Ready Player One, Ernest Cline

I read this book in a weekend and loved it - it's a proper adventure story, set in a vividly described world which feels just about plausible.

It's about a virtual reality world called OASIS and it's creator, 80's pop-culture obsessed James Halliday. OASIS is a phenomenon in which most people spend almost all their lives, going to school, gaming and socialising in this world. Halliday dies with no heir and hides his fortune as an easter egg in OASIS. The novel follows our protagonist who is trying to find the fortune.

A quote on the cover says Ready Player One is a cross between The Matrix and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - the format also reminded me of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's gripping, funny and just a brilliant idea, the competition is a great format to explore the idea of VR and how it could become intrinsic to our lives.

The protagonist is the usual kids/teen fiction hero; no family, poor and unattractive which is vaguely annoying, but he is well drawn and you absolutely want him to succeed. The novel touches on loads of themes which are relevant to how we live now and the way humanity might be heading. Cline makes you think, but without beating you over the head with ideas. The 80's thing wasn't so exciting for me as I didn't get alot of the references; but Cline engaged me all the same. It's a hugely satisfying story, and very fun.

The Inheritors, William Golding

I was surprised by this novel, it's one my Dad gave me. I didn't make it to the end of The Lord of the Flies, so didn't start this one with high hopes. It turns out to be a really interesting and strangely gripping book.

The Inheritors deals with some of the same themes as Lord of the Flies. For the most part the novel is told from the point of view of Lok, we aren't sure what Lok is; but he seems to be a creature very similar to a neanderthal. We follow Lok as he moves with his family or tribe to their summer home. After a while it becomes apparent that there are some other, hitherto unknown creatures living nearby.

In some places it's quite hard to understand exactly what's going on as the book is told from Lok's perspective and his language and thought process hasn't evolved fully. It's a little like watching a film through fog, you can't be sure of what you're seeing. In spite of that I liked the way it was written, it's an interesting exploration of what early people might have thought and how they lived. It also gives you some room to think about what is happening and the consequences of that, it slows you down.

One thing I found really annoying wasn't Golding's fault, but the publishers. The copy I was reading is my Dad's - so published in 1977. For some bizarre reason in the 70's it was ok to write a review on the back which completely gives away the ending of the book...?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine.. is told from the perspective of Jacob, a sixteen year old boy. His grandfather used to tell amazing stories of a childhood evading monsters and filled with children with incredible powers; the ability to levitate, invisibility and super strength. Jacob grows up idolising his grandfather and believing the stories, until he starts questioning the photographs given as evidence and the possibility of such things. After a family tragedy however he is pushed to investigate his grandfather's stories for himself.

Much of the plot is centered around photographs like the one on the cover. They are photographs Jacob's grandfather shows him to prove his stories, or that Jacob comes across in the process of finding out the truth.  Riggs uses real vintage photos he has collected, and includes them with little or no re-touching. The images are all eerie in some way, and apart from a couple which seem shoe-horned in, complement the story by setting a tone and augmenting the text.

It's a very gripping book; we are drip-fed the truth and encouraged to figure the story out before Jacob does. It's a proper teen-fiction nail-biter and is a good read. It's very cinematic and the descriptions of people and place are vivid and raw. Well worth a read.

The Martian, Andy Weir

I started reading this after my boyfriend raced through it on holiday this summer. The Martian of the title is Mark Watney, who has been left behind on Mars (his crewmates think they saw him die). His challenge is to survive (possibly until the next mission comes to Mars, in around 4 years time) and try to get back to Earth.

It's compelling, Watney is an entertainer and it's his well written sense of humour which makes you keep reading. The novel also moves quickly, essentially only giving us updates when something changes, rather than an in-depth, blow by blow account (though saying that, things change pretty often). The science is in-depth however, you get the lovely impression that Weir set the novel as a puzzle for himself, he relishes fixing unfixable problems and explaining how they were fixed, and why the solution works. This got too in-depth for me at times, a couple of passages went right over my head but I was quite happy to accept what I was being told.

