Cams

I found this by accident and wound up reading the whole thing in a couple of days, as did my good lady. We both agree that the philosophy makes a lot of sense and we are going to apply it with our 14-month-old Bassett hound (Clover) and the Akita pup that's waiting for us. It was quite eye-opening to discover how wrong we were going about things with Clover. She has always been difficult to walk, partly because of her wanting to sniff everything. Now I have an idea how to fix that.

I've learned that the first thing to do is to try and get rid of my own negative energy. I know a bit about that from my 12 step programme, but I think Cesar's way will help me to put it into practice in all my affairs. It all makes so much sense.

As I was reading the book, I was thinking that yes, its all very good, but I'll get home from holidays and the dog will still be on the sofa. The one thing this book is not is an instruction manual. As I'm reading another of his books [How to Raise the Perfect Dog: through Puppyhood and Beyond], I'm learning more and more that it's about energy and animals. If I can get myself balanced and keep in mind that dogs are animals, should be at the right place to start.

So, from first day back from holidays, I'm setting the alarm for an hour earlier for walking the dogs. It should be a good time for me to centre myself too.

I just finished listening to this book, all 48 hours of it! (I started it on 16 April) It's the third in the series and was utterly enthralling. As with the previous two audio books, this one is read by Roy Dotrice and he does a wonderful job of bring the characters to life.

The scope of this series is huge and it has pretty much become part of my life since I got hooked on the first one after my second attempt. It took me two attempts to get going on the first one due to the sheer number of characters and their various alliances and family histories.

One of the great things about these books is that the author presents ALL the characters in an objective light. Sure, there are “goodies” and “baddies” in a sense, but the lines are blurred and it becomes easy therefore to feel compassion for whomever happens to have the limelight in the tale.

As with the first book, Martin has no qualms about killing off the central characters, although it does still come as a shock at times. It makes the story more gripping though, as there are times when the reader really doesn't know if a main character is about to meet their demise or not. They die when it's not expected, and stay alive when it seems likely that they will be killed.

I won't give away any plot spoilers, so better leave it there.

I just read a few reviews over on audible.com of the fourth book, A Feast for Crows. It's read by someone else and that seems in poor taste to me when I've got so used to Roy's voices and accents (strange that Tyrian Lannister should be Welsh though, when his father, Lord Tywin, sounds like Winston Churchill!) It also seems the case that the content of A Feast for Crows was intended to be included in the next book but was spun off for reasons of size, and so A Feast for Crows is pretty much a filler to pad out the story and does not really follow the main characters. So I'm not quite sure whether to wait or dive right in.

It was an interesting way of learning some more about the bible story, but to be fair I think it was probably written for children and I found the chatty style rather annoying.

This was lent to me by a friend. I had just finished watching a Channel 4 drama called The Promise. I was getting confused with the drama due to my black of knowledge about the middle east. So it was serendipitous that my friend decided to lend me this book at the right time.

Mike explains the history of Palestine right up to 2007. It's not dry and turgid, it's very accessible and easy to follow and is written in bite-sized chunks that make it easy to read a bit before hitting the pillow. It has whetted my appetite to learn more about the region and read differing points of view.

Mike himself is a Christian and he quotes the bible throughout this book by way of giving evidence of his opinions. While his religious views run through the book as a constant thread, they don't in any way detract from the educational value of this book. So if you're not that way inclined yourself, don't let that put you off.

I'm very glad to have read this. Oh, and that Channel 4 drama is superb.

I'm reviewing the audio book, read by David Colacci and available on Audible.

It took me a while to get into this book. In fact, I got about a quarter of the way through and then stopped for a few months, although this was more to do with the fact that I was listening on my Shuffle in the swimming pool and then stopped swimming while I healed from surgery. I had to go back to the beginning again...

I loved the plot of this book. Although it was slow to start, it was definitely worth persevering. It was rather different to the other John Irving books I've read. The reader of the audio book brought this to life really, really well. It was especially notable when Dr Daruwhalla was getting exasperated and angry!

