Two picked out of a bookshop at random...

The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga

Set in India, this is the story of the 'rags to riches' journey of Balram, AKA 'The White Tiger'. A poor, low caste Indian born into poverty in rural India's “darkness”. This is a first person narrative as Balram is telling his life story by email to the Chinese president who is due to visit India. A strange concept but it works.

This novel is about the two different sides of India, the one where the rich dwell and that where the poor try to eke out an existence. The author highlights the stark contrasts of these two worlds, a tiny percentage enjoy fabulous wealth while a massive majority struggle to survive. Arvind Adiga educates the western reader about the real India that the tourist doesn't see and he does so with a smile on his face and a laugh on his tongue. A place where the dice is stacked against the poor man and the wealthy maintain this status quo through corruption. For this reason some have compared White Tiger to 'Bonfire of the Vanities' by Tom Wolfe but I found Adia's novel much more entertaining, in short it's much funnier.

Against this backdrop flows an intriguing story. We learn very early what type of character Balram is but unlike Wolfe's protagonists we can't help liking our scheming servant hero. 'White Tiger' is very easy to read and an enjoyable tale but it has few real surprises and flags a little towards the end.

This book educates and entertains and gets a thumbs up from me.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I don't read much science fiction and to be absolutely honest I didn't realise what I was buying when I picked this book up. “John Smith” is the latest pseudonym of a teenage alien living on earth. “John” is being hunted by aliens from yet another planet who are determined to kill him, sounds a bit like the “Terminator” films.

The author “Pittacus Lore”, we are pretentiously told “Is a Lorien elder entrusted with the story of the Lorien nine...”. Of course he is....The book is told in the first person and annoyingly it's constantly in the present tense. I'm guessing the usual audience for this type of book would not find this as annoying as I did.

Reading the above back it sounds a dreadful premise and something I would hate. So...is it? To be honest I got hooked up in the story pretty quickly. The teenage school yard stuff immediately intriguing and as the adventure hots up it really has you turning the pages quickly. The story is entertaining enough but predictable and I never really cared about any of the characters. Towards the end it became obvious that there would be a sequel or two, I think I've unwittingly stumbled into some kind of 'Twilight' style teenage franchise?? All in all it was entertaining but unfulfilling.

OK but I don't think I'll bother with the sequel(s)

Forgotten!!

I realised I'd forgotten to blog the following two Potter books.....

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter & the Half blood Prince by JK Rowling

Harry's battle against Voldemort continues throughout years five and six of his education at Hogwarts. Both books are full of familiar characters and themes but the stakes are getting higher and things are definitely getting deeper and darker. Harry and his friends are growing stronger and more confident but unfortunately so are their enemies.

Aside from the main plot the author subtly deals with many other themes such as; Government spin doctoring, lying newspapers, racism, young love and teenage angst. These are definitely not children's books! Events that occurred in previous books, that may have seemed insignificant at the time, are expanded upon. Whether JK Rowling planned all this from the start or cleverly picked themes to enlarge in retrospect, it doesn't matter. It all works brilliantly.

As the action hots up and the stories move on towards their climaxes it is difficult to put these books down. There are surprises and unexpected twists, Rowling really is a master story teller. It's now life or death for the protagonists and not even the best loved characters are safe. Now I understand the hype that used to surround a 'Potter' book launch! When one book finishes I could not wait to pick up the next, so I didn't. When I finished reading the “..Prince” I started another, totally different novel by another author. I found myself missing Hogwarts....

These books just keep getting better!!

Anything ever written by Ben Elton

Over the years I've read lots of books by Ben Elton, from memory; Stark, Gridlock, This Other Eden, Inconceivable, Dead Famous, High Society, Past Mortem, The First Casualty

It would probably be unfair to say that they are all the same but they definitely all have things in common. They are all very easy to read. They have a plot that makes some kind of grand statement about the world we live in. They all are cracking stories that keep the reader interested right till the end. They are forgotten almost instantly.

Ben Elton's 'motor mouth' public persona makes him a very difficult person to like. His books are enjoyable yet ultimately unsatisfying. Like fast food, you feel good for a bit but soon want something more substantial, they are however very moorish. There's always a moral to the stories but I'm not sure the reader can ever take it seriously, which is a bit of a shame.

Guilty pleasure? Don't like Elton, shouldn't like his books but honestly I do!

All good things...

When God was a Rabbit by Susan Winman

I picked this book off the shelf simply because the title appealed to me. I read the blurb on the cover and thought 'why not?' I wasn't disappointed. I suppose if one has to categorise this novel then it has to be regarded as a comedy with moments of black humour but it could never be called a 'dark' book.

