What I read on my holidays:
Downhill all the way – Edward Enfield
Laboured droleries from Harry Enfields father on a cycle ride from the channel to the Med.To be fair there are some amusing moments but it does rely heavily on those stereotypical foreigners.
Rocket Boys – Homer H. Hickham
Growing up in West Virginia in the 50's with a focus on amateur rocketry. Contains the line ' the best I had ever done was a kiss on a girl's front porch after a dance...' and is consequently a work of genius. After all, that's pretty good going isn't it? Especially for the 1950s. Brilliant story, cracking book, read it!
The World Made By Hand – James Howard Kunstler
Upstate NY after socio-economic collapse of the US and perhaps the world. How will we be saved?Some mysterious God-botherers appear to have the answer; they will use religion to bring widespread social cohesion. Just like last time...wait a minute...A bit depressing really but one of those books that has rave reviews from 37 US newpapers with names like the Psoriasis Nebraska Conduit. Crazy name, crazy guy. Don't read this one.
The Trail to Titicaca – Rupert Attlee
Now look, I have cycled to Goudhurst, City in the Sky, and on the Kentish altiplano on a clapped out Coventry Eagle but this shows what can be done if you don't have to be back for tea. So, a charity cycle ride from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. This is travel writing of the 'on the third day we had to eat the tyres' variety. Appalingly edited and deserves better, for example, even if a Chilean ferry service were operated by SNCF it would be unlikely that the timetable would have the days of the week in French, ffs it's Chile, get a grip. Contains many humerous anecdotes of the type of which I am always sceptical. Despite these shortcomings I enjoyed reading this story so ¡Sombrero! Presumably.
Freakonomics – Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
Bestseller of a couple of years ago that analyses modern life using ecomonic models – or at least reasoning. Mine was a revised and expanded edition but even so there appeared to be a large amount of reptition here with only (as far a I could make out) three or four things being analysed in the entire book. A wanted to be astounded and I wasn't. So I can't see what all of the fuss was about.
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
Those poor Americans, it's the end of the world again. A man and his young son travel on foot through a blasted, frozen lanscape; nothing grows, everything is covered in ash – it's worse than my back garden. They are heading for the coast to find... who knows? They live by scavenging and have to avoid others that have resorted to cannibalism. So, not terribly upbeat but a terrific book all the same – fantastic writing and short enough to be read at a single sitting. Demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit I suppose but best avoided if you are affected by the gloomy as frankly there are few jokes.
The Company of Strangers – Robert Wilson
Lisbon 1940, it's those pesky Nazis again. Later in Berlin in the 70s it's those pesky commies. Alliances and names change and everyones fibbing to everyone else but it gives all those spies something to do and keeps them on the streets. Uses the words 'cranium' and 'saltine' more than any book I have read in my life so was worth reading for that alone.
Juan
