Monsignor Quixote

Book Name : Monsignor Quixote

Author : Graham Greene 

What is it about : One would think a tale about two middle-age men travelling in Spain cramped in a temperamental old car did not have the dynamics to develope into an interesting story  - but if the characters turned out to be a communist and the other a priest, both riddled with doubts about their respective faith and belief; and the story was penned by the strokes of a genius writer, think again ! Monsignor Quixote received a promotion unexpectedly after having given shelters and a meal of horse meat steak to a religious big-wig and thus began his motor journey across Spain, using his faithful old car, "Rocinante" with a mayor of communist-leaning ideals. Along the way, the two would share bottles of wine, making themselves suspicious to local policemen, giving a lift to a robber and would at the same time, exchange their view points over religion and politics.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author's wit and intelligence came to mind immediately when I came to write this little amateur review. Running parallels between Communism and Religion could easily backfire if the subjects were to be treated without care and resulting in disappointment and dismay from both camps. But GG did the job of delivering the contradictions and similarities between the two camps admirably and with sure-foot confidence; with tons of laughter and memorable set-pieces along their motor journey across Spain. To name a few of the hilarious scenes, a confession of a dishonest funeral undertaker, took place in the male lavatory ; the Monsignor and the mayor trying to out-wit the ensuing local policemen ; the two men went into a cinema watching a soft-pornography film with vastly different attitudes and expectations - the mayor hoping for a more overt version whereas the priest found it hard to figure out how such a film can be named "A Maiden's Prayer". Enlightening, thoughtful and amusing but not the laugh-out-loud kind of book.

Would I recommend this book to you : Read a Master at work, effortless and plenty of wit ! Greene also threw in his two-cents sideways, on the topics of Communism and Religion, making excellent arguments as well as mockery of both camps. The mayhem at the festival in the last 40 pages would stay with me for a long while - hilarious yet unexpectedly shocking.

The Silent Patient

Book Name : The Silent Patient

Author : Alex Michaelides 

What is it about : Alicia shot her husband Gabriel five times in the face and refused to utter a word ever since. She was charged murder by reason of insanity / diminished responsibility and was sent to a psychiatric ward, The Grove, to be "further analysed" and "mentally assisted". Out of reasons only he knew better, psychotherapist, Theo,  himself a victim of parental abuse and a failing relationship, came in to The Grove, to attempt rescuing Alicia from this damaging downward spiral, only to find himself being drawn into a dark past which he had no escape.

Some thoughts after having read the book : To become the present day best sellers, one would need to write the story in easily-digestible chunks of 5 pages to no more than 10 pages per chapter - just as not to be over-taxing our present day attention-lacking general reading public; so they could have an easy read with the occasional check for their incoming SMS or get themselves a refill of wine and so that the book would not hurt their brains too much with over-length development which they failed to cope and would eventually give up - instead with the book divided into simple chew-able bits and in reaching the end of the book, they would reflect : "oh, that was a pleasant, wonderful straight-forward read, I would give it high marks.". The style and structure of this bestseller deployed exactly such technique; so in my case, my train of thoughts and concentration were constantly disrupted by the shortness of story development and I felt rather annoyed at the lack of substance to feed my curiosity and hunger for a solid read. And yes, of course I could have read more pages in one go, but in that case, the book would be finished quickly without much to mull over.

Would I recommend this book to you : The book would receive a good "Pass" grade from me, although the story-telling had an artificial feel to it and did not flow easily since the book was divided into too many short sections, as I had mentioned above. The rather shocking ending would make up much of the frustration but it still lacked the "oomph" to mesmersie the readers. Perfect book for that lazy holiday by the pool - a bit of barbecue, a sip of beer, a quick cool-off in the pool and a bit of reading to catch up on the story. Relaxing !

The Family Upstairs

Book Name : The Family Upstairs

Author : Lisa Jewell 

What is it about : At 25, Libby received a lawyer's letter, informing her of a family fortune, in the form of a 12 bedroom-mansion in fashionable Chelsea, London - valued at something like 6 million Pounds. Libby then decided it would be fun to team up with the investigative journalist who reported on that case of "cult mass suicide" and even the discovery of a wrapped up "mummy", in that very same mansion, all those year ago; Libby reunited with her remotely-related half family members later on and had a good old chin-wag about old times.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The technique used in this book would be the predictable 10-Pager set-pieces : the scene of Libby talking to her solicitors, 10 pages; the scene where Lucy plucked up the courage to borrow money from her wife-beating ex-husband, 10 pages; Lucy killed her ex-husband, 10 pages; the scene where Henry regaled his nightmare discovery that the hippies would be staying for years, 10 pages; the scene where Libby confided with Dido, her workmate, about the weird findings in old newspaper cuttings, 10 pages; Phin and Henry took an Acid trip, 10 pages and so on ... Promising to begin, with a seemingly sinister cult suicide-pact sensational start which went all the way downhill, ending with a jolly family re-union with those turning up splitting the spoils of a few cool million Pounds each, ha hum ...

