Across The Pond

Book Name : Across The Pond
Author : Terry Eagleton

What is it about : A Manchester-born university lecturer summed up his insights, experiences and philosophies on all things American - from politics, religions, media, literature to wilderness, will power and obesity. The author placed himself in a unique position to make such calls as he has an American wife and lived in Dublin and being an expert in Literature stood him in good stead towards a good understanding of the American English-ness.

Some thoughts after having read the book : A much-needed introduction from the word "go" on the necessity and validity of "stereotype", somehow eased my mind about : how could a book generalize a nation so large and consisted of peoples from such diverse backgrounds from previous slaves with history on their backs, newly arrived immigrants with hopes in their dreams, elites from Wall Street who had nothing but dollars and dividends in their heads or politicians who cared nothing but their rise to power through all these people's votes. From then on, I enjoyed reading the Author's observations on the differences and idiosyncrasies "across the pond" from the point-of-view of an Englishman. However, I was for most of the time, puzzled by the lack of a clear structure of the narrative as the various topics and lines of logic seemed recurring, never fully completed or perhaps the world being so flat these days, that there could not be cliche which I had not previously come across about the Americans. Besides, I have lived and worked in New York and the fact that I have siblings living in California already allowed myself to gain a personal insight about certain aspects of this (relative) new found nation.

Would I recommend this book to you : The readers would find the book to contain amusing observations, fair commentaries and the readers would gain a first hand and first level understanding of this nation.

Sex, Lies And Handwriting

Book Name : Sex, Lies And Handwriting
Author : Michelle Dresbold

What is it about : The science and methodology of "reading" hand-writings was presented together with numerous examples taken from notorious figures including the likes of Ted Bundy, Hitler, Capone as well as ex-Presidents and well known businessmen. There was also a section devoted to layman readers who, instead of having their palms read or talking to their psychiatrist, they sent in their hand writings, asking the Author for help. The case study of identifying Jack The Ripper underlined the profiling methods as a way of providing supporting "evidence" .

Some thoughts after having read the book : The book to me, opened up a new avenue for self-analysis and self-improvement. Without treating the subject matter of the reading of hand-writings as gospels, the "reading" nevertheless did offer a certain amount of common sense. For instance, I would imagine that in general, an out-going person to have big hand-writings and a shy person to write in tiny letters. On a parallel and similar note, the practice of Chinese calligraphy had long been known for those in the field, to improve one's patience and instilling the attitude of constant improvement - the "go-get" character, if you like. The chapter on identifying Jack The Ripper was as riveting a piece of crime-solving as any detective novels I had ever read. The Author pulled together all the tell-tale signs from the dots on the "i"s and the crosses on the "t"s and pointed out the most likely suspect !

Would I recommend this book to you : It's always good to know yourself better and from a totally different perspective and this book could help you achieve that and delivered much more. You might improve (hide) your true temperament by actually changing the way you write. The book also made fun reading as you discovered more from analysing the hand-writings of your loved ones.

An Essay On The Principle Of Population

Book Name : An Essay On The Principle Of Population
Author : Malthus T.R.

What is it about : The first version of this classic work on the many aspects, theories and practical "checks" on the topic of human population was published in 1798. The all-round philosopher, economist and politician presented his views on labor, social welfare, agriculture, industrial ventures and his rebuttal to the many on-going economics-thoughts and philosophies that were in vogue at the time; these fashionable ideas included  the "perfectability" of the human species, conjectures concerning the progress of the human mind. The ideas, theories, arguments and government Bills, put forward by the likes of Pitt, Adam Smith, Godwin, Condorcet were torn apart mercilessly. The Author established himself as a giant in this field as hereafter, Malthusian concerns had been often debated whenever plague, famine and endemics ran wild on our fragile Earth.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Truly an all-time Classic with the capital letter C. This version of the book was presented in a style of English that was prevalent almost 300 hundred years ago, so it was tough going for the readers to grasp the sheer English-ness of the essays. The essays were peppered with examples and illustrations taken from far afield of China, the United States of America as well as cases coming from closer to home, of the introduction of the Poor Bill, the Adam Smith's scenario of industrial revenue against the trends of labor movements. Interestingly, when viewed from our standpoint of the modern world of Genome, space exploration, gene therapy, organ transplant, Malthus might have been too short-sighted (or perhaps not enough qualified in the field of general Science) when he argued against such ideas as "organ perfectability", "indefinite prolongation of human life". What would he think now ? Of a particular note - I thoroughly appreciated the style of how Malthus constructed his attack and defense in his lines of arguments.