The book's narrator “Elly” was born in 1968, the same year as me. In part one, as she charts her childhood against the backdrop of events of the seventies I found memories stirring within myself. The book charts Elly's childhood, particularly focusing on her relationships with her older brother Joe and her best friend Jenny Penny. We also get to know her parents, wider family and neighbours in what is an authentic portrayal of how it was to grow up in that period. Elly's Childhood is described beautifully. The highs and lows; triumphs, dramas and disasters that seem huge from a child's viewpoint are put into perfect perspective. Winman's ability to write 'through the eyes of a child' reminded me of Maya Angelou, one of my favourite authors.

Part two takes up the story with the main characters in adulthood. All are scarred to some extent by events that occurred during their childhood. Much of part two deals with how Elly, Joe and others deal with their past. Just when you are wondering where the author is taking us the protagonists are ripped into the present by earth shattering events. Where will the characters end up? Will we have a happy ending?

'When God was a rabbit' is thought provoking, irreverent, heartbreaking and at times shocking. Most of all the book is beautifully written and very funny.

Big thumbs up!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Two weeks without dipping into the world of Witches, Wizards, Hogwarts, Death eaters and Horcruxes. I was getting withdrawal symptoms, I couldn't resist any longer, I had to have another fix.

The final instalment of the Harry Potter saga leaves no stone unturned and ticks all the boxes. The Deathly Hallows begins exactly where the last book had left off and charts the trials of Harry and friends as they strive to fulfil the expectations of the late Professor Dumbledore. The grim task of these three seventeen year old apprentice sorcerers is to defeat Voldemort and win the war but all seems hopeless.

Like all of the Potter books it begins slowly then builds and builds until the reader is totally paralysed and unable to put the bloody book down. The success of the Potter series means Rowling really did have a mammoth task tying up the loose ends and ending the story in a way that will satisfy the reader. She seems to have achieved this effortlessly. The Deathly Hallows is brilliant, it does everything the reader would ask of it and still has room for shocks and surprises along the way.

To begin with Harry and friends are in hiding, looking for clues that will help them complete the mountainous task that faces them. The tension builds to take its toll on both the characters and the reader. Eventually the heroes are forced into the open and the second half of the book is all action open warfare.

All the adult themes that emerged in the later books continue in this one; racism, political spin, young love, friendship and loyalty. Anyone who cares to read between the lines a little can allow themselves to be educated along the way. There are surprises too with muddled allegiances and secret heroism. Now I have a touch of sadness as I've finished the series I have nothing more to look forward to. I'm going to miss Hogwarts. However there's always the option of re-reading, which I know I will do someday.

I can't praise this book highly enough, brilliant!

So what of the 'Harry Potter' series as a whole? Well I grew up with Tolkein, I've read 'Lord of the Rings' more times than I can honestly remember and I love it. Rowling has obviously borrowed from Tolkein's work right down to the use of initials but who cares? I've also read Phillip Pullman's “His Dark Materials” which I also enjoyed immensely and intend to re-read some day. The Harry Potter books stand comfortably alongside Tolkein and Pullman, fantasy fiction at it's very best. For anyone who has not read J.K. Rowling, don't be put off by the hype, go out & buy 'The Philosophers Stone' tomorrow. These books deserve all the acclaim that has been heaped upon them and then some.

Get to a book shop tomorrow.

Satire & Stuff

Great Apes by Will Self

Will Self, writer & drug user turned TV 'personality'. A controversial figure that I kind of warm to but I'd never got around to reading one of his books until a friend lent me “Great Apes”. This book is a satire in which a drug using artist, 'Simon Dykes' awakes to find that Chimpanzees are the self aware life form at top of the food chain and humans act as Chimps do in the real world. Simon thinks he is a human and he is helped to rediscover his 'chimphood' by an egotistical psychiatrist named 'Zack Busner' .

For me the best theme in this novel is Self's attack on the chic, artistic 'in crowd' that inhabit trendy London. I despise this kind of self obsessed person so enjoyed the authors assault on them. Other than that I found the book repetitive and a little hard to follow at times. For me this book did not suspend my disbelief, the premise was just too fantastic to ever work. It meandered to a conclusion and got there long after I was tired of it.

This one didn't work for me

Solar by Ian McEwan

I was wandering around 'Waterstones' looking for something new to read and found this. I'd previously enjoyed reading 'Atonement' so thought “what the hell?” and stumped up the cash.

Solar is a satirical novel charting of the later life of Nobel prize winning physicist Michael Beard. Since winning his prestigious award in the seventies Beard has used it as a meal ticket ever since. The main protagonist is not a very nice man; a gluttonous, womanising alcoholic who is not adverse to deception on a grand scale. McEwan finds humour in the chaos of Michael Beards life and also sends up “Blair's Britain” as well as the whole global warming debate. The author evidently doesn't like using chapters to punctuate his writing which makes it awkward to read at times. He also occasionally insists on using over long sentences full of commas and “ands” which I find arrogant, as if he is above the conventions of the English language, (Hemmingway was also guilty of the same sin at times).

