The Short and Long of It

More like short and long overdue, m’aright? 

Seriously, though, it’s been a week or two since the last update. I’ve been too busy to type things up, but rest assured, I have still been reading! I’m now going to have to recollect exactly what I wanted to talk about for the two books I’ve completed since my last post. The first of these was The Bloody Chamber short story collection by Angela Carter; the other The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (recommended by @littlebentley). 

As the title implies, this was a tale of two books; Carter’s short stories being a mere 126 pages - though packing some of the deepest writing out of anything so far. More so than anything else I’ve read so far this year, I was aware of constant subtext and careful, exacting thought in how a lot of the sentences were constructed, each carefully contributing to the overall ‘feel’ of the stories. I could see that I could have spent a lot longer reading and re-reading this book to really appreciate it further. It’s a book that screams to be studied as well as enjoyed. 

By contrast, Pillars clocks in at 1332 pages (as the iPad flips), but is much more ‘macro’ in every sense - the book spans several decades with its ambitious plot, and you can tell that Follett is a thriller author; the writing is compelling in a very different way,without the same slavish attention to the finer details. What’s enjoyable here is the roaring plot populated with interesting (although largely characateurish or archetypal) characters. You'll laugh, you'll get physically angry with hatred of certain individuals, and you will just keep reading it. 

I'm keeping the update short so that there's a chance I'll actually finish it. I fell a bit behind last week, facing for the first time an urgent desire to catch up with what I do with my downtime/commute normally - catching up with articles, news and podcasts on a whole host of topics. Fortunately, I got a 'free pass' in the form of finishing the audiobook I've had on the go - Steve Jobs. I'll update on that soon (another post I need to do). Suffice to say, while I’ve never been hugely sold on audiobooks in the past, I’m now already into another (though, in my defence, this one is narrated by Wil Wheaton). 

So, another update to follow, much sooner than the last one. Keep on reading!

Week 10

9/52

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman (2006)

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (2011)

The Revolution of Saint Jone - Lorna Mitchell (1988)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John Le Carré (1974)

I Can Make You Hate - Charlie Brooker (2012)

Looking For Jake and Other Stories - China Miéville (2005)

The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett (1989)

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter (1979)

Jobs - Walter Isaacson (2012)

Currently Reading:

The Plague - Albert Camus (1947)

Currently Listening To:

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (2011)