Books To Die For - John Connolly

This book is an anthology of essays collected and edited by John Connolly and Declan Burke. They have brought together a collection from some of the most current and famous crime writers. The subject of these essays is their favourite crime story. Basically this is a collection about crime writing by crime authors.

This was the book that I wanted to have it's own review. What attracted me to it in the first place was the cover. This image really doesn't do it justice. It's a beautiful clothe bound edition and it stood out from all the other new books around it in the library. I couldn't leave without it. The second thing that attracted me was that John Connolly was one of the editors and, once I read the blurb, the subject intrigued me.

I have been reading crime a couple of years now. Probably just slightly longer than this blog has been running. So I can't really call myself a newbie to the genre anymore. However, reading this book made me realise just how little I have read in regards to crime. There were authors I had heard of but never read and then a good number of authors and stories I had never heard of. Then there were books described that I probably wouldn't have considered trying if it weren't for this book. What it comes down to is that this book is a great guide for people who enjoy the genre and maybe want to read a bit more or try new authors.

As I said, each of the essays is written by a different author and the are relatively short. They all have their own style too. For the most part I enjoyed them all. It was interesting reading another crime writers insight into the genre. A few mentioned that their favourite book was their first foray into crime and probably wouldn't have been inspired to write it if they hadn't read it. Most of them has me wanting to read the books that they describe. I confess that I got a little excited when I came across a book that I had read myself. It was interesting to read what someone else thought of it.

Each essay begins with a small piece about the author of the book that's about to be describe. And each ends with a short piece about the author who wrote the essay. This just added to my interest and meant that I got to learn a lot more about the writers than I thought I would have to begin with. I read this from cover to cover but I don't think you have to read it that way. It's the type of book that you can dip in and out of. Particularly if you are looking for inspiration.

I was a little sad when I returned it to the library and I think I will have to eventually buy a copy of it so I can refer back to it.

The Greatest Show On Earth - Richard Dawkins

This book was written as proof to non-believers that evolution did happen. It doesn't just talk about human evolution but uses evidence from all forms of life. It goes back to other natural scientists and expands on what they said as well as continuing with it.

In truth I found this book to be hard going. I may not read a lot of popular science but I do like science. The science parts in my own studies are hands down the most interesting (next to psychology and sociology of health). However, I just couldn't get into this book. It was like one very long and hard slog.

Don't get me wrong. There were parts of it that I found very interesting. Such as the evolution of flowers. Not the human splicing of the flowers but how they evolved in order to attract insects. When shown from different spectrum's seemingly plain flowers have a pattern to them in order to attract insects. Some even have a sort of runway that leads the insect to the pollen. I found all that fascinating and of course there were other areas of interest. He would then put in long quotes and sometimes philosophies and I would drift off again. Granted I was probably still in light read mode but I was still a little disappointed with it.

I think I was also put off by the start of the book. Now I am in no way shape or form a creationist. My religious dad had a way of explaining creationism and still believed in science, the big bang, evolution and the dinosaurs. The religion part didn't rub off on me but the science did. I can understand Dawkins frustrations over the growth of creationism and the removal of evolution being taught in the classroom (which, according to Dawkins, is becoming an issue here in the UK). However, I felt that the first chapter on this bordered on the patronising. It was almost like he was saying you are all stupid and I am going to make you read this book to prove it. Not the best way to try to convince someone they are wrong. That may have been just my impression of that introduction to the book but it was enough to irritate me and want to toss the book aside. Imagine how a non-believer would feel.

Without that I think it could have been a fantastic book but just not one for me. I guess I like my science to be a little lighter when I am reading for pleasure. Or maybe I just like the pathophysiology of science.

I read this as part of the Mixing It Up challenge. This was the last book for that challenge and it was for the science category. I am actually a little sad that I finished it. However, also glad as it has freed me up to choose random books from my tbr pile depending on my mood. If you want to see what else I read for this challenge you can see my original post with links to reviews here. I will be posting a round up of the challenge as soon as I have more time (I've still to do the round up for the league challenge too).