The characters in the book are as lifelike as in any novel of Irving's, or indeed anyone else's. Mr Setna (I don't know the spellings, since it was an audiobook, so please forgive me that!) the steward at the Duckworth Club was superb. And how about Patel, the police commissioner!

I particularly enjoyed following Martin Mills and his change from blind faith to doubt. Both he and John D are 39 in the story, which just happens to be the same age as I am, so it was interesting to hear about how Martin was still finding himself. Me too!

The only thing I find annoying about Irving's writing style, and it's evident in all his novels, is his overuse of beginning a sentence with the word ‘that'.

‘That his something or other was big or small was evidence of his whatever...'. That kind of thing. I just find it overused and ultimately annoying as a result. But that aside, I loved this book!

So I finally finished Les Miserables. It took me five months to listen to the whole thing, a 60-hour audio book. There were several points where I nearly gave up, and one where I actually announced on Facebook that I had given up. But I went back to it and I'm ever so glad that I did.

Let me start by saying that this is a fantastic book. There were times when I was slogging through some of the digressions that I wondered just how this could possibly have been considered a classic. But now I know.

At first, I sensed a similarity with Crime & Punishment, which just happens to have been published in the same decade as Les Miserables, as indeed was War & Peace, which I have also read. The part where Jean Valjean, as Monsieur Madeleine, is fighting with his conscience about going to rescue the man who has been arrested as Jean Valjean and then his journey there, fraught with difficulty.

It's been interesting to read some of the reviews on Goodreads after finishing the book. They are almost all five stars and there are a few instances where readers have read the abridged version and then gone back to read the unabridged and enjoyed it ever so much more. As I was listening to it, there were many occasions when I wished I had downloaded the abridged version instead. I mean come on, pages and pages of description about the Paris sewers? The whole Waterloo bit? I honestly struggled through these parts. I wonder if it would have been easier to read than to listen to.

Anyway, I listened to the last 8 hours or so in a couple of days, at first because I just wanted it finished and out of the way, but then because it was just so good that I didn't want to stop. I had guessed how the novel would end, but that didn't spoil the ending at all. It was so well written that I was left with a feeling of elation that has lasted through to the following day as I write this.

Suffice it to say that I am very glad that I persevered with this and got to the end. I actually would quite like to read it again right now as I'm sure I would enjoy it a lot more second time around.

Five stars.

This came along at a good time for me. I discovered it via an excellent post by Merlin Mann on his 43folders.com website, entitled No One Needs Permission to be Awesome, in which he states:

If that sounds like fancy incense for hippies and children, perhaps in a way that seems frankly un-doable for someone as practical and important and immortal as yourself, then go face death.Go get cancer. Or, go get crushed by a horse Or, go get hit by a van. Or, go get separated from everything you ever loved forever.

The part in bold is the part that relates to Viktor Frankl.

I've been in the 12-step AA program for over 5 years now and it has helped me immensely in finding meaning. The whole idea of ‘not regretting the past nor wishing to shut the door on it' ties in nicely with Viktor Frankl's philosophy.

I shan't give a synopsis of the book. Amazon does that nicely. What I will do is illustrate the parts that jumped out at me.

Firstly, it's okay not to be happy. There is huge potential for growth in suffering. This I have learned for myself, but to have it set down on paper with such great examples is very helpful to me.

Next, the true meaning of one's life may not be truly discernible until one reaches the end of one's life. People can actually change; this I know to be true through AA. The example he gives is of a doctor who was monstrous during the holocaust, but about whom he heard tales of goodness years later.

More may come back to me and I really shouldn't be attempting to write this in the few minutes that I have, but I know that if I don't write it now, it may not get written at all!

The first half of the book as about Frankl's time in concentration camps. The second half covers his philosophy of logotherapy (meaning therapy), which he had started to formulate before being arrested and deported to the camps. He actually refused to emigrate to the safety of the USA, knowing full well that he would end up in a concentration camp, because he felt it was his duty to remain with his family. His expectant wife, brother and both parents did not survive the camps. Imagine finding meaning after that? But he does.

If 42 no longer suffices for you as an answer, try this book. It could help!

