The Selfish Gene

Book Name : The Selfish Gene
Author : Richard Dawkins

What is it about : Our articulate author tried to put across the ideas that living organisms had simply been "vehicles" formed by the genes (replicators) inside the organisms to carry out whatever tasks were needed to propagate and survive to the next generation. For instance (my own interpreted example), the genes responsible for the human's (or flies, or cats, you name it), acute smelling ability developed such a nose so that the "vehicle" had the best equipment to smell food, dangerous preys and so on in order to pass on the "nose" genes. Moreover, such genes exerted effects over a distance (or over close contacts) to other organisms to affect changes to best suit the gene's very own survival; such as beavers building dams and cuckoo babes mesmerising their bewitched foster parents. Along the way, organisms played out various Games (as in Games Theory) with friends, foes, group and non-group members, relatives, partners to best achieve the "Evolution Stable Strategy" and hang on to dear life so the genes themselves survive another day.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Needless to say, by now, Readers of this Blog would have noticed that I had been an arm chair Darwinian/Evolutionist for a very time - this Subject had indeed been my favourite past-time over the years. I loved the Zoo-wide (as in Zoology) examples from viruses, blood-sucking bats, pigeons, insect colonies as demonstrations for cases-in-points; I loved the debates and evolution analysis on human/organisms psychology involved in parent/child conflicts, battle of the sexes, group behaviours; I loved the way this Subject produced excited arguments or calm reflections over religion, Life and human interactions; I loved the way the Author effortlessly grabbed examples from real-life such as boat rowers, doves and hawks, ants, bacterium and breathe life into these examples, to illustrate and illuminate the areas of discussion - all in all, for non-fiction books, I could read Richard Dawkins's books day and night.

Would I recommend this book to you : A great big YES ! Because I had been totally biased and completely fascinated you might say; but looking at the book objectively, you would find humour, mega-interesting stories of the "Zoo" around you (great example: Royal beheading of an ant Queen by an invading Queen, geez!), witty presentation, the Games we (organisms) played (sometimes un-wittingly) at the bequest of our genes. I would say the book definitely will alter your mind set about the world we live in.

Night Train To Lisbon

Book Name : Night Train To Lisbon
Author : Pascal Mercier

What is it about : A Swiss professor in his late-fifties who specialised in ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin Texts, met a Portuguese woman on his routine walk to school one rainy morning, an encounter which fired off his long-hidden desires and wishes - no, not an affair, but the desire to seek out life's many meanings. Our professor Raimund Gregorius, affectionately known to his students as Mundus, then stumbled upon a privately-published Portuguese book in an old book store, the book "A Goldsmith Of Words" set him off on a train journey to Lisbon to seek out and experience the Portuguese author, Prado's world of philosophies, emotions, and paradoxes as well as Prado's tumultuous relationships with his father, mother, sisters, friends, lovers, patients and Resistance comrades.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The book put together the lives of the two main characters - Mundus and Prado pieces by pieces as the reader gradually grew to understand their world. The structure and layers of the book was intricately wovened and constructed as we slowly explored the world of Prado, a brilliant medical doctor, philosopher and child prodigy who later became a Resistance co-operator under the era of the Portuguese dictatorship, almost 30 years Mundus's senior. This exploration was actually carried out by Mundus as he visited and conversed with Prado's many surviving friends and relatives in Lisbon - Prado died of a brain hemorrhage in his late fifties, some thirty years before Mundus's interest in his life. The book was beautifully written and stylistically composed - here's a description I personally liked most from the book : Quiet and elegant. Like dull silver.

Would I recommend this book to you : I cannot give the book more praise for its unique style, delicate touches and dramatic encounters. The book could be read as an adventure, a self-reflective philosophical debate or as a tool to understand human emotions towards families, friends, foes and religion. Before you head off to the local library, here are a few gems for your pleasure:

"Is the soul a place of facts ? Or are the alleged facts only the deceptive shadows of our stories ?"

"We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there."

"Life is not what we live, it is what we imagine we are living."

"Given that we can live only a small part of what there is in us - what happens to the rest ?"

Picking Up The Brass

Book Name : Picking Up The Brass
Author : Eddy Nugent

What is it about : A foul-mouth, spotty and alcoholic seventeen years old found himself enrolled to join the British Army. Attracted by the recruitment poster of sunny, balmy surfing, exotic overseas postings - our lad Eddy embarked on a few years of muddy drills, boot polishing, kitchen utensils scrubbing amongst laddies just like him, if not more pathetic.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The good points of this book were that Eddy really gave the readers the low-down of the years spent as an army recruit and his subsequent successful "graduation" and promotion. Tears, joy, puke, blisters all mixed in with the characters he met along the way. It was actually quite interesting to hear how the British Finest went through the hardships of being run legless, penalised to spend prison times for reckless drunken behaviour and his challenging encounters with his superiors and the Military Police. The bad points were of course, the readers had to endure the countless swearing by our Eddy, his mates and his Dad and coming off the book thinking, thank goodness I am not in the Army !

