Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Franz Kafka)

Franz Kafka

Metamorphosis and Other Stories

Looking for a bit of light reading in Balham library having finished a Nabokov book I saw this and thought I should read it. I'm sure I must have read some of his stuff years ago but can't remember any of it. Jumped straight to Metamorphosis which is very weird and heavy going, at least trying to figure out the meaning. I see it as a comedy with dark humour as to why the main character (or is he?) has become a cockroach (that's hardly a spoiler) which is hardly a metamorphosis as he is one from the very start of the story. There's a lot of farce and probably comments on social niceties and values as of the time that it was written. It may be that the roach man symbolises a life of drudgery and that this is a way to stop that and to take on another life but he's just not creative enough to take the risk or he's just too tied to his family as the breadwinner. The changes within the story are his father who finds that he can hold down a job and the same for his sister who blossoms into a nubile (translators wording) young woman. Even his mother has changed probably for the better. Next I went through the Contemplations which has Kafka considering various things or at least describing them vividly. The rest of the stories are either descriptions of things and people that may have been relevant at the time but meaningless to me and to be honest just got very boring. A couple of odder stories such as the execution machine with the victim not knowing what he's done wrong but, again, excellent descriptive writing but a farcical story line and a bit so what. Maybe I'm not getting the inner meanings but to me it's speaking to a time long past. Some interesting jump off points into Wikipedia though including hunger artists.

Laughter in the Dark (Vladimir Nabokov)

Vladimir Nabokov

Laughter in the Dark

An odd book about an older man who falls for a scheming younger woman and leaves his family for her. Various accidents ensue leading to what is probably the reader's inevitable conclusion. Very well written and the descriptions are great. Not sure I really enjoyed it as all the characters had flaws in some way or another and even the minor characters are easily dislikeable. I was going to re-read Lolita too last read a long long time ago when I was young so maybe will have a different perspective on it. Having read this I think I'll wait a while and read something a little less depressing. Although I've started with Kafka's Metamorphosis so not a great start...

Stasiland (Anna Funder)

Anna Funder

Stasiland

Interesting read about East Germany where a crazy proportion of people were under surveillance by the Stasi which also implies a crazy proportion of people that were informers. Anne is Australian living in Berlin after the wall came down and searched out people who tried to get over and under the wall and also those who worked for and within the Stasi. Some remarkable stories of bravery and deceit. Most worrying is the ease by which citizens would inform on their neighbours and family. Dystopian but in some ways in an ineffectual way. We find out that if people simply refused to help the Stasi they'd just give up on them and leave them alone - just that most were so scared that they did help the Stasi. Obviously different if a family member or close friend was suspected of seriously anti-establishment activities or god forbid wanted to escape to the enemy over the wall. The stories are told with human pathos which makes the book such an excellent read. Politics isn't really analysed although the obvious wrongness of how the GDR kept order is contrasted with the newly capitalist east Germany where people are falling below the poverty line and left to rot (well, a bit of welfare thrown in to make the capitalist system look concerned and to stop civil unrest). As someone in the book points out, it's great to have a choice of toothpaste but do we really need a choice of 30? (as an aside, most are produced by 2 companies anyway but I won't go into the economics of that here). So well worth reading both as an insight into the Stasi and for engaging stories. Thanks Bruce.

Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)

Italo Calvino

Invisible Cities

An odd book having Marco Polo describe various cities to the emperor Kublai Khan. As time goes on it seems that Marco has not visited many of them, indeed all may be made up or modelled on his hometown of . It's odd as it's written as if they are modern with some being steel and glass. There is some discussion between the two about cities and reality of being. Probably cos they're smoking opium I suspect. The city descriptions are about a page each and although interesting I did feel a bit so what. It's one book I don't think I quite got the point of it at all. Maybe as it's written more as a poem in prose and I don't get on with poems usually. Although do like stories written in verse. Anyway, before I get into a prose verse poetry debate with myself I'll just say it's an interesting book to while away the time but I'm not going searching out others of his.