Moranthology - Caitlin Moran

Since the age of 16 Caitlin Moran has been a journalist. We got a taste of her writing and humour with How To Be A Woman. Here though she brings together a collection of articles which covers just about every subject. Downton Abbey, The Great British Bake Off, Paul McCartney, Children's parties, Twitter and Lady Gaga (to name but a few). All with the same humour and candor she brought to her first book.

I have been putting off reviewing this because I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend before I had the chance to write one. I don't usually use the book to write the review but I always like it sitting there by me when I do. I suppose it's a comfort thing in case I do need to remind myself of something. Anyone else like that? However, I can't put it off any longer as I don't want to be as far behind in my reviews as I was at the start of the month.

I think most people will be picking this up because of her first book How To Be A Woman which was a fantastic read. This one is a little different to that which isn't a complaint. Instead of talking about all things female related she shares with us her view points on almost everything. They all come from articles she has written over the years. In her first book she talked a lot about growing up but most of the articles in this collection is fairly recent (although she does reflect on her adolescence). The books converge on the fact that there are both serious and not so serious topics covered. Plus she knows how to laugh at herself as well as the world in general.

Her ability to laugh at herself and her openness about mistakes she has made in her career was one of the things that I loved about the book. She shares many stories of making gaffs when interviewing people she admires. Paul McCartney and Eddie Izzard are just two of the examples. At one point she mentions that award ceremonies for her are usually a who's who of embarrassing interview moments. You can't help but cringe with her and laugh at the same time.

She covers so many different topics it would be impossible for me to list them. Some of my favourites include her love of The Great British Bake Off and her love of Sherlock Holmes. In fact one of the articles is about time she was able to spend on the set and included conversations with Martin Freeman and Russel T. Davies. There were a few topics that didn't very much interest me such as her reviews of Downton Abby. They were still amusing and well written but having never watched it I found it hard to have the enthusiasm Moran clearly has for the series. She doesn't just talk about television but also politics, music and anything really that catches her interest.

I did however, geek out at one point. Feelings of envy were also in there. Moran had included a few articles about this guy! She not only got to visit the set, sit in on a few meetings, met Kylie and Freema Agyeman (before she appeared on our screens) she also got to talk to and drink with David Tennant. There were a few of these articles and it was hard not to feel the excitement that Moran showed in her writing. Mind you, I would have been jealous and geeking out regardless of the writing.

Overall a great book and I am glad I picked it up as soon as it came out. I would have read it in a day if I had the chance. I picked this book for the journalism/humour category of the Mixing it Up challenge hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. I was actually struggling to come up with a book for this category. I couldn't decide what to go with. This book was perfect though as it falls under both. I read it a month earlier than I planned but to be honest I couldn't have waited. As a result I have only one more book to read for this challenge. If you want to see how I am getting on you can do so here.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

Scientists and biologists all over the world will have heard of HeLa cells and may even have used them. What they might not know is that they were originally the cancerous cells of a woman named Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 from cervical cancer but her cells still live on today. They have been celebrated for breakthroughs in medical research such as the polio vaccination. However, when Henrietta died she didn't just leave some cells that were taken without permission. She left behind a young family whose lives were turned upside down after her death. They knew nothing about Henrietta's cells until years later and they struggled to get information as to why these cells were taken, what it meant to them and why so many were benefiting whilst they struggled to cover simple medical costs. Rebecca Skloot became intrigued with the person behind the cells and as a result brought recognition to Henrietta's family and a little bit of peace.

One of those rare books where the author was able to bring together both the science and the family story. The book flashes between the past where Henrietta's story is told from the very beginning to the present day, where Skloot tries to convince the Lacks family that she is only after the real story. As a result you end up with the best of both worlds. It was cleverly done.

Clever in other ways too. The author shows just how much those cells have helped with medical breakthroughs. The big one is the one I already mentions, the Polio vaccination. They also continue to be used and it is hoped still that they will give an insight into cancer. So on that side I found myself intrigued and amazed that this small group of cells could do so much. On the other hand you are made to see what the family went through and you have to wonder was it worth it to them. They certainly didn't benefit. Instead their life has been make more difficult and it's almost as if their mother and wife was taken away from them. At no point did anyone sit down and explain exactly what it meant.

