I moving this into my Personal Collection and using the journal for my book digest in 2017

I'm going to revert this journal entry to a book list, my 'books read' for 2016

(08/01/17)
Read 1/2017
Five on Brexit Island by Enid Blyton/Bruno Vincent (not registered)

If only the whole Brexit nonsense could have been solved as quickly, with hotdogs on the beach, cheese and port, some shuttle diplomacy from Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny and the occasional 'woof' from Timmy.

In which, in a fit of post-referendum pique, George declares Kirrin Island independent of the UK (Krexit), the famous five become briefly, erm, famous, and everything gets sorted out.

Not a smuggler or macaroon in sight, but very much in the original style, if Enid Blyton had written about tweets, article 50 and swear words!

(10/01/17)
Read 2/2017
Mind Mapping by Tony Buzan (not registered)

This is a short intro to the mind mapping technique and it was quite a revelation! I had produced very informal meeting minutes and rough notes for a lot of years thinking they were (are) mind maps...not so. The technique is very specific and precise, and although it can bring note-taking into the C21st, there's a lot more to it than that.

See my blog post about the same:

http://itelementaryschool.com/tools-and-techniques-from-the-it-lab-mind-mapping/

(16/01/17)
Read 3/2017
Don't Panic by Neil Gaiman

(ps. also re-read 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff' by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, shared but not registered)

(30/01/17)
Read 4/2017
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

(03/02/17)
Read 5/2017
And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer

(16/02/17)
Read 6/2017
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

(02/03/17)
Read 7/2017
Granta 131 The Map is not the Territory by various

(09/03/17)
Read 8/2017
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

(25/03/17)
Read 9/2017
spill simmer falter wither by Sara Baume

(28/03/17)
Read 10/2017
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift (not registered)

*Spoiler*

Despite its brevity (132 pages) this novella packs in a lot of big ideas, plot and substance…like some sort of literary homeopathy (allegedly), the fewer the words, the more the impact! Set in a post-war Downtown Abbey-like Berkshire on Mothering Sunday. As is traditional those in service have the day off to visit their mothers, although not orphan ‘fairchild’ maid Jane, she has less dignified plans with the son of a neighbouring house. I loved the format and style of the writing - very much on the Ian McEwan envelope - both slow and sensual, but also spunky and challenging, a bit like Jane herself. We fast-forward to Jane in her 90’s as a famous [lady] author, but still rueful about her first lost love and her early reading experiences, ’boys’ books in the Beechwood House library. The shadow of the first world war looms large, and there is a whiff of a changing world in an unchanging idyllic British countryside. Brilliant writing as always from Swift.

(21/04/17)
Read 11/2017
Stonemouth by Iain Banks

Not finished The Versions of Us by Laura Barnell

(27/04/17)
Read 12/2017
The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury

(7/05/17)
Read 13/2017
Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

(15/05/17)
Read 14/2017
The Starlight Barking by Dodie Smith

(17/05/17)
Read 15/2017
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

(19/05/17)
Read 16/2017
How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (not registered)

I may not be qualified to, 'be a woman', but I do now feel more informed about the peculiarities of the female condition...well as much as winner can empathise with the loser (Moran's term not mine). This is a very honest and funny book about what it means to be a woman and a feminist, peerless in the category of HUMOUR/FEMINISM books, albeit probably with very little competition. This deserves a bigger audience amongst all us guys, whether or not we shave our legs, have ovaries, aspire to be Katie Price or Lady Gaga, want to be master/mistress of the universe, or simply to get by with equality and recognition of our individual skills and aspirations.

Not finished The Pig that Wants to be Eaten (not registered)

I read 28 (of 100) of these little thought experiments. Although each is interesting, it's strangely unengaging to read so many small discussions about moral, ethical and psychological dilemmas. So I'm returning this to my DW's bookshelf :)

ps. not a 'pig', the title experiment is taken from Douglas Adams' Restaurant at the end of the Universe (part of the H2G2 6-part trilogy!) and his sentient cows.

(01/06/17)
Read 17/2017
Mary Swann by Carol Shields

(16/06/17)
Read 18/2017
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (not registered)

It was all going so well for neurosurgeon and would-be neuroscientist Kalanithi until he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Or was it? This painfully honest unfinished autobiography also exposed a man vacillating between family pressure and his own drive, and a more uncomfortable arrogance and wastefulness (IMHO) of his talents and opportunities. Who knows where his glittering career was heading, but I assume he would have continued to explore the nature of the brain and the 'soul', and maybe in remission his family would move front and centre of his life, or who knows, writing and a TV career? In the end we see closely and personally how a Doctor becomes a patient and his struggle to accept and then come to terms with our human flesh-and-blood fallibility.

(22/06/17)
Read 19/2017
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

(28/06/17)
Read 20/2017
Thoughts for the Day by Charles Handy (not registered)

Possibly my least favourite Handy book that I have read, but I guess he was constrained by radio soundbites and the need to include some overt or subtle religious/spiritual message. I recognise some of the themes from his richer business writings; corporate ethics, individual responsibilities, flexibility and tolerance in the work-place etc. I will stick to his longer-form writings in future!

(10/07/17)
Read 21/2017
Consider Phlebus by Iain M. Banks

(16/07/17)
Read 22/2017
The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh (not registered)

This was a clever and fun look at maths as it appears on various episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama. More than that, SS picks up the clues from the programmes and then explains the underlying theory and sometimes some historical and biographical asides about the mathematicians themselves. The fascinating thing that just about makes the whole book hang together is the incredible link between math and science geeks and comedy writing...there must be a brain connection to explain it? Fun and informative, I am passing this on to my DS to enjoy.

