A Defence of the Traditional Book

I happen to have just spent the past week or so on work experience with the rather lovely team of Blackstaff Press. When asked to write a piece for their online blog, I jumped at the chance to have a bit of a rant against the perils of the digital age, and thought I'd share that rant here as well.

The world of publishing made for a really interesting experience. Amid jamming the photocopier, marking up proofs and hunting for witty material to entertain the online masses, it was nice to take a moment to sit back and appreciate what was going on around me. That something is perhaps simple on the surface but, for me, is something grand in substance. Books were in the making.

Anyway, along the way I happened to find myself in a small debate. The motion was traditional books ‘v’ e-books. Embrace the digital age he’d said, it’s upon us he’d heralded...to paraphrase of course. He had a point I admit; there is no denying and there is much to be said for the convenience technological updates offer. And while I fully advocate availing of these, there is a line I just cannot cross. Online academic journals are a godsend when that deadline is fast approaching, and the reading so far complete is looking sparse. Online news is equally handy to fill the short commute from A-B, or to grab snippets fast as a headline unfolds.  But this is just about my limit.

When it comes to a good book nothing, in my humble opinion, can measure up to the real thing. For a start there is that distinct and comforting smell of the pages. To dwell on that smell alone evokes memories of infant nap times spent dosing off to The Hungry Caterpillar, of learning to read with Biff and Chip, and later, of classroom friends, of summers spent sprawled in the garden, or of favourite coffee shop haunts. All of these bound up in that same smell. Tell me what the e-reader has on that? A screen backlight does not fond memories make. Then there is the small matter of a cover. I take great pleasure in whiling away entire afternoons hunting in old bookshops and markets in search of covers that I particularly like, the vintage, the beautiful, or the downright weird. There is a victory in snagging a rare copy for a bargain price. And then there is the feel and weight of a book held in your hands, and the physical bookmark charting your progress through. I enjoy all of these things and the digital equivalent offers none of them.

Essentially, and hear me out, some things just cannot be replaced by this digital age. Libraries, the home of the book, are a case in point. There are sites and blogs dedicated to libraries. Beautiful rows of shelves lined with brightly coloured, sometimes wonderfully ornate books. Books of all shapes and sizes, of all genres, books ordered meticulously. People literally aspire to re-create these spaces – granted on a smaller scale – in their homes. What are these wonderful places to be replaced with? I can only envision some nightmarish dystopia where the iconic library with its walls covered in books, the place of hushed whispers and comfy chairs, is replaced with large vacant rooms fitted with stylistic chrome mantles, upon which single electronic e-readers rest. Picture an Apple store, but quiet, and you would be along the right lines. It doesn’t really measure up some how, does it?

Ultimately, a book holds none of the distracting capabilities that an e-reader fortified with Internet connection is prone to causing. Nor is it reliant on battery and likely to die at any moment… well if you’re me anyway. And one final consideration, let’s face it, when you accidentally drop your book you are left with a damaged spine, a few crumpled pages, a tear at worst. What you are not though, is left with a hefty fee and zero books to call your own. I believe on that note, I rest my case.

Where do you stand on the e-book, paper book debate?

You can see my post as well as a host of others here!

A Kind of Kin - Rila Askew

Brace yourself for one hell of a mess, and one hell of a struggle. Thought provoking and fast paced this one is a definite page-turner.

Welcome to Cedar, Oklahoma, 2008. The big issue of the day is immigration and this town is at the centre of a political storm. Bill 1830 has just been passed creating havoc as the Mexican inhabitants are rounded up and driven out of town.

Meanwhile, at the centre of it all the Brown family is being torn apart in the impact of the very same bill. Bob Brown, steadfastly holding to his Christian values, has been arrested for harbouring ‘illegal aliens’. His orphaned grandson has gone missing, his granddaughter is harbouring her previously deported husband, and his daughter, Sweet, struggles to hold it all together amid a marriage that is rocked by a revelation of betrayal. As she struggles to reconcile her Christian ethics with a sense of lawfulness there is an ongoing tension as Sweet finds no simple black and white to the matter, but a host of blurred lines and grey areas only. We follow along as she navigates these grey areas and witness just how quickly events can spiral completely out of control.