Would I recommend this book to you : The book read like a collection of serialised pieces from glossy magazines, where one could easily have picked up the story development at any page. A book for the beach, as a companion to the post-lunch no-brains-required afternoon snooze. Or just read the last 20 pages, where like those annoyingly confusing whodunit movies, the detective would summarise in almost a monologue for all present (including the readers and audience) the in's and out's and whats-not's.

Lolita

Book Name : Lolita

Author : Vladimir Nabokov 

What is it about : An open written confession of a perverted child molester in every meaning of the word - forbidden passion, admission of guilt, a plea for clemency, frank disclosure of dark desires, self-justification yet insistent of any wrong-doing. The tale of Humbert's lust and desires exploded over a twelve year-old tomboy / maiden / nymphet - Lolita, during his sojourn in an American provincial town. This stay was cut short following the road death of Humbert's all-so-righteous and rather un-attractive religious wife (Lo's mother), "father and daughter" then embarked on an American motor trip (twice !), staying in Nowhere-ville, Insomnia Lodges and One-horse-towns; making these guesthouses and country houses their love nests. Alas, after two years of mindless travelling, Lo left without a word, leaving nothing but grief and anger to the vengeful forlorn Humbert. In hot pursuit, could Humbert catch up with Lo and slay the fiend who helped her escape ? The final execution style gun-shots and scuffle was a piece of masterful writing ! Read on.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Normally, in the local Library when I successfully plucked up my courage and picked out a "Classics" as supposed to go for a commercial joviality of an easy read, a range of emotions and reading expectations would pass through my thoughts, heart and body - in no particular order - awe, challenge, dread, hard slog ahead, elation, reward, satisfaction and eventual triumph. Literally - no pain no gain as were the cases of my perseverance over Tolstoy, Greene, Golding, Pushkin, Chekov, Kafka etc. And it was with such expectancy in mind as Lolita, with its heavy hard cover, tiny prints and rather numerous pages, landed in my check-out basket. Yes, a good few weeks of laborious grind and concentration awaited. But alas, Lolita turned out to be that rare hybrid, an up-roaring entertainment as well as a heavy weighted Classic !

Would I recommend this book to you : A book for you if you had always wanted to know the twisted morality and warped mindset of a person scarred by childhood losses and his psychological dissection of un-controllable lust and perverse thoughts and actions; read this book for its beautiful and witty prose ("... my mouth to the dentist was a splendid cave of priceless treasures ..."). But if offensive depiction of bare encounters, sexual exploitation and gross depravity against minors disgusted you, stay away !  Or better still, why not watch the film - I watched the 1997 Jeremy Irons version, the screen adaption was excellent !

Book Name : Agent Running In The Field

Author : John Le Carre 

What is it about : Our veteran secret service agent, Nat, approaching middle-age and sensing the passing of time, was posted back to London after his many foreign adventures. Nat was put in charge of the Haven, a derelict old house in Camden Town packed with a rag-tag of would-be spooks who would require his expert guidance of navigating the London Centre bureaucratic traps and jumping over budgetary hurdles as well as honing them the black art of spying and other operational trade craft. In came Ed Shannon, a dashing and gangly twenty-something who would turn Nat's life upside-down, but not before beating him in the game of badminton and over a few post-match beers, talking the serious talks over Brexit and the current "We Come First" US administration. Ed's a Europhile and his passion and actions would eventually lead him and Nat into a quagmire of national dimensions.

Some thoughts after having read the book : All Le Carre's treasured hallmarks were on display - the trays of whisky (and soda fountains) over clandestine secret meetings with all parties having sober(!) dialogues after their frequent, respective "long pull from the glasses"; the brilliant operational setup of smoking out the traitor from within; the long dark pilgrimage to find old partners-in-crime from the distant past; and the all-so-relevant perspectives of the post-Brexit toxic atmosphere of the western world. Alas, this was no vintage Le Carre - too jovial, jolly and commercial, read more like a Jeffery Archer paperback; there was actually no PLOT, just a mega-co-incidence too implausible to contemplate and basically a lot of hoo-ha for nothing at the end. Sorry if I had to spoil it for you here, but here's a glimpse : Ed REALLY ONLY wanted a game of badminton when he sought out Nat; Ed REALLY had NO IDEA they were from sister organisations; Ed REALLY had NO CLUE he married a secret agent who was Nat's protege. I mean, honestly, man !

Would I recommend this book to you : There were flashes of brilliance from one of my favourite authors, but this book fell way way short of his darkest, poignant best. The part where the "service" set up surveillance eavesdropping on Ed's fall in grace was the best part of the book, breathtaking ! Else, I would take out an earlier Le Carre book to find out how great an author he really could be. And by the way, for those not initiated - Nat was no George Smiley - keep that in mind, then may be you could read the book with less expectations.

