Kim, by Rudyard Kipling

I haven't been reviewing much here lately. Since getting back from holiday last month the main reading that I've done has been for my own next book. I've been reading Allen Ginsberg's letters and journals, as well as other related Beat Generation books. My own book will be about Ginsberg's travels, and one of his most famous journeys was to India. On his way there, he read Rudyard Kipling's classic, Kim. I decided to get myself a cheap Kindle version and give it a read.

Kim is the story of a young boy whose parents - Irish immigrants to India - died when he was young, leaving him to be raised on the streets of Lahore. He is a street-smart kid who is neither wholly Irish nor Indian, and can pass for either when he needs.

In the course of the novel, Kim searches for his identity while becoming the chela (helper) of a Tibetan monk on a long quest. Kim finds himself mixed up in the Great Game, which was the struggle for influence over Central Asia by Britain and Russia, while crossing India with his monk in search of a mystical river. Kim attends a British school whilst also maintaining his friendships with locals, and studying Buddhism under his monk.

Most interesting is that the book is a vivid portrayal of life in India during the nineteenth century. The vast and diverse land is explored in extraordinary detail along with its disparate cultures. 

Gulliver's Travels

On my recent journeys through Europe, I have been re-reading Gulliver's Travels, a classic from the 1700s. I found it on Amazon for free and added it to my Kindle.

Gulliver's Travels is presented as a memoir in four parts, with each part telling an odd journey taken by Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon and captain of a series of ships. He keeps getting stranded or wrecked at sea and ending up on mysterious islands.

The book is a satire both of human nature and of the genre of adventure fiction that was so popular in that era. In the societies Gulliver finds, the people share many traits with humans and Gulliver mocks them by showing how absurd we can be.

I read this book long ago and of course has seen many adaptations but had forgotten how rude it could be. In several scenes Gulliver's toilet habits are depicted in detail, including urinating on a queen. Elsewhere, he is stripped and used almost as a sex toy by lusting giants.

The book is tremendously funny and insightful, and I regret reading it in this era where all the world is known, as it would be more fun to have read it hundreds of years ago when people genuinely didn't know if there were giants or flying islands.

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad

I'm currently back in the U.K. for a short visit and whilst here I've been reading a few books and enjoying the summer sun. One of those books was Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which I always thought I'd read. I suppose it's one of those books that's so famous one assumes one has read it...

As it turned out, I hadn't read it at all. I was riveted almost from the start and proceeded to read the book in less than a day - which is surprising, given that I'm a slow reader. I spent a beautiful summer's afternoon enjoying the story unfold from the mouth of the riverboat captain, Marlow, who goes in search of Mr. Kurtz, a trader who's venture into the heart of Africa has seen him ascend to the level of a god among the natives.

I really enjoyed this book and what it says about European colonialism as well as the human condition.

Crome Yellow, by Aldous Huxley

I'm back after previously suggesting I might give up this blog... Well, as it turns out, I shall use my new blog for new books, and this blog for when I read older books. 

I'm currently on holiday and recently I stocked up for my travels by visiting Amazon and downloading a number of new Kindle books. As well as some more recent publications, I also picked up the classics for either free or a nominal price. One of these was Aldous Huxley's Crome Yellow. 

Chrome Yellow is a satirical novel set in a big English country house, following the convention of the country house novel. It features a range of characters - each of them a type of person - who come to the country house in question, called Crome. The book is made up of dozens of short chapters in which the protagonist, Denis, meets with each of the other characters. 

The book was based upon a real house and many of the characters were likewise based upon people Huxley knew there. Last year I read his biography but I cannot recall exactly who these people were. In any case, I recall them being rather pissed off at Huxley's portrayal of them. Indeed, these are not flattering portrayals. The book is very funny partly because it is so mocking of these wealthy types. It is clear Huxley is mocking himself, too.

Reviewing Elsewhere

Hey folks.

Just a note to let you know that I'll be posting my book reviews somewhere new. You can keep on sending me books but I won't be posting reviews here. I'll be posting them at this book review website.

Best,
David

The Lost Island of Columbus, by Keith A. Pickering

Keith A. Pickering's book, The Lost Island of Columbus, is the story of how he solved the mystery of where Christopher Columbus first made landfall on October 12th, 1492. Given the importance of this date in world history, one would think the answer to the question would be easy, but evidently it took a hell of a lot of work to figure it out.

Pickering uses a wide range of scientific methods to uncover the truth, and in doing so he thoroughly covers the history of the Landfall Debate, which has gone on for well over a century. His arguments for Guanahaní as the site of Columbus' first encounter with the New World are highly convincing.