Would I recommend this book to you : Be prepared for a tough ride as the readers would find the English impossibly painful, the arguments almost irrelevant to our modern age of iphone, speed dating and mass consumerism. But also be prepared for the reward of having struggled through this "Malthusian" monumental works and having the satisfaction of knowing a totally different world and society that existed 300 years ago; and also the fact that the Malthusian concerns, arguments and debates would still strike a chord this very day, when the human societies could still not find adequate solutions to food crisis, the spread of virus and social (un)fairness.

The Accidental Mind

Book Name : The Accidental Mind
Author : David J. Linden

What is it about : Brains, brains, brains ! All you had ever wanted to know about what actually went on upstairs. The book would present the on-going quest to understand how come human childhood took so long, how come our dreams almost always depicted fear and anxiety and how our brains made up stories in its automatic ways. The book started off with hard balls biology on the neurons and whats-not which were constantly being fired around in our grey matter; the book would then move on to depict our brains as scoops of ice cream layers with the bottom-most, sharing common grounds with the likes of frogs and dolphins; the final chapters contained explanations of how the brains affected our behavior in sleeping, dreaming, sexual orientation, religion, memory and learning.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The parts of the book explaining the nuts and bolts of neurons and stuff were way beyond my league but I did gain a certain level of comprehension of the goings-on by reading between the lines of what the Author was trying to put across. The Author did brilliantly in covering topics related to human behavior as a result of our brain's functions and these coverage were all enlightening and interesting; I was particular fascinated in how the brains constantly "made" things up, so as to help us to make sense of this world. The Author stressed that the "Middle Thing" was still missing - on a molecular level, things had been cleared up a bit with the technology making progress on DNA, Genome and so on; on a behavioral level, psychiatrists and scientists made great progress in analyzing our dreams, memory and general intelligence; BUT the "Middle Thing" linking these two levels were still very much unknown before a more complete picture could be made out, on the detailed functioning of our brains.

Would I recommend this book to you : The biology parts were pretty hard going but overall the book was well presented and many interesting topics were succinctly covered. I enjoyed the read and was fascinated by the insights and I would recommend the book to readers of all levels.

Cat O' Nine Tales

Book Name : Cat O' Nine Tales
Author : Jeffery Archer

What is it about : A collection of short stories, most of which are embellishment of the tales he came across from other prisoners during the author's own time spent at HM Prison.
Some thoughts after having read the book : I first read JA's works in 1990 (First Among Equals) and was gratified by this author's excellent command of "straightforward" English as well as the interweaving plots and clever use of inter-dependencies. I have since read many more (to be covered later in this Blog) of his works and I have always found them fun and enjoyable. This book however, perhaps due to the author's own sentiments (he was in prison), I felt a certain darkness and subdued-ness (as if the author was not in a very good mood when telling us these stories) which were quite unlike the previous ones I read. I still derived much enjoyment out of this book though.
Would I recommend this book to you : Yes. Bring the book on a plane, to the beach or over a glass of chilled white wine alone on a long evening by the fire. With this author, you know you are going to be reading some slick, excellent and straightforward English. I would recommend this author's book to any learner of this language, just to read some good English. Of course, REAL people just don't talk as clearly as the characters in his stories.