Coronado

Book Name : Coronado

Author : Dennis Lehane

What is it about : Murder, suspense and mystery aplenty in these short stories, all set in American small towns where seemingly town folks took matters into their own hands. The jewel in the crown amongst these stories - the hunt for a missing diamond by a conman father and his just-got-out-of-jail son; ICU detailed a man on the run from suspected government agents and ended up a regular in a hospital complex, visiting cafeteria, greeting patients and nurses (think Tom Hanks in the film : The Terminal); the improbable tale of a town employing dog shooters in a bid to rid itself of strays in order to build a friendly theme park, ending the story with the murder of a promiscuous woman. By the way, Coronado was a fictional small town often mentioned by the characters in the Diamond chase mentioned earlier.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author tried experimenting with styles and plots and I would applaud such efforts as the stories came off resonating with menace from the many colorful, if frightening characters and the themes of small town "hapnings" provided an extra layer of intrigue where law and order seemed light years away and the events inevitably spiraling out of control. Worth mentioning - the subtle writers' art of "highlighting facts by glaring omission" was skillfully deployed in these stories; or was it - things had better be kept unsaid.

Would I recommend this book to you : I made an exception for this author and took this book out from the local library, as I had not been living in such places and so it was difficult for me to relate and feel the authenticity and resonance of these locales and scenes of crime and passions. But this author depicted the scenes with enough flare and subtlety for me to have a good glimpse into the inner workings of the big lives and events in small town America. Go read !

The Trial

 Book Name : The Trial

Author : Franz Kafka

What is it about : Waiting for his tea and breakfast one casual morning, Josef K. was visited by a few officials telling him of an offence which Josef K. neither committed nor could have the faintest idea about and he was summoned to face "the court". Thus set forward a drama played out in various settings - his bank, the advocate's office and a cathedral where he was briefed to some extent the hypocrisy which surrounded the judicial system. Our man Josef K. was made speechless and confused right off the bat from the start of the book and still confused when he met his dismal end.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author cramped so much conversation and so little action in so few scenes, it's just amazing how great author could still convey the fear, despair and brutality of a supposedly innocent man faced against a corrupted, bureaucratic and illogical legal powerhouse. The ending was abrupt and heart-breaking when Josef K. failed to inch forward, backwards or sideways amonst the people of "the system". Well worth a mention was the role played by the "advocates" who were supposedly there to assist victims such as Josef K. but in actual fact, these advocates were part of the machinery.

Would I recommend this book to you : Containing just a few scenes in the book, perhaps not more than ten such settings and the author managed to convey, portray and dissect the drama, psychology and disbelief experienced by Josef K, our confused and head-scratching victim. Ideal material for Drama classes with in-depth dialogues - for those not into Drama, this book could well be a bore.

The Universe In A Nutshell

Book Name : The Universe In A Nutshell

Author : Stephen Hawking

What is it about : Our treasured and much-loved renowned physicist tried his best to put across in plain terms the magical universe as he knew it - String theory, P-Branes, Super-symmetry, Black Holes, General Relativity and such esoteric yet familiar topics. The illustrations were colorful, glossy and visually rewarding.

Some thoughts after having read the book : As the author put it - this book had never meant to be "The Son Of A History Of Time" and the book actually contained more advanced subjects and to my very limited knowledge, did not help to clear the technical mist surrounding the topics. Having read the book, my knowledge of Strings, Symmetries and such remained at the same preliminary levels as before I read the book. Ha Hum. Yes, I had guessed already from the outset that I had better refresh and revisit my A-Level Physics books before taking this book out as there was obviously a gap which I had needed to bridge. However, this frustration did not diminish my enthusiasm and I felt that the author took me on a strange and fascinating journey, pointing out along the way the mysterious objects and reasons behind the moving scenes and that was both impressive and enjoyable.

Would I recommend this book to you : Really a book for those in the know - perhaps first year Physics Undergraduates or materials suited for University lecturers putting together a syllabus. General layman trying to get a picture of our Universe should stay away although you might still feel entertained as your mind boggled at the very odd nature "in this version of the Universe" which we live in.

The Plague

Book Name : The Plague

Author : Albert Camus

What is it about : On an ordinary day in the French Algerian seaside town of Oran, rats came out first in their tens, then in their hundreds to curl up and died. Soon the Oran population came to the same fate and the town came under quarantine. Emotions flared up and unrest spread around town; amongst the residents, one Doctor Rieux stayed stoic, composed and began treating the infected patients whilst bearing his own worries on his family. Not only was Rieux an active participant in the crisis, he witnessed as a bystander and chronicled the events unfolding, the ugliness and high morals of individuals and the eventual triumph as the town emerged scarred, cleansed and resurrected.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The whole emotional cycle of first the population becoming puzzled, then incredulous, then despair, then courageous until solidarity and bonds formed amongst the fighters and helpers would be no news of our world of 2020 as Covid spread and conquered and hopefully finally stopped and cured. The government response, the upheaval experienced by the population of Oran, the crisis of food and supplies shortages, the torment of loved ones separated and lost all rang a bell and in fact, the reactions of our species to contagion changed little - fictitious or real life, ancient or present.

Would I recommend this book to you : A classic read from this great author. He captured the essence of a world tuned up-side-down by the overwhelming but invisible force of Nature and at the same time provided a detailed depiction of the colorful characters involved - government officials, hospital staff, sentries, religious leaders, families and even human traffickers ! I found the book even more relevant and readable in a year when we faced the pandemic of our lifetime. Not to be missed !

