cards is not just a game of cards], Is There Any Sex in Jane Austen? [surprisingly – yes.], What Do Chracters Say When the Heroine Is Not There? [a fascinating chapter which gets to the heart of Austen’s sometimes deeply subversive style], How Much Money Is Enough? [a central theme in Austen most especially to women], Why Do Her Plots Rely on Blunders? [let me count the ways…. A gem of a chapter this one], What Do Characters Read? [funny this – especially when fictional characters read fiction in books including some that Austen herself had read], Are Ill People Really to Blame for Their Illnesses? [illness, both real and imagined, pervades much of Austen’s work which is understandable when you consider just how dangerous being ill really was then], What Makes Characters Blush? [a delightful chapter drawing on Austen revealing her characters inner emotions – often open to misinterpretation by others], What Are the Right and Wrong Ways to Propose Marriage? [another surprising chapter with answers I certainly did not expect], When Does Jane Austen Speak Directly to the Reader? [well, this came as a bit of a shock as I hadn’t realised she did so much – and so well so as not to disturb the narrative] and finally How Experimental a Novelist Is Jane Austen? [very, it would seem!]

If you’re an Austen fan or are someone who wonders what all the fuss is about then this is most definitely the book for you. I for one will be looking at her work in a different light from now on and even might break my unofficial rule of never re-reading a book (through lack of time). Maybe P&P could do with a revisit armed with my new insights? It’s a thought…..          

Just Finished Reading: The Autobiography of Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley (FP: 1965)

This was yet another of those books picked up on impulse in a second hand bookshop somewhere only to languish on my shelves for year after year until (more often than not) decades has passed. Why I picked this particular book all of those years ago I no longer have any idea. I suppose that, just like now, I felt the need to read famous – or in this case infamous – books in order to eventually fulfil my idea of being well-read. It seems like a good an excuse as any.

Well, finally I got around to reading it in good part because the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Black Panthers has not long past us by. I understand that Malcolm X influenced that foundation – although exactly how I’m unsure at present – so it seemed like a good place to start. I did actually start reading this with some trepidation. It is, as you can imagine, rather out of my comfort zone despite being politically radical even today. My knowledge of Black politics, Black activism, the Civil Rights movement and even something as fundamental as Racism is limited to the kind of thing you pick up whilst reading about or watching something else. I knew of the existence of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam and his radically different stand on Black politics in contrast to the other great icon of Black Rights – Martin Luther King – but almost nothing of the details of his life or his struggle. I know much more now.

I had heard that this book was essentially racist and I can see why people would say that. An obvious example of that is the countless use of the ‘N’ word (which I won’t use) which to be honest took a lot of getting used to. I was several hundred pages in before I stopped winching every time Malcolm X used the word or told tales of others using it. I can also see why people would call Malcolm himself racist as, almost throughout the entirety of the book, he consistently called the white people he came into contact with ‘devils’. Knowing more about his personal and family history I can understand why he came to that opinion. With a dead Father, institutionalised Mother and siblings scattered across the State (all seemingly the result of the actions of whites) I’m not at all surprised he thought that.

Malcolm’s slide into crime (gambling, drugs, and robbery) was told at length and did start to become tedious after a while. Likewise his redemption in prison prompted by his brother who had come across the teachings of a Muslim guru and subsequent conversion into and activities of The Nation of Islam went on far longer than necessary to get his point across. There were interesting snippets along the way, just enough to keep me going forward, but it was honestly a slog at times to turn the next page. Then, quite close to the end, it got interesting. Indeed very interesting. Malcolm X went to Mecca on a pilgrimage and came back a very changed man.

I most definitely wouldn’t call myself any kind of expert on Islam but, throughout most of the book, I thought the Malcolm X’s knowledge of that religion seemed ‘off’ in some way. He relied in most things on the words and interpretation of his guru and his reading of (largely I think) American books around the subject and on Black History. It was only when, as a celebrity, he went on the pilgrimage that he was introduced to actual Islam unmediated by a guru that he began to see the distortions he had taking as ‘gospel’. But the biggest revelation was how he was treated in Arabia and Africa by people of all races (indeed he reflected on how well he was treated ‘even by white people’ in Europe). It was the start of a process of epiphany where he realised that the treatment of the Black population in America was much less of a race issue as a particularly American cultural issue. That was not to say that racism didn’t exist outside America but that it was on a different order of things within the borders of the US. Repeatedly Malcolm X expressed his shock at being treated as just another human being (despite being black) by many people he met on his travels and more shockingly (despite being black) treated with respect by some of the world’s leaders – and not just those who could get something from him and not just those who happened to be born into dark skin. From those days Malcolm X began to change his mind about things, change his ideas, change his plans and to become very, very dangerous to those who could previously label him as a dangerous (but foolhardy and delusional) minority Black leader. With his new found, and developing, maturity and especially with the ear of non-aligned and Third World leaders Malcolm X became, for the first time, potentially destabilising on a truly Global stage. It came as little surprise that, not long after realising that much of what he has previously thought was indeed wrong that he was assassinated in 1965 just before this book was published. I couldn’t help but think what might have happened if he had living and had been allowed to put his maturing ideas in print to allow their spread not only within the US but across the world. I think there’s a distinct possibility that the world of race relations could have been very different indeed.

For a modern white liberal audience this is not an easy book to read. It was written in an arguably much more racist time and it shows. Reading it more than 50 years after the events and thousands of miles away on the other side of the Atlantic with almost no experience of racism to call on I often found it bizarre and surreal. This did not help its readability. But I do think it’s worth the effort if only for the last 100 pages in which Malcolm X examined his own prejudices and found them wanting – so changed his mind! I don’t think many people could do that so completely and so publically and I was honestly impressed by his search for the truth no matter where it led and no matter how much intellectual pain he needed to bare to get him there. Impressive if you can make it to the end.

The Evolution of My Reading (Part 1) – A Meme stolen from abookolive on YouTube

Although the YouTube meme was (at least primarily) aimed @ Olive herself I thought that quite a few of the questions could’ve easily have been aimed at me. Therefore, this post! So….

When did you get into reading?

Oddly, as related here several times, I didn’t really get into reading until my early teens. Only half-jokingly I related this to the cumulative effects on the brain of puberty. I’m convinced that I ‘woke up’ and needed brain food BADLY!  

Was it something you always liked since school or did your love of book develop over the years?

Although I COULD read prior to school and, no doubt, read what I needed to in order to get through my lessons I never really read for pleasure throughout school. Being essentially from a working class background and going through standard State education there wasn’t a HUGE emphasis on reading for fun as very little was expected of us as a group.

Have you always been a voracious reader?

My reading gained a fair amount of rocket fuel from around 14. With very few breaks since then I have tended to reading anything I could, whenever I could and for as long as I could without burning my own eyes out.

Who/What influenced your interest in reading?