The Outsider (Albert Camus)

Albert Camus

The Outsider

It's been a while since I read any of Albert's books and this makes me want to read more. A short story about a man who has few emotions for his fellow man and is a real outsider. Not from conventional society in which he lives and gets on pretty well but from society as the force that binds us together in communities. Feelings for our main character vary from disgust to sympathy - as in feeling sorry for him rather than empathising. Although in many ways we all tread a narrow path between community and selfishness so at times we do empathise too. The climax of the book drives home Camus' point of the story and although hardly climatic as such does leave you thinking about like, society, family,  relationships, religion (if you still bother to think about it) and finally death. I'm sure you can find numerous books and PhD theses on this book so I won't try to analyse any more. A final point though, the writing and descriptions of nature are brilliantly evocative which make an impressing counterpoint to the societal observations. Must re-read more of his stuff.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirley Jackson)

Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Another odd book. A by turns dark and comic story about two sisters who live shut off from the world except traumatic trips into the local village, a dotty uncle and the rare formal visitor. The reason is soon explained and the rest of the book is about the sisters relationship with each other and their complex personalities. A big change comes blowing in which turns things upside down which I won't spoil the story. The ending is sweet in a way although I would say fairly unlikely given human nature. Despite that this is a very readable book although not too sure I want to wade through Ms Jackson's other stories - the subject matter seems very dark. We'll see... There is an afterword which analyses the girls' personalities and the point of the story - not really that enlightening although interesting bits about the author. Worth whiling away an afternoon, or a few tube journeys, on.

Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs (Michael Embacher)

Michael Embacher

Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs

As it says - about 100 iconic bike designs with a bit of history of each. Beautifully illustrated. Foreword by Paul Smith. One book you can definitely judge by the cover. Coffee table stuff.

Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)

Vladimir Nabokov

Pale Fire

An odd book by the author of Lolita which I should read again. Starts with a foreword setting the scene. Our narrator is an academic who comes from a north European fictional country who settles in the US at a college. He befriends a poet who he adores and having finished an epic poem he is then killed and the narrator publishes the poet's work with notes. Next is the 999 line poem. I'm not a lover of verse but this is readable veering from anecdotes, musings on things and a lot about the death of his daughter and further musings on death itself and the afterlife, or not. The bulk of the book is the narrator's notes on the poem but this is where the book's story line comes out interweaving a few different stories of which I won't give any spoilers. Suffice the say that the narrator's view of his relationship with the poet is obviously out of kilter with a strange ending leaving me wondering as to what actually happens throughout the book and how much is fiction (as in unreal within this piece of fictions reality, if you see what I mean). I must go google the book to see if my assumptions are similar to the critics. Great book though. Only downside is having to skip back and forth between poem, narrator's notes / story and the glossary / index (which to be honest I couldn't be bothered with most of the time) which standing on a tube ain't easy and results in bookmarks dropping like snowflakes on a winter's day. There's poetic imagery for you!

P.S. Having Googled interpretations of the plot it seems that my view of it (ask me before I forget it completely) may well be true as it seems there are differing schools of thought and indeed a lot more writings giving possible interpretations than contained in the book. Even seems that the author (the real one, Nabokov) isn't certain about what he wrote. All adds to the fun of reading ambiguous stories.

A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)

Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A very readable romp through the universe's history, and future, from the wider universe to sub atomic particles and how they can fly through space and time instantaneously. I think. As ever when you read things like this you think wow - how can this have just happened. Maybe there is a higher being. But that's the default answer for anything humans don't know and anyway who made them. A skipped history of human evolution too and how amazing we are. Pity we don't use that for good. It's a while since I read any Bill B and forgotten how readable he is. All our facts are presented with anecdotes around the people who discovered them, or at least wrote them up, as some majorly amazing facts seem to be hidden by those who thought them up for decades for various reasons. It's the people facts and how odd we all are, even brainbox scientists, who make this book fascinating. Well worth a read. Along the way I was wondering how much our thinking has changed as this is 15 years old. One thing I think that's been agreed recently is that unless we have very recent African ancestors we're quite a lot part Neanderthal which may explain rush hour tube train behaviour. Sorry, a cheap joke at the expense of Neanderthals who I'm sure would never have pushed their way past people at Bank Station, or through the marshland or glacier that would have been there way back when.

Hangover Square (Patrick Hamilton)

Patrick Hamilton

Hangover Square

A darkly funny book set in mainly in Earls Court about a guy stuck in a drunken culture due to the love of a lush woman (in both senses) and how has increasingly frequent flips into a different mindset a bit, or definitely, schizophrenic like. I won't write a spoiler but this is well worth reading. Well written, plot never dull, tense, dark and at times depressing. It was written during the first couple of years of WWII and I guess parallels the by turns depressing and euphoric feelings and the need for many to switch off from reality. Above all it's about relationships, the good and the bad, and how we should hold onto the good and ditch the bad - if we're of sound mind and soul that is. A contemporary of Orwell and that shows in subject and style.