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

Book Name : The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Author : John Le Carre

What is it about : Our protagonist, Alec Leamas, once the head of operations inside walled Berlin at the height of the Cold War, now down and out, drunk and poor, ever since his team was entirely annihilated by Mundt, the ruthless strong man of the East German Intelligence unit. Alec was subsequently recruited by the East Germans in order to gain more intimate knowledge of the British operations; as layers upon layers of planted information peeled back to reveal a high-level mole buried deep inside the East German hierarchy and thus gave rise to a thrilling showdown between the spy masters. Would Alec get out of the walled city alive ? Who's actually the mole ? The readers would not know the true victim of this triple-cross plot till the very end.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The book which made the author one of the top notch writer in this field of brutal and subtle espionage tales. Of course, Le Carre went on to achieve even greater fame through his trilogy of Tinker, Tailor Soldier, Spy. In my opinion, no other authors in this genre could bring the sheer depth and intensity, the understanding of human frailty, the subtlety of manipulation, duplicity and deceit in the world of spy-craft into words that filled a book. This was the second time I had read this book, last time being in year 2,000 ! and I was amazed in how I had almost remembered the plot and yet found more hidden meaning and implications this second time around. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this re-finding of facts being echoed in the Forward written by another author.

Would I recommend this book to you : Actually the book would be a great example lesson of "How To Write" as each section was headed by the title, often just one word or a few words and thus the structure of the whole book was sketched out and Voilà ! all one needed was the talent to fill in the contents. I would definitely recommend this book for those looking for more than just a plain vanilla spy thriller - the human psychology, depth, atmosphere and audacity of the plot in this book would stir you !

The God Delusion

Book Name : The God Delusion
Author : Richard Dawkins

What is it about : Our famous evolution biologist and my favourite science writer, ventured into a side (but big) issue of evolution - Religion. The book highlighted the absurdity and blood-thirstiness of the ancient scriptures, reported on interesting experiments on mass prayers, presented eye-opening evidence on vampire bats behaviour (rewarding those fellow bats who kept a promise and punishing those who were selfish !) and hence conjecturing of how the human species might benefit from being "good" without the need for, or help from, a religious belief or establishment.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The Subject aside, the author 's mastery in presenting a case gave the readers the impression of intrigue, fascination and all-rounded-ness with no stones un-turned. Any aspiring writers out there should take note of the way a complex matter was tackled, dissected and clearly articulated. The book's presentation of the many incredulous examples of religion-related incidents in the USA only re-confirmed what I had read elsewhere - especially the extreme hatred exhibited by the would-be god-fearing church goers in that country.

Would I recommend this book to you : Ever wondered : the existence of a supreme being out there looking over your every move ? Do your prayers work ? By doing good deeds, are you enhancing your evolutionary advantages ? Want to investigate the inconsistencies exhibited in the ancient scriptures ? Want to exercise your intellect and work out a probability number for the existence of God ? Then this book might well be your best companion for the next two weeks as the author put forward interesting, entertaining and plausible explanations for all these questions. Put away your prejudice and take this book out from the local library - you would not be disappointed.

The Expat

Book Name : The Expat
Author : Chris Pavone

What is it about : A female CIA agent went from an international jet setting operative (taking out drug lords and the bad guys, two bullets in the stomach and one in the head) to a boring desk job (raising two kids, doing the laundry and cooking dinner) to become The Expat as her husband found a job in Luxembourg. Our stay-at-home-apple-pie lady soon found out her husband turned out to be a computer hacker, working closely with the FBI to siphon off millions of Euros. Her world came close to a collapse when the Interpol, FBI, CIA gave chase when her family made a quick escape into the streets of Paris.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The book spent loads of sleep-inducing coverage on house keeping chores, bland description of expat lives and communities and alas, the detailed mapping out of Parisian streets and different vacation hot spots in Europe. Out lady CIA's clumsy attempts in trying to figure out her husband's misdemeanors and the story lines were at best "let's past a few minutes on this book for diversions from other more boring activities of my day" to, at worst made me feel like throwing the book into the swimming pool.

Would I recommend this book to you : I should have bought the other book at the airport.

簡明中國文明史 - China : A 5,000-Year Odyssey

Book Name : 簡明中國文明史 China : A 5,000-Year Odyssey
Author : 譚中

What is it about : A scholar of international reputation regaled the stories in China's immense history with the expressed aims of : Debunking popular western myths on China and presenting the world about China's history from the hands of a Chinese scholar. The author covered interesting topics from the possibilities of how the names of China arose from Indian origins and vice versa, the name India came to be as a result of the pilgrimages of the Buddhist monks; much coverage was devoted to the interpretation of Chinese poems as "evidence" reflecting life in ancient China; the author put forward the idea that the Silk Road has also been the Religion Road where different religions reached China. The book was published in 2018, so many current topics have been taken into account. At the outset, the author exclaimed how strange it was that when people wanted to understand Russia, they would read books written by Russians but when people wanted to understand China, they read books written by Americans ! He hoped that this book would in some ways, address and change this abnormality.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author came packed with credentials up to his eye brows - having taught and lived in India for over 40 years and so well versed with both cultures and had been advisors to top diplomats and high offices. His book read well with lively discussion style presentation and he wisely only picked out selected significant examples of historical figures (such as the one and only Empress of China 武則天) for discussions in this book and hence avoided cumbersome and distractions from his main macro themes. I did not find one moment of boredom or any part of the book that was not interesting. He provided unique insights into China's history by making frequent references to his forte : India.