I think it was two main people. The first was my English teacher who obviously saw something in me that cried out to be fed with books. Even though I was in my early teens she leant me her award copy of ‘1984’ by George Orwell. Now, what possessed her to lend a kid like me a book like that is difficult to comprehend but it did make me think about things a lot and may well have started my political development as well as my literary one. The second person was a friend of my brothers. I remember clearly that I was sitting at home probably looking bored when he arrived to visit my older brother. He had a paperback in his hand and said that he’d just finished it, thought it was pretty good and thought I might like it. It was a rather dog-eared copy of ‘Triplanetary’ by E E ‘Doc’ Smith. It contained a heavy dose of PURE rocket fuel that completely lit up my mind like it was on drugs. I have never looked back from that day…   

What was the first favourite book or series you remember?

From my early reading? Probably ‘The Lensman Series’ by E E Smith!

What are some of your favourite books as a child?

One that totally blew me away as a youngster was a single volume of ‘Lord of the Rings’ I was TOTALLY transfixed by it – much to the amusement of my family.

Did you like non-fiction when you were a kid?

Not really, no. What non-fiction I did read was probably for school projects.

What’s your favourite childhood reading memory?

Honestly, and rather strangely, I don’t really have any!

Where you ever not a reader/had a major reading slump? How did you get out of it?

Well, as previously stated I didn’t read very much at all before age 14, the other big gap (rather ironically) was during my student years @ University. Again reading was for studying, not for fun. I have had the odd flat period where I felt uninterested in books but that either passed naturally or I helped it along with a book (or two) that I knew from experience I’d enjoy.

How did you get into non-fiction reading?

After my initial introduction to SF I began reading the genre pretty exclusively. With all the mention of space flight, various exotic machines and much else besides I started accumulating many (fictionalised) ideas about the much larger universe. Being the curious person I am naturally I wanted to know more. As my science knowledge baseline was rather low back then I started reading general introductions to various science subjects and built up from there. A lot of my very early science reading was based around non-fiction by Isaac Asimov. A little later I started reading a lot of military history books and it started expanding from there. Must like the universe itself my non-fiction reading scope is still expanding in all directions.

What was the first non-fiction book you remember that cemented your love for the genre?

I can’t remember any specific book but if it exists it was probably written by Asimov!

How has your reading evolved as you’ve gotten older?

Very much so. When I started out I was reading fiction exclusively and science fiction almost exclusively – mostly the classic texts which is why very few of them have appeared on this Blog as I read most of them decades ago. After a while I started reading crime novels, classics, historical novels and so on. Then I added more and more non-fiction in more and more subject areas. Today I probably read around 75% non-fiction. When I started I read around 95% fiction.

How do you think reading has shaped you as an individual?

Immeasurably. Without reading the thousands of books I’ve ‘consumed’, ‘met’ the people who inhabited my mind (however briefly), or ‘been’ the places and times I’ve visited (however briefly) I think that I would be a very different and much diminished person.

What does reading mean to you in your life?

Probably not everything – but pretty close!

What’s one of your life long reading goals?

To read every book I own before I die – which means I’m going to have to discover a way to become immortal….. To the BOOKS!

Just Finished Reading: Proust and The Squid – The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf (FP: 2007) [229pp]

I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read. It seems that I have always been reading signs, papers and books. Reading, to me, is as automatic as breathing. But weirdly there was a time when no one could read across the entire globe because reading, as a process, did not exist. Why? Because, not that long ago – in the grand scheme of things – there was nothing written that could be read. There was language but nothing written down – that had to be invented and then taught to others. It was a long and hard process and even had some early opponents who thought, rightly as it turned out, that the process of writing and reading would change things forever and would even change those exposed to it. Writing and reading would, hard as it is to believe at first glance, not only change the way people thought and remembered but literally change the structure of the human brain.

This fascinating book essentially had three streams starting with the various origins of writing in the ancient world and how some prospered while others fell into disuse and how writing (and reading) spread across the ancient world to aid commerce and record keeping. I did actually find it interesting that, like the invention of e-mail and Instant Messaging much later this official communication very quickly became much more personal with commentaries, love notes and graffiti quickly becoming as pervasive as book keeping and legal codes.

Teaching people to read turned out to be really hard and required intense effort both to teach and to learn that skill. This is one reason why early readers were so rare and so prized. It turns out that while we are ‘designed’ from birth to be talkers we are not ‘designed’ to be readers. That skill needs to be bolted on very much as an afterthought as it was not something that evolution made us ready for. In order for the brain to be able to read quickly enough for it to be of any use it needs to rewire itself in multiple ways. As in other realms one of the best ways to figure out who something works is to study when it doesn’t. Hence the in-depth investigation into reading ‘disorders’ gives a great deal of insight into how normally functioning brains learn to read text quickly and accurately to fully process the information it contains. As many people have discovered, both teachers and pupils, this is not always an easy path to follow and is one that takes years of concerted effort before it becomes, or at least seems, to be completely effortless.

Being a lifelong reader (or almost at any rate) I found this book to be completely captivating. Not only is the origin of writing fascinating in its own case I found myself most drawn in by the process of how brains teach themselves to read and I couldn’t help but relate it to my own childhood as well as watching other people struggle with the process. I remember my ‘a-ha’ moments when things suddenly made sense and that almost physical feeling of things falling into place and, of course, the joy of countless reading moments over the years that non-readers never experience. If you are a reader anything like me you will get a great deal from this book. Imagining how your own brain was re-wired from the inside by your own actions with the aid of parents and teachers who taught you to read is both weird and strangely satisfying. Definitely recommended. I shall be looking for her follow up book in 2021.  

Just Finished Reading: Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell (FP: 2008)

England in the Year 1413 and Nicholas Hook has just failed to commit murder. Luckily for him his skill as an archer is more in demand than his body hanging from the end of a rope. But when he tries to save a heretics life he goes too far and is forced to run to France to join a company of archers who are unaware of his past. Stationed in the French city of Soissons he becomes one of the few who survive the fall of the city. Fleeing with a French nun he manages to return to the English lines only to be inducted into the great army of Henry V who is the rightful King of England and France – not that a great number of the French would agree with him. When the siege of Harfleur takes much longer than expected and dysentery thins the armies ranks the King decides to make for safe ground in Calais. Checked every step of the way by superior French forces the river Somme is finally crossed and Calais only days away. But the French have blocked the road and offer battle near a small settlement known as Azincourt, soon to become known across all Christendom as a place where arrows flew and the nobility of France fell.