In all it's a brilliant read, my only criticism is that you don't get a sense of the time. Without spoiling anything Mark is on Mars, on his own, for a pretty long time. There isn't really any sense of that time passing, or of the psychological affects or moments of madness that might happen to someone in that time and under that much stress. Watney is written as an american hero, but it might have been a little more interesting if the circumstances had cracked his shell just a little.

I have just started another adventure; Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Wanderlust, Rebecca Solnit

Wanderlust is a history of walking, it is hugely varied, covering pilgrimages, poets and writers, protesters, ordinary hikers, urban wandering, treadmills, walking as art and the theories as to why we stood on two legs in the first place.

I was worried this might be a little heavy going, and at times it felt a little slow; but Solnit has a knack of tying in the everyday and incidental to relate the themes back to the present. There are enough stories to balance out the explanations & theories It is a brilliant book, it explained to me the things I felt about walking but couldn't quite put my finger on, or put into words. Reasons why we walk; for recreation, to see, to think or to travel. What walking does to us, shapes the way we think and the rhythms we think in. As well as the spaces we walk in and how they came about. The book was very centred on an American and British history of walking, it would have been good to open up the conversation to other cultures. Though I'm not sure you could fit the whole world's experience of walking into 300 pages.

There were a couple of chapters I didn't necessarily agree with and I felt she was generalising in some places. In one chapter Solnit was talking of the 'Landed gentry' blocking access to footpaths and rights of way and the poor trying to get access, and I would argue things aren't as clear cut as that. Certainly in my experience it is some ordinary farmers (who certainly aren't rich or 'gentry', though they may be landed) who restrict, block or verbally assault those walking on footpaths. Later there is a whole chapter on the death of walking, centred around the suburbia of America. It seems insane that anyone would suggest people will stop walking, in British suburbia there's usually a pub, corner shop & chippy, people walk to these and walk their dogs, they move to suburbia to be nearer the country and the outside spaces and footpaths it offers; not to be locked up in their houses, as Solnit seems to suggest the Americans do. 

However I concede that both these 'flaws' are down to the differences in my and Solnit's personal experiences, and perhaps in a book charting the history of walking you have to consider the future of it. A brilliantly written and explained chapter on walking as art redeemed the book for me. The ideas behind and reasons for the artworks were beautifully explained and that chapter should be given to anyone who has ever scorned a piece of contemporary art. 

Wanderlust is certainly worth the read, Solnit both informs & provokes conversation, the best sort of a history book. 

The Old Man and His Sons, Heðin Brú

This book caught my eye in a charity shop because of it's beautiful, wood cut-esque cover. The synopsis convinced me, it seemed set in a place I would like spending time in.

The story follows Ketil, a fiery and loveable 70 year old, who gets carried away in the aftermath of a whale hunt and bids for more meat than he can afford. The story examines the difference between Ketil and his sons; Ketil lives from the land. He and his wife fish, spin and knit wool into jumpers and forage for driftwood to get enough money together to pay the bill. It is apparent however that this isn't the way Ketil's sons do things. They work on boats and 'live from the shops' it is this contrast Brú explores. It's refreshing that Brú doesn't romanticise the old way of doing things too much. We get more of the old man's point of view, but flaws and apparent silliness is noted. It is worth saying that the book isn't at all depressing, we feel the weight of the debt but it isn't an unpleasant or uncomfortable read.

Very near the end of the novel I realised that Ketil's wife is never named. In fact none of the women are named, they are referred to as Ketil's wife, the daughter in law, Klavus' wife etc. All the men are named, even the obscure man who walks around spreading rumours. I hope this is because the book is 'a product of it's time' - Heðin Brú lived from 1901 - 1987 - though it still rankles.

The naming of the women shouldn't be held against it; The Old Man and His Sons is a great book, throwing up questions about ways of living in a gorgeous setting and through likeable, vivid characters. 

A Pennine Journey, Alfred Wainwright

Alfred Wrainwright is a bit of an odd-ball; he is opinionated and sour on occasion and sometimes is filled with a complete childish glee. It's pleasure to follow his journey from Settle to Hadrian's Wall and back again. It is such an enjoyable read partly because Wainwright is obviously writing for himself. He tells us that, for him, half the enjoyment of a walking holiday is planing it and looking forward to it, and then looking back, retracing his route and reminiscing. It's clear that the writing of the book sustained him through a winter in his dull home/work routine. It is honest and genuine.