Tackling an issue as heated as immigration risked the story descending into a tit-for-tat polemical take on things. Instead, Askew has managed something of a greater richness. Woven through the book are several narratives. From the self-concerned author of the bill in question, Representative Monica Moorehouse, who is caught up in her life of political game play and tactics, to Luis, a Mexican man risking it all in search of his sons, we see the impact and divisive nature of the issue across the wide scope of society. In these multiple narratives Askew provides a more nuanced look at the complexities of the issue at hand.

There is so much going on in this book. The lives within are messy and complicated; they feel altogether authentically real. And yet, Askew manages to interweave events seamlessly making for a smooth and fast-paced read. One cannot help but hold their breath with a growing sense of dread as events race ahead to culminate in one grand standoff between the town and the law.

In the end, Askew’s tale stands as a nod to the ties that bind, protect and see us through the hard times. This is a tale of standing up for one’s beliefs and persevering through, of ploughing on with hope that everything will turn out right in the end. 

http://www.amazon.com/Kind-of-Kin

Summer Reading!!

Well, it’s that time of year again; time to don the sunglasses, the sandals, a sun hat and head on over to your little oasis spot with a book in hand. I always get rather excited by this prospect.  At the first sign of sun I have logged onto Amazon and am embarking on a penny-spending spree! The thrill of buying books for a penny just never gets old!

I like to choose carefully so that I have something for all eventualities. Something light for those beach-y, sunny days. Something with a bit of depth and history – normally for that stage in summer when my brain grows nostalgic      for the

So what’s on my list this year? In no particular order…

Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie

This one has been on the list for a while, and indeed I’ve given it a go before. I attempted this one while travelling around the US last summer, but when the book seeks to tackle themes relating to identity and India’s national independence, this proved too active a trip for this book. So with a week off ahead, I plan on settling down and enjoying this one! Fingers crossed.

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail – Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson reports straight from the 1972 US presidential campaign trial. I’m hoping for one large helping of political infighting and journalistic grit with this one. Fingers crossed!

Great House – Nicole Krauss

Having really enjoyed Krauss’ former offerings ‘Man Walks into a Room’ and ‘The History of Love’ I have high hopes and expectations for this one. With a style that is simple and candid, Krauss is an expert at hitting the right emotions, at creating characters that are real and at spinning a tale that is entirely believable and captivating. I highly reccmonend any of his titles for your summer reading lists.

One Day - David Nicholls

Cue my read of choice to be enjoyed in the sun. There was so much hype around this one initially that I didn’t bother for fear of being disappointed. Now the hype has died down though and the reviews have remained strong. I’m feeling it’s time to give this one a chance. Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Inferno – Dan Brown

Mystery, riddles and tension; this one promises to be an all round thriller. What more could one want?

Let me know what titles are top of your list so far!

Naïve. Super. - Erlend Loe, translated by Tor Ketil Solberg.

I tend to choose a light read in exam term, and this was this year’s book of choice. It was Amazon recommended and I just so happened to stumble upon it in the library, and that was that. From the outset I shall admit that I’m glad this was a library find and not a purchase, or I’d have been a little disappointed!

In terms of it being a light read this one lived up to expectations, beyond that it was just a little flat for my liking. Essentially we follow the unnamed narrator as he turns 25 and having grown disillusioned, loses his way in life a little. So, questioning life and its meaning – or lack of – he drops out of college, quits his job and spends his days hammering on a child’s peg toy and faxing his meteorologist friend as he ponders the metaphysics of time, space, life and our place in it. This could be incredibly poignant at times as the narrator contrasts the simplicity of what used to excite him in life (cardboard boxes, buttons and toys to name but a few) with how difficult he finds it to attain such simple enjoyment and contentment as an adult. We travel with him as he heads to New York in search of perspective and meaning, and finds that there is indeed enjoyment to be gained from the simple things in life, and concludes that perhaps this is where greater meaning lies.

