Category: Publication Date

Categories
2012 Non Fiction Uncategorized

Thinking in Numbers by Daniel Tammet

Thinking in Numbers: How Maths Illuminates Our Lives

Five words from the blurb: imagine, universe, counting, mathematics, everyone

Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant with an amazing ability to recall words and numbers. I loved his autobiography, Born on a Blue Day, so much that I went to hear him talk at the Edinburgh Festival last month. His new book, Thinking in Numbers, aims to promote a love for mathematics. Tammet explains that the subject is similar to fiction in that there are many different genres, each of which you will enjoy to a greater or lesser extent dependant on your personal taste.

Like works of literature, mathematical ideas help expand our circle of empathy, liberating us from the tyranny of a single, parochial point of view. Numbers, properly considered, make us better people.

Thinking in Numbers proved this concept by highlighting many different areas, some which I loved and others which bored me completely.

The book is divided into 25 chapters, each exploring a different area of mathematics. Tammet uses real life examples to show how important numbers are with topics as diverse as snow, Tolstoy and poetry. My personal favorites included the section that explained the different ways other cultures count and the one estimating how long an individual will live.

The quality of Tammet’s writing has improved massively since Born on a Blue Day. Everything was written clearly, with complex theories explained cleverly so that those unfamiliar with them could understand, whilst those already knowledgeable weren’t patronised.

I was a little disappointed that the book didn’t include any more explanation of the way Tammet sees numbers as complex, colourful shapes, but I did enjoy the more personal chapter about the thoughts that went through his head as he broke the world record for reciting Pi to 22,514 decimal places.

I found this book thought provoking – it is one of those books that you find yourself quoting to others. I guarantee that you won’t enjoy every chapter, but there is enough contained within it to entertain everyone.

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Categories
2012

The Watch by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya

The Watch

Five words from the blurb: Afghanistan, woman, bravery, war, body

The Watch begins with an emotional chapter in which a lone woman approaches an American base in Afghanistan. Her only wish is to give her brother a proper burial, but the soldiers refuse to release his body. This leads to the beginning of her dangerous vigil on the barren soil outside the base.

This first chapter was beautifully written, perfectly capturing the woman’s desperation and bravery.

Some of my muscles are raw to the touch, like open wounds; others are dead to all sensation. The stumps of my legs have begun to bleed; only recently healed, the constant thrusting forward required by my journey has rubbed the sutures raw. I ignore the pain; I ignore everything except the fact of my being here. I tell myself that I am here because my heart is huge and my tenderness real. I am here to bury my brother according to the tenets of my faith. That is all there is to it.

Unfortunately everything went downhill from there. Subsequent chapters repeated the scene from the view point of different people within the army base, but this was unnecessary as the writing of the first chapter was so good I felt I knew their opinions already. This repetition meant that the majority of the book bored me. I longed for the story to be developed further, but instead it just seemed to go around in circles.

The American military personnel in this book were not portrayed in a favourable light – they swore continually, were rude, and had no consideration for local culture. I appreciated reading a book which showed the attitudes of the Afghani people, but I felt that the divide between American (evil) and Afghanis (good) was too strong – I’d have liked to see a few flawed characters on both sides.

The blurb informs me that this book is based on the myth of Antigone  – a story I know nothing about. I suspect that this meant most of the underlying symbolism went over my head and if you have a knowledge of Greek tragedies you’ll gain more from reading this book than I did.