The Undoing Project (Michael Lewis)

Michael Lewis

The Undoing Project

A book I tried to read and although sections are interesting I couldn't keep the thread. Not sure if cos I had gaps between reading or cos it jumps around a bit but probably a bit of both. One of the few books (although they seem to be mounting?) I couldn't finish and gave up half way through. A shame as sure the end brings everything together but I'd have forgotten all the strands by then anyway!

The Hardmen (Velominati)

Velominati (Brett Kennedy, Frank Strack, and John Andrews)

The Hardmen: Legends of the Cycling Gods

Entertainingly written account of selected cycling hard men (aren't they all?) and why. Probably one for cycling enthusiasts but even as a commuter and occasional hill climber who never puts myself "into the red", well not intentionally although a few Devon hills have done their best to beat me, I can appreciated the descriptions of what the riders put themselves through. The writing is a bit matey and as it's the Velominati who are self proclaimed guardians of serious cycling rules it's a little bit contrived at time. At first I was a little niggled by the style but once I realised that it the authors are American I gave them a bit of leeway and just went with the flow. Very good covering different styles and includes women cyclists and some blasts from the past.

Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You? (George Clinton)

George Clinton with Ben Greenman

Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You? A Memoir by George Clinton with Ben Greenman

350 pages of funk! The history of George, Parliament, Funkadelic and all the off shoots like Bootsy and times with Sly Stone. From barbershop doo wop to providing the backing tracks for rappers hip hop and beyond. It's an instructive story about the birth of this funk phenomenon and how he was influenced by the British invasion when white boys from London and Liverpool brought blues back to America. Interweaving with other artist's stories such as Motown, Sly, Prince and many others. A fascinating read from a historic perspective. Although in some ways it's a little too instructive with not enough of the very funny anecdotes that are sprinkled through the memoir. There's also a lot dealing with how the Parliament Funkadelic stable were ripped off by so many managers and lawyers around them and indeed there's an appendix that deals with that. Maybe it's too broad covering musical history, incidents and the underside of the music business. And a bit of personal politics thrown in. You feel sorry for George that he's pretty pissed at so many people although as he says he always finds his way back through the funk. But there again he seems to have enjoyed his life at the top of music - and if you spend decades as a crack addict I guess people around you will rip you off and pretty easily. There are some off omissions as to the musical history in that punk rock is ignored completely and reggae and it's offspring such as dub is only mentioned in passing. Nevertheless a good read but one where you think you'd like a bit more of what he actually got up to when not working.

Big Capital: Who Is London For? (Anna Minton)

Anna Minton

Big Capital: Who Is London For?

A very interesting, insightful and ultimately depressing book about a subject that we all know about but even so gives an excellent analysis with a wealth of information about the London housing crisis. A lot packed into a short book which gives an introductory analysis of the London housing / land market as an investment tool for wealthy foreigners (although to be fair the British have played the game for long enough) who buy housing off plan simply to make a profit. Goes through some of the reasons including the government’s ridiculous tax incentives in this market, regulations banning local authorities from building council houses and subsequent deals boroughs make with developers whereby they undervalue land to lessen the amount of social and affordable housing they have to build with no recourse to right the wrongs when once built the housing unsurprisingly is a lot more valuable. Although the book blames the latter on the boroughs to be fair they’ve been so badly squeezed between austerity cuts and central government neo liberal “market is king” regulations that they are therefore between a rock and a hard place. Will be interesting to see if the current London mayor makes a difference. I probably can’t say too much on this as I work for a GLA development agency but I do understand something of the goals of those who work in this area in the public sector, who could jump to the private sector for a lot more money, and the restrictions that they find themselves having the operate within.

The book also takes a more personal view of the crisis visiting and interviewing those at the sharp end either living in poor quality housing, if they’re “lucky”, and those fighting against demolition of their social housing homes to make way for expensive apartments in private blocks which may contain a few social or affordable flats (see comment above about developers) with separate entries like the old servants and tradesmen entrance. The other commentary is how inner London boroughs push residents out to cheaper accommodation in outer London, whilst those borough push their residents out to the suburbs and the domino effect of those going to the home counties and then farther afield. All a result of colliding and crazy housing and social benefit policies. Crazy from the citizens point of view but not from business as the all conquering “market forces” which aren’t really that due to the involvement of government regulation ensuring that market forces help the rich and push those who are less well off further down into the mire.

