Week Twenty Two: The Outsider

Been a while since I read a King book, and I don't generally read horror OR supernatural. BUT he's a bloody good writer and this is no exception. Finished the 500 odd pages in 4 days, and if I hadn't been busier I may have finished it in two.

Gripping and engaging, still weaves a fairly solid narrative and draws you in with well thought out characters and rarely feels like you don't know who is talking in a conversation, a rare skill I always have problems with as a reader and a writer.

If you like King then this is a no-brainer. It does start quite horrifically so if you're of a more delicate sensibility, just take my word for it.

Week Twenty One: When

Another great sociology book, this concentrating specifically on the timing of things. A pretty easy read with LOADS of references (always a good sign) and insights, practical advice and case studies.

Worth a read and it should be adhered to more often, we've been saying for ages that teenagers sleep in and aren't worth much in the morning, and yet we do nothing about it.

Can't be that hard, just try FFS.

Week Twenty: Technically Wrong

Possibly the most personally affecting book I have read since How To Win A Cosmic War. Instead of a epiphany of belief it's been an heart-breaking embarrassment of many of the things I have said and done in my tech career.

I am (what I would call) a feminist, and a fair minded person, and I try to do what I think is right. But I was occasionally appalled by what I read in this book, not because it's surprising (it is not) but the behaviours called out are ones I have/do employ, and the reasons for defending that behaviour are the very reasons I have used to declare myself ok.

I'm not, it's not, and I should not remain that way now I can see that.

Not beating myself up at all, but now I can actually see it and I can't believe I was so easily convinced that wrong was right, and worse that I convinced others of that too.

Do better.

Week Nineteen: The Bat

Not read any of his before and so it was on my list to read at some point. This heavily discounted copy was on sale at Book Depository and the rest was a matter of international postage times.

Better than expected, as it does not suffer from 'impossibly expert hero" syndrome and neither 'deeply flawed bucket of angst' syndrome. Instead there's an alcoholic who falls off the wagon, makes loads of mistakes, totally misses the point half the time and then slowly works it out and luck plays a huge part of it.

So you know, like real people with real jobs and assumably cops and doctors etc...

Refeshingly normal 'hero'

Does suffer from 'single voice' and occasionally lazy exposition, but charming enough to not care as much.

Week Eighteen: Surfacing

Not sure what to make of it, which I suspect is the author's intent. It's deliberately obtuse, allegorical and metpahor abounds to the point where things happen, then they don't and the protagonist narrates her descent into madness (or clarity, again I'm unsure which it is).

It is however well written and engaging even if oblique to the point of frustrating resolutionlessness (yes I know it's not a real word, but what is real anyway? Grow some fur and sleep in a den, it'll make more sense then).