Jon Anon

I finished tale of two cities about a week ago after putting it down for a month. To my surprise the thing that prompted me to pick it up again was being stuck on holiday without a book.

What did have was my iPhone, a slow connection and a copy of Stanza. Despite the slow connection I managed to download the book in a couple of seconds and start reading. To my surprise I found it pretty easy to read on the phone. At night when my wife is snoring beside me, I can read without having the light on.

Since then, I’ve worked my way through two more books (both free classics) and am half way through ‘a room with a view’

Struggling my way through Dickens’ tale if two cities. I have to admit that I’m finding it quite a difficult read; full of flowery prose and some very unfamiliar turns if phrase.

I wonder whether they actually spoke like that in those days? I suppose they must have, I can’t imagine that Dickens would make it up.

Only another 100 pages to go.

I have to admit that I found ‘Man & Wife’ by Tony Parsons, stuck to the front cover of a girly magazine my wife had discarded. I would usually run a mile when faced with any kind of pulp chick-lit bundled with a zine but I had read Tony Parsons before so am giving it a go.

Any man who has a child, especially a son will recognise the emotions poured out in this book. the way he talks about his son, the way the fears, hopes and aspirations are displayed are spot on. I am really enjoying this aspect of the book and I have to admit that at times I have almost felt a wee tear bubble into the corner of my eye.

The aspects of the book dealing with the main characters relationship with his wife and ex wife are also very well portrayed. Those passages that deal with the end of the honeymoon period with his new wife are very interesting. The petty arguments and sniping at each other are very similar to how a real couple might end up (I know from personal experience)

I am about half way through the book at the moment and expect to finish it in a couple of nights so will top up this post at a later date - hey I can do what I like, nobody ever reads my blog anyway!

One last late night Reading session was enough to get me to the end of boogie nights by Paul Thomas Anderson and a very enjoyable read it was too.

It took a little getting used to the style, this was the first time I’d ever read a script, but after a while it does kind of flow. The directors notes are really interesting and give enough to imagine the scene but not too much as to wipe out any requirement for imagination.

Of course, it is probably an easier read having seen the film but I don’t think that detracts from the book at all. In fact I didn’t find myself mentally following the film but instead imagining the various sets and scenes.

I’ll probably need to read it again as I’m sure there are little nuances in the directors notes which may lead my mind off in slightly different directions.

Good, I’ll give it 8 out of 10

Ja

I have just finished reading ‘Cradle to Cradle’ by William McDonough & Michael Braungart and found it to be a most interesting book (if a little difficult to read sometimes)

Like any book that introduces a difficult, new concept, there are a few buzz words to get to grips with. Normally this doesn’t bother me but with this book, for some reason I found myself having to backtrack to find out what the hell was going on. Or perhaps that was just me?

That said, it is a fairly minor niggle. The content of the book is the really interesting thing. As an Architect I was particularily interested in the sentiments about the placelessness of the international style (or the dumbed down international style) and also the passages on the user experience of buildings. I was impressed by the authors capacity to indulge this C2C philosophy, he must be a very persuasive individual and I would love to know how to convince some of my clients to embrace an idea against their business upbringing.

I have leant the book out to friends (thinking that the best use of a book is to be read as many times before being posted on a shelf) so hopefully I might be able to get a bit of a discussion going with some of my less carbon nuetral chums.

A good book worth a read and by no means a stick for eco meanies to bash everyone with.