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.