What a cracker of a book! This was my first read on the Kindle and I have to say that it's a very good way to consume a book. Between the Kindle app on the iPhone, Kindle 3G and iPad, it was easy to read small chunks or large chunks as time permitted.

I recently read Grapes of Wrath and went straight on to East of Eden. Steinbeck is without doubt one of my favourite writers; it's just something about his knack of writing about the human spiritual condition that I can really relate to.

It's quite a grand tale in terms of the span of time it covers, but in essence it's the tale of two brothers from birth to death. The tale of how the brothers' father comes into his own is handled very well and shows that we can shape our own destiny.

I don't really know how to put into words the sense of spiritual well being that I get from Steinbeck's novels. He lived in a different time in a different place, but still I can relate to his characters so well. It's the human flaws, the inner monologues and struggles, the spiritual condition, all of those things make it seem so real. It's philosophical, that's what it is. I'm just at the right age for discovering Steinbeck's masterpieces really.

Finally, I got to the end of this book! This was my second attempt at getting through it. The first time I got about half way. But, to the tale...

Some consider this to be the thinking man's Da Vinci Code. It follows three main characters who work for a publishing company in Milan. The company is cleverly split into two separate entities, one of which persuades so-called Diabolicals (any persons involved in secret societies such as the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucian and the Freemasons, conspiracy theories, etc.) to self-finance their own publications. The three characters decide to play a game with these texts, taking information from different sources and mixing them all up to come up with the Plan. However, once the Diabolicals learn of the Plan, it becomes real and the consequences are deadly.

The first 100 pages were easy enough to get through, as were the last 100 pages. But please read this book with a dictionary by your side as some of the vocabulary is esoteric and the prose turgid. It is packed full with obscure references to philosophy, literature, science etc. and a knowledge of French would certainly be useful as well. It's the last 100 pages that bring the story together and changed my opinion of the book. For weeks now I've been stubbornly persevering, just wanting to get to the end of it so I can say that I read it and move on to something else. But now that I've finished it, I find myself wishing to read some more detailed reviews to learn more about the references. I will not be giving this book away as I intend to read it again, at which point I expect it to make more sense, now that I know the ending.

For anyone who read and enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, I'd certainly recommend giving this book a go. For anyone who read some of it and quit as I did the first time around, it's definitely worth reading to the end.

This is utterly candid and revealing. The audiobook is read by Stephen Fry himself, which, in this instance, makes it all the more enjoyable. It's quite incredible how open and honest he is in this book, although I suppose that's what autobiographies are all about.

This follows the first 20 years of his life and gives a great insight into what it's like at prep school amongst other things. I didn't even know what a prep school was, so it was most interesting for me.

I read this alongside his new autobiography and enjoyed one as much as the other.

I bought this book years ago and read only one or two stories in it. The two chapters that stand out now were the two that I read back then too. The first is called the Last 18 Drops and is about alcoholism in Russia, two things I know about. Did you know that if you finish a bottle of vodka and then lay it down on its side for a while, you'll get 18 drops out of it? I've not tried it myself, but the author swears it's true.

The other story that stood out was that of a mother seeking her son's body after he's killed in Chechnya. It brings that situation to life in a moving way.

The rest of the book was pretty forgettable. In fact, it's not that long since I finished it and the only other story that springs to mind is about the Romanovs, which was pretty dull, and a short story about a soldier coming home to his village and following a girl around like a lost sheep. Also pretty dull.

A fascinating and well-written insight into the Russian Soul, filled with interesting characters and anecdotes. For anyone that's spent any time in the former Soviet Union, you will find much to relate to in the book.

Read this via myFry, which is the book in the form of an iPhone app.

I was a student of Russian language and literature in the 90s and spent some time in the former Soviet Union. I'm a big fan of John Steinbeck's novels and am surprised that it took me so long to read this.

Steinbeck and his friend, photographer Robert Capa had a project to enter the Soviet Union to document and photograph the lives of the ordinary Russian people. It's basically a slice of life of the time and documents very well not only how Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian people live, but also the huge amounts of ridiculous bureaucracy of the Soviet machine.