Many of my readers will know that I am a serious fan of Bernard Cornwell. Indeed I think that this is the 25^th novel of his I’ve read. Richard Sharpe, the hero of the Sharpe series of books based in the Napoleonic wars of the 19^th century, is one of my all-time favourite characters. Likewise I have greatly enjoyed Cornwell’s Grail series (which takes place at the beginning of the Hundred Years war) and the Warlord Chronicles series based around the legend of King Arthur. I was rather surprised therefore that I didn’t enjoy Azincourt anywhere as much as I’d expected. Part of it was the main character Nick Hook was more than a little formulaic in my opinion. The way he picked up the French nun Melisande had too many echoes of both the experience of Thomas Hookton and Sharpe himself. The threat from both external and internal enemies I found more than a little predictable and it did feel at times that the author was going through a checklist of literary devices to produce what felt like a modular novel. I don’t know, maybe reading 10 books based in the same period (even if that lasted 1000 years) was just too much and I had become bored by the whole thing. Maybe I was just in a phase of my reading when I was a bit too critical rather than simply relaxing into the story and let it carry me along. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky. Maybe I’ve just read too much. But whatever it was this novel felt like it had been phoned in and lacked the usual Cornwell sparkle I have come to know and trust. It is certainly the first Cornwell book that, when I closed the covers, I didn’t have a smile on my face. Not that this has put me off reading more of his work in the future. One reasonable book after 24 excellent ones certainly won’t stop me being a huge fan of his work.

This was the last book in the group of Medieval novels I had challenged myself to read. Next up, after my usual random interlude, will be 10 books with a Vampire theme. That’ll definitely be a bit different! 

Just Finished Reading: Aphorisms on Love and Hate by Fredrich Nietzsche (FP: 1878) [55pp] 

Reading the way I do, it’s hard to avoid Nietzsche. I’ve certainly come across him numerous times in my Philosophy reading and have read several books about his ideas. I only studied him more intently during my Masters degree course some years ago where we focused on his 1887 work ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’. It was funny when, as we were about to start the seminar that the Head of Studies popped in and said that she was always wary of teaching Nietzsche to undergraduates because of its explosive nature. I understand her trepidation. I described reading his work as like breathing pure oxygen. 

Reading Nietzsche is, however, far from easy. He’s not a philosopher you can skim read or casually dip into. He’s the kind of thinker that requires a paragraph or more to unpack a single sentence. It’s almost as if he has compressed, zipped, his ideas inside the words he uses and some effort – and sometimes a great deal of effort – is required to unfold them into ideas your brain can process. I guess it's like the difference between eating simple carbohydrates which the body can easily convert to useful energy compared to complex proteins that take time and effort to absorb but provide vital elements that the body needs. Fortunately, the course tutor was excellent – and probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever known – so he managed to get his point across without completely frying our brains. This certainly helped with reading this slim volume. 

Containing extracts from Human, All Too Human (published in 1878), this covered a fairly wide area – not just Love and Hate – to do with ideas like Good and Evil, Suffering, Pity, Morality, Revenge, Justice and much else besides. Being typically Nietzschean the booklet positively drips with often razor sharp one liner’s. Here’s a few examples: 

Most men are much too concerned with themselves to be malicious. 

There will be but few people who, when at a loss for topics of conversation, will not reveal the most secret affairs of their friends. 

It is much more agreeable to offend and later ask forgiveness than to be offended and grant forgiveness.  

The best friend will probably get the best wife, because a good marriage is based on a talent for friendship. 

This was a fun little read and a reminder (as if I needed one) to get back into reading Philosophy again. I have (I think) most of Nietzsche’s works on my (mostly) Philosophy bookshelf so there’s no excuse. Expect one or two next year. Part of the Penguin Little Black Classics series. 

Translated from the German by Marion Faber and Stephen Lehmann. 

Just Finished Reading: Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (FP: 2014)

They called it the Georgian Flu because it seemed to appear on the world stage at the edge of Russia. At first it seemed like just another wave of seasonal flu passing over the world but it wasn’t. But at least it was far away, another countries, another continents problem. Until the plane arrived and, hours later, passengers started showing up sick at the local hospital. Within 24 hours they knew just how bad it would be. Warning calls went out to friends, families, colleagues: Get somewhere safe, get enough food, and stay away from EVERYONE. Too late, far too late. For most of those who got sick the prognosis was pretty clear – death within 48-72 hours. For the lucky few they had something else to deal with – a world without electricity, without cell phones, without Google, where a cut or a bad tooth could kill you as easily as a looters bullet. The survivors emerged into an empty world of small communities and travelling players – relaying news and bringing music and, most importantly, Shakespeare and a feeling of almost normality. Kirsten was there the night it happened, the night movie star Arthur Leander died on stage. Twenty years later she is on stage again playing different roles in a very different world. Much has been lost, much can never be replaced, but much has been retained, saved, cherished. The human story is far from over because mere survival has never been sufficient.

I don’t know how I managed to miss (or possibly why I avoided) this novel for so long. I have a vague memory of picking it up when it came out and just as quickly putting it back down again. But after hearing the glowing reviews and reading some of my Blog Buddies comments I felt I had to finally take the plunge. I’m so glad I did. I’ve read some pretty good novels this year but I think I can confidently put this at the head of the pack. Not only is it a compellingly told story it is a dozen compelling told stories. I think the thing that impressed me most about this very impressive novel – and apart from just how beautifully it was written in liquid prose – was how the narrative circled back on itself shuttling between the ‘now’ of today, the ‘future’ after the pandemic has passed and the ‘past’ of characters back stories which all together weave the narrative picture. Even objects – like Kirsten’s comic books and glass globe – get this treatment as we follow them through time and space to explain how they got there and what they meant to different people along the way. I think this is one of those very rare books that you could read repeatedly and still get things from it. It is also one of those rare books that I would recommend (or even give a copy of) to almost anyone. Despite the fact that the genre if most definitely Science-Fiction this novel most definitely transcends that genre into something more universal. It is simply a great novel – period. I honestly loved it and everything about it. I don’t think that I could find a single thing I didn’t like about it. I was deeply impressed by the characterisation (always so important for me) and thought that the author really understood each and every one of them. None of their personalities seemed ‘off’ or contrived to move the narrative forward. Things just seemed real. Very highly recommended. I’ll most definitely be reading everything she has and will produce. A total gem.   

Just Finished Reading: How to Stage a Military Coup – From Planning to Execution by David Hebditch and Ken Connor (FP: 2009)

When I saw this on Amazon I honestly burst out laughing. I laughed even more when I discovered that it was neither a work of fiction nor a comedy. Written by a documentary film maker and an ex-serving member of the SAS this is actually a stage by stage exploration of military coups from around the world over the past 50 years or so (with the occasional deep history visit to the early 20th century) looking at what went wrong and, more importantly, what want right for each of them. Lessons are then learned and important aspects of each from each point in the process are noted for future reference. Not too surprisingly a copy of this very book was found amongst the belongings of a would-be coup leader on the brink of overthrowing an African dictator. As the authors gleefully pointed out the would-be military leader missed several important messages in the book which would have prevented their coup being discovered and foiled before it got off the ground.