The Museum Of Dr. Moses

Book Name : The Museum Of Dr. Moses
Author : Joyce Carol Oates

What is it about : More memorable and original psychological thrillers from this author. This time around, an over-polite jogger did not see what was coming for him; a creepy museum in sparsely populated upstate New York; the tale of an Irish boxer who almost fought to the top; a grisly discovery from a divorcee on a hot hot day - just a few of the interesting stories to keep you from going to bed.

Some thoughts after having read the book : A roaring good read from this dependable author. Please see my other review of Joyce Carol Oates.

Would I recommend this book to you : Satisfaction, fascination and just pure pleasure in having enjoyed this book ! Please see my other review of Joyce Carol Oates.

Flying In To Love

Book Name : Flying In To Love
Author : D.M. Thomas

What is it about : This work of fiction combined the likely facts, populist myths and the author's liberal imagination to generate one helluva of a story of the events before and after the assassination of JFK. JFK the visionary, the womaniser, the politician were all on show here in amongst the hangers-on, the compliant wife, the president-in-waiting (LBJ) and the layman's view from the crowd - the standpoint of a nun. The book did not attempt to present a.n.o.t.h.e.r. conspiracy theory, but more a fictional dissection of the characters involved. BTW, the "Love" in the title referred to the airfield in Dallas, Love Fields, where JFK landed for his fateful visit.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The book threw me off from the word go when apparently JFK passed through downtown Dallas without a shot being fired ! This part of the book soon turned out to be "the alternative" which many at the time had hoped and dreamt - a way or a sense of denial of the inevitable tragedy which we knew too well. The book spared no blushes in describing JFK's rampant sexual desire where every dame was game and LBJ was depicted a suave political animal as the winner who took all. The author demonstrated a deft hand in mixing apparently known fact, popular myths and other old wives' tales, as in his other works (check out The White Hotel); and the readers were taken on board a fast and furious ride through the unfolding events, often from a fly-on-the-wall perspective.

Would I recommend this book to you : Absolutely YES ! The readers would gain an intimacy with the fictitious, half-truth characters and their lives at the end of the book. I found immense satisfaction in "knowing" that "an alternative" was out there where these famous peoples resided. But if you had all along worshiped the central characters (JFK, LBJ, Jackie et al), beware, you might find the book did cut them down in size, just a bit.

Marcovaldo

Book Name : Marcovaldo
Author : Italo Calvino

What is it about : A series of short stories of the lives of the family members of Marcovaldo taken through the seasons of the years - their urban adventures, rural exploits, their fascination of the modern age and numerous episodes at Marcovaldo's workplace; all set in an industrial city in northern Italy where man-made modernity infringed upon Alpine forests with Marcovaldo et al caught in the middle.

Some thoughts after having read the book : I felt totally enchanted with the seasonal lives of this Italian family. Their stories were told with wit and humour and the actions and consequences were depicted skillfully - making soap bubbles, helping plants grow, herding cattle along city streets or destroying neon-sign adverts - most amusing ! Think episodes of Mr Bean without Rowan Atkinson's over-the-top rubber-face expressions !

Would I recommend this book to you : Definitely a feel-good book; having read one of the enchanting stories at the start of your morning (on the bus, in the Metro, instead of the morning TV news), you would be in a good mood for the rest of the day and would be looking forward to reading more of Marcovaldo and Co.'s hilarious mishaps, odd adventures and wonderment on the nature of nature as well as the almost disastrous consequences of their good-will and well-intention actions. Really a book for all ages, all seasons and all moods.

The Female Of The Species

Book Name : The Female Of The Species
Author : Joyce Carol Oates

What is it about : A series of psychological thrillers based around a female of different age, generation and background and the short stories settings varied from holiday resorts in the American Northeast, an American hospital to the high class shops of New York Upper Manhattan. Basically there were the attentive nurses performing dubious acts, audacious toddlers getting lost on the roof, mum with a bit of a wild past, an unfaithful yet indecisive wife and there could even be a murderess in the midst.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Each story gripped my attention right from the word go and never let loose of my focus, right till the very suspenseful endings. The author was masterful in creating the tension by drawing you close to the characters' thoughts until you could feel their heart pound, pitied their dilemma, condoned their actions, inherited their weaknesses and consumed by their passion.