One scene that stands out is the description of how long it takes from ordering a meal in a restaurant to having that meal arrive at your table.

There is some good comparative writing about the difference between the cult of personality status of the Soviet Union versus the US presidential system. The esteem in which Stalin was held whilst he was in office is quite incredible and almost impossible for a non-native to comprehend.

As Steinbeck states in his monologues, he's not there to present the information in any particular way, he's just there to present the information, and this he manages to pull off very successfully.

I read this years ago as an adolescent and took the notion to give it another try. I find that many of the fantasy books I read as a kid, before I got my degree in Russian literature, bore me to tears. This started out feeling a little bit that way, but it got better and by the time I got to the second book, I was drawn right in.

I feel that it still lacks a certain something, depth perhaps. Although it's not a short book, so perhaps it's just about right. I'd have liked to have followed Pug's journey at the Academy in more detail; that was the section I enjoyed the most. Although I realise that a lot has been left unrevealed for the sequels. Thankfully I'm blessed with a poor memory and can't remember anything about the sequels. I'm not going to dive straight in to Silverthorn though.

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I'm happy to round up rather than down for this one as enjoyed re-reading it more than I thought I would.

I heard about it on the back of the TV show. Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson were talking about it on Security Now.

I was an enjoyable book in a similar vein to Dan Brown. There was some good science in it which, to a non-science person like me, seems to have been well researched. I always enjoy books that make me think, and time travel is a thing that really fascinates me. It was dealt with very well in this novel, but it wasn't turgid to the point where the story was lost or the pace was slowed down.

I give it three stars.

It was slow to get going and in places felt like it was written by someone applying rules learned in a writing class. Then I remembered that I was reading a translation and forgave the stilted language and choice of vocabulary and just enjoyed the story. It was an entertaining read but hasn't really whetted my appetite to read any more of the series. Certainly not as good as the hype.

I served with Chris as an apprentice. He was a good soldier then and made the highest apprentice rank in our camp (Apprentice RSM). It was clear then that he'd go far. I've just discovered how far.

He was commissioned from Sandhurst at the age of 21 and went on to become a high-threat bomb disposal expert, working in the most dangerous areas of the world.

He's written two books, documenting his career and personal life. I just finished Extreme Risk, his second book and could not put it down. I was never particularly army barmy and have never really read any army books, but this one had me totally hooked.

This book reminds me a little of the professional musicians I've met. They're just ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I can say that I knew Chris as a teenager, so I think of him first and foremost as someone I know. Then I read about the things he's done and how he got there and it's utterly awe-inspiring. He's achieved some incredible results and lived and incredibly interesting life, but there was always that background of his personal life throwing up mental obstacles, frustration, resentment and a whole package of emotions, both good and bad. And despite all of that, he achieved. And he's not even 40!

This is an incredible story that I highly recommend.

Recommended by a friend. It was enjoyable. Loads of excellent Scottish slang and a great concept involving parallel dimensions, but ultimately it got a bit silly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It follows the story of Mr Okada, a seemingly ordinary fellow at the outset but his life becomes weirder and weirder as the story progresses. My favourite chunks were the stories of Lt Mamiya. It's kind of built up of different people's stories, all of which affect the protagonist and leads to his becoming much more self aware.

It's a somewhat quirky tale that is quite unlike anything I've ever read before. It grabbed a hold of my attention like a thief in the park and kept a hold of it until the end of the story. I normally read fantasy or sci-fi so this is a bit of a step outside the box for me and one that I'm very glad I took. I'm recommending this to pretty much everyone I know and for good reason.

Thanks to Steve Betz for the recommendation!

Just finished the audio book of Stephen King's latest novel. It was very enjoyable, but I feel empty afterwards. Good entertainment but does not feed the soul. A throw-away page-turner.

The concept was very clever and the characters were wonderful and deep, as Stephen King's characters always are. That's what kept me going I think.

If you've enjoyed other Stephen King novels, chances are you'll enjoy this.

I've enjoyed John Irving's books for years now and this one just came out on Audible. It came at a perfect time for me. I kept it until we went our holidays to Tenerife in November and I started listening to it as I lay in the sun by the pool.