The author pushed it further by talking about the ethics of it. The cells were taken against the wishes of Henrietta and her family. It brought about the fear of being taken away and experimented on which wasn't as far fetched as you would think. It certainly opened my eyes.

A fantastic read, full of information with a human side. It was easier to read than most non-fiction as it was almost told as though it was a story. I would definitely recommend it.

The Doctor Will See You Now - Max Pemberton

Max Pemberton has finished a year working in the community. He is now about to commence a year back on the wards. The community has made him forget the fast pace of the hospitals and he feels a little out of place having been thrown in the deep end. Thankfully his flatmates, the nurses and secretaries all help to see him through. Now working on a general medical ward and dealing with dementia patients he feels anger when he sees how easily they are mistreated.

This is the third book by Max Pemberton in his career as a doctor. It's from this one that you can definitely see that he has grown. He still gets nervous about unknown procedures and his first day back was rather funny to read (probably not so funny for him). You can see that he is now more confident in his own abilities.

I liked this one more than the middle book. I think part of that is that I recognised a lot of what he talked about from my own studies. A lot of the problems he mentioned in the book such as interpreting illness in dementia patients, being their spokesperson and the health and safety aspects of the wards have all been discussed in class (obviously from a nursing perspective).

It still has that sense of humour though. He is still able to laugh at himself and I love the interaction between himself and the secretaries. I also love the part his flatmates have to play. I hope there will be more of these books to come as I don't think I would get bored of them. A great first choice for the readathon.

Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir

Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of those rare queens in history. She has been both Queen of France and Queen of England. She divorced the King of France in order to marry the King of England. Already in her 30's she went on to have ten children, three of which would sit on England's throne. She stood in for her husband in his absence and looked after her own regions. Oh, and she helped her three sons rebel against her husband. After ten years of captivity she became more active in politics through helping her son keep his Kingdom together. She even lived to the ripe old age of 82 which is rather unusual in the 12th century.

I have been wanting to read more on Eleanor of Aquitaine ever since I read She-Wolves by Helen Castor. It was such a fantastic book but it was limited on the time it could spend on Eleanor because it was covering other powerful Queens. This one was a little disappointing at first. It lacked the passion behind Castor's work. As a result I found it difficult to engage with at first. I persevered with and the next minute I am half way through and finding it difficult to put down. Maybe passion would have been hard to keep up and so slow and methodical worked better.

The main thing is I learned lots of new facts about Eleanor. What I loved about Weir's book is that she didn't just include the facts. She included rumours and theories that have cropped up about Eleanor ever since her reign. Even well into the 19th century. She would then dispute why they might or might not be true. If left me feeling like I not only had a better idea of Eleanor but an idea of how her life has continued to influence people. In fact until recently she wasn't seen in a particularly good light. It's only now that people see beyond  the stories of her 'wicked' ways and see her as rather intelligent, strong and politically knowledgeable.

One of my favourite chapters was more about life in England than about Eleanor herself. At this point she had married King Henry and was about to arrive in England for the first time (she actually spent more of her life in France). At first I was a little frustrated by it as I wanted Weir to continue with Eleanor's story but I was soon caught up by the interest of it. Plus it made sense to show the differences that Eleanor would face. One example is that gang crime was a problem in London back then. To the extent that no one would leave their homes after curfew. I was intrigued by the reference to King Arthur. Even in those days the courts of Europe were fascinated by him. In Eleanors day the stories were seen more of as spoken history than myth.

Other than my interest in Royal history the whole point in reading this was for the Mixing it Up challenge. This was for the history category. History isn't exactly out of my comfort zone which is why I picked an author who is. I have a mental (book snobbery) block when it comes to Alison Weir. Years ago I had a friend who loved her books and despite enjoying history I was wary. I couldn't see how someone who produced so many books on so many different historical figures could be accurate. Then she began bringing out historical fiction which just added to my wariness (and yet people who cross fiction genres don't bother me). So this was my attempt to get over it and I am glad to say that it worked. It's not the best history book that I have ever read but I still enjoyed it. There were a few things I felt were missing and it focused almost too much on Henry II and their sons. I have to put that down to lack of information from that time though. I would definitely read more by this author though.