Would I recommend this book to you : Without the required expertise and being a total arm-chair historian, I could hardly comment if the Author succeeded in debunking western myths or convinced the general readers of his views, but one thing for sure, this book provided extremely fascinating insights in how China came to be, how China and India had been "twin brothers" all along, under the Himalayan civilisation sphere and the author was able to tell wonderful stories on many of China's historical figures. Reading this book would enhance your understanding of China in leaps and bounds.

The Sense Of An Ending

Book Name : The Sense Of An Ending
Author : Julian Barnes 

What is it about : A haunting story based along the theme of "our memory is only half the story" and "what we remember is not what we witnessed". Our man Tony Webster received a letter from the mother of his ex-girlfriend from 40 years ago, leaving him from her Will, some money and a diary. A diary from his very philosophical and intelligent friend Adrian Finn who committed suicide all those years ago. The story then unfolded into an exploration of Tony's past and along the way he managed to put together a jigsaw puzzle of a chain of events quite different from what he remembered. At the end, a puzzle solved, with much regret, remorse and despair.

Some thoughts after having read the book : I would normally take my time and enjoy a slow burn of a read for most books, but I made a rare exception for this book; because this book was really as some critics would put it as "un-put-downable", "riveting" and "a real chase to the end". At the same time, the book provided plenty of food for thoughts regarding our very un-reliable memory, our very fallibility for inadvertently making up, embellishing and adjust the existing and missing bits of the stories (memory) in our lives; and on a wider scale, examining the very true nature of History itself - glorifying records written for victors or self-delusion on the losers' part and indeed the book examined whether History was merely, the product of "imperfection of memory meeting the inadequacy of documentation".

Would I recommend this book to you : Without question a book of quality for suspense, philosophy, examination of human nature, a who-dun-it and truly deserving the Man Booker Prize. The plot, construct and delivery were superb and presented with subtlety, sure-footedness and left the readers mesmerised with a sense of lost for our man Tony and a chance to reflect on our own very un-reliable memory. A Must Read !

Boxer Beetle

Book Name : Boxer Beetle
Author : Ned Beauman 

What is it about : A present-day would-be detective un-raveling a war-time murder case, involving a gay Jewish boxing champ with nine toes. Along the way, beetles breeding, fascist riots, rough and tumble sex, a letter from Hitler, also tagged along.

Some thoughts after having read the book : One colloquial saying in Cantonese pretty much summed up this book : "Thunder roared loudly but the rain drops came little"... Meaning that the book promised a great conspiracy but never delivered or what was delivered came to some trivial pursuit. The great conspiracy part was the "Hitler, Eugenics, man-eating beetles, 9-toe gay Jewish boxer champ, riots and sex"; but having read the book, these boiled down to "A letter from Hitler and a rather boring country manor whodunit". The book started with great promise, setting the scene for a cat and mouse detective chase to the bottom of the "truth" but the smoking gun turned out to be merely an anonymous person on the Internet ! The book received all-round applause from the likes of Sunday Times, The Guardian etc, but I never really got the hang of it, ha hum ... not my cup of tea, may be.

Would I recommend this book to you : A quick thrill may be, but better off looking elsewhere for a good read - may it be a war-time conspiracy, a whodunit or a creepy-crawly sci-fi that you're looking for.

Stories Of Your Life And Others

Book Name : Stories Of Your Life And Others
Author : Ted Chiang 

What is it about : The story of The Tower Of Babylon kicked off this series of science-based fiction; the ancient Babylonians built the tower to reach religious and physical heights, but what were the practical concerns ? The engineers had to wheel up the materials such as bricks and cement to great distance and the distance became longer the further they built the Tower ! And how about "Lookisome" ? - the human brain's ability or in-built prejudice in judging people by their looks. This story told of a future world whereby this ability could be switched off by undergoing an easy DIY brain procedure which could block off the necessary neural circuitry, thus enabling humans to judge people by merit. Another story described the journey and end of a patient who was in a vegetative state after an accident, recovering from memory loss and general lack of physical abilities by undergoing a special hormone therapy and ended up being a super-human (think X-Men), only to meet his own demise when he encountered another patient having gone through the same hormone treatments.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Being a scientist and engineer by training and working, I very much appreciated Chiang's science-based angle of attack to his stories. The stories read more plausible, probable and much like the film Men In Black, events might even be happening right now. Chiang's ability to command different writing styles, made his stories pleasurable, realistic and hitting the title theme very much on target. Take for instance, Tower Of Babylon, the author imagined a tower so tall, it would take months to reach the top, so the tower "residents" grew their own vegetables and lived their lives like us on the ground; a colorful picture combining an old fable and more down-to-earth practical engineering concerns.