This book contained some fantastic scenes, but overall I was a little disappointed. I’m sure I’ll remember the beginning and the end for a long time to come, but the middle section did little for me. Most people seem to appreciate it a lot more than I did so please read their reviews before deciding whether or not to give it a try.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

Joydeep’s prowess in telling a story surpasses any other book that I have read this month. Of Books and Reading

Roy-Bhattacharya shows himself adept with descriptive prose and the build-up to the fire-fight is brilliantly realised. Just William’s Luck

It’s very challenging and not always easy to read in terms of the ideas and psychological complexity of its universe, but it’s a really incredible book. The Boston Bibliophile

Categories
1940s Classics

Native Son by Richard Wright

Native Son (Vintage classics)

Five words from the blurb: black, prejudiced, poverty, death, crime

Native Son was originally published in 1940. It became a best seller, catapulting its black American author, Richard Wright, into fame and controversy. The book highlights the deep racism that was present within America at the time and is one of the most important books written within the last century. I only discovered its existence last month, but I loved everything about it.  I’m shocked it isn’t well known within the UK, but I aim to spread the word as far as I can.

The story focuses on Bigger Thomas, a black American who accidentally murders a young white woman. His crime highlights the deep divide between blacks and whites, showing the hatred and prejudice present on both sides.

I know I oughtn’t think about it, but I can’t help it. Every time I think about it I feel like somebody’s poking a red-hot iron down my throat. Goddammit, look! We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we ain’t. They do things and we can’t. It’s like living in jail. Half the time I feel like I’m on the outside of the world peeping in through a knot-hole in the fence.

Bigger’s character was fantastic. Richard Wright’s skill as an author enabled me to feel immense sympathy for him (and other criminals in a similar situation). By explaining the difficulties Bigger had faced since birth I was able to understand his actions and root for him throughout the book.

Native Son has everything a good novel needs – it is gripping, enlightening and contains vivid characters who are all flawed in a realistic manner. Most of this book reads like a thriller – I was on the edge of my seat throughout, unable to put the book down. Occasionally I wanted to avert my eyes from the disturbing scenes, but all the violence was necessary to explain the problems within the society.

The final section of the book is more political in nature, explaining the history of racism within the US. It slowed the pace of the book down, but by that point I was so invested in the characters that I didn’t mind this unusual change of style. It was fantastic to see a well written piece of fiction given such a strong historical grounding.

This is the best American novel I’ve ever read and I think you’ll struggle to find a book that does a better job of highlighting the racism present within 1940s society.

Highly recommended.

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Categories
2012 Chick Lit

The War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen

The War of the Wives

Five words from the blurb: married, husband, dead, wives, battle

I was sent a copy of this book by its publisher, but it was a review from Leeswammes Blog that pushed it straight to the top of my reading pile. I’m really pleased that Judith enthused about this book as it was an entertaining read.

The War of the Wives is narrated by two women who discover that they were both married to the same man when they attend their husband’s funeral. Distraught with grief and betrayal, the women must adapt to a life where most of what they previously believed to be true is a lie.

Trapped indoors I lug my rage around like one of those strap-on bellies designed to show men how pregnancy feels. But equally I’m too ashamed to go out. Imagine how people will laugh! There she is, the woman whose husband was married to someone else. What an idiot she must be.

The two women are very different. Selina is rich and thinks nothing of buying expensive flights to Florence to enjoy time in their second home; whilst Lottie struggles to buy everything she needs for her small flat in London. Their personalities clash and neither can believe that their husband could enjoy spending time with the other.

The War of the Wives is one of the most modern books I’ve ever read. It effortlessly manages to include Skype, Facebook and Twitter in a realistic and compelling manner. The short chapters and the continual switching of narrator led to a fast paced read that engaged me throughout.

This book isn’t without faults. The characters, especially the peripheral ones, weren’t fully developed and were often flat. And despite only being published one month ago some aspects of the book were already out of date – some comments, especially about London hosting the Olympics, felt wrong now that the Games have been such a success. The plot was also quite implausible, but I didn’t mind as I was entertained throughout.