The Mixing it up challenge is organised by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. You can see the other categories I am going to take part in and have covered already in my first post here.

Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

Bryson doesn't pretend to be writing a complete biography of the Bard here. Instead he goes through all the myths and conspiracy theories surrounding the author and clears them up. In between he does reveal some facts that we do know about Shakespeare.

I have to be honest that I am pretty much a clean slate when it comes to Shakespeare. Until now I had no interest to learn more about the man behind those wonderful plays. I had of course heard of all the conspiracies surrounding him. Is he a man or a woman? Is he really Sir Francis Bacon? Did he steal the plays from others? I had no interest in reading into all those theories and simply washed them from my mind with a shake of the head. Shakespeare was simply Shakespeare. The man who has tortured school kids for decades. Having said that I obviously had some interest in his plays otherwise I wouldn't have taken part in the challenge. I think though that my ignorance was a good thing as it meant I could read this book with out having believed all those rumours surrounding Shakespeare.

The only image I did find it difficult to get out of my head was the Doctor Who version of Shakespeare. When Bryson mentions the bards exotic dark ladies in his plays and the dedicated sonnets to a dark lady I just kept thinking, bet that was Martha. Then when he mentioned the theory behind the play "Love's Labour's Won" I was again thinking of Doctor Who and that episodes story behind it (don't worry I am well aware that Dr Who is a fiction, it just amused me).

The entire book was very interesting. Lots of little fact about the man and it surprised me just how little we know about him. Something that Bryson says really isn't that unusual. He says that there were lots of play-writes back then and we are lucky to have the plays by Shakespeare that we do have. Imagine if his two friends had not created that first folio of his work? The part that entertained me was the small section on language. I knew Shakespeare had contributed a lot of words and sayings to our language but didn't realise how much. Astounding considering that English was relatively new back then and Latin was still the preferred choice. Words like "horrid" and "excellent". Also, sayings such as "vanish into thin air" and "with bated breath". These are just a few examples but it makes you realise just how grateful our authors of today should be to the Bard.

I don't feel the need to know every detail of Shakespeare's life. I know for some it is an obsession (one that Bryson claims has led to a lot of conjecture). I am happy with the little information the author was able to provide. However, I am not saying I won't read other biographies. I am more interested in reading other authors views on him and on his language. I think this is a fantastic book for any fan of Shakespeare. I also think though it's perfect for people like myself who managed to walk through life picking up very little.

I read this as part of Shakespeare Month 2012 hosted by Allie of A Literary Odyssey. The deadline has been extended to 10th of February but I am going to stick to the first one which is today. I don't want to sicken myself on him and not want to read more later. I will be open to joining another challenge later on if someone were to start it up. If you are interested in reading what others have to say you can see links to their posts here. I also read it for the Mixing It Up Challenge 2012 hosted by Ellie of Musings of a Bookshop Girl. This was for the biography category. Oh, and if you are interest (and why wouldn't you be) the Doctor Who episode I was talking about is called "The Shakespeare Code" and you can read more about it on the BBC website here.

She-Wolves - Helen Castor

This is a history book which describes the women who set the path that allowed Mary and then Elizabeth to take the thrown. In France the law was set so that women could not inherit the throne. However, four women in England set precedent so that the same law could not be enforced in England. Matilda, granddaughter of William the Conqueror, was the first female to fight for her right to rule as her father's only living heir. Eleanor of Aquitaine rose up against her husband and fought to rule on behalf of her sons. Isabella rose up to free England from the tyrannical rule of her husband. Margaret of Anjou fought to rule on behalf of a husband who could not. Then we get to Mary Tudor. She had to fight for her right to the throne too and for the first time being female did not go against her. This then led to Elizabeth taking her rightful place as Queen easily.

This is one of the best history books I have read in a long time. Also the best book about historical Royals. The book is only 450 pages long and yet so much is packed in. In each section I didn't feel like areas of these women's lives were being glossed over. We got to hear about what brought them to England's Royal house in the first place and then details of  how they fought to rule. It was all extremely interesting. Each section covered and era I knew very little of or absolutely nothing of. I am definitely going to go back and read more on most of these eras.