Would I recommend this book to you : A most resounding YES ! I would even say that this author had become one of my favourites in the "suspense and thriller" genre. It was just pure pleasure, leisure, all-round entertainment and an immense satisfaction at the end of the unforgettable stories, having been taken for a roller-coaster of a ride. What are you waiting for ?

The White Castle

Book Name : The White Castle
Author : Orhan Pamuk

What is it about : Set in the days of the Turkish Sultan, the story of an Italian merchant/scholar who was kidnapped by the pirates and ended up a slave. Yes, slave-trading in those days was as common as buying a loaf of bread down the road. Incredible events began to take shape in the Italian's life - his master and the Italian joined/connected in myriads of emotional crossroads and knew each other's thinking, past life, guilt, habits, quirks and aspirations so well and thorough that eventually they became "one and inter-changeable" ! As master and slave marched into battle under the command of the Sultan, only one made it back to Turkey, but who was he ? Read on.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The Noble prize-winning author sure knew how to spin an unlikely tale; but I found the character-building of the main roles to be cumbersome, repetitive and at times, frustrating ( I went - yes yes I get it !); what could have been said in a few pages was dragged on and on and on till I was so looking forward to the end of the book; not exactly eager to reach an exciting climax, more hoping to get it over and done with. Interesting story it might be, long-winded it sure was.

Would I recommend this book to you : Either the translation was under-whelming or trying too hard to be "literature" or the story itself was just not engaging enough - I found it very difficult to get interested and stuck-in; maybe I was just short of patience during this hot Summer and expected to read something fast and furious. So if you want to have an idea of what this author is capable of, go for it; else, pass.

圖說元朝

Book Name : 圖說元朝
Author : 龔書鐸、劉德麟 主編

What is it about : The book detailed the rise and fall of the Mongols - a few humble tribesmen/herdsmen minding their own business near the present borders of north-east China and Eastern Russia, raising a few cattle farms, shaving a few sheeps to make woolly jumpers, roasting mutton on a spit every now and then, and may be even a sing-song after dinners around the camp fire and then they would sleep peacefully under the big night sky. And voila, one day came the great Chinggis who would unite these tribes and these fearless and fearsome horsemen would struck fear across much of Asia and Europe and had a bit of a bash. Their empire extended to present day Poland, Syria, Austria and would help shape and administer China and Russia into their present mighty States, more or less. And at the end, the empire was just too big not to fall apart - feuding brothers and cousins at the royal courts as well as the oppressed locals who had had enough of administration corruptions, incompetence and whats-not. This book focused mostly on the Mongols' influence and history on China, namely the Yuan Dynasty (元朝) that the Mongols established.

Some thoughts after having read the book : I particularly enjoyed reading the good coverage of the various characters involved in this mighty dynasty which included the usual suspects of Chinggis, Kubali etc; but also the able "prime ministers" and the queens who had such a big hand in making Yuan Dynasty and the Mongols such a formidable force in the days when they ruled most of the known world. I also appreciated very much the numerous photos, maps and diagrams which made the book that much readable and interesting.

Would I recommend this book to you : An excellent introduction to the characters, incidents, battles and psyche of the Mongols; especially for us, as we would be visiting Mongolia in a few week's time ! Of course, the present-day Mongolia would be a very pale version of this once proud and mighty empire.