Of course part of the fun of reading a book like this in public (well, at work in my case) in the funny looks you get from people. I had something similar some years ago when I read a book about European counter-terrorism called ‘Shoot the Women First’ on the train on my way into work. But I do enjoy the opportunity to add to my ‘reputation’. No doubt I’m on a watch list somewhere (again). But actually, although this book is about military coups and looks at some of them in considerable depth, the title is something of a misnomer. A more accurate title would have been ‘How NOT to Stage a Military Coup’ as the book spends a great deal of time showing how mistakes either during the planning or execution phase of the coup ended up getting people thrown into prison or shot for their trouble. Naturally lessons are learned from other people’s mistakes but only in a more general sense. Ideas for planning a successful coup are more hinted at than laid out for anyone to try out next time they fall out with the government of the day. If you wanted (or want) to learn how to overthrow your government you’d need to do a lot more reading than this! Luckily there’s a few good books mentioned in the notes section for anyone who fancies it to do some more background reading.

Generally I liked the style of the book very much. Knowledgeable and detailed with more than a hint of sarcasm and sometimes rather dark humour it was often a delight to read. Just about the only thing that irritated me throughout the book was the fact that each section – on the road from planning to execution – was prefaced by a short fictional account of a military coup in England. I actually think the odds of something like that happening are so long that it makes winning the lottery look like a dead cert. Unless something had gone very wrong with this country I doubt very much indeed if any significant numbers of military personnel would even consider overthrowing the government. It’s just silly. I think probably the only case of it ever happening here is at the end of the Civil War in the 17th century and calling it a coup might be stretching the point a bit. But even with this niggle (actually the fiction bits were rather well done!) this was still a fascinating read and will lead to more books on this and similar subjects – the Iranian coup which installed the Shah fostered by both the British and the Americans looks definitely worth more investigation. But if you are planning a coup in the near future you could do worse than start here. It’ll definitely point out some possible pitfalls you might then avoid before you end up in front of a firing squad. But if you are serious – keep on reading once you’ve turned he last page. One book on any subject is generally not enough – especially when your life might depend on it.

Just Finished Reading: Carpe Diem Regained – The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day by Roman Krznaric (FP: 2017) [236pp] 

I’ve heard it said that spontaneity has its time and place. In a way the author would agree. In a rather counterintuitive move, he proposes that we can (or should) schedule in a recuring place where we have the opportunity to ‘seize the day’ and be more open to the unplanned moments in life. Today, with the all too pervasive “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO), we tend to try to cram in as much of life as possible – by rigidly planning every moment of our waking lives. We are, in effect, attempting to seize our days by removing that essential quality that allows us to do just that. Rather than just ‘doing it’ we, instead, just ‘plan it’. No wonder so many people are increasingly frustrated and confused. With so much on offer to so many the idea of NOT having anything planned is anathema. Paradoxically this attitude reduces the possibility of carping that diem and sometimes eliminating it entirely. This is the thing that the author argues against most in this intriguing little book.  

Of course, it's easy to say that we should seize our (limited in number) days. If only things were that easy! The author readily recognises that we are not all free to do so. Some of those things stopping us can be, and he maintains should be, overcome. Our fears of failure, of public ridicule, of ‘standing out’, of being seen as odd or different, can be overcome. Other things are more difficult – responsibilities for example. It’s easy to say that we should capre when we don’t have children, or a mortgage to pay off or sick relatives to care for. It’s even easier to seize the day when you have some disposable income or time to do so. Many people simply don’t have the luxury. But even this shouldn’t stop you completely. Carpe Diem doesn’t simply mean dropping everything on a whim to spend the next year learning to surf in California. It means being open to possibilities, to be able to recognise that opportunity when it arises and being willing to seize that opportunity if you can do so. It’s not about living irresponsibly it’s about giving yourself the room to be you, to know what you want, to carve out some territory where you can be you.  

I’ve never really been a planner – at least not until I joined a planning team at work and had to plan for a day job. But I’ve never been particularly spontaneous either. I kind of relied on friends to be spontaneous on my behalf. They’d have crazy ideas and my part of the equation was deciding if I wanted to be involved in the scheme or not. On my crazier days I’d say yes – the author quite rightly says that we shouldn’t simply say ‘yes’ to EVERY opportunity that comes our way – and we’d have an adventure. On other days I’d say no and they’d go off and do stuff without me (often in a mildly confused state as to why I wouldn’t jump off something or whatever they’d decided to do with the day). To be honest the ‘Carpe Diem’ mindset is hard. It’s not just that it’s been hijacked by a ‘just plan it’ or ‘just buy it’ mentality (we all know how easy it is to think we’re being spontaneous by ‘impulse’ buying something we don’t need – or actually want – with money we don’t really have). To be aware of opportunities to take advantage of we first need to be generally aware of what’s going on around us rather than starring at our phones wishing we had other people’s lives. Then we need to courage to take the leap – however small – as well as the courage to stick with something or to let it go later. Too much Carpe can easily lead to disaster, too little to stagnation and boredom. This was an interesting read. I’m not totally convinced that the author made a strong enough case but he certainly gave me things, ideas and strategies to think about. A ‘sprinkle’ of carpe diem should, I think, be part of all of our lives. Reading this book might encourage you to add that sprinkle or maybe just to add a bit more. Recommended.      

Just Finished Reading: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (FP: 1908) [312pp] 

It was a summer friendship that changed his life. On a whim, Mole had left his newly painted burrow to explore and had bumped into Rat who invited him in for tea. Days later, after boating on the river, picnics and small adventures Mole wondered where the time had gone. The weeks flew by without a thought of home and before he knew it winter had arrived. Off to explore as Rat snoozed in front of the fire, he found himself alone and frightened in the Wild Wood. Strange noises surrounded him and he shivered from more than the cold. Even when Rat arrived to bring him back the adventure was far from over. Only Badger could help, if they could find his burrow in all the snow around them. Then there was Toad (of Toad Hall no less). A friend that could not be ignored, a friend very much in need – of guidance, of help and of a tap on the head to knock some sense into him. 

As I’ve mentioned several times, I hardly read a thing as a child so missed out on many (actually pretty much all) of the standard Children’s Classics. So, I decided some years back – as I was reading multiple Classics anyway – that I’d add a few of the missed early reads into my rotation. These often go for very reasonable prices so the ‘risk’ of disappointment is minimal. What I have found, much to my surprise, is that many of the children's Classics are very readable indeed even to this cynical reasonably well-read late adult. This book was no exception. 

I had at least some idea of what I was letting myself in for here. I knew this was about animals and was, probably, aimed at a rather younger readership. What I did find was that not only is this a well written book (indeed I was impressed at the suspected reading age of the text which contained some words many would need to look up – fortunately I’ve read many books of the era so was largely covered!) I found it both sweet and often quite funny. The theme throughout was the power of friendship and the moral/ethical obligations that friends have to each other. The teaching, clear as it was, never really hit you over the head but I can imagine especially the younger readers taking a lot from this book at a subconscious level. There are many teachable moments throughout the book – and not just about Toad’s outrageous behaviour – and I can see how the incidents portrayed would spark conversations during bedtime reading or throughout the following days. 

The only ‘problem’ I had with the book – maybe because of too much imagination or too little – was when humans and animals interacted. In particular when Toad dressed as a washerwoman and people/humans around him took him as such. So, was Toad (and by extension the other animals) Human sized at all times? That did seem like taking imagination just too far for me – or am I just overthinking things? Probably... Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable, sweet, relaxing read. I’m not sure how it would ‘go down’ with a modern child but it might be a fun bedtime read to someone 8 or under (maybe). Recommended if you missed it the first time!  