It was oddly comforting in a way, and although nothing huge was happening I kept reading. There is something quite human in feeling a little lost, and this tale seeks to say, simply and briefly, that things will be okay in the end. Which is of course a rather nice message… particularly amid exams!

There was something in Loe’s character reminiscent of Salinger’s Holden Caulfield, the element of a youth wandering and a little lost in growing older. But NAME isn’t a 13 year old boy, he is a year old man. It was difficult at times to reconcile this reality with the character who took to hammering on a children’s toy as a means to catharsis and fulfillment. Each to their own I suppose!

This book was indeed naïve; it was simple, friendly, funny and enjoyable in its being so. Super however, it was not quite.

A musical accompaniment...

A lot of the time I accompany reading with music – it’s a big part of the overall enjoyment for me. However, this can be tricky. You have to choose something that fits the overall mood of the book. It would be very odd for instance to sit down and have some heavy metal on behind a tale of budding romance… in fact I would find it very difficult to sit down and think with heavy metal on full stop, never mind to read!

When it comes to choosing music to accompany reading, I like the music to be free of any lyrics, which makes it very easy to read and focus on the book at hand. This is especially true if the book in question requires some level of thought or concentration! Of course there is the multitude of classical offerings to avail of, and this is normally a rather safe choice. Recently however, I have come across an especially fun option that allows you to enjoy all of your favourite music lyric free.

Introducing The Piano Tribute Players. These fine musicians have reading with music covered whatever your choice of genre (that applies to both the book and the music!) With literally something for every taste you can, with considerable ease, listen to the music you enjoy transformed into gentle piano numbers. This makes for a really relaxing backing track to any book, as the music you are familiar with tinkles along in the background.  Sample this number from Coldplay and I’m sure you will see what I mean:

The Piano Tribute Players - Coldplay: Viva La Vida

You’re more of a strings person than piano I hear you say? Fear not! I too am prone to a preference for strings on occasion. Enter, Vitamin String Quartet. As with the above musicians this group have taken a host of modern songs and performed them purely on strings. I have gone for another Coldplay track so that you can sample the different styles used on the same band and decide which you prefer.

Vitamin String Quartet - Coldplay: Paradise

It’s always good to have a nice reading playlist compiled, so I’m definitely open to recommendations! 

Twenty-five Shades of Gatsby

I have previously mused upon the idea of book covers and how varied these can be for a single title. The recent hype surrounding the release of ‘The Great Gatsby’ has of course led to a new cover for the book, one adorned by the celebrities who star in the feature production. This led me to do some hunting around and low and behold this is no exception to the rule, with many many variations across the years.And so I have compiled a few (twenty-five to be precise!) for your viewing.

Feast your eyes on these…

With one sweeping look there are clearly things a lot of the covers have in common. Green is used quite frequently, evidently in reference to the green light symbolism within the book. I also think it’s interesting that in a few cases Gatsby himself makes no appearance on the cover, but rather the focus is entirely on Daisy Buchanan, odd really since anyone coming across the book for the first time would undoubtedly receive a very odd idea of the story within. Anyway, I thought I’d sharea few in particular which caught my eye.

 This cover, the original, is by far my favourite. There is something about the bright growing lights of the city against the darker background which is entirely in fitting with the story held within. With imagery and symbolism drawn from the text this version stands as the iconic Gatsby image and I have yet to find one that beats it.

 This one stood out mainly for the colour. I really like the simplicity of this one and think it works really well as an overall design. The style manages to capture the enigmatic character of Gatsby who is captured amid shade and light and the small detail of the martini glass serving as the 'Y' ties the whole design together. This is definitely a copy I plan on hunting down...

This one jumped out as it has received so much coverage recently to promote the film. I'm not overly keen on this one. It's not that it's a bad cover per se, but I think it is a shame when traditional book covers are replaced with what are in effect film covers. Books and DVDs are different things and their covers should not be interchanged so easily! 

These two are more recent covers. While they wouldn't be my first choice, any collection of covers wouldn't be complete without one of these! My favourite of the two is the second as the pattern is sort of foiled and therefore shiny, reminiscent of the glitz and glamour within. The lack of picture also leaves the new reader to approach the book free from any pictorial influence!