Katherine Mansfield Selected Stories

Book Name : Katherine Mansfield Selected Stories
Author : Katherine Mansfield

What is it about : A selection of about 30 short stories from this well traveled writer who was born in New Zealand and had sojourned in various parts of Europe; she died at the age of 35. This book covered her work spanning her productive years and the topics she wrote varied tremendously from moody ship voyages, busy garden parties to marital tension and class prejudice. Most of the stories covered an amazing 5 to 10 pages only.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Each story read like an episode from different long-running TV Classics soap opera and the reader just happened to sit-in and viewed one of these episodes. Once I had accustomed to this aspect and perceptive, I quite enjoyed each story, even without knowing anything about the "previous" episodes such as the plot line, the characters, the settings etc. and the reader would just dive in to the environment framed up by the author and just "watch a bit of soap". However, one had to bear in mind that the reader would be left in mid-air at the end of each story as there is really no beginning and no end.

Would I recommend this book to you : Read a bit of "literature" for a change; good for your spirit, improve your English and get to know the style and prose of one of the famous writers of a century ago.

Dead Eric Gets Virus

Book Name : Dead Eric Gets Virus
Author : Nury Vittachi

What is it about : Eric The Teenage Nerd accidentally loaded his brains onto a military-grade computer via his PC from home. His only friend Min, tried her best to save him by beating the countdown of the start of a massive world-wide computer virus attack, that would, emm, REALLY kill Eric.

Some thoughts after having read the book : I had read on numerous occasions this Author's contributions to Asian Newspapers columns and I found him to be witty and to-the-point about daily hot topics, mainly dealing with current affairs. Within perhaps the space of one thousand words in these newspapers columns, this Author could really excel with that quick killer punchline. However, writing a short novel of this length was, in my mind, pushing his capabilities. Horses for courses really, think athletes who could be good at 100M and 200M, others good at hurdles, and still others specialize at marathons, but seldom you would meet an athlete winning at short put as well as the steeple chases.

Would I recommend this book to you : Read for a quick fun ride and re-live those teenagers' days.

When The Wind Blows

Book Name : When The Wind Blows
Author : Cyril Hare

What is it about : A WhoDunIt written in 1949 when the murderer dialed a 4-digit telephone number for a cab and the currency in circulation was the Crown. The story revolved around the murder of a famous violinist hours before she was to play solo in a concert held in a fictitious suburban town in the Home Counties of England. Our reluctant (aren't they all ?) detective was the retired legal expert in the form of the cuddly Francis Pettigrew, helped along the way by the whisky-swilling Head of Police and the ever-sober Sargent in charge.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Written all those years ago had not diminished the class, sophistication and the tension of the plot. The book did not read like a now-a-day WhoDunIt top seller, conjured up by an ever-predictable commercial recipe. If anything, the book was tinged with nostalgia of the days of the good helpful citizen,  as well as delightful interplay between the innocent bystanders, the guilty ones and the charming local police force.

Would I recommend this book to you : Not exactly a tour-de-force in crime-solving with a stunning wrap-up, but read the book for its old-time English-ness and appreciate the suburban landscape and characters. All in all, a mild, gentle and amusing read.

What A Wonderful World

Book Name : What A Wonderful World
Author : Marcus Chown

What is it about : All those topics (mainly science) that you dared not approach and were scared stiff when you first came across them before your O-Levels days, now reappeared in this book, explained in easy, straightforward and interesting layman terms. The Author cleverly peppered the contents with memorable stories and anecdotes from the inventors, scientists and various characters involved with that topic and the book was made that much more lively and readable.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Every now and then, one would come across a new friend or bump into someone in the cafe or something and you thought, hey presto, this guy could really explain things and I could understand everything he just said ! And what did he just explain ? Quantum Mechanics ? Capitalism ? Black Holes ? But, hang on, those topics now all made sense to me, un-believable ! Well, the author of this book was that guy in the cafe, crystal clear without loosing the essence and the core message of the topic. Basically, the ideal business consultant - digest the complex issues and then churn out information that "The Management" could understand.

Would I recommend this book to you : I would definitely recommend the book, especially, if you have the time to read one chapter each day to further make the complicated topic easier to comprehend - yeh, we're talking General Relativity, Neutrinos and stuff here ... you would need to take your time. Fun, nonetheless.