Would I recommend this book to you : I read this book when I went on vacation, the book was a great companion as the stories were kept concise and the science aspects of the tales made interesting diversions from the all-too-relaxing, jump-in-out-of-pool relaxation. Go read !

The Celestial Omnibus And Other Tales

Book Name : The Celestial Omnibus And Other Tales
Author : E.M. Forster 
What is it about : A couple of fables and fantasies set in the Victorian times, taking place in the English countryside, London suburbs and as far as Greece. The tales started with ordinary events like going out for a picnic or a boy getting lost in a alleyway then the situation would take an ominous turn for the worse when people mysteriously went missing, buses went flying and newspapers showing near-death misses.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The works of great authors shared many traits, one of which would be the art of leaving faint dots (clues, facts, conversations) whereby the readers had to join the dots up. A process thus making the readers work their brains a bit, giving the readers the room for imagination and resulting in a more rewarding reading experience. One could say the classic lesson of "Show and Don't Tell" . E.M. Forster would be such great example, the whole experience of reading these tales went from a foggy beginning and slowly becoming sunny clear as the end approached as I tried hard to "figure out" the situation - pure talent and brilliance.

Would I recommend this book to you : Highly recommended for a casual read, learning materials for short stories writing and a look into the Victorian times and their peculiar characteristics, men-women relationships as well as how the British viewed Europeans (Greeks in this case in the last story).

Weathercock

Book Name : The Weathercock
Author : Glen Duncan 

What is it about : The book tracked the early life of spirit-seeing Dominic Hood as he stumbled from primary school fights, foul-mouthing his way through university and after much cigarettes, booze, drugs and women, found work in London and reinforced his dirty deeds and indulged in his vulgar sexual desires. Oh yes, should I forget : there's also the minor, rather distracting parts where he spoke to ghosts and witnessed a couple of clairvoyant happenings.

Some thoughts after having read the book : At times, the violent scenes were way too graphic. Apart from a few inspired turns of phrases and story-telling, else, the obscene profanities were too much to bear. Having said that, the part (20 odd pages) where Dominic witnessed the exorcism taking place in a church in India and the "dirty spirit" subsequently being driven out of the child's body was well worth my time.

Would I recommend this book to you : Because on too many occasions, the writing was over-the-top in my opinion of swearing, un-bearable sex scenes and pointless drinking binges, I would look elsewhere for a quick thrill. Also, warning : strictly NOT for minors and the straight-laced !

The Terrible Privacy Of Maxwell Sim

Book Name : The Terrible Privacy Of Maxwell Sim
Author : Jonathan Coe 

What is it about : The story followed Maxwell Sim, our hapless, awkward and confused protagonist as he entered into mid-life as a divorcee, department store post-sales manager with a deflated ego and the recipient of a poorly formed childhood. We witnessed Max stumbled upon pieces of his old life and made connections with a new one as he traveled from Australia to the south of England as a toothbrush sales person, ending up in a hospital with hypothermia in Scotland. When all was said and done, Max found truth, confidence, self-esteem and his true self.

Some thoughts after having read the book : As an avid reader of books of all genres, I quickly noted the multi-themed and the numerous suspiciously casual and incoherent walk-in roles as the hallmark of a writer conjuring up (cooking up) a good old spin with all the bits and pieces from his notebook of weird and wonderful facts which he came across from his daily life. That, of course, was not to trivialise his tremendously successful attempt to underlie all these colorful characters and events with strong, moving and human insights and undertone in the story of Max; the writer never wavered from the central plot of Max's (and every reader's) eternal quest of : who am I ? The ending was somewhat disappointing and I felt the author should have left it off with Max waving a gentle goodbye and saying a silent "thank you" to the Chinese woman and daughter as they disappeared in the Fairlight Beach (outside Sydney) sunset for having started his quest to find his true self.

Would I recommend this book to you : Apart from the rather "bolted-on" and to me, inappropriate anti-climax ending, this book would be one of my top 10 to take to a desert island, for a two weeks vacation. Laugh and cry along with Max over his life, friends and events which shaped him and at the same time, perhaps reflect upon our own lives and find the answer to that eternal question : do I know who I am ? Highly recommended !

Omega Point

Book Name : Omega Point
Author : Don Delillo

What is it about : The story jumped from an art museum showing the film "Psycho" with Norman Bates, Mother and Janet Leigh (because as stated in the book, nobody remembered the victim's name) in R-E-A-L-L-Y S-L-O-W motion as an art piece, to a retired secret war adviser being interviewed in a remote "ranch" somewhere in the American wilderness which ended with the mysterious disappearance of the adviser's daughter. The ending of the book returned back to the museum showing the Psycho film.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Mesmerising, sure ! There were beautiful sentences and sublime philosophies throughout the book; the disappearance of the daughter in the middle of "somewhere south of nowhere" was eerily haunting and the portrayal of a slow moving film "Psycho" (shower scenes and all) in a museum was mind-boggling. By the way, Omega Point was not some military target or operation but the self-styled description of a mental state about consciousness.

Would I recommend this book to you : Described by critics as "structurally satisfying", "demands slow and attentive reading and re-reading", "severely thoughtful" and "one of his least cryptic". So there, an arty book for the purists may be; hot non-stop actions seekers should look elsewhere.