 Finally, this one jumped out for all the wrong reasons. I glanced at the picture and mistakenly thought of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. Something about this cover, perhaps the regal design around the title is all too reminiscent of the cover added to so many versions of Austen's novel. Clearly a cover can be a powerful thing!

Let me know if you have any particular favourites!

The Great Gatsby - The film Version

I’m not a fan of film adaptations of books most of the time, but when that book is high on my all-time favourites list I tend to be even more weary than usual. Add to that a rather bleak first attempt (in my humble opinion of course) and I was most definitely apprehensive about the recent release of The Great Gatsby.

Watch the trailer here!

For those unfamiliar with the book, the story follows Nick Carraway young and fresh out of college, as he heads from the Midwest to the dizzying pace of 1920s New York City. Here he is swept away in a fast pace era of loosening morals, bootlegging, parties, glamour and glitz. Carraway finds himself caught up in the messy love affairs of his cousin Daisy Buchanan who is stuck in an unhappy marriage and reacquainted with former lover, Jay Gatsby. As events unfold Carraway pens a tale of impossible love and unconquerable dreams. Despite the glamour the tale cumulates in a tragedy which throws light on a darker side of the American Dream, while holding the dream is altogether possible, realizing it is not always so.

In its favour the film was fast paced enough to capture the feel of the era with rarely a moment to pause or reflect as the story ran ahead as the viewer is pulled along in the excess and fervor of the story and a feeling of things beyond control. The party atmosphere was as bright and heady as Fitzgerald depicted, with each party oozing with extravagance and abundance, with vivid colour and liveliness.

Moreover certain scenes were conveyed successfully and really well at that. While the famous ‘beautiful shirts’ scene fell to ridicule in the first film, director, Luhrmann, avoided this managing instead to hit the mood spot on by capturing the depth of subtlety of emotion behind the scene. The costumes were also a strength of this particular production. While the men’s fashion was accurate and stylish, it was of course the flapper dresses I was interested in, and on this note the film did not disappoint. A dazzling array of flapper dresses and twenties fashion made for a visually pleasing production true to the extravagance Fitzgerald sought to portray.

However the production was not without flaws. I found the camera work odd at times. The opening in particular felt as though it was perhaps intended solely for the purposes of 3D viewing. A blurry shot of I’m not really sure what does not a great opening make! Something more serious was the casting of Gatsby himself, which left me a little conflicted. On one hand Leonardo DiCaprio was the perfect Gastby: handsome, charming and warm. Yet on the other he was Jack Dawson (from Titanic), and probably always will be. I also must take issue with the music. While the soundtrack was undoubtedly fun and catchy it was also, let’s face it, entirely inauthentic and in anachronistic. There was a distinct lack of jazz on offer, something the era is after all famed for. This was rather disappointing.

Ultimately, for me at least, there has always been something alluring beautiful about this book and the tragedy it holds. It’s more a feeling than anything specific one can articulate and as such while the film proved as visually dazzling and glitzy as I had hoped and imagined, to aim to capture this feeling is simply too ambitious a goal for the screen. In short then, the film was a much better attempt than the first and well worth watching for a feel of the of The Roaring Twenties, but in the end it fails to capture the luster and magic of the written form.

The film has received a bunch of mixed reviews, so do feel free to share you're thoughts if you have gone to see the film, or why not if you have decided not to! 

Michael Sandel

I’m quite a big fan of Michael Sandel, and so I immediately jumped at the opportunity to attend and review his talk at The Cambridge Union Society.

I had previously come across Sandel’s book ‘Justice: what’s the right thing to do’ and was surprised by how good a read this proved to be. Broaching the rather weighty topics of moral and political philosophy can be a laborious exercise, a real mental work out, and indeed one that has on occasion left me baffled, pained or just fast asleep! This endeavour from Sandel was entirely different. Filled with anecdotal tales and entertaining evidence, Sandel manages to make these topics entirely accessible, relevant and enjoyable, so much so that I was captivated from start to finish. As such I was particularly interested in hearing what Sandel had to say.