Just Finished Reading: Why We Sleep – The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (FP: 2017)

I must admit that sleeping is one of my favourite pastimes. I must also admit that, too often, I don’t do it enough. Of course in that fact I’m far from alone. Seemingly most people in the West don’t sleep anywhere like enough and when they do sleep they tend to sleep badly. Most people, myself included, have just gotten used to being tired most of the time and use things like caffeine to get through the day. But it wasn’t always this way. Before electricity people generally went to bed soon after the sun went down and got up when the sun reappeared. For millennia we were asleep in the dark and awake in the light. Then came the incandescent bulb – and nothing has been the same.

But that’s OK, right? A bit of tiredness is a small price to pay for a modern life with light at the touch of a button, access to a 24 hour culture and an alarm clock to get us up in the morning and an expresso to get us over the post lunch slump. It’s all good really….. But unfortunately it isn’t. Studies show that lack of sleep leads to an earlier death, mental health issues, and an increased risk of accidents to mention just the highlights. Study after study has shown that having at least 7 or even better 8 hours asleep not only makes you far more awake during the day but saves societies potentially billions of pounds/dollars a year in productivity increases and health benefits. But how do we respond to this: with ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ bravado and working longer hours than the already overworking boss to ‘show willing’. None of which helps either the individual or the bottom line. The author, a professor of Neuroscience and an expert on sleep, wants to change this state of affairs and puts a great deal of effort throughout the book pointing out empirical studies that show the damage done by lack of sleep especially in children and teenagers who still possess brains that have yet to be fully formed. Sleep is not a luxury not is it something you can catch up on at weekends and holidays. The benefits of 7-8 hours’ sleep each and every night are numerous – both physical and mental. From stress relief, improved memory, an improved immune system, weight loss and a whole host of other things sleep improves just about everything.

Personally, I usually get about 6 1/2hrs most week days and around 8hrs at weekends and holidays. Lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been going to bed slightly later so had been averaging 6hrs and sometimes less. After reading this book and understanding the risks/damage I am probably doing to myself I’ve starting pushing things back to 7hrs again. I’m still like the ‘Walking Dead’ in the morning but I do seem to be waking up faster and in a clearer mental state than without that extra 30-60 minutes in the sack. Long ago I stopped drinking anything with caffeine after 5-6pm (apparently in takes 10-12 hours for caffeine to completely clear the body) and I don’t look at ‘blue’ screens – iPads, phones etc – at all so that probably helps. Most nights (except Sunday’s typically) I can get off in around 15-20 minutes without much issue. I don’t remember waking up much in the night and I haven’t had a proper nightmare for years (apparently gaming helps there!). So in many ways I’m very lucky. I’ve never taken a sleeping pill in my life – and after reading this book never intend to – except some herbal remedies that might or might not work. I have bouts of ‘insomnia’ that can be irritating but it’s nowhere near as bad as the stories in this book (harrowing some of them!). Generally I’m just one of the lucky ones.

Although a little repetitive in places – the author comes at his simple message of *sleep more* from 20-30 different directions - this is an interesting and useful book. There’s lots of thought-provoking information here but it’s not primarily a book to give you clues or tips for a good night. Its primary focus is on the science of sleep, its evolution and its function. That accounts for well over half of the book. Most of the rest is the critical appraisal of how dysfunctional western society is from a sleep perspective. Only the final few sections look at what we can personally regarding our own lack of sleep issues. I did take issue with some of his advice – which I though was too tech heavy – but overall I was impressed. Definitely recommended for anyone with sleep issues – or those without too! Next up in Human Biology – Migraines: luckily something I haven’t suffered from in years and don’t miss one little bit.

Just Finished Reading: Confronting the Classics by Mary Beard (FP: 2013)

To date I’ve had precious little contact with the Greek and Roman classics. For one thing such works where not exactly the staple of a working class ‘comprehensive’ education. For another they’ve always had the reputation of being difficult, elitist and, to be honest, irrelevant in the 21st Century. I’ve dabbled with Marcus Aurelius, Cicero and Lucretius but that’s about it (at least cover to cover reading) and dipped into Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics during my last University course but, at least so far, that’s as far as it goes. OK it’s probably a lot more than the average non-Public School person but still it’s pretty pitiful. I have probably another 30-40 such classics scattered around in various piles that I fully intend to pick up at some point. This excellent volume – basically a collection of some of the author’s many reviews – has definitely increased the odds that I’ll actually do this. It will also definitely make me look at what I’ll be reading in new and (hopefully) interesting ways.

One of the many things that made me laugh whilst reading this book (who would have thought that discussions of ancient Greek literature could be laugh out loud funny?) was the idea that the more readable the translation of the Greek original the less accurate it was likely to be – especially regarding Thucydides who apparently didn’t say his much quoted comment about the abuse of power (or at least not in the catchy way it’s remembered and often use – including by me). When I read him – and other Greek authors in future – I’ll keep that in mind.

Of course the surprising thing is that so much of ancient literature survived to be read in the 21st Century. Amusingly the author regards the examples we do have as the classical equivalent of random waste paper baskets from random office buildings. Some Greek poets left behind less than 20 lines of their work. How, she says, are we supposed to understand their work or their lives from such findings? It’s a good question. How much do we really know about this period? Not as much as we think we do it seems!

This was another of those books I picked up in my local (chain) bookstore because it was something different and something that existed on the edges of my knowledge. Reading Aristotle at University impressed me quite a bit with his modern approach – which I now appreciate probably said much more about the translator rather than the man himself – and I look forward to reading him again in the future (despite the fact that his classic books are suspected to be nothing more than lecture notes rather than books intended for publication). I’m also looking forward to reading Julius Cesare’s epic retelling (and propaganda piece) about his conquest of Gaul as well as Xenophon’s tale of his armies retreat across the Persian Empire. So much history, philosophy and politics to take it and so many significant works of literature…. Where to start……? But if you want to get a good flavour of classical literature (and Asterix!) this is a great place to start. Recommended.    

Just Finished Reading: The X-Files - Goblins by Charles Grant (FP: 1995)

At first it seemed like a simple mugging. Certainly nothing to bother the FBI about. Purely a case for local law enforcement. But when a witness comes forward to say that the wall came alive and killed him some people start to take notice – especially Special Agent Fox Mulder. But it doesn’t help that he’s under internal investigation and that the very existence of the X-Files section is in jeopardy. However, when a US Senator become involved Mulder and ever capable, ever sceptical assistant investigator Dana Scully are sent to find out exactly when is happening in the small town. When the bodies start piling up and a nearby military base becomes the focus of their interest more than solving a simple crime is at stake. Local urban legends of Goblins capable of vanishing into thin air and striking from anywhere become all too real. A secret government project, illegal human experimentation, cover up, murder and an adversary that can disappear faster than you can blink. Mulder hasn’t had this much fun in ages….