I’m one of the lucky ones as are many of my age group having settled in London in the 80s and having a decent career and being able to buy a house in the 90s. In a way it’s quite nice thinking that my ordinary flat in a terraced road in Balham is worth a fortune and that would be pretty well off and sold up, retired and moved to somewhere cheaper. A lot don’t have that choice. But I don’t want to have to move out of London and if I did I’ve still got 3 kids who will be looking to live somewhere and won’t be able to afford anything near decent in London in the foreseeable future. The book does go a little way into how to improve the situation but there’s not a lot of analysis on that and to be fair it’s pretty obvious what needs to change, i.e. reverse all the trends that the book talks around. Although depressing government intervention of a radical (for London, not for other large cities) could change the situation around within a generation if not less. Although my flat may fall in value if it meant that my kids could afford to live near me (I mean within the north or south circular) if they wanted then I would take the hit to my personal wealth as measured on paper but not realisable until I shuffle off this world into the next where I’m assuming having a roof over my head won’t be a worry. A simple head stone will suffice. Preferably in London if land prices haven’t turned all the graveyards into luxury flats which is not unknown as witness the battle to keep the Cross Bones graveyard in Borough.

Critical Thought in the Face of the Capitalist Hydra I (Sixth Commission of the EZLN)

Sixth Commission of the EZLN

Critical Thought in the Face of the Capitalist Hydra I (Contributions by the Sixth Commission of the EZLN)

Translated notes on a seminar over a number of days. Starts with some entertaining speeches about the Zapatistas (Zapatista Army for National Liberation, or EZLN) with a personal touch. Then gets a bit more serious and factual which is interesting enough but a little dry with a bit of repetition (although as this was a seminar that's not surprising). Gives a good insight into how the Zapatista's run their affairs indeed sometimes in too much detail. Unless you're using this as a guide for how to live within the Zapatista structure which of course was the purpose of the seminar. Interesting nonetheless.

It's sprinkled with some very odd stories being funny, bizarre and surreal. Some possibly true but some are anecdotes or parables. then there's the practical instruction of how to govern bottom up and role of committees including guidance and instruction. A lot of what we did; why we did it and warnings especially about mainstream political parties. Critical thought means different views and there's a fair bit of philosophical ramblings and political economics lecturing. An example I liked was a musing on whether scientists who experiment on mice brains are in reality "simply channelling psychopathic serial killer tendencies". I'd say yes. There's also a lot of Sherlock Holmes quotes and musings which I wasn't expecting in a Latin American rural anarchist book but maybe his stories are really popular over there. The thread about the football team the small girl the cat-dog and the wall to be destroyed is a weird one although brings you back to the fact that the Zapatista anarchism is both revolutionary and steeped in critical analysis.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Haruki Murakami)

Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Very readable but not particularly enjoyable. It's a dark subject matter which I'm not a fan of although the more surreal passages are great. However to my liking there's far too much gratuitous descriptions of extreme violence and also an underlying salaciousness. The sex scenes may or may not add a lot to the story but I'm not sure why he needs to beat the crap out of a musician or for the ongoing flirting with a local teenager. I'm a bit surprised that Patti Smith loves this book, it's due to her that I read it, apart from her interest in dark crime programmes. Such an epic probably deserves more than a few lines from myself but it's too chopped up with too many strands many of which I feel are there as short stories of violence and sex. There's also an unsavoury thread of women being defiled and maybe quite enjoying it. An enjoyable read in parts but overall very suspect.

M Train (Patti Smith)

Patti Smith

M Train

An extremely enjoyable read of Patti's musings on life, death, travel, books and coffee. It's a couple of years (I guess) of her life with excursions being the impetus for the musings with recurrent themes including dreams of various things especially the cowpoke cum philosopher cum pilot (as in life). The other recurrence is her love for, fond memory of and dreadful missing of here husband and obvious soulmate Fred Sonic Smith (also a pilot but of planes). It's difficult to describe the book that well as you need to read it but I'll try a bit more. A lovely introspective and meandering style takes you into Patti's life at least a brief moments in time and there's a certain comfortable repetitiveness in it whether it's feeding the cats, drinking coffee at the local cafe or waiting in hotels. All underpinned by watching detective crime episodes which I admit I've never understood. I don't like things too dark. There's a lot about authors who she's met or, yes, idolises and her visiting their graves with objects that fit with them. Yeah quite a lot is darkly nostalgic. Despite this the book is very sympathetic to the reader and comes across beautifully. It also got me into Haruki Murakami which the one story I've read I can understand why she likes him. By the end of the book there is a sense of further loss as a hurricane destroys Rockaway Beach boardwalk (I really need to visit there), her local cafes are gone and a couple of the cats pass away. Plus other things. But really this is a positive story as her new home on the beach escapes complete destruction and is renovated. Things come and go. And the new comes in.