Would I recommend this book to you : Read the book for its genuine depiction of life in the Army, slap stick humour and be appalled by the senseless drunken incidents which initially cost him his promotion. You have been warned - lots of swearing, boys' talks and you might want to hide this book away from any prospecting Army teenage enthusiasts, as the contents of the book might put them off such a life style for good.

Close Range - Brokeback Mountain And Other Stories

Book Name : Close Range - Brokeback Mountain And Other Stories
Author : Annie Proulx

What is it about : Wyoming in the nutshell of these eleven short stories. The lives of the ranchers, ranchers' families and wives, rodeo riders, farmers with sinister secrets, cowboys coming out of the closet and the ways they interacted with each other, with the unforgiving lands and climate and with the even more unforgiving LIFE itself.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Darn ! Well, I would never have thought the State of Wyoming was so darn colorful and yet at the same time so brutal as the pavements, bars, and ranches were lined with so many crippled and dead folks. I was really taken for a ride by the author through this State where "Reality's never been of much use out here" said one anonymous retired Wyoming rancher. The author came up with (real life or story spinning) such charmers : Bad Girl Creek, Crazy Woman Creek, a ranch named Coffeepot, a Rodeo rider named Diamond Felts, a road called Drunk Road or even a neighbour called Coldpepper. But by far the most telling and touching story was of course the one which gave the modern definitive meaning when one had gone "Brokeback" - a story of intense emotions and immense sentiments. Having read these stories, I felt like I had lived in a Wyoming ranch over the past weeks.

Would I recommend this book to you : I could be seen with this book in the Metro, on a cross harbour ferry, on the plane or hey, even a research book for my visit to the State of Wyoming as I would imagine that the book would whet one's appetite to actually go and see a brutal rodeo show where cowboys break some noses and dislocate some shoulders, live in a ranch for a week where pretty much nothing happens for a month, have a beer with a Grandpa called Red, start a brawl in a bar called Gold Buckle and then fall into a creek named Pass Water. Yep, just let the author take you for a ride - you wouldn't want to leave this town.

London Observed - Stories And Sketches

Book Name : London Observed - Stories And Sketches
Author : Doris Lessing

What is it about : A collection of 18 short stories and "sketches", ranging from the goings-on in a side-walk cafe, a teenager giving birth next to a dirty slumdog on a rainy night, patients' interplays at a public hospital ward and a number of stories on relationships, love "lost and found" between mother and daughter as well as (ex and present)-husbands and (ex and present)-wives .

Some thoughts after having read the book : These short stories would not give the reader the "twist-in-the-tale" type of exhilaratinging finales; but having read each story in turn, I came away with deep thoughts - by the author's power of observation and insights into human relationships. I, in particular learnt a lot in how to come up with a "Sketch" of a situation, a weekend or even a stroll in the park; very much similar to how a painter would capture the scene of Autumn colors, a bowl of fruits or a passing bicycle race. I was constantly struck by the everyday settings - a park, the London Underground, a hospital ward, some road-side traffic or even gossipy sister talks at a Heathrow terminal; but the author "sketched" so well as the stories were rich in characters, full-blown details and points of views.

Would I recommend this book to you : You could pack this book with your travels, metro rides as well as a cosy Winter night before-bedtime read or as your Summer vacation extra-curricular reading - all in all, a book for all occasions.  Read the book to see a Master at work - effortless simplicity in scene-setting and presentation but powerful insights into human complexity in theme and nature.

The Fifth Miracle

Book Name : The Fifth Miracle
Author : Paul Davies

What is it about : A comprehensive collection of the latest information in the search of the origin of Life. The Author had gone to great length to define Life - a list and in-depth description of eleven pointers such as Autonomy, Organisation, Complexity, Information Content etc.; taking the readers to the bottom of the oceans where microbes lived happily alongside live volcanoes puking out lava; engaging the readers' imagination in the possibility of life on Mars from observing the erosion patterns on the red planet; entertain us with the thought that we could possibly be descendants from some bacteria from outer space, arriving on Earth from a meteorite.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Great authors in the field of evolution quite often shared these few traits : engaging, knowledgeable, all-rounders, Generalists with a capital G and very very exhaustive in their quest for a complete mastering of the argument at hand. Our Author here was no exception; the further I was into the book, the more topics were revealed and discussed : cosmology, thermodynamics, protein production, bugs and virus, genetic coding and a good old philosophical debate about Life : was there life afterall, at the very onset of the Big Bang ? What's the chance of finding you (reading this) and me (writing this) on the other side of some distant galaxy ?