That aside, 'Solar' is a good read which made me smile and chuckle to myself. Unlike 'Great Apes', McEwan's novel is a satire that works. At the end of the story, Michael Beard's chickens all come home to roost as his life descends into hilarious farce. The end may be slightly predictable but is wholly satisfying.

Thumbs up! Enjoyed this one.

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

I didn't mean to read another Potter book quite so soon but a lack of alternatives at the time meant the only other choice was...no book. What can I say...I'm really glad I picked this one up!

The fourth book in the series tears up the formula and throws it up in the air like confetti, year four at Hogwarts sees some big changes. Maybe JK Rowling was financially secure enough at this point that she dared take the risk? No matter, the Goblet of fire is longer, deeper and darker than any of its predecessors. Rowling has acknowledged that her readers are growing up and has delivered a proper adult novel for them. Yes all the favourite characters and things that make a Potter book are still there but so much more besides. As usual the story begins in a light hearted manner but the appearance of 'The Dark mark' brushes all of that aside. From here on in the reader knows he/she will have a different Harry Potter experience than they have become accustomed to. New characters, new competitions, more mysteries and greater suspicions. The stakes are higher now and the risks seem more real. The further one reads, the quicker one wants to read. The climax is gripping, chilling and unexpected. You're left wanting to pick up the next book straight away.

The best of the series so far! This is not a 'childrens' book!

Ghosts

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

The title will give away the genre that this book fits into but seriously underplays the horror it contains. Anyone who like reading Stephen King would love this book. It tells the story of a group of old men, all lifelong friends and a series of 'super natural' events that befall them.

The story is set in a small town in the northern USA and centres around the legend of 'Manitou'. There is something evil at large in the town and it seems to have a grudge against the four protagonists and their younger friends. The book begins very slowly leaving the reader wondering where it is going and when will it get there. As winter takes a grip on the town it is cut off from the outside world by a snow storm. Things quickly go bad from here on.... Straub uses this isolation to allow the suspense to build and build. The pace of the book accelerates to a breathless pace as the endgame approaches. The most impressive thing about this horror story, more than any other novel of this genre that I have read, is the author is able to make it believable!

There are very few novels that I have read more than once but this is one of them. In fact I'm sure I will read it yet again some day. Put simply, it is the best horror novel I have ever read.

If you like Stephen King you'll love this!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

After a bit of a break I decided to dip back into the children's Harry Potter collection once again. The third book in Rowling's series continues where the last one left off.

Summer with the Dursleys, back to Hogwarts, Quidditch and danger lurking. 'Prisoner...' is a very, very good book but it's all getting a little too familiar now. Rowling has discovered a successful formula and at this point seems unwilling to deviate from the cash course. That doesn't stop this book being a highly enjoyable read but the format does seem a little predictable now. Reading this back it seems like I don't like it but I do!! The 'dementors' are great monsters and the new 'dark arts' teacher is a star! Rowling does have the knack of writing children's books that adults can share too. However, the first novel is definitely the best of the three so far.

A good read if a little disappointing compared to the first.

Sporting Biographies

In general I prefer fiction to non fiction but recently I was given a pile of biographies which I have been going through.

Shane Warne – Portrait of a flawed genius. By Simon Wilde

This book is summed up quite nicely by the title, very apt.

Obviously being a biography the book charts Warne's early life and his rise to cricketing stardom but the authors own slant focuses on his many controversial moments both on and off the field. Of these some could be put down to the ignorance/arrogance of youth, other misdemeanours understandable for a young man with the world at his feet. Some of Warne's indiscretions are not excusable however. Of most interest to me is the cricket itself, in particular the Ashes clashes and the classic 2005 series most of all. This is without doubt the greatest series I have lived through, England won it despite Warne's brilliance. One thing the book doesn't mention is beating that Australian team allowed us, the English cricket fan to really appreciate Warne, McGrath, Langer (NB. but not Ponting) and all those truly great players, despite all the pain they'd caused us over the years. The 2006 series also features large but we don't enjoy that so much!

Decent read but not sure the author really understands the man he is writing about as well as he would have the reader believe.

Farewell but not Goodbye – My Autobiography by Sir Bobby Robson

By the end of his career Bobby Robson was one of the best loved characters in British football, so much so that it's hard to remember the vilification he received throughout the late eighties when manager of England.

It may be a surprise to some that Robson was a world class footballer himself who represented England many times. The parts that interested me most were when Sir Bobby managed my own local team Ipswich Town, I stood on the terraces through much of the 'Robson era', happy memories. Next job was with England where he rose above the press orchestrated hate campaigns to guide our national team to within one goal of a world cup final. From that day on we all loved him. His career went on and on from there and he enjoyed success everywhere including Newcastle where the owners eventually treated him appallingly. Sir Bobby's story is told in his own words, in his own affable style and he barely has a bad word to say about anybody.