Innocent Blood

Book Name : Innocent Blood
Author : P.D.James

What is it about : Philippa, the strong-willed and independent minded adopted daughter of the Palfreys, decided on her 18th birthday to track down her blood mother. With a bit of digging around, remember that this novel was written in the 1980s', so no short cutting by using Internet search engines, she discovered to her amazement that her blood mother Mary Ducton was the murderer in the infamous Ducton Murder where a teenage girl was raped and strangled. The story then switched to the father of the murdered teen, Scase, who became obsessed with revenge and decided to stalk the recently released Mary Ducton, with a knife handy. The story built up to a crescendo, almost till the last page, when all matters were settled.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The story line was painstakingly strung out, the details full and vivid, the conversations mostly plausible and the plot patiently built. Few vocabularies were repeated, so not only a crime novel at the peak of its art but also English essays writing at its best - the author had to be one of the Sunday Times Crossword Puzzles contributors. One point I found highly critical and dissatisfying was the cry for sensationalism in the Epilogue where Philippa confided in Scase of her "incest" with Maurice Palfrey, her adopted father; that was just an un-necessary red herring and kind of ended a great book with a warped and twisted tangle of mind - I just could not understand why did the author put that in ?

Would I recommend this book to you : It had been a long while since I last got glued to a great book and totally immersed in the story and the day to day affairs of the stalker, the stalked and the by-standers and the complexity in the emotional upheaval and the study in human relationship of trust, deception and the tricks of memory. So whether you read the book for its excellent English, methodical story plotting or insights into the complex human psychology, I would greatly recommend this book.

The Baker Street Letters

Book Name : The Baker Street Letters
Author : Michael Robertson

What is it about : Two brothers rented an office as their legal practice at the famous address of Sherlock Holmes (Baker Street) with a too-good-to-be-true leasing contract; one of the rental conditions however, was to collect, organise and file-away the daily arrivals of Sherlock's fan mail or requests for solving missing cats, disappearing milk bottles to international conspiracies, etc. Nigel, the younger of the brothers took off to Los Angeles vowing to solve one of these sent-in mysteries, leaving Reggie, his older brother with a dead body in the office with the ensuing hounding police detectives. Together with his glamorous actress girlfriend, Laura, Reggie then gave chase after Nigel and uncovered and solved a devious plot.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Fast paced, quick British wit and all ready to be made into a TV mini series. I found the book to be peopled with consistent characters, the dialogues realistic and the plot complicated but plausible. There were annoying bits like Reggie kept taking cabs everywhere he went in LA (what's wrong with just renting a car ?) and Nigel and Laura mysteriously and conveniently appearing on the scene when the actions required their presence; yeh, just a like a mini TV series alright.

Would I recommend this book to you : Ideal book to take with you on the plane, on the beach or just for an evening of chilling out with a glass of red wine. Get the chips ready !

The Quantity Theory Of Insanity

Book Name : The Quantity Theory Of Insanity
Author : Will Self

What is it about : The book included a couple of stories loosely connected detailing the author's (in first person) encounters with various eccentric/insane characters in his life. The clever dude in his class who excelled in researching and investigating the esoteric minority jungle tribe who was best known for the tribe's complete dullness and ordinariness; his friend eventually married one of these dull tribeswoman and both settled in the middle of the London Home Counties; the author's other friend included Jim who was obsessed with the philosophy of "Waiting" or in actual fact "waiting too much" and Jim eventually was converted into a semi-Cult where the main practice was navigating the London streets in a complete trance while finding the quickest way (by driving at a furious speed) from start to finish; the author's own insanity also came under scrutiny by the readers as he met his dead mother who "moved" to "another part of London" after she died; they even had tea and cakes at her "new place" in East London to catch up with old times.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Amusing and at times thought-provoking in that the readers would quickly start assessing the meaning of sanity as the thin grey line which separated eccentricity and madness. In one story, the psycho-therapy in vogue was to swap roles between patients and doctors in a mad-house and the author was inadvertently drawn into the quagmire of turning himself from a visiting psycho-analyst into one of the patients.

Would I recommend this book to you : Witty, dark and at turns I found the stories rather frightening in how one's mind and psycho-well-being could so easily be affected by obsession, therapy-in-vogue and those around you whom you thought harmless or just a bit eccentric and it turned out that in fact, you''re the one going mental gradually under these influences. And by the way, the Quantity Theory Of Insanity revolved around the idea that the "Total Sanity" in a certain society/grouping remained constant depending on the composition of demography of race, age, family units, incomes and so on; sane theory or what ?

Metamorphosis

Book Name : Metamorphosis
Author : Franz Kafka

What is it about : Gregor, a busy body, loyal company man and dedicated worker, known for his punctuality, diligence and considerations for others, woke up one morning after a particularly bad dream, found himself transformed into a giant bug (man size). Unable to get out of bed, maneuver pass his door and get to work, his family and company came knocking on the door for answers. Thus unfolding this classic "Kafkaesque" tale of Gregor's dilemma, broken dreams and eventual bitter end.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Although a short tale, Kafka showed all his talent for describing claustrophobia, frustration, fear and hopelessness when one had been trapped in surreal circumstances; in this case, a human trapped inside the body of a bug. Gregor tried so hard to scream out all his unusual sensation, desperation and annoyance yet all but unheard and to no avail, as he was not able to communicate in any sensible way these emotions - think being cast a voodoo spell and buried alive, then one would get the idea.