Would I recommend this book to you : This book was by no means an easy Sunday morning snooze; more a book for those with a thirst for knowledge and un-bound curiosity about Life. The Readers had better surround themselves with reference books as they read on, as the Author would often explain his tracks of thoughts by going back to basics - thermodynamics, protein, RNA, DNA, Cosmology and the like. At once challenging and at the same time, the Readers are made to work hard. Fun ! Oh, by the way, should you wonder : the title of the book came from Genesis 1.11 " Let The Land Produce Vegetation".

Killer In The Rain

Book Name : Killer In The Rain
Author : Raymond Chandler

What is it about : A selection of short stories in the early days before RC became famous and master of this genre - the street-wise, chain-smoking, whisky-swilling, gun-always-at-hand Private Detective at your service. These stories could be seen as the Author's trial runs where he honed his skills in the creation of the ultimate Californian P.I. Philip Marlowe whom you had probably met in movies or stories alike.

Some thoughts after having read the book : It was the first time that I had really come across the formula writer - a writer so specialised in a genre and so prolific in his writing and creation that he churned out stories after stories using more or less the same structure and story line; almost like the hit TV series - think Miss Marple, Magnum P.I or the Colombo series. Here's the formula - P.I. bored to tears in his office as there had not been business for over a week, in came a thirty-something "dangerous" blond or a phone call from a police associate and related that a missing person needed to be found or contacted; P.I. then ran cross-country encountering all the nasty types, a few gun shots here and there, a few glasses (ponys) of whisky (rye) in between, 2 pages before the end then the (complex) plot explained through the P.I.'s acute observations; the bad guys went to jail and the P.I. got the cheque and drove back to his office downtown after a hard day's work.

Would I recommend this book to you : From what I have written, I might have sounded negative about this book but hey ! this was the master at work - you would get an action-packed story with an unexpected ending; PLUS an endless incredibly funny, cynical, observant one-liners (... a blond to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window ...) as well as American slangs up to your ears, so get your American Dictionary handy.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Book Name : The Girl Who Played With Fire
Author : Stieg Larsson

What is it about : Our heroine, Salander, a gun-totting, axe-wielding kick-boxer, really kicked some ass out there - basically a Made-In-Sweden Lara Croft who got mixed up with some "national security" issues and had to confront not only demons from her past but also a steroid-pumped half-brother (honest...) who could not feel any pain (a rare form of muscle condition, again honest...) and a kick at his goolies would cause only minor irritations (but honestly...). Yeh, it's all in the book. Our hero Blomkvist, a journalist cum investigator came to her rescue right at the end when she survived a bullet wound in her skull and dug her way out of the ground after being buried alive. I gathered that she survived all this as there would be a sequel to this book.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Far fetched ?  Impossible ? Honestly, no way ! Hey Man, this was the land of Sweden where apparently our Blomkvist slept with just about all the females in Stockholm and we were led to believe that beneath that Swedish land of calm, green and laid-back facade, there laid sinister sex-slaves-trafficking, buried bodies and cold war spies aplenty ! I had to say - I loved it ! The almost-500 pages just turned effortlessly as I admired the author with his skills of holding the tension on multiple fronts; patient, pain-staking build-up of almost ALL the characters. I particularly liked the sessions describing the sentimental relationship between Salander and her mentor - now disabled and hospital-bound.

Would I recommend this book to you : When I first came across these guys in the first book (I watched the film actually) - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and found the film lengthy (2.5 hours) but patiently drawn out - an absolute ace which stood out from the run-of-the-mill thriller produced with the short-film-let's-make-a-quick-buck formula. The book would take you some time to get over but you would like it and I could not wait to read the last installment - The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.

Drop The Dead Donkey 2000

Book Name : Drop The Dead Donkey 2000
Author : Hamilton And Beaton

What is it about : The crazy, funny and the un-thinkable which happened to the crew members of a TV Newsroom as we approached the end of the Millennium. Also thrown in were a government fixer (poo sweeper), a wide-eyed South African bimbo and a revengeful watch guard. Oh, did I forget ? and a lot of impotent Englishmen and a dozen or so squaddies who committed suicide mysteriously after a gala dinner. Intrigued ?

Some thoughts after having read the book : This book managed to achieve what a TV comedy (sitcom) should - never a dull moment ! From the characterisation of the 8 crew members of CEO, Editor, News Readers etc. (and the never-appeared Chairman of the franchise) to the sinister build-up of the biggest scandal of the century (even Millennium), the book never disappointed. Just pure hilarity scenes after scenes, witty conversations, acidic comments never stopped flowing. After I finished reading, I felt that I was part of the crew wanting to go back to that office for more of the killing laughters ! The front cover of the book and the fact that these were the actual actors/actresses of the TV show, made visualisation more vivid and the pace frantic and I ended up having sympathy for them all, working in this loony house !