Unfortunately, although his work is impressive, the book is not hugely readable. It is certainly hard to argue with Pickering, but one can easily get lost in the tidal wave of figures thrown at one. At times there are so many references to maps and tables that appear later in the book that it really is hard to enjoy. Then again, his aim with this book seems to be to put any other landfall theory to the death, and so he is eager to use all the available information to put his own theory beyond doubt.

Also a bit off-putting is the extent to which the author seems determined to assert himself as the champion of a centuries-long game, and his competitors as pathetic losers. While Pickering's investigation is impressive, his attitude his hardly humble. 

Fargo Rock City, by Chuck Klosterman

Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota is not what I was expecting it to be. I thought this was going to be more of a memoir, as the title misleadingly suggests. Certainly, each chapter title takes us year by year through the life of a young metalhead from the sticks, but beyond that there's not much memoir there. Sometimes we get a story from his own life, but more often this book is a series of essays on metal.

There are essays on music videos, essays on sexism, essays on why Appetite for Destruction is the best album of all time, and more. At times it all gets a bit tedious, even for a metal fan like myself. However, the author is hilarious and peppers every chapter/essay with numerous witty observations and brilliant one liners. I laughed so much while reading this book that even the less interesting parts were thoroughly enjoyable. 

My Secret History, by Paul Theroux

I found a paperback copy of this book recently and, after having read The Mosquito Coast a few years ago and greatly enjoyed it, I decided to delve into this mammoth work.

At first, I thought it was an autobiography of sorts. From what little I knew about Theroux's work, it all seemed to match up. However, right at the start of My Secret History he takes pains to state that although certain similarities might seem to exist, it's purely a work of fiction. As an author of work of fiction that most readers assumed was autobiographical, I know his pain and will thus take him at his word that this is all made up.

Yet it is deliberately autobiographical-seeming. The novel tells the life of Andre Parent - a writer, would you believe - as he goes through various stages of his life, from boyhood to manhood. Like an autobiography, it is not neat and convenient, with all ends tied up. It is messy and real. Everything about it is entirely believable.

The book is broken into six chapters over the protagonist's life. They jump about a lot in terms of place as Parent moves from America to Africa to England to India, bouncing back and forth in pursuit of something. It is usually women he is after. From an early age, he has an irrepressible appetite for sex. At times he seems morally virtuous like some sort of hero, and elsewhere he utterly reprehensible. He is at times an unreliable narrator, but always an enjoyable one. 

New Reviews Coming Soon

I haven't posted in reviews here in a while because since returning from holiday in Sri Lanka back in January, I've been busy with work. Most of the books I've read have been directly related to work instead of pleasure, and so I haven't reviewed them here. However, as I get more free time I have been reading a bit more and will post some reviews soon.

One Sip at a Time, by Keith Van Sickle

One Sip at a Time is the story of an American couple falling in love with France. It tells the story of their ups and downs as they live on and off in this unique and beautiful part of the world, and attempt - with the usual hiccups, of course - to learn the language.

It is told with a gentle humor, poking fun at the French as well as the American expats themselves. On every page, there is humor of the sort one is accustomed to from reading Bill Bryson or Stephen Clarke.

My criticism, however, would be that the book is told in a large number of vignettes in a chronological order, with some of them just being too short or seemingly just thrown into the mix. I would have preferred a more cohesive narrative, as the author's humor and the story of this couple trying to fit in is really engaging.

Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway

Islands in the Stream is classic Hemingway - you have your stoic male protagonist, your disarmingly simple prose, your adventure... and even some Nazi-hunting to boot.

The novel is divided into three parts, tackling three periods in the protagonist's life. It is jarring in how it throws tragedy suddenly into the mix, but that's a pretty good representation of life. Thomas Hudson seems very similar to Hemingway, and is probably heavily based upon him, with a bit of his friends thrown into the mix.

This is short, readable novel - probably Hemingway's best posthumously published work. Only in a few places does it feel less than complete. 

Sarah, by J.T. Leroy

This short novel is written in such an engaging, witty prose that it is a pleasure to read, in spite of its horrific subject matter.



Sarah follows a young boy  through several years of prostitution and substance abuse as he waits to hear from his mother, Sarah - an abusive, drug-addicted prostitute.

The boy, calling himself Sarah, flees their pimp, but soon finds himself working for another, posing as an angel-faced little girl for paedophile clients.

Obviously, the story is harrowing, but it is nonetheless gripping. J.T. Leroy writes with an unbelievable talent for viewing the world through the eyes of child, and is astute at capturing the language and landscape of the American South. 

Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson

Seveneves begins on what will become Day Zero, or 0.0, as the Earth's moon is destroyed by an "Agent," which we don't learn much about. The moon breaks into pieces and popular scientist, Doc Dubois, (clearly based upon Neil Degrasse Tyson) predicts these parts will fall to Earth in an event two years later, known as "Hard Rain."

Thus, the premise of the first third of the novel is humanity's preparation for its own demise. We're told the Earth will be uninhabitable for ten thousand years, so man takes to space on an expanded version of the ISIS, called Izzy. Then we're taken through the early days of human life in space after seven billion people have been killed by the "Hard Rain." Various catastrophes occur, bringing the human population down to just seven women. Suddenly, for the final third of the book, we're catapulted five thousand years ahead to explore the future, as humans have proliferated once again, only broken into seven races based upon the traits of those surviving women - the titular seven eves. These races are tasked with terraforming Earth as it once again becomes habitable.

The book is densely descriptive and the initial concept is fascinating. It is clear that the author has a solid grasp of physics in space, as the ideas are plausible. Yet this detail can get extremely tedious and overwhelming. Still, most of the book is enjoyable. The final third, however, seems totally unnecessary. Through all the changes in the first two thirds, we have several consistent characters to follow, yet these are all lost as we move into this last section, and it is hard to care about anything that happens without a familiar character. 

Redshirts, by John Scalzi

Redshirts begins with a thrilling action scene wherein it appears we are being introduced to the novel's protagonist. Alas, he soon trips, falls, and has his face eaten, causing his death by means of giant worm. It's an hilarious opening to a brilliantly funny book.

Without giving too much away, it follows the bizarre adventures of an apparently doomed crew on a spaceship, who are being picked off in over-the-top death scenes, before they travel through time and perhaps even realities.

I'm not a sci-fi fan (in spite of my recent reading list, but this book blew me away. I read it in a day, which is incredible for someone who reads so slowly. I was simply glued to the screen by the witty writing and ridiculously inventive plot.

Unfortunately, the last 25% of the book drags on, losing the wit in order to wrap everything up across all the timelines, really taking the steam out of an otherwise fantastic story.

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov

In contrast with the previous book, where action exploded off each page, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation, not a lot of action actually occurs. I'ts all talk, all postulating, all philosophizing. Whereas Ready Player One was dumb but fun, Foundation is dull but thoughtful.

Perhaps "dull" is too harsh. The book is interesting, entertaining even. It's comprised of several stories across many years concerning the rise of a civilization called Foundation on the edge of a declining space empire. The stories feature different sets of characters facing different problems over the course of Foundation's history.

Asimov's vision of the future, 12,000 years from now, isn't particularly inventive... People still smoke cigarettes and dial telephones to talk, and nuclear power is still the hot new technology - the best that advanced civilizations travelling light years across space can somehow muster. Women apparently have no role in this new world. All the characters are male except for a few secretaries and other unimportant roles.

Foundation seems to be Asimov's attempt at transposing his ideas about our world onto another, which I suppose is true of much science fiction. He tackles religion, science, philosophy, government, etc, and plays with them all 12,000 years into the future.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

This book was gifted to me by a friend with a very enthusiastic recommendation. Which is fortunate, because honestly it's not the sort of thing I would otherwise have chosen to read. I never buy science fiction books, and yet this one sent me on a real sci-fi kick for two weeks.



Ernest Cline's book is the first in a long time that I could hardly put down. I read a lot, but seldom do I enjoy books as much as this one. The story of Wade's - aka Parzival - quest to win the greatest competition in human history is riveting. It starts with a bang and constantly drops shock cliff-hangers to keep the reader engaged.

Sure, it's cheesy and ridiculous in places, and often badly written, and some of it just doesn't make sense... but that's actually quite endearing. It makes the book rather like the 80s songs, TV shows, and movies that it frequently references. It is fun, exciting, thrilling in the same way they were. 

Reviews Coming Soon

I'm in Sri Lanka for a short holiday and I have my Kindle loaded up with books. When I get back, I'll be reviewing:

• Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
• Redshirts, by John Scalzi
• Foundation, by Isaac Asimov
• Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson
• Sarah, by J.T. Leroy
• Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway

Best Minds of My Generation, by Allen Ginsberg

Oh, I've been so bad with reviews lately... I've been very busy teaching and editing a few new books, and so any reading for pleasure has taken a bit of a backseat.

I did, however, find time to review Allen Ginsberg's Best Minds of My Generation for Beatdom literary journal. It's a much longer review than I normally write because it was such a brilliant book.

I'm going on holiday to Sri Lanka on Saturday and will bring my Kindle along to catch up on some reading for fun. I should have plenty of reviews to post here very soon.