The subtitle of the book is The Story of a Long Walk in 1938. The sense you get of England at that time is extraordinary. At the beginning of the book, in September 1938 the country is preparing for war and awaiting the result of Chamberlain's visit to Germany. The result comes back all clear - no war and everyone is relieved. Wainwright's last paragraph, as he sits down on the train home reads:

"My truancy was over. I was a deserter going back, with a feeling of guilt. But the great thing was that there was not going to be a war. I would not have to be a soldier, which I would have hated. Life would be normal again. I would return to the comfortable rut I had fashioned for myself. Good!"

It's quite odd to read this knowing what we know now. The other strange thing is the way Wainwright finds accommodation each night. He knocks on doors and asks to be taken in. He pays for his food and board, but there are no B&Bs, no signs. There is the occasional inn, but mostly he asks around in a village (often late at night after walking 20 miles or so) for a meal and a bed.

I thoroughly recommend this, it is a curiosity but Wainwright is a brilliant writer. His descriptions, sense of joy and character make it easy to see why his Lakeland books are so treasured.

White Dog Fell from the Sky, Eleanor Morse

There are two protagonists in White Dog Fell from the Sky (three if you're counting the dog). We meet Isaac as he is being pulled out of the bottom of a hearse and dumped in the street. He has been smuggled into Botswana, fleeing apartheid in South Africa. Alice is an American who has moved to Botswana with her husband and isn't living the life she imagined she would.

I loved this, the characters are really well drawn and the storyline could be a realistic portrayal of two lives in '70s Botswana. Taken as a whole it doesn't feel romanticised (though there are scenes which feel that way) and the characters, whilst they seem stereotypical at first, are so full and well crafted they are completely believable. It is powerful, compelling and a really enjoyable read.

The Promise of Happiness, Justin Cartwright

This novel revolves around the Judd family, a middle class british family based London before the parents retired to Cornwall. It opens on the day one of the daughters is released from prison. It deals with family relationships, and how they affect and are affected by individuals trying to carve out a way of life. The book is as much about ways of living, plans, decisions taken and mistakes made as it is about family, as well as the idea of healing or redemption. It flicks between the points of view of all the family members, so we get a pretty well-rounded view of all of them, as well as the disparity between the kids' view of life as in front of them and parents' view of life as lived.

The Promise of Happiness is mainly written in the third person, but Cartwright employs a slightly odd tactic; every now and then there is a paragraph, only a sentence or so, written in first person. This is a clear thought from whichever Judd we are hearing from at that moment, and I can see why it was done. However each time I read one of those sentences it was a bit of a jolt, and pulled me out of the story more than it pulled me in. Other than that I really enjoyed this, it kept me interested and the characters felt well rounded and well drawn, with differing concerns and places in the family. 

I have also just finished White Dog Fell from the Sky by Eleanor Morse; powerful.

A Burnt Out Case, Graham Greene

After reading Brighton Rock and Travels with My Aunt I decided not to read any more of Greene's 'serious' novels, and to stick to his comedies. This was Greene's last chance to prove to me that his literary ones are worth reading. 

A Burnt Out Case follows Querry, a famous architect fleeing from himself and his reputation. He ends up in the jungle at a leper colony run by an catholic missionaries and an atheist doctor. Querry tries to stay there without anyone finding out who he is and what he is running from.

I did enjoy it. There is a little too much discussion on pretty large, abstract themes for me, which slows it down a little. However the story is good, the characters are reasonably engaging and again Greene conveys an excellent sense of place and climate. The plot is slightly absurd and some of the charters are grotesques but just believable. In all I would choose a Greene comedy any day, but wouldn't completely vito another literary one.

The Stories of Eva Luna, Isabel Allende

I love Isabel Allende's work, I can really remember reading 'City of the Beasts' as a child; its vividness and mixing of reality and imagination. The Stories of Eva Luna were not a disappointment, they have the same blend of reality and fairytale and are much more passionate and sensual.

The stories I think are based in Allende's native Chile and seem to come from another time. Outlaws, rebels, illegitimate children and mistresses all feature in stories sometimes domestic and sometimes fantastic. 