Yet another book that’s been on my shelves for years and only brought out as part of the 2015 Reading Challenge. I enjoyed the X-Files (at least to begin with) and not just because of the lovely sceptic Dana Scully. No, The X-Files was just delicious conspiratorial fun, until it got fat too self-referential, convoluted and just plain boring. Anyway, the volume had nothing (much) to do with the over-arching alien conspiracy the show got mired in and was (pun intended) much more down to Earth. It was classic X-Files territory. A small town plagued by an inexplicable series of crimes which had more than a hint of covert conspiracy and secret government involvement. This element I thought was well done and there were definitely moments of a real creep factor. It took me a little while to ease into both the Mulder and Scully characters because at first, at least, they didn’t seem quite ‘right’. I can’t really put my finger on it but something about them clashed with my memory of the series. I soon got over that and just enjoyed the ride. Despite, or maybe because, my low expectations I actually rather enjoyed this book. There was plenty of drama, pretty good characterisation, a decent story with some pretty decent bad guys and a nicely ambiguous ending (as always in the show!). Reasonable.

[2015 Reading Challenge: A book based on or turned into a TV show – COMPLETE (21/50)]

Just Finished Reading: Why Marx Was Right by Terry Eagleton (FP: 2011)

I still chuckle over the fact that one of my lecturers in University commonly referred to me as ‘comrade’ in his seminars. After he’d said it a few times I challenged him on why he was calling me that. “Well”, he said, “You’re a Communist aren’t you?” at which point I laughed – a lot. I am most definitely Left of centre (or for my American readers *Far* Left – LOL) and readily refer to myself as a Socialist. Part of my reading over the past few years, including this volume, was to test that assertion by reading Left leaning texts and gauging my level of agreement (or otherwise). So far my reading has hardly caused a ripple of disturbance in my political viewpoint. I am still happy with the Socialist label. I am not, however, a Marxist (or indeed a Communist).

I freely admit that I have not read any of Marx’s works and am only aware of his ideas through books like this one and, naturally, the incessant anti-Marxist rhetoric from most Western leaders throughout the Cold War and beyond. I first really studied his thought in school during my 2 year Sociology A level. After that I could confidently analyse just about any subject from a Marxist perspective and indeed, during my University years, publically challenged visiting lecturers on their Marxist perspectives on issues of the day. Yes, I was *that* student. I’m starting to see why some people had a certain political view of me……

Naturally being of the Left I have an interest in, a sympathy for and an admiration of Marx and his work. Despite not being a follower of Marx I am somewhat of a fan. Marx was one of the most diamond sharp critics of Capitalism and, despite rumours to the contrary, still is. As this book rightly points out – as long as Capitalism exists there will be Marxism to critique it. The death of Marxism (post-Soviet Union) has been greatly and, mostly successfully, exaggerated. Addressing the most common myths of Marxism – the first being that it is safely dead – the author steadily goes through the list and does a very good job of debunking each in turn. Interestingly I did find some of my views of Marxism challenged by this book and, it seems, my ideas on the subject seem to be at least tinged with Western propaganda. I’ll see how this stands up to scrutiny in upcoming books on Marxism.
Generally I found myself nodding along as the author laid out the case for a living breathing Marxism in the 21st century. But a few things did leave me sceptical if not outright incredulous. Now we all know that Marx thought the Revolution would happen in one of the two most advanced Capitalist countries of his time – England or Germany. He never imagined that it could happen in a backward place like Russia and would have heaped scorn on the idea that the final stages of Communism could emerge in either a single country or in a predominantly agricultural one. The Russian ‘experiment’, the author maintains, failed (in Marxist terms) because the preconditions for Revolution either did not exist or where so poor that dictatorship was pretty much inevitable. That I can just appreciate. What I have a much more difficult time with was the assertion that the Bolshevik Revolution was almost bloodless. You could probably get away with this statement if, and only if, you restricted the ‘revolution’ to a few days in St Petersburg. The initial ‘coup’, the seizure of political power, was indeed almost bloodless but the Revolution that grew out of it (even putting aside the years of subsequent Civil War) was anything but. The actions taken to protect the revolution and to prevent the anticipated counter-revolution drenched the country in blood. The excuse that the Bolshevik’s where only protecting themselves against enemies both foreign and domestic who were dedicated to destroying them is a poor excuse for the levels of barbarity we are now unfortunately all too familiar with.

It is very arguable that the Russian Revolution was in essence a perversion of Marxist thought and, from that point of view, should never have happened or should not have been able to sustain itself for so long. The fact that it did has, I think, done a great deal of damage to Marxist thought. This I think is a great pity. Marxism is still, even after so long after its inception, a serious and quite possibly devastating critique of the Capitalist worldview. I may still not call myself a Marxist but I am more than happy to think of myself as an admirer. Recommended for anyone who wanted to know more about Marx but was afraid to ask – plus for anyone wanting to frighten anyone who sees you reading this in public.

Just Finished Reading: The Weather Detective – Rediscovering Nature’s Secret Signs by Peter Wohlleben (FP: 2012) [161pp] 

We Brits LOVE talking about, thinking about and complaining about the weather. Anyone who has lived here for any length of time can appreciate why: because we have SO much of it. Experiencing all four seasons in a single day hardly deserves a comment, while moving just a few miles in any direction can feel like climatic time travel. Just today I heard a radio announcer say that people are wearing flip-flops in the Southeast and flippers in Scotland where some areas had two weeks' worth of usual October rain in just 8 hours. So, you can probably imagine how much I was looking forward to reading this slim volume – the only problem is that it wasn’t really about the weather. 

Although I wouldn’t classify the title or the blurb as 100% misleading, I think it was the high 80’s. The author did indeed mention the weather (and indeed climate) reasonable often and even, as per the blur/title, showed how observing nature can inform us (or at least indicate) as to what the weather is doing, about to do, or has recent done. But the overwhelming majority of this book is about a different subject entirely – gardening! Now, I’ll be the very first to admit that I am not a natural gardener. My idea of gardening is generally cutting back the growth enough to see my back fence and stopping any of my plants annoying the neighbours – the less said about me dropping a small tree I had just cut down into my rather shocked neighbours' garden the better here! 

So, did I hate this book? Surprisingly, no I didn’t. For one thing I really liked the author's style. It felt as if I was a young kid who had almost unthinkingly offered to help my Grandpa on his allotment and, as we wandered around the plot, weeding here and digging there, he and his friend's discussed nature, climate change, local animals, birds and insects and, yes, the weather. It was a very ‘chatty’ and honestly lovely to read kind of book – just not on the subject I was hoping for. So, this is definitely not a bad book. If you’re interested in gardening – specifically in Northern Europe – and like hearing advice from people who certainly know what they’re talking about this could definitely be the book for you. It’s a cosy, warm hearted, chatty, pleasant read that will leave you feeling somewhat more informed and just a little bit closer to nature. Recommended – especially for the gardeners out there!    

