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Sum - Forty Tales of the Afterlife
by David Eagleman
Forty bite-size speculations on the afterlife. No, it's not religious, but
parts of it utilise some religious stereotypes. Certainly thought-provoking - which is something I
do like. It made me smile and ponder over several of his conceptions. He is a neuroscientist,
though the book is by no means scientific. Not a heavy read.
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The Last Ealing Commedy
by Mathew Baylis
In the 'Notting Hill' mould, though a bit seedier, set in a school. Very
descriptive of Ealing (if you like that sort of place). It raised quite a few laughs from me, and
I'll certainly look out for his work again. Very much a man's view of relationships. Would make a
good film - maybe they did and I missed it...
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Palace Council
by Stephen L. Carter
Weaving historical fact mainly during the Nixon and Kennedy years, it
explores life in the high class New York society of the 'Darker Nation'. If you are a child of
the sixties, you will find it evocative, if you are not it's still an illuminating and
informative read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a good mystery and it's not a short
book.
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Outliers - the Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell
An interesting exploration of the the reasons for personal success (measuring it
on the money/fame scale), spanning for example the US industrial barons of the 1800's, the New York
Jewish legal fraternity, the Beatles, and Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. The basic premise
is 10,000 hrs of practice and historical serendipity. A thought provoking and well-researched book,
but then, I enjoy this sort of thing!
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The Story of O
by Pauline Reage
An adult book based on a true story of letters written by a French lady to her
lover early in the 20th century. The letters were bluntly descriptive of her fantasies, and the
book caused a scandal in France. I found it somewhat tedious, depsite its obviously interesting
aspects!
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The Consolations of Philosophy
by Alain de Botton
This is a book which helped me put my view life into a more objective framework.
It would help those of us who look deeply inward to take a step backward to see the wood from the
trees. He's a skilled writer, with a good reference list, though occasionally I feel his
books are somewhat padded. For me though, that does not detract from
the content. I think that one of his other books, "Status Anxiety", partners it quite
well. See below.
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Neuromancer
by William Gibson
This is the book that widened his use of the term 'cyberspace', which he invented
in his earlier short story 'Burning Chrome'. Almost singelhandedly, he defined the 'cyberpunk'
sub-genre of SciFi. A great read from the author who foresaw the advent of Reality TV.
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Status Anxiety
by Alain de Botton
This book puts our modern Western view of success, as measured by wealth and fame
into a context of other scales of measure which have applied historically - for example the warrior
culture of Sparta. It made me re-assess my views of some of the people I've known, and has, I hope,
re-set my perspective so that I am less judgemental of new people I meet now.
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Autobiogrpahy of a Supertramp
by W H Davies
I was introduced to this by my English teacher 40 yeras ago. A classic tale
of an educated Welshman who went to the US and became a hobo, losing a leg in the process. The
life of the hobo was captured in the songs of Woody Guthrie, but W H Davies has
more stories and more time to relate them.
Recently, I read it again. Capture the essence of riding the trains across
the US!
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Beyond the Blossoming Fields
By Junichi Watanabe
Based on the true story of the first Japanese woman doctor; how she stuggled to
overcome disease, rigic societal structure and misogyny to become a beacon for Japanese women's
suffrage.
Absolutely fascinating - no thrills and spills but I couldn't put it down.
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The White Tiger
By Aravind Adiga
Winner of the MAN Booker Prize 2008, up to date, that's me! Well, a great read,
good story and a real indictment of modern society in India. A fascinating tale of life in the
lowest strata. Another one I couldn't put down.
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Reviews to come:
Restless by William Boyd
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
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