Eleanor of Aquitaine interested me in particular. I had heard of her but I knew absolutely nothing about her. She was a controversial figure even before she reached England. Once married to the King of France she managed to get him agree to divorce despite the fact that he loved her. Eight weeks later she was married to Matilda's son Henry II. I found it interesting too that the legend of Robin hood was a result of her younger son John. I am sure there are a few books on her which I will have to invest in at some point.

This isn't a book about feminism in history. It's simply a historical look at why Mary and Elizabeth were able to take the thrown when other countries wouldn't have allowed it. It doesn't portray these women as angels either. They have their good points and their bad. You just need to read the section on Isabella who was no saint. Ironically she became the embodiment of what she had been fighting against. Oh, and that section is good just to prove how inaccurate the film Braveheart actually is. Yes, she is that Isabella (sorry, pet peeve).

If you like history then I think you will like this. It covers several periods and isn't at all dry.

How To Be A Woman - Caitlin Moran

At the age of 13 Caitlin Moran discovered with great horror that she will have no choice but to go through puberty and become a woman. It wasn't a choice. From then on it was an adventure to discover exactly what it means to be a woman for her. Something that changed constantly through out her life. It took falling for losers, working with sexists, living on her own with no money, learning not to follow the glossy magazines, marriage and motherhood to discover the answer to this. Through out all of this she maintains a strong feminist view point and still manages to be herself.

I actually suggested this book for my book group when it was first about to be published. It was vetoed simply because only a few of us were in the mood for non fiction. A number though did go out and buy it simply for the blurb that I had printed out. It wasn't actually what I was expecting though. Various websites had it advertised as more of a humour title and so that was what I was expecting. I was expecting to be howling with laughter. I did laugh but not enough for everyone else on the bus to look at me as though I am a lunatic. Whilst a humorous tone was maintained through out the book the main theme was feminism (of which I did expect a little).

Moran believes that all women are feminists whether they are active or not. If they believe that they should chose how they live their lives and that they should be treated with respect both at home and at work then they are feminists. I myself have always classed myself as one without being particularly active (active in militant terms). This book confirmed my view of it. I am sure the point that Moran put across in her book is not new. I haven't exactly went out of my way to read any books on the subject and so my knowledge of it is low. I liked the view that being a feminist doesn't have to be about man hating and bra burning (I don't hate men and I love my bra). I think that's probably the dated view and certainly closer to militant feminism. Instead she puts forward the idea that feminism is just wanting to be treated the same. To want an equal share and say in the world as men do. To be respected and of course for us in turn to be respectful back. To   not conform to what society says we should be if we don't want to. Basically to be happy in ourselves.

Which brings me on to some other aspects of the book I liked. She talks about the view of women that fashion and the media portray. Or at least the way they show what women should be. Like almost all of us have done she has tried to follow some of this. When she realised it didn't work for her she put her foot down and said no more. The one that I can completely relate to is high heels. I hate them with a passion. Moran explained in one chapter that she has umpteen pairs of heels collecting dust because in reality they kill her feet and she can't walk in them. She's given up trying. I am exactly the same. I can't walk in them and shoes in general always seem to want to destroy my feet until after weeks for breaking them in. Heels never feel broken in and by the end of the night I am usually bleeding to death and unable to walk (slight exaggeration but not by much). Like Moran I gave up on heels long ago but not completely. Every so often the dust will be blown off and I will torture myself for an evening. My last attempt (on my birthday) lead to one very sore ankle that I couldn't walk on for days. It will be my last. I want comfy but pretty shoes.

Moran is also very open about all aspects of her life in this book. There are some that I can see some people would find shocking depending on your political views. I would say that if you are very conservative then you aren't going to enjoy this. But, it is always good to keep an open mind to other people's point of view.

Over all it was a fairly entertaining read. I am still reading one of the books I listed last week but that got pushed to the side when I started reading this. Like I said it wasn't what I expected but I think that's a good thing in this case.