Micro Reviews 76 and 77

 

The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (Hachette Book Group)

I think that someone made me aware of the first book in this pair at some point last year so I was aware of the book but when Kentishbookboy said that the 2^nd book was on his Christmas list I decided it was time to have a proper look at them.

I’m so pleased that I did – these are just wonderfully gentle books that have some huge messages to share with readers, but these are woven into the plot so naturally that it isn’t until you close the book you realise just how profound the books are.

In book one there is a shipwreck and a robot, called Roz, somehow survives and washes up on a remote island where she boots up in to life. She is a complete innocent at first and slowly starts to work out how to survive, despite the harsh conditions and unfriendly animals already living on the island.

There is lots of peril, lots of learning and also lots of happy events as Roz finds her place on the island. The final adventure is incredibly gripping but as this sets up book 2 I’m not going to talk about it and give away the details.

In a gentle and natural way the book is about loneliness, prejudice, fear, finding a home, being different, and how your family doesn’t have to be traditional. The sequel includes these themes too, along with the dangers of unrestricted use of AI, grief, and depression. But again you don’t realise this until after you’ve shut the book and start thinking about it.

I like that the idea that Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics are obeyed in this story even as we suspend belief in that Roz doesn’t need to top up her charge at any point…

I adored these two books, and the short chapters made them ideal for reading whilst in the queue for rides at Disneyland Paris – huge thanks to Norfolk Libraries ebook offer which meant I could download the 2^nd book in France as soon as I’d finished the first one!

Micro Review 70

 

Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles (Orion)

Crime novels, however cosy, aren't something that I read very often. In fact most of the ones I've ever finished have been in my to be read pile because I need to review them for various projects, rarely after that do I read other books by the author. I must be one of the only people around who didn't get on with Ricard Osman's books.

I've liked Coles' writing style in his non fiction books and his tweets often make me laugh (or think) and so I was really pleased when I was given access to this one early thanks to the publisher and Net Galley.

I really liked it, and felt that Coles' voice really came through and even in my head I could hear him 'reading' it to me. I liked the characters and while it did feel a little 'written for TV' I felt inordinately pleased when I did solve half of the mystery (who but not why) as usually I miss this completely. 

However since I finished the book I know two others who have read it and they both had the same problem with it - there were just too many ecclesiastical terms and references that they didn't recognise which spoilt the book for them. Thinking back I realised that I'd had this issue too but because I was reading on my Kindle I could just highlight the word or phrase and I'd instantly get a definition without losing my reading stride...a feature of reading eBooks that I'd not fully appreciated until now.

I'm already looking forward to the next one and that's not something I say often about a crime book.

Many thanks to Orion and NetGalley for my copy of this book - I was under no obligation to write a positive review

World Book Night 2021: Book Seven

 

Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square by Heidi Swain (Simon & Schuster)

Borrowed from the library eBook catalogue

I wasn't sure that I was in the mood for a light and fluffy read when the notification from the library came in saying it was my turn to download this book, and I almost delayed the delivery date for a few weeks.

I'm really glad that I didn't for although the plot was reasonably light and I did guess a lot of the twists before they happened this book was an unashamed delight from (virtual) cover to cover.

There's nothing new at all in the story but it was just so well written that I felt I lived in Nightingale Square and that these were my neighbours. Being set in Norwich was also nice, and it is obvious that Swain is familiar with the city. Nightingale Square might be fictitious but all of the other local nods were spot on  - another reason to see this book as a warm hug of a read.

I'm not going to read any more of Swain's books immediately but I do now have a go to author when I want something comforting, romantic and easy to read. I'd never have read this without my challenge and once more I am delighted to have found something new.

Micro Review 11

 

March (volumes 1-3) by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (published by Top Shelf Productions)

Summer 2020 has been marked with many demonstrations in the UK and USA regarding the Black Lives Matters movement and I have been trying to learn more about the histories and politics around this movement.

A 'you've read x why not try y' recommendation lead me to this wonderful graphic memoir about Congressman John Lewis and his non violent struggles within the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 

The book is framed with by the first inauguration of President Obama and in flash backs tells Lewis' story to show how the struggles of Lewis and others paved the way for the election of a black man as president.

I knew some of the history of the Civil Rights Movement but not much beyond the 'big' moments. This series of 3 books taught me so much more. It isn't a hagiography of Lewis or the Civil Rights Movement and I am sure a lot of things were missed out but it clearly presents history (flattering or not) in a way that packed more of a punch than just a straight biography/autobiography every could.