Translated from the German by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp 

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Just Finished Reading: The Mighty Dead – Why Homer Matters by Adam Nicolson (FP: 2014) [251pp]

This was, as you might expect, an impulse buy. Although I know of (as does just about everyone in the West) the existence of the Illiad and the Odyssey I’ve never read either (although I have of late been dipping into an old – 1950 – translation of the Illiad) and the closest I’ve come to them so far is a few modern interpretations and the epic movie Troy which I honestly enjoyed a great deal. I’d heard that Homer might not be an actual person who wrote these iconic tales of western cannon but that he was, possibly, either a composite of several writers, a generic term for those who told the tales (prior to them finally being written down) or even the name of the first person to translate them from the spoken word to the written text. The author goes over each of these theories and shows on multiple occasions and in multiple ways just how far back in time – literally to the days before History – the tales go, teasing out individual word use, descriptions of weapons and armour and so on to show that the tale existed LONG before the age that finally immortalised it. But that was just the beginning.

I won’t even try to precis this book but will, instead, look at some of the themes the author covered. Naturally both tales are central to the books overall narrative but many questions need to be asked (apart from where they came from and did the Trojan War actually happen for real). When the Illiad is considered the first question that needs to be raised is ‘Which Illiad?’ Not only have there been, over the centuries since it was first written down, many, many translations of varying quality but there are multiple versions of the original text dating back far into antiquity. The Librarian’s at Alexandria tried to produce an ‘authorised’ version but were not wholly successful. Then there’s the question of just how it was possible to remember and ‘sing’ such a long and complex narrative – which naturally leads on to the many quirks and repartitions in the text that allow such a prodigious feat of memory to be achieved.

The thing that jumped out at me most however was not really about the text but about the war itself. Troy was a comparatively minor city – rich as it was – on the edge of an Asian empire. The Greeks, in contrast, were a rabble of squabbling tribes barely out of the Stone Age. Rather than the heroes of the piece, despite thousands of years of propaganda to back their case, they were in fact the bad guys – most literally the barbarians at the gate. That, of course, flips the whole narrative on its head. I wonder if there are books out there telling the siege of Troy as a tragedy from the Trojan point of view?

Coincidentally I have just finished a relatively recent updated narrative about the Trojan War told from the point of view of Patroclus, lover and friend of Achilles. As stated previously I dipped into the 1950 Penguin translation of the Illiad that I’ve had for years/decades and it looks very readable (and is, therefore, probably a rather ‘free’ translation!) so there’s more Homeric texts to come. It almost feels like Fate…. But if you’re a fan of two of the truly great classics of western literature this is definitely the book for you. Starting from an admittedly low base I definitely learnt a lot about the background to the stories and their ongoing importance in the western cannon. Most definitely more to come. Highly recommended.

Awards

Longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2014

Just Finished Reading: Confessions by Saint Augustine [347pp] 

If you have read as widely as I have (or for as long) you couldn’t help but hear about this classic work – in more sense than one – of early Christian text. Like most other such work I had, until recently, no intention of actually reading it. Surprisingly I did, however, find another foundational text The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius more than a little interesting, though mostly because of the quality of its writing and its philosophy. So, why did I choose to read this? Essentially, I discovered that Stephen (over at Reading Freely) was doing a re-read and thought it might be interesting adding myself to any group doing so (it actually ended up with just the two of us) adding an Atheist perspective to the reviews and, presumed, debate. 

So, what did I think? It all started with an age-old philosophical debate on the question “Who was I before I was born?” Which can be a fun debate before you start adding science and what we understand about reproduction – human or otherwise. No conclusions were reached (no surprise there) because what debate could exist was happening in a factual vacuum. It wasn’t long after that we reached the first significant speed bump when the author said: “For it is better for them to find you [God] and leave the question unanswered than to find the answer without finding you.” This goes against my fundamental beliefs and my suspected problem with the text became a confirmed one. 

The text however was scattered throughout by interesting things. One thing I did find interesting was just how LONG it was before Augustine was baptised despite his mother being a Christian. I had presumed (wrongly?) that baptism took place ASAP after birth to ensure the child’s entry to Heaven if, in all too many cases, s/he died in the first weeks/months of life. [Side note: Although both my brother & I were christened as infants I have a distinct memory of my sister WALKING to her christening in her best outfit]. 

Augustine spent a great deal of time talking about his youth and student experiences in Carthage. It sounded pretty normal to me – hanging out with questionable people, having ‘fun’ at others expense, drinking too much, gaming and chasing women. Although I did think that some of his ‘acting out’ was for the attention maybe his parents (and especially his mother) seemed not to have given him. 

At this point I started skimming bits. The CONSTANT praising of God at the beginning and end of every paragraph or section got increasingly tedious very quickly. Even the occasional good metaphor didn’t really help here. 

One thing did surprise me - already in his late 20’s he had been aware that his understanding of things was inadequate and deeply lamented the idea. Yet... he seems to have made only minimal efforts to seek the truths he was looking for. Despite having access to documents from some of the best thinkers of the age – either owning them already or having access to them through friends – he was ‘too busy’ to read them and then debate others with what he had found. That seems a little odd especially when I have been reading everything I could get my hands on for the last 50+ years in that self-same quest. His supposed motivation didn’t really match his actual effort. 

Probably the highlight of the entire book (for me at least) was when he delved into Astrology in order to disprove it. He actually ran quasi-scientific experiments which, with some more effort, may have actually been valid. His comments of outcomes of a slave and a ‘middle-class’ man born very close together and at approximately the same time being VERY different as well as the lives of twin brothers (from the Bible I think but the concept of Twin Studies stands) made me both nod in approval and laugh out loud. If only he used this level of reasoning elsewhere! 

Near the end of the book things got very philosophical with debates about Memory, Language and much else. As an introduction to Greco-Roman ideas, it might be an interesting source document but wasn’t exactly heavy on content. Yet again the author warned against the danger of being TOO inquisitive and wanting to know things – which was both kind of ironic from such a supposed seeker of Truth and kind of what I expected. This was followed by pretty constant verbal self-flagellation about being unworthy. 

Then we were back to philosophy again with a debate of origins of the Universe. Interestingly the questions mused upon still come up today including what happened BEFORE the Universe came into being. It did catch my eye when he talked about ‘pauses’ or God ‘resting’ between creation events – of course being completely unaware of the HUGE time gaps between the Big Bang, the formation of the Earth and the arrival of humans. Pause just doesn’t do it justice. But as the discussion ranged around the ideas of ‘before’ and ‘after’ there followed a LONG (and pointless) discussion about the nature of time itself. As far as I know, Time can only really be fully discussed (if not completely understood) using mathematics WAY above my paygrade. So, MUCH skimming was done here! 

Lastly there was a rather in-depth series of arguments over semantics in the Bible. Not being an English Lit person, I’ve never (fortunately) undertaken a serious course in textual analysis, so I have no clear idea if the debate in Book XII held any water. So, much skimming etc.. 