Sandel’s talk promoted his most recent book ‘What money can't buy: the moral limits of markets’. This is not one I have got around to reading yet, but after having heard Sandel speak it has most certainly been placed on the summer reading list…watch this space!

You can read my review of the talk here: Sandel at the Union

Do let me know if you have read any of Sandel’s books, and of course what you made of them!

PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives - Frank Warren

 I've decided to share a different sort of book today in the form of one of the PostSecret installments - PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives.

PostSecret is an internationally growing mail art project, which grew out of an idea from founder Frank Warren, which involved distributing blank postcards and inviting recipients to return them after having adorned them with a secret that they had never told. The response was unexpectedly huge and since PostSecret has grown into a mass online community. Indeed the Sunday blog has become a firm favourite of mine.

Nothing however quite measures up to the books - essentially collations of lots of postcards... sort of the most meaningful picture book I've yet come across. Here among the many pages are postcards, some bright, some beautiful, some wonderfully simple, all baring words straight from others. These range in content from the hilarious to the heartfelt, from the devastating to the downright bizarre. What ties them all together though, is each individual entering into the spirit and sharing a little piece of him or her self, a personal secret of some variety. Within the pages is captured the very essence of what it is to be human, with every shade of emotion and feeling there to be related with by the reader. Just like good literature, it is specifically this ability to arouse emotion which gives this book its power.

It is most definitely worth acquiring a copy of one of five in the series so far. It's a really lovely book to be able to reach for in search of comfort, motivation or simply a smile. I have included a few from my last flick through the book below - enjoy!

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales - Oliver Sacks

A rather odd book choice on reflection, but the title was too intriguing to pass this one over. Admittedly on scanning the blurb a case of medical histories is not exactly what I was expecting…though I’m not really sure what I was expecting with a title like this I suppose! That said, the account of case histories that unfolded, bizarre, devastating and fascinating in equal measure, most certainly did not disappoint.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has collated a series of truly extraordinary case histories which recount the experience of patients battling various neurological disorders. Meet Dr P. the man who mistook his wife for a hat. Dr P. whose life has progressed into one of abstraction fails to see the whole person, the whole scene and the whole world in general. Instead he must use music to feel, to recognise and to survive. The ‘Disembodied Lady’ feels she has lost her body and must ultimately learn to be again, while Mr MacGregor, living life at a twenty degree tilt, has to learn to live and to see the world from a whole new angle.

These are just three from a host of fascinating cases, each of which has in some way served to advance the course of the medical profession. Sacks seeks to herald the return of a humanistic element, of interaction and engagement with the individual behind the illness. Sacks also raises a series of uncomfortable thoughts on the one hand; the fragility of the mind, the lack of control and questions of the future that awaits. On the other however, he presents a group of individuals who each testify to the endless possibility of the human mind and imagination at overcoming adversity, the benefits of persevering, and the ingenuity with which we may each approach the world around us.

With very little in the way of biological or neurological knowledge, I was initially concerned this was going to be a struggle. Fear not! Sack's skill at storytelling eases the reader right into the neurological world he is concerned with. His aim is to reveal the deeply human element behind the cases, and in this he is altogether successful. In all, a fascinating read not to be passed over!

On short stories - Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

I have never really been a fan of short stories. Even as a child one story at bedtime was never quite enough, which of course always led to a round of unsatisfied pleas for just one more story, just one more to send me off to sleep. My issue has always been that short stories can be rather bitty and snippety, a rather brief and superficial dip into someone else’s life before you are rather abruptly thrown back out before the story has even taken off. With more questions than answers, and very little in the way of character or plot development I tend to be left feeling either unsatisfied or to be very honest, just bored. However, I am gradually being persuaded that this is only the case when short stories are poorly written. As I get older and life gets busier  I am certainly starting to appreciate the value of a well-written short story. When I need a literary fix but have only half an hour on a bus journey, or in fact can only stay awake for this long at bedtime, I’m increasingly seeing short stories as a worthy alternative to an entire book, complete with the satisfaction of a full story in a short time. 