Back in the late seventies football was a world away from the multi million pound industry it has become today. My Dad would take my sister and I to watch the Town train and afterwards we'd hang around and get the players autographs. We met Sir bobby many times and he always had time for a chat. A lovely man.

Really enjoyed this book, thumbs up.

Winning isn't everything – A biography of Sir Alf Ramsey by Dave Bowler

Just about everyone in the British Isles will know Sir Alf was England's World cup winning manager in 1966. However, not many people outside East Anglia will know he was also Ipswich town's manager and guided a humble provincial club to become champions of England. An amazing achievement even in 1962. Sir Alf laid the foundations which Sir Bobby built upon a decade later.

I loved reading about my team's rise to success but most interesting was Ramsey's spell as England manager. What I liked most about this book was it taught me about football in a bygone age. Many of Sir Alf's values should and would be relevant in the game today, had it not been spoiled by the money men. It is abundantly clear that not only was Alf a world class player in his day and a brilliant tactician and manager. It's sad that in this day and age Ramsey would not have been given enough time in the job to work his magic. Sir Alf had the bottle to leave out the “star players” and pick a team that could play together, for example Jimmy Greaves' omission in the later stages of the '66 World cup. Would any recent England manager have had the bottle to leave out Gerrard or Rooney, even with thuggish behaviour off the pitch giving them the ideal excuse? Never!

After the glory years came the fall from grace and shabby treatment from the FA. English footballing arrogance was demonstrated by the way the only English manager to win the world cup was treated.

I can't help thinking that there is much to learn for the modern footballer/manager in this book. So many principles endorsed by Sir Alf should be adhered to in the game today but sadly they're not. Football would be a much better game if they were.

Excellent Read!

News

“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett

People of my generation will remember seeing the horror that was South African apartheid on our TV screens as we grew up. We stood open mouthed when Mandela walked free. To our children it must be hard to believe that this ever happened. Likewise, a generation before all that, parts of the good old USA were just as bad as South Africa yet many of us have no memory of this and it's as if it's been air brushed from history.

'The Help' is set in Mississippi in the early sixties, a time and a place where racial discrimination and worse was rife. The civil rights movement was only just beginning in earnest and to many people this brought fear and hope in equal measure. The help' is how the well to do white society describe their black servants. There are three central characters, two black and one white and the story involves the unlikely friendship that builds between the three as they collaborate on a book.

Instead of focusing on the lynchings, murders and more dramatic events, the racism of that time is conveyed in the more 'every day' prejudices, attitudes and ignorance shown by the white 'gentry'. Simple things like segregated drinking fountains and toilets. When 'Skeeter' the white character visits Aibileen and Minnie her black friends she is not afraid of the black neighbourhood she drives into but she's constantly fearful of what the white community will do to her if she's found.

'The Help' is a great book which vividly paints the picture of the southern states in the sixties. The sights, sounds, heat and smells are easily visualised and it flows along easily. The fear and ignorance of the times are also very evident. There are times when the book is dark but there are times when it's very funny. It educates, it entertains and the reader will feel better for the experience.

Great read. Highly recommended.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Afghanistan has been a feature of our new reports for over thirty years, for all the wrong reasons. We've seen this county's gradual destruction and every time you think it cannot possibly get worse, it does. Hopefully the last decade has begun a turnaround in the fortunes of this country? Time will tell.

The Kite Runner is a book about Afghanistan, love, friendship, prejudice, betrayal and redemption. Kabul and the surrounding country is portrayed as a vibrant, civilised place, leaning towards the developing world yet still proud of its own culture and traditions which include 'Kite fighting'. By describing the splendour of Afghanistan at its height it makes the horrible spiral of destruction seem all the more terrible. The story is told through the eyes of a child Amir, and later through the eyes of the man he becomes. The other principle characters are his family,servants and neighbours.

Amir's own personal failings and troubles mirror those that befall his country, the tragedies are seen on a personal level and on a world wide scale. Amir and his father are forced to flee to America where they find safety but without their former wealth it's a humbling experience. However Amir has unfinished business and cannot be at peace until he has returned and faced the horror that his country has become under the Taliban. Here too the horror is on both a personal and national scale. At the end it's impossible to stop reading.

Every now and then, one reads a book that makes one feel a better person for doing so and this is one of those. Yes it has some very dark moments and challenging themes but it is brilliantly, beautifully written and ultimately totally uplifting. It's a book that you just eat up as you read, making you greedy for more. Just about every cliché in the book can be used to describe the 'Kite Runner' but if it doesn't move you then you are already dead.

Quite brilliant. If you only read one book all year then make sure it's this one.