Her Brilliant Career, Rachel Cooke

This was super-interesting, it is factual, an account of 'ten extraordinary women of the fifties'. The women are; Patience Gray, cookery writer; Nancy Spain, writer and personality; Joan Werner Laurie, magazine editor; Sheila Van Damm, rally-car driver and theatre manager; Alison Smithson, architect; Margery Fish, gardener; Muriel Box, director and Betty Box, producer; Jaquetta Hawkes, archaeologist and Rose Helibron, QC. 

 

The occupations, personalities and personal lives of these women are hugely varied. It is obviously interesting figuring out who these people were but the main fascination I found was in 'how things worked out'. My mum likes reading obituaries because she likes to know what people did with their lives,  and that is what is compelling about this book. It is mostly quite sad, the chapter on Nancy Spain, Joan Werner and Sheila Van Damm is heartbreaking but the chapter on Margery Fish I found life affirming. 

There is a book by Daniel Miller called The Comfort of Things which is incredible (I urge you to read it if you have any interest in people). I think it is in the foreword to this where he, or someone else, says that the book reveals 'the sadness of lives and the comfort of things' which is a quote that has stuck with me. Her Brilliant Career reveals the sadness of lives and the comfort of work.

The Pearl, John Steinbeck

This is a beautiful, sad and loaded story. Its a short book, only 95 pages but is heavy and full of feeling. 

The book follows Kino, a pearl fisherman just before and just after he finds a huge pearl: 'Perfect as the moon, the great pearl turned Kino the fisherman into every man's enemy. The dreams he conjured from its shining surface were to bring sorrow and death.'

 

Very short so there's not a great deal to say without giving away the tale - though it is mostly concerned with the contentment of having nothing, the fear and lack of control ignorance causes and the fear of losing wealth.  Definitely read it if you get chance.

I'm now reading Her Brilliant Career by Rachel Cooke - telling the stories of ten inspirational (and little known) women of the fifties. 

The Maze Runner, James Dashner

I read this one for work, its a teen book (soon-to-be film) and dubbed as 'the next Hunger Games'.

A group of boys live in the centre of a maze and are trying to find a way out. Some have been there 2 years, but another boy is delivered (with no memory) each month or so. This is until our man Thomas arrives, who turns out to be the last delivery except for a comatose girl who triggers 'the ending'. The boys are shut in the centre of maze at night to protect them from 'Grievers' who patrol the maze corridors - the descriptions of the Grievers are good, they seem to be part machine and part slug. No-one ever survives a night out in the maze (except of course our man Thomas...)

Its hard to judge teen book I think as most of them are written a) so everything is spelt out for you, nothing is assumed and b) very angsty - usually the protagonist is constantly whining and asking 'why me, I didn't ask to be special and amazing at everything...' (you know you've got a good teen book when it does neither of these things)
SO ignoring the above The Maze Runner is pretty good, original (as far as I know) and has a good amount of peril and intrigue.

Also just finished reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck, which is brilliant.

M.C. Beaton, Death of an Outsider

I read this over the course of a weekend and loved it. It is pure entertainment - soft and cushiony and very enjoyable. The protagonist is Hamish Macbeth, a policeman in Lochdubh - a little village in the highlabds of Scotland. In Death of an Outsider he is filling in for a policeman in neighbouring Cnothan when the most hated man in the village is murdered. It is exactly what you would expect, lots of gossip, an overbearing and brutish superiour, a love interest, descriptions of the Scottish landscape... lovely!

Next is Her Brilliant Career by Rachel Cooke - non-fiction for a change.  

Graham Greene, Travels With My Aunt

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Having read (and not enjoyed) Brighton Rock recently I wasn't sure what to expect from Travels with My Aunt, it was a very pleasant surprise, funny, silly and completely engaging.
It is narrated by Henry Pulling - a retired bank manager who has led a very quiet, very sheltered life. he meets his aunt at (what he believes to be) his mother's funeral and a short while later finds himself travelling on the Orient Express with her. His Aunt Agatha is the polar opposite of Henry and is full of improbable stories of her long, eventful and risque life.

Henry is a perfect narrator - he is a boring but endearing man, and reminds me a little of Mr Hastings in Poirot novels, slower and more innocent than the reader but he works well coupled with the other characters and the plot. The novel has something to say as well as being funny and silly. Greene is showing a man who has coasted through life and not experienced anything, never travelled, never married. Pulling gradually loosens up and starts to enjoy himself (though is just as stoic) so the novel seems a sort of warning - though is never overt or preachy - to never avoid adventure, or to seek it out.

I have also just finished Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton (guilty pleasure!)

Dracula, Bram Stoker

Dracula is brilliant! It is written through a series of diary entries by a group of people who are brought together by the discovery of who, and what the Count is. It is very elegantly written - both believable (to a degree!) and suspensful. It is also worth noting that the book is not at all cliche'd, garlic and stakes through the heart are instrumental - but feel necessary and again oddly believable!

The book starts with the diary of Jonathon Harker, who is sent by his employer to Count Dracula's castle in Transylvania. Dracula then makes the journey to Whitby and from there to London. Most of the action takes place in London before a 'thrilling chase' back to Transylvania!

 

It is, as you would expect, a little dated. In particular with the treament of Mina - Jonathon Harker's fiancee.  The men are all in love with her because she somehow is not always fainting. They seem to expect her to be in a puddle on the floor continuously and are completely in awe when she isn't. I think one of the guys actually describes her as having the brain of a man at one point. 

It is also quite religious - fears for the souls of the Undead and for other souls which may become Undead drive the protagonists. It is however unfair to judge the novel on standards from over 100 years after it was written, and these two flaws do not at all detract from the brilliantly enjoyable story.

Read it! Now on Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene which looks to be a witty one.

The Waterproof Bible, Andrew Kaufman

 

This is an odd one! It is a strange mix of sci-fi characters set in what looks alarmingly like the real world. It is very enjoyable, a bit of light relief but also a comment on coming to terms with family, relationships and emotions. I felt like I was not quite getting all the nuances and metaphors, but it is also one of those books where you can take from it as much as you like, only skimming the surface is fun too.

Next up - Dracula!