Menolibrikul; About Books

...had a wee head-crisis there as I typed that title. Can we really still refer to books if we are reading from an application rather than a physical item, with multiple paper pages and bound in stiffer paper??? Novels, biographies, geographies, texts, yes. But books..? Jus' wonderin'.

Anyhoo - as I have mentioned on a couple of other occasions in earlier posts, I have quite the waiting list for reading. I really got nothing at all read in the past year and a bit. In looking at my list and getting started to it once more, I realised that reading is an actual exercise. It takes conditioning and strengthening and a building of the desire to do it. This came as a bit of a surprise to this bibliophile! Which is all to say that it's a slow beginning, but I know I will pick up speed once I've got my reading muscles back on track.

What has been read so far this year then? (...well, to be fair, a couple of them were started last year...)

IMAGINE A COUNTRY

For anyone who wishes to understand a bit more about the mindset and the culture of modern Scotland. As the blurb says, "The first step on the road to change is to imagine the possibility." While it would be easy to take this purely from the point of view of regaining independence from the reign of Westminster, it is about so much more and many of the ideals within these covers could easily apply to the world at large. A lovely book to dip into and I have re-read a few already - they are great to read out loud.

THE BURNING LAND

One of the UK's top newsreaders and journalists turns his hand to novel writing. Makes a pretty good fist of it, too. A bit clunky in parts, and definitely not for those repulsed by the darkness that exists in life. It's a murder mystery, but - as might be expected from this author - does not avoid also being a social and political commentary. I wouldn't call it a comfortable read, but I do believe it is worth its time and cost.

MURDEROUS CONTAGION...

and all that!!! For anyone who has any interest in the fact that the epi and pan of any demic are not a new phenomenon and that the human critter doesn't get any better at managing the social and cultural effects of mass disease. I have to say, though, that by the time I was getting to about two thirds through, this one was boring the t*** off me. Partly because, in the end, apart from the actual pathogenesis of each disease, the pattern of effect is pretty much the same and she really wasn't finding any new way of telling it. Somehow missing the mark, this is either not scientific enough, or not anecdotal enough and I couldn't quite decide which. Worth a read, but wait for the sales.

BORN A CRIME

An autobiography. As Trevor is only mid-30s at the moment, I guess it might be considered part one of his life. It deals specifically with his childhood but also very closely observes what it was like to actually live in South Africa and through apartheid.  It may help that I am a TN fan (his social and political observations are 'smokin'), but I think if you have no idea who this man is, you will still appreciate the telling of this story. It is flowing and witty and pithy and deeply affecting. I invested in the audio file that was on offer through Kindle store and it was definitely worth it, for Trevor tells it himself and his voice is easy on the ear - and, of course, the accent spot on! I highly recommend this one.