South of the Border, West of the Sun (Haruki Murakami)

Haruki Murakami

South of the Border, West of the Sun

SPOILER. Don't read until you've read the book. It'll only take a train journey from Yorkshire to London then you can get into the following...

Read on way back from Arsene's last game in charge of The Arsenal so maybe feeling a little sentimental. This is a strange story about a man's obsession with women, well one in particular, throughout his life, or at least until we leave him. It's gripping and very well written, or translated, which explains why I read nearly all in one session. The last 10 pages had to wait until I reached home. It's uncomfortable at time and I wavered between feeling sorry for the guy and thinking that he's just a selfish tosser. The latter waned when SPOILER it seems that a lot of what he gets up to is fantasy as if he's schizophrenic or something. Interesting story but ultimately it's a little bit oh he got away with it and all's going to end well in his marriage. Not sure that would happen in real life. Excellent read and makes you think about a lot of things. Including have I damaged anyone along the way and how much have I been damaged. I guess I don't lose BIG SPOILER wads of cash that I received due to following someone around town. If I was ever given it.

The Mandibles (Lionel Shriver)

Lionel Shriver 

The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047

A good read following economic melt down and charting the experiences of one family. I won't say a lot more on the plot as don't like spoilers. A mix of social economic observations, a bit of futuristic musing (both societal and tech) with a whole load of human relationships between the different characters providing the main storyline. In a way it's very believable although there are some things which you do think "why would you let that happen". The story telling is fabulous and I didn't want to put it down. Although I took a couple of weeks to get through it (and carted it for 60 miles along the Devon / Dorset south coast path) by the end I just had to finish it and stopped in Victoria Park in the sunshine. I'm not sure that the ending is the climax that it should have been but I guess it's not really that sort of book. It's also proof that whatever else is going on in the world you can only be sure of two things, death and taxes. Appropriately variously ascribed to Franklin (US president), Defoe (Robinson Crusoe) and Bullock. Well worth reading if only in preparation for the inevitable.

Berlin Calling (Paul Hockenos)

Paul Hockenos 

Berlin Calling

Very interesting account of post war Berlin (and a little about it before) focussing on the wall and the libertarians (anarchists, social experimenters and squatters) struggling to carve out space on both sides of the wall. The harder being on the east except for an oddity in housing rules. Excellently written and I assume researched as Paul was there all along. Although American and therefore you sort of feel he's not a native and maybe losing a bit of context I think it means that his view sees the overall context and not just from a Berliners viewpoint. Hard to tell if those involved really changed the world, or Germany, or even Berlin rather than just their own lives but you can't blame them for trying. The legacy is still up in the air as to whether Berlin will be completely gentrified (although I don't like that term - why not call out "bought up by global investors" as opposed to those who want to have somewhere to live and have made a bit of money and can afford to buy a place) or still keep it's anarchist charm. The risk is that the centre turns into a sort of tourist "alternative" cultural centre cum amusement park controlled by big businesses whilst the hinterland and high rise blocks are a bastion of right wing neo-Nazism with scatterings of anarcho-socialism driven out of the centre by land prices. Difficult for me to tell as although I've visited a few times and it seems a vibrant and exciting place there do seem to be a lot of tourists and cultural immigrants from USA and Europe (as opposed to  economic migrants or war refugees) which has a different feel to the mix of people in say London. Back to the book. A good read and worthwhile searching out especially before visiting Berlin. Wish I'd read it before I had especially as my mate is about to move out. And a much better overview of a city than the last book I read which was This is London.

This Is London (Ben Judah)