The Black Stiletto

Book Name : The Black Stiletto
Author : Raymond Benson

What is it about : Upon receiving a call from his mother's lawyer, Martin would discover that his senile mother, Judy, currently bedded down in an old people's home, was the Black Stiletto, the infamous vigilante wanted by the Mafia and the FBI back in the fifties. At the same time, one of her old enemies received parole and left prison intended to exact his revenge on Judy.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Em, yeh ... interesting idea if one day anyone would find that his or her mother was once upon a time, some ass-kicking, karate black belt and boxing tom-boy with a lethal expertise on the use of the knife (the black stiletto) who had gone about New York City dressed like Bat Girl, fighting crime, the Mafia, the Communists and was high on the FBI's wanted list ! That aside, the story was told in an under-whelmingly low octane tone and style which without boring the reader to bed, certainly lacked the flair and climax.

Would I recommend this book to you : A plain read to while away your Summer beach days or those lonesome Winter nights. Don't expect James Bond-like actions though.

The Double

Book Name : The Double
Author : Fyodor Dostoyevsky

What is it about : Set in the days of pre-1900s in St. Petersburg, one middle ranking government clerk found himself one day, coming face to face, living with, working along side as well as partying with an exact replica of himself; same name and same looks, only that our "Junior" turned out to be in character the exact opposite - smart, commanding, confident, witty, sociable and well-liked. The book centered on our "Senior" trying to work out what was going on - how come nobody was surprised, how could everyone take it so nonchalantly and what exactly was "Junior" up to ? Or was "Senior" going slightly mad where all he saw before him, were hallucinations ?

Some thoughts after having read the book : Man ! I would tell ya, reading 160 odd pages of a man's life turned up-side-down and trying to figure out "in his mind" what was going on, was not an easy feat ! I appreciated very very much the excellent translation from Russian, done on the original script, but I found as a result, the reading was made that much more cumbersome and tiring. The setting of the scene in St.Petersburg was difficult for a non-European reader who had not been well-versed in the intricacies of horse riding, man-servant, Russian government inner workings and the way a ball or party was thrown in those days. I persevered till the bitter end of the book and still could not make heads or tails !

Would I recommend this book to you : I checked out reviews performed by other readers and the comments ranged from "...A work of art...",  "...Students of literature, admirers of Dostoyevsky, and general readers will all be delighted..." to "...utterly unreadable..." ! Well, take your pick and think hard if you really have not better things to do.

The White Hotel

Book Name : The White Hotel
Author : D.M.Thomas

What is it about : The life story of a half Russian girl, Lisa, told along fantastical, multiple, intersecting, and psychological levels and dimensions. The first part of the book was Freud's (Lisa's psychologist) analysis and dissection of the origins of her physical pains and hysteria; revealing at last the deep, hidden root causes of her emotional scars. The second part of the book was an epic tale of her later life as a victim of the holocaust. The story ended with Lisa coming into contacts with lost ones, possibly during a transition state on her way to the Pearly Gates.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The very original (!) story was woven together by a master writer - such huge and diverse topics as the holocaust and Freudian psycho-analysis were put together with logic and ease in breath-taking, stunning and vivid images. The reader was left mesmerised and busy chasing symbols, clues and interpretations and came out not entirely sure what he/she had just read was, fantasy, real life, nut and bolt psycho-analysis or simply a story of epic proportions about a girl who was caught up in an identity crisis and met her brutal ends when she was swept up in the world's events. I felt overwhelmed by the savagery, fantasies (Certificate-18 stuff !), Freud's great intuition as well as the un-relenting pace of the book throughout.

Would I recommend this book to you : Be prepared to be made speechless, stunned and be ready to walk around in a daze for a few days after finishing the book. The relevant "adult" contents were essential for the development of the story and NOT some racy cheap thrills to get sales up. Be warned !