Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

I actually finished this book a long time ago but have not properly started to read another yet. This is quite unusual in itself as I would normally have probably read a few books by now! I guess you just get all read out and need a break sometimes!

This Jeremy Clarkson book is a collection of articles that were written over a few years. This means the chapters are short and very readable. Each day you can read something totally different but with the classic humour of Jeremy guaranteed! If you are the type of person that watches Top Gear and can appreciate the unique outlook, statements and opinions, you will enjoy the book!

‘Someone comes to town, someone leaves town’ is one of Cory Doctorows newer books and it certainly follows in the same pattern as his previous works… i.e quite strange! It must be said that I am a big fan of Cory’s books and have been for a few years because of the warped cyberpunk storylines. This particular book was bought for me as a gift by my friend Aidy. It is a signed hardcover and will fit nicely on the shelf alongside the other Doctorow books that I own. Thanks again Aidy!!

Cory has a very good writing style and the story flows from the pages easily keeping you interested in what is going to happen next. The only time I got confused was towards the end when the chapters seemed to be muddled up… I am quite certain they were meant to be that way so I just kept reading! If only it had gone on a few more pages to explain what happened… I hate having to use my own imagination for things like that!!

If you want to read the book but dont want to support the author financially </guilt-trip>… hop along to Craphound where you can download it in many formats under the Creative Commons licence. If you have never read a Cory Doctorow book before, you should try it… you might like it!!

Finally managed to get through the 4,000ish pages of this rather expansive story. I have to say that it’s a relief to finally be at the end but I ‘m pleased I got there. The last few chapters are by far the best and it would have been a shame to miss them by stopping the story short. Although the idea was absolutely excellent, it was sometimes difficult to keep pushing my way through the pages as it seemed very repetitive and drawn out. The volume of information and seperate storylines was mind boggling and very well controlled but I felt it could been a little more concise… perhaps some of the longer descriptions could have been shortened to keep the momentum up. Knowing what I know now, I would still read these books… but I dont think I will read them again as it is possible to do with some!

It does have to be said that Tad Williams has created what can only be described as an epic adventure, so if you like the idea of rich, powerful characters trying to live forever at the expense of the pain and suffering of children… read the books! In fact, if you like the idea of a small band of heroes coming along and saving, the world, the children and more besides, you should read the books to! It certainly caters for all tastes and is guaranteed to provide you with all the emotions of the spectrum!

This is one of my special books… it is a first edition and has been signed by the author, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. It was given to me on my birthday this year by H’s parents and it now seems that I owe them 2 lots of thanks… first for giving me a special book and the second for giving me such an excellent book!

The story flows so easily that it is actually hard to put it down. As with other books of this type, it details all of the hard-times and the good-times but what really makes this story different is the context and the person. The constant worries about his boat, Suhaili, and RK-J’s amazing abilities to render temporarily permanent repairs really keep you turning the pages and would even impress Dave!

Bearing in mind that it was also a race, the story really comes to an end just a bit too soon. It has the most memorable end of any book I have read though… Falmouth!! If you take into consideration that the book takes only a few days to read, yet the voyage was nearly a year long, you get a deeper understanding of the true scale of, what most certainly is, one of the greatest sea adventures of all time.

This excellent book is about deep wreck diving, submarines and how to solve a mystery! Well, it describes how the answer to one particular mystery was pursued with voracity! ‘Shadow Divers’ was a departure from my normal reading genre by a long way. It is a factual novel that contains information gleaned from a considerable amount of research on the people and the subjects at hand. Although this is the case, it is still very readable and you can easily forget it is non-fiction when you look at the lengths these guys went to in the search of answers and adventure, they really are crazy! I really enjoyed this book and as such will consider similar titles in the future.