As you can probably tell by now (I hope!) I was rather less than impressed by this book. If I hadn’t been buddy-reading with Stephen I most probably would’ve DNF’d it around the halfway mark. Overall, I thought it was very light on content and often only borderline interesting. Skimming bit was definitely a necessity. Apart from the Astrology bit (which honestly made me chuckle) the only thing that stuck with me was the fact that Roman civil servants who converted to Christianity – or at least those mentioned in the book – left public service to pursue their new Religion. This brain drain couldn’t have been a good thing for an already failing Western Empire. I think (not having read it yet) this was one of the factors Gibbon cites in his ‘Decline and Fall’ as a cause of that decline. Maybe he was right? So, definitely not a recommended read from me but might appeal to those less cynical and less atheistic than I am. 

Translated from the Latin by R S Pine-Coffin 

Just Finished Reading: The Great Airship by Captain F S Brereton (FP: 1914)

When offered it was a challenge that young engineer Joe Gresson just couldn’t refuse. As German businessman Carl Reitberg sang the praises of a Zeppelin flying overhead Joe stated in the clearest terms that British engineering could build a better, faster and much more luxurious craft. Outraged at the very thought Reitberg demanded proof. Given time, Joe responded, and sufficient funds he himself could build such a craft. With his pride stung as never before Reitberg offered a wager. If Joe could build his airship and sail it safely around the world in the next 8 months he would hand over a considerable sum of money. But if he failed then the airship, in whatever state it was in, would be the property of the German businessman to do with however he decided. Sure of a safe bet the deed was signed and the smug German began counting his winnings.

Little did he know that young Gresson, only 27 years of age, had already developed a revolutionary new material both lighter and much stronger than aircraft aluminium. Along with radical designs for the aircraft itself all Joe needed was an investor. Luckily one was at hand in the shape of his rich uncle recently returned from Canada and in receipt of a considerable fortune due to the sale of a flourishing business empire. Within months the great airship was built and crewed by British naval officers and men sets off across the world. Diverted at the request of the British government to a Balkan city under siege the crew is asked to pick up a spy who has acquired information of vital interest to the Empire. So begins a series of adventures that move across the deserts of Arabia, the heights of the Himalayas and the jungles of Borneo. But as they begin their return journey home to England the German, in fear of losing his bet, makes plans to ensure that the great airship will never reach English shores in one piece!

I discovered this book (and the author) completely by accident whilst searching on Amazon for books on real airships after reading a book of steampunk short stories. As I presently have a hankering for classic ‘Boys Own’ adventure stories – and the copy on offer was very cheap – I thought I’d give it a try. I actually found this book to be delightful in so many ways. Despite a slight tinge of racism here and there it was the innocent enthusiasm which capture my attention. Aimed squarely at teenage boys (what would today no doubt be called the Young Adult demographic) this would I feel have been supremely exciting to the young Middle Class children who had already grown up on ideas of King, Country and Empire. The exuberant writing never really degenerated into farce though keeping in mind the age of the book and the culture it was written in certainly helped to maintain the right mind-set whilst reading it. More than anything else the confidence, optimism and breeziness of the book reminded me quite a lot of Jules Verne. It definitely had that feel to it. Taken in the context it was produced in and the audience it was aimed at this is a lovely nostalgic read from a bygone, simpler and far more naïve time. Reading it with a cynical 21st Century head on will ruin the whole experience as the whole thing will seem laughable in the extreme. But if you want to make the effort to track down a copy you’re going to have to put your cynicism to one side for a few days and read like a child of the early 20th Century who knows nothing of the massacre of the Somme, concentration camps or atomic bombs. Read this book as an innocent would – as a ripping yarn of daring-do and as an adventure just for the fun of it.

Oh, interestingly the cover (the same as pictured above) shows the author as Captain Brereton while the inside cover shows him as a Lt-Colonel. I’m not sure how many editions are between this increase in rank but as he fought in WW1 I’m guessing not all that many. Promotion was fast back then when officers fell as often as the men around them!

Just Finished Reading: Revolution 1989 – The Fall of the Soviet Empire by Victor Sebestyen (FP: 2009)

As I’ve said before about the 1970’s it feel odd reading about historical events you lived through. Even stranger, I feel, is reading about the behind-the-scenes events that very few people knew about at the time. If the West had been aware of this information the events of 1989 would not have been such a huge surprise to say many people and so many so called experts.

Of course Empire’s tend not to fall in a single night (or even a single year) nor do they fall for a single reason. It’s all the more impressive, therefore, that the author (a Hungarian journalist who experienced many of the events first hand and had impressive access to the main players in the decades after the events) could piece together a strong narrative spanning a half-dozen or so countries over a decade or more. It fascinated me to read the reality behind the headlines and the news reports from the time. I remembered the Wall coming down in ’89, I remember Solidarity in Poland, I remember the brief resort to street fighting in Romania to oust the dictator Ceausescu, I remember the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl but I had no idea – until now – how everything fit together and how event piled on event to bring about the collapse of a political entity many people believed would be with us into the foreseeable future. It just goes to show that even experts can be caught unawares by history as it unfolds.

Naturally people blame (or praise) Gorbachev for destroying the Soviet Union. Naturally it really wasn’t that easy or straight forward. The author maintains the Gorby facilitated the end of the USSR by effectively doing nothing. When the Western European members of the Warsaw Pact asked for help – both financial and military – to cope with growing unrest he simply said that Russia would no longer be intervening in ‘local politics’. Without Soviet ‘top cover’ there was little that Poland, East Germany or Czechoslovakia could do to protect their fragile economies or even more brittle political structures from their own people. Once one country open its borders, for example, the others had to respond before they were overwhelmed by a popular revolt. Several nations, Poland and East Germany in particular, seriously considered attempting to crush their own people to prevent things spiralling out of control (and would rather inevitable led to just that outcome) but, for various reasons, hesitated until it was too late. Only the Romanians tried, and failed, to prevent a popular revolution in their own country.

I think the thing that surprised me most, even more than the western spy networks not picking up on any of the events and conversations outlined in this book, was that, for many years, the whole of the Eastern economic system that comprised the Communist world was propped up and supported by massive loans from Western banks! In effect the Cold War lasted as long as it did because the West wanted it to! Of course if the very real alternative was hot (and no doubt radioactive) war then I fully agree with their strategy! If it was a strategy that is. Reading about the disaster that was the Soviet Empire – on many different levels – hasn’t changed my allegiance (if such a word is appropriate) to the political Left. I still very much regard myself as a Socialist and the failures outlined in great detail between these pages didn’t affect that much. The Soviet Empire definitely deserved to fail for a whole host of reasons. Luckily it did so with an incredible lack of violence again much to the surprise of everyone watching and everyone involved. Haunted by memories of 1956 and 1968 the tens of thousands of people who took to the streets to take their respective countries back where brave almost beyond comprehension. This was a gripping narrative about a truly amazing time in European political history. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand why the Soviets fell and what it meant for the world of today.