I love the short story format as it often encourages authors to leave more up to the reader; we get snippets rather than beginnings, middles and endings. Not so with Allende, her stories read more like fables. We get a full life but told simply, pared down to the essential parts but still poetic and beautifully told. I loved reading them and would definitely recommend. 

Graham Greene's 'A Burnt-Out Case' next.

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton, Elizabeth L. Silver

I really enjoyed this. It is a definite page turner; you don't find out the 'truth' until the very end. It is very well written, and you feel that Silver has a lot of respect for the reader; allowing us to make up our own minds rather than spoon-feeding us a moral outcome.

The story follows Noa P. Singleton, when we meet her she is on death row and her execution date is in six months. Silver reveals the story to us in snippets and from Noa's point of view.

The thing I loved the most about this is the story, when we finally find out the whole of it, is not cut and dry. It is complicated and mixed together with bad decisions, mistakes and bad luck. You get the feeling Silver is making a point; in life there aren't goodies and badies, but situations people react to, one way or another. Silver opens the novel with the line 'In this world you are either good or evil' and then shows us how this is not true, how the world puts is into categories which then makes others' react to or think of us in a certain way and creates a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. The novel is complicated and intelligent, as well as being a gripping read.

A Good Parcel of English Soil, Richard Mabey

I was unsure what I would make of this. I bought it partly because it was a beautiful book and reasonably cheap, but also because I thought it might teach me something, it is an interesting idea for a series of books to be written based on Underground Lines. 

Here Mabey discusses the beginnings of the Metropolitan line; why it was built and what it led to. Much of the book is based on a tension between the city and the countryside and hinges on people living in suburbia and commuting into the City. 

It is certainly an interesting read, and has been very well researched. Mabey talks about the early marketing campaigns for the line and how canny the company running it were. The book is also centred on Mabey's personal experience growing up in 'Metro-land' and on the flora, fauna and wildlife found co-habiting with people. The thoughts translate to any suburban area, the tussle and contradiction found in these areas makes it worth a read.

Next is The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver.

Mort, Terry Pratchett

Mort is everything you'd expect from a Terry Pratchett novel. It's witty, irreverent and fast moving. Pratchett's ideas are just so good! Mort is the name of the protagonist here, who is chosen by death to be his apprentice. Mort learns the trade and makes a small mistake that has quite big consequences and leads to a lot of running around with little time to spare. It is hugely entertaining and is deceptively poignant in places.

Next I am reading A Good Parcel of English Soil: The Metropolitan Line, by Richard Mabey, which is one of the Penguin Underground Lines series. It's a very pretty book and am enjoying it so far, though it's not quite as entertaining as Mort.

Sketcher, Roland Watson-Grant

Sketcher is narrated by Skid, a nine year old boy when we meet him. He has a vivid imagination and a distinctive voice, he plays with words and similes and his personality really shines through the book and colours the events. 

Skid and his family live in a swamp, just south of 'New O'lins' and Skid grows up juggling his imagination, the beliefs of his family & the wish to escape poverty and the swamp. That said it doesn't feel like the book is about any of those things. It feels like its about magic and growing up in a big family. It is one of those stories where you are constantly wondering what to believe, what is the truth and what is imagination, or a way of seeing things. It treads this line really well, I think in the end you can decide what to believe, or be left wondering.

Next up is Mort by Terry Pratchett.

Down to the Sea in Ships, Horatio Clare

I adored this. The critic reviews on the back cover describe the book as 'lyrical' 'heartfelt' 'warm and captivating' and it is. Clare strikes a perfect balance between telling the stories of the people he meets, the contemporary shipping business and the seas as he experiences them; the history of wrecks, oceans and ports he is travelling through; and conveying some of the poetry and feeling of all these things.

I can't recommend Down to the Sea in Ships enough, Clare is insightful, chatty and compelling. He gives a sense of the loneliness and romanticism of the sea as well as the dangers, and archaicness of the trade. The men he meets are portrayed beautifully, you get a sense of the personalities and quirks of each of them and it is interspersed with writing that is almost poetry. The cover is spectacular and it is the same inside.