Overall this was an enjoyable book that highlighted differences in personality. Perfect for when you need a light, fast paced read.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

…at times droll and darkly humorous, at others deeply emotional and tragic. The Little Reader Library

I was unconvinced by the ending; the revelation was too brutal and sudden. Reading with Tea

I was very impressed with this second novel, I enjoyed it just as much as her first book. Random Things Through My Letterbox

 

Categories
2012 Booker Prize Short Story

Communion Town by Sam Thompson

Communion Town Longlisted for 2012 Booker Prize

Five words from the blurb: city, stories, imagined, diverge, voices

I’m not sure how this book ended up on the Booker longlist. The writing quality cannot be disputed, but this book is a collection of short stories and I don’t think you can argue that they are connected enough to justify status as a novel. All the stories are set in the same city, but that is where the connection ends. Characters do not reappear and I could not see any other link between them all. As a result I was disappointed by this book.

The first chapter was slow to start, but by the end I was completely hooked. SPOILER (highlight to read): People trapped underground with monsters!  Exciting premise for a Booker longlistee! Unfortunately that great story line was dropped, never to be mentioned again. There were a few other fantastic scenes sprinkled through the book, but they were never developed enough for me to care about any of the characters. I frequently found myself bored by entire sections and despite the beautiful writing I never rediscovered the excitement of that first chapter.

It was easy to read, containing a simple, but vivid writing style:

Blackness crept into the edges of my vision and I lashed out at the so-called doctor, colliding with him awkwardly shoulder-first and knocking him aside. Hunched against the wall, shaking, he cradled his phial. His face contorted and tears pressed from the corner of his eyes. I spun around and swung  my fists at the Captain, but he danced easily away, his hands billowing. He quivered with the effort of restraining himself. He couldn’t even speak any more.

Each chapter was slightly different in tone and some were very different in terms of content and genre. Everything from science fiction to crime, and even dark suspense, was included at some point, but rather than be impressed by the variety I just craved some consistency. I’m afraid I’m just not a fan of short stories. If Sam Thompson wrote a novel then I’d be keen to try it, but this was too disjointed for me.

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The thoughts of other bloggers:

…a highly recommended book that offers an exquisite reading experience with its many voices in an imaginary city that vividly comes to life. Fantasy Book Critic

There were a few stories I didn’t care for at all, but for the most part, the writing carried throughout the stories I liked and didn’t like. Nomadreader

There are some truly beautiful speculative concepts to be unearthed here. Strange Horizons 

Categories
2012 Recommended books

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Five words from the blurb: family, friendship, life, AIDS, death

I first heard about Tell the Wolves I’m Home in November last year. I went to meet publicists from Pan Macmillan and they were all raving about this book, despite the fact it wouldn’t be published for another 7 months. I have to admit that I was sceptical – the blurb didn’t sound anything special and I’ve read so many coming-of-age type novels that I rarely find one that adds anything new to the genre. On this occasion I was wrong. Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a fantastic story and I’m pleased I gave it the benefit of the doubt.

The book is set in New York during the 1980s and focuses on June, a 14-year-old girl who loves spending time with her Uncle Finn. He is a famous painter, but is dying from AIDS. June must learn to accept life without her uncle and also deal with the secrets that emerge from her family’s past.

June is an amazing character. By the end of the book I felt as though I knew her personally. Her thoughts and emotions were described with incredible clarity, perfectly capturing the turmoil of adolescence. June’s roller-coaster relationship with her sister was particularly well portrayed and I’m sure that anyone who has a sister will relate to many of the scenes described.

The pace of the book was quite slow, but I was captivated by June’s problems. The quality of the writing enabled me to be engaged throughout, despite the relative simplicity of the plot.

I used to think maybe I wanted to be a falconer, and now I’m sure of it, because I need to figure out the secret. I need to work out how to keep things flying back to me instead of always flying away.

This book does a fantastic job of showing the terrible attitude those with AIDS had to endure in the 1980s. Having only been a child in that decade I don’t think I was fully aware of the confusion and misinformation that was spread around during those years.

If you enjoy reading vivid, emotional stories about families in conflict then this is for you. The beautifully rounded characters will stay with me for a long time.

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