Would I recommend this book to you : When was the last time you had a light hearted moment ? Or the last time you laugh till your belly ached ? Pick this book up and read on ! WARNING - this book can cause serious un-controllable laughing symptoms, avoid reading in public.

The Never Lonely Planet

Book Name : The Never Lonely Planet
Author : Martin R. Oliver

What is it about : An old-hand traveller recounts his many intriguing journeys from whence he was an apprentice in Conventry - the once car-maker of the world, falling in luv with the intoxicating Brazilian cultures (and women), enduring the British Immigration when he went back to the now-strange homeland, to his later "not quite the backpacker" boat trips down the Mekong; the Author tells the stories with the style and humour of the likely bloke who stood next to you at the bar, beer-in-hand, having a good-o chin wag. The Foreword was written with insight and wisdom about Life - now, that can only come from a man who has been around and has the ability to reflect.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Remember that witty Brit you met in the London pub, or that Aussie you met along the Pan-American Highway with the driest, couldn't-give-a-shxt slap-stick humour ? Well, that could be our Author of this book - he just kept me entertained throughout and I felt I almost became a friend, going down the local bar each night, to hear him out for yet another exciting story. I looked forward to continue reading every day when I picked up where I left off. Just non-stop humours and laughters.

Would I recommend this book to you : Really a book to take anywhere with you, mind you, the book is so entertaining that you might finish it too soon ! However, if you are not a frequent traveller or the adventurous type (a.k.a. boring old fart), you might not be in sync with the flow, idea or purpose of all that in the book; or the book might just inspire you to get that plane ticket and start packing !

Skin

Book Name : Skin
Author : Roald Dahl

What is it about : A collection of short (roughly 15 pages each) stories, all with a slight twist in the end. These stories ranged from a priceless piece of painting (in the form of a tattoo) on a poor man back and how it eventually went on show; a murder committed with a leg of your favourite lamb; an injured pilot out-smarting the nurse and hospital staff and a happy ending for a kind-hearted surgeon when he found his lost treasure in one of the patients.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author demonstrated the full range of skills and techniques in good English story writing - telling these short stores from different stand points through first person, a fly-on-the-wall observer and the classic "once upon a time in Africa...". The story which deserved my pouring the most compliments was the one involving two men trying to drug down the whole wood full of pheasants with laugh-bursting (loud!) consequences ! This one (The Champion Of The World) would stay in my memory for a long time to come.

Would I recommend this book to you : You want a book to humour you, fascinate you, amuse you, this is the one. Read it on a short train ride, between sipping your martini's during a sunset relaxation or too eager to read through the whole lot in one sitting - take your pick !

Ripley Under Ground (And Ripley's Game)

Book Name : Ripley Under Ground (And Ripley's Game)
Author : Patricia Highsmith

What is it about : Our famous "amateur" villain hatched another unlikely murderous plot. This time Tom Ripley would commit the murder in his house in France ! All the hoo-ha was done to save the Derwatt painting franchise which was again masterminded by our Tom and carried out by incompetent accomplices in London. The franchise was essentially a scam of selling forged paintings by a non-existent recluse artist hiding out in a village in Mexico - yeh, apparently the paintings sold like hot cakes ... All was going well until an American collector spotted a "cobalt blue" which should not have been there in one of the paintings and suspected foul play, Tom finished him off after a drunken dinner.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author wrote the book in 1970 where forensics were primitive and the minds of the detectives were slow. No, no Poirot, Miss Marple or Detective Columbo anywhere remotely in sight to make Tom a little nervous. Reading the book in 2014 and making comments would be un-fair as we are now accustomed to books running at much faster pace, CSI on TV and lightning speed Internet to crawl out any dirt from anyone - Tom just would not survive in these modern times.

Would I recommend this book to you : You might think I have a rather negative view on the book, but on the contrary, I enjoyed the book immensely for sheer class and elegance. It was a joy to learn that Tom was living a luxurious idle life (big house, fast cars, perfect servant, painting the occasional portrait of his wife, popping down the French village to buy some flowers, his maid cooking up delicious dinners and such like). With the exception of a few frustrating scenes which amply demonstrated how amateur Tom was behaving and even more amateur the local police was going about their work, the book was a joy to read and the pages just turned effortlessly.

Ripley's Game had a similar read and feel, so I would not elaborate further, except that Ripley's Game was equally amusing and readable.