This is of course when short stories are written well. One such successful venture I have recently come across is Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Interpreter of maladies’. This debut series is based on the theme of Indian exiles, of individuals who must balance tradition and heritage with the new in their lives. These work particularly well because there is no big aim to the stories, no quest or grandiose plot, but rather we receive unobtrusive snapshots of the ordinary.

‘When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine’ for instance, is a story within the series that depicts the life of an Indian family living in America, as told by ten-year-old Lilia. Mr Pirzada has been awarded a grant to study for a year in America while his wife and seven daughters remain at home in Dacca, East Pakistan. He regularly joins Lilia and her parents for dinner at their home, where they watch the news together as tensions unfold in Mr Pirzada’s hometown amid the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide. Lilia perceives Mr Pirzada to be Indian as well; he looks the same, dresses the same, laughs at the same jokes and eats the same food. Her father explains that this is not the case, that partition in 1947 means Mr Pirzada is now considered Bangladeshi. Ultimately nothing of huge consequence happens but Lahiri subtly deals with the complex issue of identity, of the juxtaposition of two different cultures, and of a little girl becoming more socially aware. It is the way in which the ordinary in life is taken and considered which stands as the foundation of these short stories and is behind why they work. They are snapshots into plausible lives, into the familiar, and are therefore inherently intriguing.

Written well I must concede that short stories are in fact an art form, a challenge to capture, engage and satisfy the reader in a small window of time for storytelling. Any recommendations will be very well received! 

It's all about the cover...

‘Never judge a book by its cover’ is the age-old adage we hear again and again. But let’s be honest, it’s rather difficult not to. If I’m browsing a shelf of titles I’ve never come across, the most natural (and in fact the most time efficient) thing to do is to look at the cover. If that grabs me, then sure, I’ll pick it up and scan the blurb. Otherwise, to be honest, a book has no chance of making it onto the pile.  While it is certainly nice to be surprised on occasion - having persevered through a recommendation - by how good a book turns out to be, more often than not, the cover will factor in on my choice. In fact, even when I have gone out in search of a particular book, and found myself presented with choice, the reality of having chosen the one which looks best stands to evidence that in fact, a cover really does matter.

What is interesting then, is the variation in book covers internationally. This convention suggests that a certain look will sell more readily in one country than in another. I imagine this must be quite an interesting and fun (though challenging) aspect of publishing; ensuring that a book cover captures the spirit of the book and that it does so in a way which is aesthetically pleasing and interesting to consumers. Much of the hype often exists around the variation between UK and US covers: so let’s consider a few side by side. US on the left, UK on the right.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone – JK. Rowling.

The UK cover is taken from an event within the book whilst the US version depicts items from the book. Note as well the change in title, a convention not altogether uncommon in publishing. US publishers substituted ‘philiosopher’s’ for ‘sorcerers’ in order to deal with a difference in meaning to and thereby to help US readers pick up on the magical connotations of the book. In this instance I much prefer the UK version. For me the US version has a more masculine feel about it and therefore I'd have been much less inclined to pick it up (pre the cultish status subsequently bestowed upon the series that is!). The UK version is more vibrant in terms of colour and design and this wins my vote!

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

As one of my all time favourite books there is no competition in this one. The original US version above has become the iconic image associated with the book, and indeed has been reprinted into posters and all varieties of other merchandise. It really seems to capture the heady, frivolous excessive feel of the 'Roaring Twenties' which the book addresses. As well as this it manages to depict core themes of the book. The current UK cover simply pales in comparison.

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger

Oddly, whilst the US version is the iconic cover in this instance, I rather like the UK print. Having read the book it is somehow in fitting with the feel of the private journal and thoughts held within. However, in terms of compelling me to pick it up off the shelf with no prior knowledge, the US print would probably win purely because it is a more interesting cover.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple

Here we have a variation, but with both based very closely on the same idea. There really isn't much between them, as you can see, but I much prefer the colour and font style of the UK version. Clearly though, what sells isn't always so different!

Let me know if you've been surprised by particular cover changes, or have any particular favourites!