Ben Judah

This Is London

One dimensional worst case bordering on racist. Sometimes not even bordering on. No success stories - all immigrants shown at their worst. Weird interlude of rich arab princesses - but why focus on them as the only ones who are not in poverty. Even more surreal description of a rich Arab's child birth and if it was related to the book I can't see how. Hardly represents Londoners who are working and not in poverty. Yes it's there but feels like this is sensationalising it. Many of the immigrants complain that there are too many other immigrant groups and the only references to multiculturalism are negative, despite the obvious mix of cultures within London life. Probably no coincidence that the three papers quoted on the jacket are the Telegraph, FT and Sunday Times - just the papers that promote division and the government policies that are worsening poverty and equality. And doing their best to bring about their self prophesies of inter racial strife but Londoners time and again have shown that this won't happen. The plus side is Ben's descriptions many of which are very readable if a little fanciful. Cats fights on the rooftops of Harlesden. Really? I guess give him the benefit of artistic licence. I'm sure he'd make a very good story teller (maybe he is?) but this as a factual book is too mired in examples that Ben thinks prove the rule but don't. Other immigrant groups have been through this over the centuries and Britain has always found a way to incorporate incoming and colliding cultures. Not always without some friction but compared to many other places it's pretty welcoming. The issue is less immigrant poverty and more inequality in society which is what Britain hasn't yet tackled. Post War Labour tried but was sidetracked into having to please the unions who had their own agenda often at odds with equality for all but I guess the Post War Labour Movement is a whole different topic to address. His description of white British is equally generalised and dismissive. The book feels that Ben isn't a native Londoner - the jacket says he was born here but I doubt he's spent his life here. The comparisons on the jacket to Orwell and Down and Out are embarrassing. Whether you like Orwell or not he was down and out (OK, I guess he could bring himself up but he lived it for ages) and on the front line in Spain. Judah dips into the world he's describing often paying cash for stories which, as shown by the red tops, is hardly the best way to get a truthful story. There is a particularly offensive passage at the end describing Brixton as the "end of the line" and saying that you even see white people rushing out of the tube these days. As if whites didn't always live in Brixton. Whilst he may be right that some of Brixton housing is going up in value pushing some out (isn't it in most places in London) the description of whites crossing the road to avoid anyone who is black is both laughable to anyone who lives in south London and offensive. The ending is a bit bizarre as if Ben's been commissioned to write 400 pages and needs some filler. He laughably drops into what he obviously thinks is street language, e.g. using the F word, referring to women working the streets "whores" and going on and on about "hoodies". Maybe save that for a novel Ben which I'm sure would be great if you could ease up on the racial stereotyping. I did persevere to the end after all.

Passion is a Fashion (Pat Gilbert)

Pat Gilbert

Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash

An insider story of The Clash which has lots of interviews with those in and close to the band carried out recently (i.e. this century) plus references to others' contemporary interviews and reports. Makes an excellent story and gives a deep insight in the workings of a punk band, their crew, management (under the extraordinary Bernie Rhodes, who apparently got John Rotten / Lydon to audition with the Sex Pistols whilst McLaren was in NYC, which is my only story spoiler) and the rest of the music industry. I say "the rest" as The Clash seem to have had a gang mentality of us against the rest. Gives a potted history of the band before they came together and references the rest of the punk scene. It's comprehensive going from when the catalyst of Rhodes formed the band through to the various fallings out and departures until the end after the, in my opinion, terrible Combat Rock. In many ways the story is inevitable but I along with many others do wonder what if...  Topper hadn't gotten into hard drugs and the foursome who were undoubtedly some of the best musicians around had continued as such. Maybe the outcome would have been the same. Not many groups churn out more than a few decent albums. Some notable exceptions of course including those The Clash had a stand off with in Camden Lock.

Having said it's a great story it does seem as if written by a real fan and although it's warts and all regarding the individuals The Clash as a band comes out as real trailblazers. In some ways they were but one thing missing is much context. From their beginnings, sure the music scene as we saw on TOTP (which The Clash refused to play) was crap except for a few disco tracks that slipped through, but the scene wasn't completely devoid of talent or energy. Throughout the story a bit of context would have been good whether the 70s underground psychedelia (Gong, Hawkwind), where punk went (it didn't end in 1977 - Crass, Exploited, and the diversions of Damned, Stranglers and the seemingly hated Jam / Weller), the 2-Tone Ska story or indeed who else jumped onto rap music (Blondie for one).

So not sure it gives the full picture of The Life and Times (particularty) of The Clash. I guess it isn't billed as that though. But nevertheless a Great Rock n Roll Story (to paraphrase Bernie's collaborator / rival McLaren). Probably entertaining enough as a story whether you like The Clash or not. A must read if you are a Clash fan and especially if you caught their extraordinary live performances it brings back a bit of excitement. I was lucky enough to see them at Bath Pavillion in December 78. Simon's diary confirms that is was on December "12, with the Innocents (?). We got wet waiting outside but it was worth it....  all mates who went to Clash concert knackered out."  Knackered out indeed. I'm damn sure we were after 90 minutes of pure punk power. I'm sure we leapt about like banshees. Now, that's another band bio I should track down. Birthday coming up....?

