The Space Merchants - Pohl and Kornbluth

What a great book.  Published in the early fifties this book encapsulates several key themes of the time...increasing consumerism, the rise of communism, the nascent environmental movement, space travel....all in about 200 pages.

The basic premise is that in the world of the book advertising agencies have become all powerful and because of their ability to control consumer behaviour effectively run the country and indeed the world.  Bored of this world and its limited opportunities they are turning their attention to a mission to Venus, a whole world of possibilities and markets to exploit.  Set this against an backdrop of a police state in thrall to the advertising agencies and throw in a terrorist group who are seeking to overthrow the current world order and you've got all the ingredients for a great book.

Parts of the book reminded me of the Count of Monte Cristo, which is no bad thing, others seem to have been the inspiration for Total Recall.

I really enjoyed this one.

Liars Poker - Michael Lewis

This book tells the story of bond trading on Wall St and in London in the 80's.  One of the biggest cash bonanzas in history.  The book gives a real feel for the adrenalin, egos, machismo and pressure on the trading floor while giving some genuine context and insight into the economic and political changes that made it all possible.

Reading it from this remove it also makes for a wonderfully insightful "How we got into the mess we're currently in" book and one I would thoroughly recommend for anyone trying to get their heads around credit default swaps, hedge funds and city excess.

Michael Lewis is a good author, able to get the story behind the story.  In many ways his almost journalistic style bears comparison with Tom Wolfe and Hunter S Thompson for his ability to see beyond a direct narrative of the action and give the reader a wider understanding of the whats, whys and hows of the situation.

Worth a read

The Rum Diary - Hunter S Thompson

Ok, so I admit it. one of the main reasons I read this book is because the film was coming out.  I've read several of The Good Doctors other less filmable books and thoroughly enjoyed them and I didn't like the idea of a non booky person recommending this one to me.  I even went so far as to buy the non film cover pictured above even though it cost a few quid more than the film cover one.

As I mentioned, I've read several other books by this author and I'm a huge fan.  Some people only see the drink and drugs and crazy language and dismiss his writing as a cheap trick.  They are wrong. He is one of the most insightful and intelligent journalists / writers of the last century and never shirks from a challenge or a story.

This book is a worthy part of his canon and I really enjoyed it.  At first I thought it was a little more straight laced than some of his other books....but I soon realised that I just hadn't seen it coming.  The good doctor is still in there taking you on a roller-coaster of a journey.  and most enjoyable a ride it was too.

The only problem....the book involves alot of rum.  the new film stars Johnny Depp.  I kept thinking of captain Jack Sparrow when I was reading it.  damn my limited and derivative imagination.

Pop 1280 - Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson writes some of the most sinister characters you're likely to encounter; and all in a friendly sounding deep south drawl.  That he's not better known is a real shame and one which is not hard to remedy.  his books are enjoyable, accessible and well worth the time to read them (which isn't long as they're not too long either).

Both this and the better known The Killer Inside Me are great reads and worth looking up

The Man who broke into Auschwitz - Denis Avey

This book is well worth a read.  It tells the story of one mans experience in the Second World War, from fighting in the deserts of North Africa, to be torpedoed while on board a prison transport and onto his incarceration in some of the worst places the Nazis could create.  Such was the spirit of Denis Avey that not only did he survive all of this but he still fought the war as best he could - in he head.  He challenged authority and the brutal system he found himself in.

The story in the title of the book is remarkable, aware of what was going on in the Jewish concentration camps he agreed to swap places with an inmate on a couple of occasions.  He knew he couldn't do anything about it and knew he was risking his life but felt it was essential to bear witness to what was taking place.

A fascinating book.  A remarkable man.

A visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan

Another book practically coated in glowing reviews and once again I'm left feeling like I've been oversold before I've started reading the book (I should probably avoid the 3 for 2 table if this is a problem for me to be honest).

Let me first say that this is a good book.  The story, such as it is, is centred on a group of characters who are loosely related by their connections to one another across continents and life times.  How they interact with one another is the chief fascination of the book and it works a treat.  You find yourself turning the pages and trying to spot previous and upcoming characters.

The author has beautifully evoked various times in recent history by using the music of the time as an anchoring point and it works really well.

a good book and one that I'll recommend

Serious Men - Manu Jospeh

This book is one of those books that is covered in rave reviews..."outstanding" "a work of genius" "staggering".  You know the sort.  It certainly helps to sell books but it can often then lead the reader to have high expectations when starting the book rather than setting out to enjoy a book based on its merits.  This book may suffer from this problem but remains a compelling and entertaining read.  The characters are vividly brought to life and are easy for the reader to imagine and associate with.

The story itself is interesting enough but the real star here is the sidelong look at Indian society and culture.  This is something that I know nothing about so have no choice but to take the book as an accurate representation of a society undergoing huge changes as the Indian economy booms.  With the new rich living alongside a huge number of people who feel left behind by the new prosperity.  There definitely seems to be a comparison to be made with history here.

A good book and well worth a read but hyped up a bit too much on the cover.