I'm not a great one for comics/graphic novels as I've said before but discovering a new non-fiction read in the genre was brilliant and as Congressman Lewis died while I was midway through the series (the books were popular on the Norfolk Library e-book catalogue and I had to wait for my reservation on each volume) it seemed a doubly timely read.

Hopefully on the mend

Unlike the weather here in Norfolk at the moment I am definitely starting to feel better. Reading and computer use still aren't the easiest things sadly but I have managed to read a full novel  which feels a huge leap forward. I can also manage some time on a laptop now.

What has been interesting for me throughout this whole process is that I've not lost the ability to read. After the cerebral hemorrhage and blood clot I just lost the concentration and stamina to manage novels. Not being able to remember what has happened from one chapter to the next has been incredibly frustrating, and even now I am on the mend it is definitely lighter novels that I am managing and enjoying without frustration.

During the past couple of months short stories and essays have been my life line and here's where I want to really praise the eBook catalogue from Norfolk Libraries.  I've been able to try dozens of new things, all for free, and as they are electronic I have been able to change the font size/background colour as needed on a daily basis. 

As for physical books I have become far more aware than ever before about the fonts and sizes chosen by publishers - and so many interesting books have been rejected (for now) just because I physically couldn't read them due to these factors.
The subject of ePublishing hit the news a few weeks ago with this story from a leading publisher, however after all my experiences all I can do is sing their praises, as this rebuttal also did. There is also the weight issue of a physical book compared to an eReader or tablet, especially when you aren't feeling your best.

Here's hoping that the next few weeks will see me almost back to usual and back to full reading strength - my list of books I want to read is now taller than me!

A little light reading

It has been all a bit quiet here for the last few weeks as Mr Norfolkbookworm and I went away for 2 weeks in the sun.  After the weather here in the UK we were really looking forward to the break and we weren't disappointed  in the slightest.

We didn't see a cloud for two weeks and for most of the time the sea temperature was warmer than the actual temperature back home.  All in all it was a perfect break for doing lots of relaxing and lots of reading...which is what I did!

In the two weeks we were away I read 21 books and as ever they were from a broad sweep of genres.

• Underground, Overground - Andrew Martin
• The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
• Coronation - Paul Gallico
• Exotic Marigold Hotel - Deborah Moggach
• The Honorable Schoolboy - John le Carre
• 50 Shades of Grey - E L James
• Abdication - Juliet Nicholson
• 50 Shades Darker - E L James
• 50 Shades Freed - E L James
• Double Cross - Ben MacIntyre
• Dead Men - Richard Pierce
• I Still Dream About You - Fannie Flagg
• Chocky - John Wyndham
• Mani - Patrick Leigh Fermor
• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce
• All These Things I've Done - Gabrielle Zevin
• Whatever it Takes - Adele Parks
• London Belongs to Me - Norman Collins
• What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge
• What Katy Did Next - Susan Coolidge
• The Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje

There were some real surprises among these books - some I'd been saving for months and was disappointed by, some I didn't expect to enjoy but couldn't put down and others that I loathed but at the same time was compelled to finish...

The main thing that was different this year was that I didn't actually read a physical book in the time we were away - all 21were ebooks. In the past I've always read a mixture but this time I had a paperback in my back for those minutes on the plane where they don't let you read from a electronic device but as I had a window seat I found I was looking out of that rather than reading.

I have thoughts buzzing round my head about some of these books and will endeavour to share them soon but in the meantime one more photo to make you jealous!

Blowing a friend's trumpet

I am behind on theatre reviews, I do actually have a few books to blog about and I am trying to load my Kindle with books before going away but all of that pales into insignificance.

11 months ago I blogged about a friend's book, and how sad I was that it hadn't found a mainstream publisher.

Since then she's been working very hard on editing it and yesterday took the plunge and decided to start selling it via Amazon.

Now I know that many people think that Amazon are closely related to the devil but please, if you like a good escapist read and if you like a little bit of romance mixed with those realistic cringe worthy moments PLEASE download the sample of this book - then fall in love with the characters and buy the whole thing.

The author is talented and this book deserves to do well. And no I'm not on commission, just passionate about books I like. As I said in my original review I was honest with feedback and if I hadn't genuinely enjoyed the book I wouldn't be championing it a year on.

PS - even if you don't have a Kindle you can read this book via the Amazon widget on your laptop/netbook/phone/iPad...

World Book Night Challenge 11/25

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

I feel that my challenge reading may now slow down as the books left are either ones that I've avoided for years or ones that I've started in the past and not enjoyed. I know for certain that without this one being a World Book Night title there is no chance that I would have persevered with it.

I'm not sure if I found the book clever or pretentious. It is comprised of six short stories that are all interlinked. Story one is a diary that stops mid sentence but is then 'found' in story two. One of the characters from story two reappears in three and so on. All of strand 6 is told in one go and then we count down again and end up finding out the end of story one at the very end.