Decline of the English Murder (George Orwell)

George Orwell

Decline of the English Murder and other essays

Interesting collection of essays by Orwell where you get to know him and where he's coming from a little better. I never tend to intellectualise books, or music, or art, but I can see why people do and this is it. A range of subject matter from the newspaper's coverage of crime through to saucy picture postcards and on to various artists. There's long interludes critiquing Kipling and Dickens which are less interesting in their own right rather than Orwell's view of them and supposedly the view of the liberal educated classes (as Orwell would identify them) around the time of WWII. Reading this whilst reading Kate Tempest did make me analyse the latter a bit more (see review) but not whilst actually reading it. I'm not sure that overthinking the themes of a book is good for you if you then miss the feel of it for looking for deep meaning in every line. As Orwell identifies, Dickens can stray from the plot a great deal and delve into irrelevant detail at times. But if it's enjoyable to read so what as the Anti Nowhere League once said. And I doubt they spent a lot of time angsting about whether their lyrics were meaningful. Just listen to So What. They sounded bloody good though back in the day. Must update Kate T blog so you's know why it was such an intellectual write up.

The Bricks That Built the Houses (Kate Tempest)

Kate Tempest

The Bricks That Built the Houses

Hotly anticipated by myself having seen Kate at Glastonbury last year deliver a truly captivating set which at times quieted the thousands in the audience so you could hear a pin drop. On grass. Or mud. This is a gripping book which is written in a style that Kate uses for lyrics (and I assume her poems although that's another step for me) wherein the descriptions of people and places have a gritty realism viewed from the gutter rather than from lofty spires. I guess you could say viewed from the street rather than penthouses or City skyscrapers. Or perversely from tower blocks rather than bijou cocktail bars. Anyways I digress with facile similes. Although it seems that this is the world that Kate knows there are some bits that make you wonder if she's been right down there and through it all. Her descriptions are full and wide in that everyone involved, and a few that aren't really, have pages dedicated to them in detail which builds up the picture without progressing the plot a great deal. It's a bit like Dickens where he spends pages on people who then fade away. He also described the hectic life of those who struggle to get a footing in life without having lived it himself. At least not to the same extent as many of his characters. Kate also gives us the life history of everyone her hero(ines) pass in the street just about. The plot thickens until it's randomly engineered climax which is where the book starts. After that we don't really get an idea of what's happened to our various friends but I guess that leaves Kate open to a sequel. Definitely would read that. At times I laughed and at times had tears in my eyes. Then there are the passages which you really don't want to know what happens but you just gotta keep on reading. The acknowledgements I guess acknowledge that Kate reached out to many friends for authenticity and to get under the skin of her characters. Gripping. Awkward. Uneasy. Insightful. Read it.

As an aside my music blog aka my memory tells me that I saw her at Glastonbury in 14 (Crows Nest when I didn't know who she was) 16 (Shangri La, somewhere I happened upon) and 17 (deliberately went to see her).

P.S. I got thinking about Dickens because I've been reading George Orwell essays. See next book blog.

P.P.S. I must admit that Orwell's essay also make me think a lot about KT's use of language especially in relation to CD.

Sweet Thursday (John Steinbeck)

John Steinbeck

Sweet Thursday

The sequel to Cannery Row. Follows our friends through a bit of torment and also has a few odd chapters thrown in as if Steinbeck wrote a characterisation and didn't want to make a book of it. The story is a bit corny and the whole thing is not as convincing as the brilliant Cannery Row, or his other books that I've read, but very enjoyable nevertheless. For a lot of books you can forgive slack characterisation and plot details if the story is compelling. In this case it's the reverse. A lot longer than Cannery Row and not sure that adds to it either. But worth reading.

Cannery Row (John Steinbeck)

John Steinbeck
Cannery Row

As I said last time... I've read this a few times and it's one of my favourite books:
https://psibooked.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/john-steinbeck-cannery-row-ive-read.html

I lent my last copy to Pete who leant it to his dad in hospital in Cardiff so hopefully it's doing the rounds and cheering a few folk up. Every time I read it a new angle comes out. Those major events which you thought took half the book are in fact short passages and you notice other things. Maybe I should re-read a lot of books. So little time...  Click the link to see the rest of what I wrote on it. Now reading Sweet Thursday the sequel. Watch this space.

Zero Carbon Britain (Centre for Alternative Technology)

Centre for Alternative Technology
Zero Carbon Britain: Rethinking the Future

Another book I've been reading for ages and not gripping me. OK it's not a thriller although it may have a very unhappy ending if we don't go with what's contained within. It's a bit too scientific and statistical for me. Most who read it for interest probably already know that the environment is going down the pan and we got to do something fast. It's a bit like the books in the 70s giving forecasts of resource depletion and climate change. But they were seen as mad prophesies of doom whereas nearly all of us accept the prophesy these days. So although I heartily agree with the content about half way through I just stopped. I think I'll give it to someone who will make use of the facts and figures to support their work.

