On Books: Particularly on the Plante in the Quick Reads Garden

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well read a number of books since the last post, so let's begin.

All Hell Breaks Loose - Max Hastings: What I said about the book previously is unchanged now I've finished it. The best non-fiction book I've read so far this year.

1227 QI Facts - John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin: A bought it because it was a) cheap and b) I'm a fan of the TV programme. This was though a mistake, though it could be personal to me. I'm not a fan of books that you can "dip into" finding them difficult to concentrate on if you're trying to read from cover to cover. It does have Quite Interesting facts (Cardiff has more sunshine than Milan caught my eye) but I thought my view of it would be different to those similar books given I liked the TV show it was based on. I was wrong.

The Essays Of Arthur Schopenhauer ; Studies In Pessimism: Philosophers eh? They get paid to write down what they're thinking in long words and everyone thinks they're a deity? Well it's the first time I read Arthur's stuff and I wasn't impressed.

You get for example stupid ideas like "We should forgive a man his folly" and you think "Really Arthur? If I went and killed someone close to you would you really forgive me? Really?

Aside from one really interesting essay on suicide (which when he wrote it was a crime) this was mainly long words wrapped around the bleeding obvious. The real odious essay was that on Women. If you're female I'd suggest you check your blood pressure before proceeding.

And speaking of females....

Lynda La Plante - The Little One

This was the latest library book I'd read.

What perhaps is first worth discussing is that it came out of the QuickReads stable. These are slim books written by established writers either to attract people who have gone off reading or readers eager for that quick fix. Essentially literary espresso. By getting people to read more following reading a Quick Read book then it has performed a service for us all.

I had never read a Lynda La Plante book before, purely a case of so many books so little time, but I feel having finished it that clearly I've been missing out. The story of the relationship between a struggling journalist and an ex Soap star leads you one way and then twists and turns. You assume that things are moving in one direction and then seamlessly your preconceptions are subverted. Only towards the end did I begin to understand what was happening.

Ms La Plante clearly has a skill in plot then. But also in character. Your views seem to shift with every page. Things are not as they seem.

I really enjoyed this book. Clearly it's my loss I've not read her before.

Until the next time.