I read this in eBook form on the Kindle (the first modern novel I'd read on the device) and I do wonder that if I'd had this in paper form I would have read it in a different way.

That is would I have read all of story one, then two etc rather than in the way it was written? I quite like short stories and so I would have just read the strands that appealed to me rather than slogging through some tales which really didn't appeal just to make sure I didn't miss a connecting strand.

Another book I'm pleased I've read but I'm not in a hurry to look out for any more novels by Mitchell.

Oops

I've been quite open and honest about my enthusiasm for the whole eReader phenomenon and the experience of reading on either an iPhone or a dedicated device.

However the BeBook and the iPhone haven't been without their problems. To upload books to the BeBook you have to plug everything together in a very specific order otherwise Adobe doesn't recognise it and several times it appears that books have downloaded correctly but simply won't open. The screen is also a little small and unresponsive when you try to change the orientation.

On my iPhone I have three different programmes for reading eBooks - Stanza, Kindle and iBooks. All are great in their way but the problem here is the small size of the device, the screen is so small and I read so fast that I am constantly turning the page. This, and holding such a small object was actually starting to cause me some pain in my wrists.

So last week, when tired after a hectic work schedule and lots of events, I succumbed and treated myself to a Kindle. I got the Wifi and 3g compatible model and already, less than a week into owning it, I love it more than the other 2 devices.

It is light, easy to use, I can create book shelves easily and downloading reasonably priced books from Amazon is so easy I am going to have to be very restrained so as not to build up a huge credit card bill.

It isn't perfect - Kindles are not compatible with the library eBook catalogue, and Amazon have no plans at all to make this happen. Also although it advertises web browsing this is clumsy and clunky when compared to a iPhone say.

However the eInk technology has improved a huge amount since we got the BeBook, the page turns are smooth and flicker free, images are much clearer and better still there are so many options for type style, font, line spacing and orientation.

I'm sure the love will wear off soon, but right now with another holiday planned and a limited luggage allowance I can't wait to fill it with books I've been meaning to read.
People keep asking me why I went for this and not an iPad and the simple answer is cost, if someone gave me an iPad I'd be really happy but they are still so expensive I wouldn't feel comfortable travelling with one for fear I'd damage it. Also it is still quite large whereas my Kindle, even in a case, is about the size of a normal paperback.

As for the BeBook I think my sister and Mr Bookworm are fighting over that and I know who my money's on!

World Book Night Challenge 6/25

Toast - Nigel Slater

Thanks to the adaptation of this book being shown on UK television over the Christmas period there was a huge waiting list on this book at the library so I decided to read the Kindle version of this, making it one of the first contemporary books I've read solely on my iPhone.

I'd read this book before, shortly after it first came out and I remembered it being an enjoyable read but nothing really stuck in my mind apart from that.

Re-reading was a pleasure, Slater is quite a brave celebrity in many way as he holds nothing back in this book - even if it doesn't paint him in a very favourable or savoury light.

The book is split in to many short chapters most taking food stuffs from the 1960s and 1970s for chapter headers and this format really seemed to work when reading on a mobile device and also had me craving delights such as arctic roll, walnut whips and angel delight. So much for the diet in 2011!

This was a pleasant diversion, it isn't going to be a book for everyone. I was never a teenage boy so I don't know how accurate bits of the memoir are but it is going to be too 'dirty' for some and Slater's treatment of his step-mother are callous to say the least.
I enjoyed the book partly because I am nosy and like autobiographies and partly because I like a lot of Nigel Slater's recipes, however without it being on the World Book Night list I probably wouldn't have reread it.

The one thing I did get from the re-read is that reading whole books on my phone is possible, that it wasn't awkward and that it didn't give me a headache. The one downside was how much quicker it drained the battery!

E Books 1 - High Street 0

I've just been to the cinema to see Stephen Fry Live, sort of. He was performing at the Festival Hall and it was beamed into provincial cinemas.

We'd cut it a little fine for taking our seats and so when I saw that books were for sale at the event I thought 'oh good I'll get a copy at the end' (I'd already downloaded the free sample from iBooks and decided this was a book I wanted).
The event was fun, Fry read from his book and I enjoyed it and I knew I wanted to read it ASAP, hurrah I thought a new book!

The books weren't on sale at the end of the event.

Woe - like Fry and sugar I needed my book fix.

Within 10 minutes of being home I had a copy on my phone and as soon as I finish this post I'll be off to read it.

Sorry bookshop you lost out that time, and I now have another reason to love eBooks.