(19/07/17)
Read 23/2017
The Dylan Thomas Omnibus (Under Milk Wood) by Dylan Thomas

(30/07/17)
Read 24/2017
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

(18/08/17)
Read 25/2017
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari

*Not finished* 1913 by Florian Illies
My 1st book from Criccieth library, which unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. I only read as far as March in the diary/almanac of the year 'before the storm'. I found the style disjointed, despite a lot of interesting things happening in politics, art, philosophy and current affairs, I didn't get the sense of the end of an era or the start of the dramatic events of 1914-18. Maybe towards the end of the year the threads would grow tighter and more focussed, but I have moved on :(

(05/09/17)
Read 26/2017
The Children Act by Ian McEwan (on my PC shelf)
A bit of a spoiler
I'm sure it's not easy, even if you are Ian McEwan, but this is very assured, polished, intellectual, and perfectly paced and plotted novel. Although in his more introspective mood nothing much happens, but the dialogue, subtle emotions and powerful undercurrents are all there. Fiona May is a judge at the peak of her professional career arc, specialising in family law and in a couple of key cases the implications of The Children Act...but in her midlife it all gets a bit too close for comfort. While battling her own domestic challenges she has to deal with a precocious and troubled nearly-18-year-old and his Jehovah's Witness beliefs.

(22/09/17)
Read 27/2017
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (not registered)

Is this where is all goes wrong for Rowling/Galbraith? I read this on the back of the TV series, so wanted to be one step ahead...I shouldn't have bothered. The book is a mess, the TV programme not much better, but then it was trying to get this pudding squeezed into some sort of understandable shape in just 2 hours! JKR introduces too many characters and threads in an attempt for produce rich layered detail, both the book-within-a-book (Bombyx Mori - the silkworm of the title), but also the personal lives of 'Batman' and his Robin, the former's history, and the latter's evolution as a junior 'tec to the bumbling (and stumbling) brooding noir presence that is Cormoran (Cornish giant) Strike. We could care less about the dead author Owen Quine, his wife, mistress and various literary figures. I guess we knew that 1 (or all?) the assembled cast would be the killer, and it was a blessed relief when 'x' is unveiled in a snowy window-lit stage, and subsequent 'getaway' chase. I guess there is also the 3rd book in the series for some redemption!

(08/10/17)
Read 28/2017
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

(15/10/17)
Read 29/2017
Never Eat Shredded Wheat by Christopher Somerville

(20/10/17)
Read 30/2017
TAG by Stephen May

(02/11/17)
Read 31/2017
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (not registered)

*Contains spoilers*
Jack No Name Reacher takes on the FBI, DoD, and an Islamic terrorist cell with a very convoluted history rampaging through NYC. There is also a guest appearance from Osama Bin Ladin from his days battling the Russian Invaders in the rugged North West Frontier.

Back to the present day and JR on his own manages to kill almost all of the bad guys (that is the ones who aren't American, these he just beats up or tranquillises!) He even does a lot of this in gardening shoes. He gets his girl (briefly) and wins - not a spoiler

(13/11/17)
Read 32/2017
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia by Peter Pomerantsev (not registered)

In this fascinating period of Russian history, this book is timely, but not altogether successful. A Russo-English film maker explores the people and politics, the cults and corruption in the former USSR. Piiittrrr as the Muscovite TV execs call him uses a series of disjointed little stories about the characters and events to explore Russia and Russians, but do they define the country? I can't imagine these stories are typical of the day-to-day existence of the dominant Slavs and myriad other sub-groups in this huge strange land, which still occupies 1/6 of the worlds land area, and has desires to extend back to its former hegemony. Behind it all is the palpable force of Putin and his new democratic dictatorship, and the longer shadow of Stalin and the post-war years. What place Russia in the new world order; the oligarchs in London may be a sideshow, but Russia is a powerful figure in the south east Asian, middle east and Balkan flashpoints, an on/off relationship with the USA and the west, and not forgetting the growing cyber-crime epidemic. Scary. Watch this space.

(21/11/17)
Read 33/2017
Where my heart used to beat by Sebastian Faulks

(27/11/17)
Read 34/2017
Stronger than Skin by Stephen May (not registered)

The latest fab offering from SM with a lot of familiar locations in East Anglia; Ipswich, Felixstowe, Colchester, Cambridge and the A12! I loved the story about Mark ‘Marko’ Chadwick, his college amour, and the event which comes back to haunt him some 20 years later. There are some implausibilities in his attempt to escape the police, but well paced and well written, particularly the Bonny-and-Clyde flight to Felixstowe and interchange between Mark and Lulu. It ends rather sadly for Chadwick, not a great advertisement for middle-aged mankind or enduring love :(

(01/12/17)
Read 35/2017
Liars. Lovers, and Heroes by Quartz & Sejnowski

(22/12/17)
Read 36/2017
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

(30/12/17)
Read 37/2017
Dear Dodie by Valerie Grove (not registered)

I picked this copy up in Suffolk, which is appropriate with Dodie Smith's strong associations with the area; I Capture the Castle set in Wingfield Castle, and her and husband Alec lived for a long time in Finchingfield on the Essex/Suffolk border. Also the book is signed by the author and dedicated to someone's Aunt 'Dodie'. The last coincidence was that Dorothy Gladys Smith was born in Whitefield, Lancashire where my DW went to school!

As biographies go this was rich on detail, helped no doubt by the million-plus words in Dodie's journals. Although I can imagine trawling through all her musings, letters and plays was quite a chore! Her early successes were as a playwright, but she also had great successes with 'I Capture...' and 101 Dalmatians, unusual to write such famous and lasting works in different styles and genres, although probably more common nowadays. I've read both and was fascinated to read about this little unpretty Edwardian lady and her unusual life story.