Would I recommend this book to you : A good introduction to Kafka and his technique in creating his hallmark "kafkaesque" atmosphere : one long exclamation of "WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME ?!" A delightful but scary tale - I would not like to be in Gregor's shoes.

The Happy Prince

Book Name : The Happy Prince
Author : Oscar Wilde

What is it about : A few of the most fabled short stories written by this famous author. These included the titled story The Happy Prince where a bejeweled statue overlooking the city witnessed the poverty and derelict conditions and made life better for its citizens with the help of a gentle swallow; The Remarkable Rocket featured a self-centred rocket fizzling out of life when his ability was somehow overlooked; The Selfish Giant initially made life miserable for his garden's visitors but made amends when the Giant was blessed by a Miracle and my favourite : The Fisherman And His Soul where the Fisherman wanted to sell his soul in order to be with his love, a mermaid, only to find his soul returning again and again with increasing tempting offers.

Some thoughts after having read the book : All the stories were charming, delightful and brimming with wit and wisdom as well as colorful characters like talking frogs, a self-pitying dwarf, a family of witty firework members; basically the author breathed life into all the objects in our world. A few examples : "... and the Swallow began to think and he fell asleep; thinking always made him sleepy ..." ; "... the Frog said it liked to do all the talking himself, it saves time and prevents arguments ..." ; "... the Priest showed the Shadow their Pagan God, a magical Mirror which speaks not opinion, but wisdom ...".

Would I recommend this book to you : All aspiring short story writers should read this book as a lesson in how to maximum effectiveness with precise and economical usage of words and sentences. A book for all seasons and all readers - outstanding writing, witty, un-imaginable imagination and the stories awash with super colorful characters, all of them turning your day into a bright and cheerful one.

Conference With The Dead

Book Name : Conference With The Dead
Author : Terry Lamsley

What is it about : Over ten short horror stories, mostly based in rural northern England. A young man applied for what he thought to be an easy job of walking an animal, only to discover the "walking" had to take place after midnight and turned out to be more a feeding frenzy; an enthusiastic cyclist looking for a hot cuppa and stumbled upon an out-of-the-way tea house and being followed back to the BnB by a spirit; a middle-age man inheriting his mother's house and uncovered her dark past and found himself to be the object of an ancient local cult; a child holidaying with his grand parents in a sea-side town where old folks came to live out their remaining years, noticed the strange going-on's at the local old people's home where the staff were un-characteristically more interested in keeping these geriatrics alive.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The themes and beginnings of each story had great potential but the endings fell well short of reaching any climatic explosion. However, the book did have its moments of brilliance in making my hair stand up. Perhaps the stories needed to be better followed through with more coverage, needing perhaps 10 to 20 pages more on each short story to give the stories more oomph, punch and bite. The final endings almost always left me un-satisfied and hung in mid-air, not with suspense of horror, but actually a wanting to be thrilled.

Would I recommend this book to you : An easy read for a plane ride, may be. I certainly did not feel I wasted my time here. But if you're looking for atmosphere, blood, dare and un-stoppable actions, try Anne Rice's The Witching Hour and her Vampire Series.

Our Tragic Universe

Book Name : Our Tragic Universe
Author : Scarlett Thomas

What is it about : All the "hapnings" in the sea side town of Dartmouth, southwest of England with Meg, reporting first hand on the affairs, emotional upheavals and history of her many friends past and present, her dog as well as her own sorrowful / hopeful love stories.

Some thoughts after having read the book : As the book was packed with interesting, dull, comical and tragic characters as well as curious topics and surprising dialogues, the story lines in this book would make great situational comedy (sit-com) materials - with the central figure, Meg appearing on every episode and with the "lesser" characters appearing on and off as when the story reached their parts. Of course, the dog Bess would make a welcomed entry whenever her part was required to liven things up a bit. The sit-com would run for about a year, half-an-hour each night with different stories interspersed into each other - Libby pushing the car into the sea and the local police turning up on her door steps, Meg having constant struggling exchanges with Christopher (come back to bed babe...), leading to their break-up, Tim being spaced out after following the beast of Dartmoor etc. Hey I didn't expect Dartmouth to be SO full of events and sordid affairs !

Would I recommend this book to you : I would recommend this book as a shining example of how one could write a book of more than 300 pages by : jotting down all the incidents and affairs of all your friends and relatives, "google" all the scientific big ideas and re-write them in a layman-understandable sort of way, read and research on the DUMMIES series for Taoism, Tarot cards, and dog psychology and so on and voila !, your very own story-less story as the author had once or twice mentioned in this book. Of course, you would need to be clever to string up these different aspects into one coherent, interesting and enjoyable book and that's where this author excelled. Go read !