Category: Everything Else

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Writers’ Talks on Endangered Animals at London Zoo

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to London Zoo to learn about a special series of talks that are going to be held between now and October. ZSL conservation scientists and keepers have joined with writers and poets to produce a series of talks which aim to show how endangered species are reflected in literature. The input of the keepers will ensure that accurate details about the animal can be compared with their fictional counterparts. The talks will be held next to the animal in question, giving a special atmosphere to the occasion.

Me with the penguins!

I was really impressed by my tour of the zoo. The snippets of information I learned from the keepers and authors indicate that these talks will be fascinating. If you’re in London over the next few months I recommend going to one of these talks as they promise to be a unique experience. You can visit Dmagazine website to learn more information about the benefits of using CBD products.

7th May: Louise Doughty on Okapi

11th June: Sara Wheeler on Penguins

23rd July: Susie Orbach on ‘Jungles of the Mind’

20th August: David Harsent on African Hunting Dogs

16th September: Tom Holland on Asian Lions

1st October: Randal Keynes on Darwin’s Apes

For more information and details of how to book tickets visit the ZSL website.

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April Summary and Plans for May

I apologise for the unplanned blogging break – I’ve been ill for the last few weeks. Yesterday I was finally able to read, but I haven’t been able to do so for two weeks. This means I haven’t got any books to review, so my posts may be sporadic until I’m back to full health.  

Despite these problems I still managed to read a nice range of books. My favourite was A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson. It is an important book that warns of the crisis facing bumblebees in the world today. I urge everyone to read it and hope that it inspires people to look after these wonderful creatures.

Book of the Month

A Sting in the Tale

Books Reviewed in April:

A Sting in the Tale by Dave Goulson 

The Giraffe’s Neck by Judith Schalansky 

From the Fatherland, With Love by Ryu Murakami 

When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head 

Dept of Speculation by Jenny Offill 

Feeding the Ghosts by Fred D’Aguiar 

The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan 

Idiopathy by Sam Byers 

The Tell-Tale Heart by Jill Dawson 

Plans for April

I’m going to finish the last few books on the Desmond Elliott Longlist and then read a few books for Kim’s Australian and New Zealand Literature Month. There probably won’t be time for much else, but I may need to squeeze in a few lighter reads before I’m back up to the full health required to concentrate on anything too complex.

I hope you have a wonderful May!

 

 

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Other

Books in Brief: The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Idiopathy and Feeding the Ghosts

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan

Five words from the blurb: immigrants, Tasmania, tragedy, drunken, father

I loved Gould’s Book of Fish (which I read pre-blogging), so was excited about trying another of Flanagan’s books. Unfortunately The Sound of One Hand Clapping didn’t have the same impact on me. I found the story fragmented and the wonderfully atmospheric descriptions weren’t enough to hold my attention. There were some good observations about migrants and difficult relationships, but I’m afraid I didn’t become emotionally invested in any of the characters.

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Idiopathy

Idiopathy by Sam Byers

Five words from the blurb: love, girlfriend, toxic, cattle, relationships

This book contained some great one liners, but didn’t really work as a whole. The structure of the novel wasn’t quite right and most of the time I felt as though the plot had been forced to fit around the jokes. I think it might be appreciated more by men, especially those who enjoy lighter reads.

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Feeding the Ghosts

Feeding the Ghosts by Fred D’Aguiar

Five words from the blurb: slave, ship, illness, survives, responsibility

Feeding the Ghosts is a short, but gripping book about life aboard a slave ship. It had some fantastic scenes, but contained nothing particularly new or memorable. The descriptions were wonderfully vivid (which could make them too disturbing for some) but I’m afraid the plot was too simple for me.

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1960s Uncategorized

When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head

When Rain Clouds Gather And Maru (VMC)

Five words from the blurb: Botswana, outsiders, help, community, farming

When Rain Clouds Gather is an African classic. It was first published in 1968 and gives an insight into life in rural Botswana. The book follows Makehaya, a South African convict who escapes across the border into Botswana. In a small village he meets Gilbert, an Englishman determined to help the local community by introducing modern farming methods. They work together to try to improve lives in this rural area, but a severe drought threatens to starve them all.

This book was very easy to read. The writing was compelling and deceptively simple, but there was depth and symbolism buried just beneath the surface:

‘Even the trees were dying, from roots upwards,’ he said. ‘Does everything die like this?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘You may see no rivers on the ground but we keep the rivers inside us. That is why all good things and all good people are called rain. Sometimes we see the rain clouds gather even though not a cloud appears in the sky. It is all in our heart.’

I was initially concerned that everything was seen through the eyes of outsiders. I longed to know what the native community thought of these newcomers and to find out what life was like before they arrived, but by the end of the book I realised that the writing encouraged me to think more about these issues than if it had been explained to me. I missed the raw emotion, but the book was probably stronger without it.

Another minor problem was that this book failed to explain the political situation of the country. Botswana became an independent country in 1966 and a knowledge of events leading up to this would increase the reader’s appreciation of the book. I read a potted history online, but still felt I was missing out on something.

Overall this is a very important book. The issues were all mine and I’d encourage everyone to read this classic piece of African literature.

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Other Uncategorized

Books in Brief

All the King's Men (Penguin Modern Classics)

All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren

Five words from the blurb: politics, American, community, corruption, success

I really wanted to finish this classic, but after 6 months I think I must finally admit defeat. I started to read the paperback, but found the dialogue confusing. I wondered if this would be improved by the audio version so I imported a copy from America (at great expense as I really did want to get the best from it) but, although this was an improvement, I still found the story painfully slow. Politicians and their power games irritate me and I’m afraid the period detail wasn’t enough to hold my attention. I listened to 9/18 of the CDs before finally giving up. It’s an important book, but it wasn’t for me.

DNF

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Dept. of Speculation

Dept of Speculation by Jenny Offill

Five words from the blurb: letters, married, family, facts, changes

Dept of Speculation is a slim book in which the story of one woman’s breakdown is explained via a series of passages, most just one paragraph long. I don’t normally enjoy experimental books, but there was something about the writing that compelled me to read on. I loved the inclusion of random facts and sped through the entire book in a single sitting. Unfortunately it had no lasting impact and just two weeks on I’ve forgotten almost everything about this book. It’s an entertaining distraction, but I’m afraid it didn’t have the emotional power I like to see.

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The Tell-tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart by Jill Dawson

Five words from the blurb: teenager, dies, heart, transplanted, stranger

The Tell-Tale Heart began really well, with an emotional scene in which a man wakes up after heart surgery. Unfortunately this emotional atmosphere failed to be carried through the rest of the book. It was all a bit predictable and ordinary. There were a few interesting observations about life, but overall it was all too simple and subtle for me.

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Orange Prize Other

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist

The 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist has just been announced.

The shortlisted books are:

The LowlandBurial RitesAmericanah

A Girl is a Half-Formed ThingThe GoldfinchThe Undertaking

  • The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
  • The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
  • Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
  • Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Undertaking by Audrey Magee

I predicted three out of six correctly, but am quite shocked that Booker Prize winning The Luminaries didn’t make the cut. It is also disappointing that my two personal favourites, The Signature of All Things and Eleven Days, failed to make it through.

Overall it’s a strong list, but I expect A Girl is A Half-Formed Thing to take the winning spot.