Next I am reading Sketcher by Roland Watson-Grant, it's a proof copy I picked up when I was working at Waterstones, pretty old by now!

Apologies, Madame Bovary (& Mr Flaubert)

I have given up on Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. It is very slow moving and the characters all seemed very 2D, as if they were sketches not filled in properly. By halfway through not a lot had happened, I didn't mind what happened to any of the characters and couldn't face wading through the second half.

I have swapped to Down to the Sea in Ships by Horatio Clare. So far it is brilliant.

Country Lore and Legends, Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson

I found this, along with five of it's brothers, in a charity shop a week or so ago. They are part of the Penguin English Journeys collection and are beautifully designed. As ever this copy is slightly worse for wear, having been carried round in my bag for a while.

It is certainly interesting to know where stories like King Arthur or legends of witches came from and how they have changed both from place to place and over time. There are some well known stories and some which were new to me; like tales of Gogmagog and Shuck. There are also some very strange stories which are pretty consistent; apparently a few old houses have or had a human skull kept on plain view, which is said to keep the house from harm. Apparently the skull is always of someone who had a strong connection to the house who was wronged or never wanted to leave their home.

I did enjoy Country Lore and Legends, but it turned out to be more describing legends and how they have changed and warped over the years, than actually telling the stories. I would have enjoyed it much more if Simpson and Westwood told a version of the legend first, then described the alterations and different beliefs associated with it later. That said, this text comprises of extracts of Simpson and Westwood's The Lore of the Land, so perhaps it is meant to be a little taster, after which you can buy the more comprehensive version. 

Now reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

The Book of My Lives, Aleksandar Hemon

The Book of My Lives is a collection of autobiographical pieces of journalism, first published here and there over a few years. They have been collected in chronological order and so make up a kind of autobiography, the 'chapters' are concise and punchy as a result.

Hemon grew up in Sarajevo before moving to the USA in 1992, escaping the war by accident almost. The stories are quite philosophical, or have philosophical interludes and cover Sarajevo, Canada, Chicago, family, displacement, home, chess, football and dogs. Whilst reading I had one of those rare moments when you read a sentence and it resonates in a way which freezes everything. Words for something you didn't realise you had no words for. He is a brilliant, thought provoking author, and this is his non-fiction. In the foreword he states that he writes fiction because he can't not, but needs to be cajoled into writing non-fiction; I have high hopes for his fiction.

It is difficult to describe just what Hemon's writing is like - it feels a little like poetry where a few words can pull with them a wave of feeling or atmosphere, but it is much more precise and cutting than that. Take as an example the dedication;

FOR ISABEL,
forever breathing on my chest

Isabel is the subject of the last chapter in the book; The Aquarium. It is unexpected and feels like being punched, then it feels like drowning. Hemon writes of the illness and death of his baby daughter. It is phenomenal that he can write in a way so stripped of sentimentality but full of the pain and blurred clarity. There are thoughtful interludes, as with all of the chapters, making you think the reason Hemon writes is to make sense of things, to order them in his own mind. The Aquarium is the most moving and raw piece of writing I have read.

I'm reading Country Lore and Legends by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson next, it's a small, beautiful book and part of Penguin's English Journeys series.

The Grass is Singing, Doris Lessing

This book begins with a murder, then skips backwards and tells of the events leading up to it. The Grass is Singing is set the '40s and deals with the racial tension in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which was then a British colony. There are a few stories within stories and it's a complex look at prejudices, but also at how our lives and personalities shape our fate. Our protagonist is Mary, who is extremely difficult to sum up. The whole novel is difficult to describe as it's so complex and nuanced, it really thrives on that and is original.

It is sad, and dark, but not exactly depressing. It is atmospheric, descriptions of mental states and sapping heat are evocative and feel real. Lessing really makes you empathise with her characters, none of them are clear cut and none are grotesques. I enjoyed it, definitely worth a read.

I had got halfway through Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle, before I began The Grass is Singing, but then I left it on a plane! Along with my Jemima Puddleduck bookmark, which was worse than losing the book. This time I've started Aleksandar Hemon's The Book of my Lives, which is intelligent and engaging so far. If I manage to hold onto it i'll let you know what I think in a few weeks.