‘Chainfire’ is the latest release in the ‘Sword of Truth’ series by Terry Goodkind. It is the 9th book of the series and is a continuation of the long running battle of good against evil. As ever, the foes are bigger, more evil and more powerful. The most interesting, yet most frustrating thing about the book is that it does not finish the story… a major part is concluded but it really is a case of ‘the beginning of the end’! Obviously, it is a series, but each book has its own distinct story that fits in to the whole. Chainfire, however, is part of the series-ending trilogy. The only reason I have to complain is that I really like the series and hate waiting for so long between releases! The next book has been announced, ‘Phantom’ and will be finished by January/February of next year (2006). Until then, remember the wizards 9th Rule; ‘Contradictions don’t exist, in whole or in part’.

Neil Hanson has written a very in-depth book that looks closely at the failed armada of 1588. The book is interesting to read and becomes increasingly more so as you progress. At the start it was a bit hard going but I wanted to know about the Armada and felt that I could benefit from knowing a bit of this history so it seemed wise to continue and I am pleased that I did as the story of the armada itself was great. The book covered facts about the superior English ships, gunfire and seamen and how they out-played a fleet that outnumbered them 4 to 1. If you ever want to learn a lot about history, this book covers a very wide area. This is to be expected when you consider the vastness of the campaign that Spain had put into motion for the ‘Enterprise of England’. If you have ever suspected there is such a thing as ‘no chance’, read this book and learn from the English Navy.

‘The Da Vinci Code’ was an intriguing read and having finished the book in a week, I can vouch for its readability. Dan Brown has done a fantastic job of creating a story that keeps your attention fixed; it is very hard to put the book down. The plot is so thick it is comparable to chilled treacle and it is only in the final chapters that everything comes to a very tidy close. The subject matter involving classic art, historical buildings and the ancient quest for the ‘Holy Grail’ is made interesting by the in depth fictional mystery well placed into the facts. Its amazing that learning about the ‘Mona Lisa’ can come so easily when you want to learn the answers to the questions that have just been asked! The book delivers some controversial ideas about the history of religion but its safe to say that all becomes clear at the end when the ‘mystery’ is solved. This is another book I would have to recommend and its easy to see how this book got to the top of the charts!

I have finished reading Neal Stephenson’s, The Diamond Age. Having read another of his books, I am still amazed that he can come up with worlds that are so unique, different and yet feasible. This book was a very good read and had a great plot being spread over many years. The story is rife with nano-technology, fairy tales and human subversion. My only grip is that the ending wasn’t there… it ended just a chapter or two early!!
The official review: A nanotechnologist, John Hackworth, breaks the moral code of his tribe, the neo-Victorians. He has made an illict copy of a device called “A Young Lady’s Primer”. Its purpose is to raise and educate a girl capable of thinking for herself, but Hackworth’s copy has fallen into the wrong hands.

I have just finished reading ‘Eastern Standard Tribe’ by Cory Doctorow. Yet again he has written a book that addresses human morals and ideas of society and how it is developing. It addresses these things as a natural element of the plot and as such you end up with a real understanding of the points being made. The style of writing is easy to read but watch the timeline, it jumps about a bit. Without doubt, the underlying messages will be discussion points for any other person that has read the book and understands it’s significance.

‘Eastern Standard Tribe’ is released under the ‘Creative Commons’ licence and is therefore freely distributable. I for one will place an order for the paperback when I next order from Amazon as I want to feel that I am giving something back. Having read all of Cory’s books… I would like to read more!

Head over to gringod.com to download a copy for yourself

Didn’t do very much today… pretty much stayed around the resort. I did plan on using the Gym but that went out the window as after just two days I started to approach the end of ‘PREY’ a book by Michael Crichton, and felt I needed to bring it to a close. If you have not read this… you should, you will be hooked. The copy I read had been read twice before and I was warned that when you start reading it… you wont stop, I now add my own warning to this!

My next book is by Francis Chichester, ‘Gypsy Moth Around the World’. I think this will be fascinating story of his voyage around the world in his custom built yacht that he fights with just as much as he does the sea! Will post how well I get on with it after sitting in the sun tomorrow!!!