Sober (Tony Adams)

Tony Adams
Sober: Football. My Story. My Life.

Bruce gave me this having found on the underground when visiting. It was part of the Books on the Underground where they are left for people to pick up. His Addicted was very interesting especially around the Arsenal dressing room. This book is less so. It's part what he did after Arsenal and his getting into management and part battling his demons and setting up his counselling service. Whilst I guess both are his later years bio there's too much, for me, banging on about the spiritual side and it all seems a little defensive and pious at the same time. I can't fault TA6 for keeping off the booze which must be painfully hard and he seems to have handled it brilliantly. But it's not gripping reading and it's one of the few books I've not been bothered to finish. Oh, and the next one I'm about to write about.

No is Not Enough (Naomi Klein)

Naomi Klein
No is Not Enough: defeating the new shock politics

Excellent analysis of why it shouldn't be a surprise that Trump is in power and how he, and others like him, i.e. those running our capitalist systems, will continue to engineer massive shocks (economy, wars, environment) as it's precisely those that allow them to implement draconian laws (austerity whilst bailing out bankers, the war on terror and increased "security" aka police state at home, build nuclear power stations as low carbon alternative whilst also pushing further fossil fuel extraction). I was wondering at the time of Trump's triumph if I was a bit paranoid - maybe he is just a complete twat who accidently got into power. A bit like Johnson. But this book tells me it's not paranoia. Whilst most of the book is a depressing validation of how the world is going it ends on a positive note in that history tells us that some massive shocks can unite people and push for social justice - such as the introduction of the welfare state, NHS and nationalisation of industries in the UK after WWII. I tend to think that the march of history is towards a collective society although we sometimes have (major) set backs. I guess that's Marx in the background. Klein's view is that due to environmental melt down the next push forward must be a Leap (sounds a bit Maoist!) as we've no time to lose. Various pressure groups need to combine to push a wide agenda that covers all their wants. Whilst an excellent analysis I don't think that Klein gets to the logical conclusion in that if the wrongs of the world are due to the capitalist military industrial system then that needs to be replaced. With what isn't really articulated apart from greater democracy and local decision making. Maybe a book for the American market is going to far in stating that a collective, communist, anarchist model of society is the alternative to capitalism if you agree that the latter is bound to stamp on everyone and everything (environment) as that's what it's ethos is.

A few topics I think should have been covered, at least in passing, which I don't recall. The whole medical system built up to sell expensive drugs for ailments that are better tackled at source (our poor diets) often meaning that the taxpayer further subsidises big business whilst pricing poorer countries out of the market. On diet, the major contribution to poor health and poor environment is the animal husbandry / exploitation industry (I can't call keeping thousands of hens in a warehouse "farming") producing poor quality hormone and chemically laden foods, releasing poisonous chemicals into the environment, contributing massive CO2 transport costs and putting the means of production of foods into the hands of big business through genetically modified, and therefore patented, seeds. Brexit is also mentioned as an example of a xenophobic backlash of populism. Although a lot of the campaign that was high profile in the media was of that ilk and no doubt contributed to the vote outcome it's not as simple as Klein glosses over. She often references the way that the EU banks force austerity and privatisation of state assets onto faltering economies and indeed states that Germany post 2008 invested in it's economy including local energy production whilst forcing other EU countries (Greece, Italy, etc. etc.) down the detrimental "austerity" road. That's the reason why a lot of people voted to leave the EU - due to the unfairness in the powerful north European states butchering the southern states in a neo-colonialist manner. It's an irony that many saw Labour as pro EU and the Tories as anti EU whereas in fact many on the far left think of the EU as yet another institution supporting a failing capitalist system and the far right (economically if not politically) use it to artificially support failing industries through taxpayer subsidies, including large "farming" companies. Did the City of London want Brexit? I think that says it all. I hope that Klein hasn't made the classic mistake of thinking that UK citizens, or rather subjects but that's a topic for another day, are confusing being part of Europe with being part of the EU. One is a feeling of community and kinship with neighbours, the other an artificial institution that is bloated, full of red tape and at best wastes money and worse subsidises those that don't need it/

Having given my two cents worth this is an excellent book and the Leap Manifesto at the back is great.