The book is the tale of Owen Meany narrated by his best friend, John Wheelwright. Owen is small and has a strange voice. It's really the tale of why he is small and why he has a strange voice, but it's so much more than that. The book moved me in a way that no other book ever has. I'm at a point in my life where my faith in God is developing and this book fits right into that. Owen believes in God and has a lot to say on the subject of religion.

One of John Irving's strong points is his character development. In all the books of his that I have read, I've found his characters to be fully 3-dimensional and believable. All are flawed, just as I am, and it makes the characters easy to relate to. I'm not sure whether I'm getting that across very well, but for those who've read Garp or a Widow for a Year, you'll know what I mean.

If only Audible would do more John Irving books. I'd be on them like a shot!

My good friend Arjun recommended to me The Count of Monte Cristo. I listened to the version read by Richard Matthews, a British reader and he read it very well indeed. Of course the book was originally written in French and I know not who did the translation that I read, but it was as if the book were written in English. One choice they made that, to my mind was the right choice, was to keep names and titles in the French, for example the Procureur du Roi, monsieur de Procureur, and so on, rather than the Royal Prosecutor. Knowing a little French, I had no trouble with this, but I wonder how it would have read to someone with no knowledge of French? It reminds me of my reading A Clockwork Orange and being a Russian speaker; my experience of that novel was not the same as it would be for non Russian speakers. Anyway, enough of that. On the book. Arjun is of the opinion that it is the best book he's ever read. I wouldn't go quite that far, but it was very, very good. It's the first and only Dumas novel I've read, and may in fact be the first French literary novel I've read. The tale is a simple tale of revenge for a wrongful imprisonment. The Count himself becomes almost God-like in stature; he seems to be omnipotent and able to influence people to do his will. In fact, that aspect seems a little unbelievable, sort of like Jason Bourne of 18th century France, but with Jason Bourne you know you're reading make believe as it's so far fetched. The Count seems much more credible than Jason, but he loses some of that credibility as his powers and knowledge increase. How, for example, could he possibly learn to speak so many languages like a native in so short a time? Language is something that I know something about and I know how far-fetched that really is. But, once disbelief is suspended, the novel becomes great. At some 30-odd hours, you would think it would be a little dull in parts, and to be honest it is, but at the same time it is easy to listen to. I was a little worried at the morality of the Count and his taking revenge with such little humility and sympathy, but the ending assuaged that fear of mine and he redeemed himself admirably. I think I can say that without a spoiler alert. All in all, I'm very glad that I read this book and I would heartily recommend it. I give it four.

I've always enjoyed Ian Rankin's detective novels starring the dour Inspector Rebus. Rebus has just retired and Ian Rankin has developed a new character, Inspector Fox.

Foxy works for the complaints, which is to say he investigates other police officers. Like Rebus before him, he is a flawed character. This makes him seem very life-like and I think he will grow to be as well loved as the character of Rebus.

The plot is as good as any that's gone before, with clever twists and great secondary characters. The interplay between the police officers of different stations and different departments is very well done. Never having been a police officer I can't really say how true to life it is, but for the reader it's most enjoyable.

It's also bang up to date, referring to the credit crunch and the demise of Woolworths. I suppose one might be able to study Scottish social history through Ian Rankin's books!

This was an enjoyable throw-away detective novel and I'll be watching out for the next Inspector Fox book!

I literally just finished this yesterday. It came recommended by a good friend of mine.

It's all about how we are all not only irrational, but predictably so. A good example is seen in his example of the advert for a subscription to the Economist. The web-only subscription is $59, the print-only subscription is $125 and the print AND web subscription is $125. Most of his students picked the print and web subscription. But when the print-only subscription was removed, most students went for the web only. Nobody in either case picked the print-only subscription.

He explains that none of this has anything to do with rationality, but that the print-only subscription is placed deliberately as a decoy.

He looks at why we behave irrationaly when offered anything free, why a cheap asprin doesn't cure a headache quite so well as an expensive one, and so on. It was an enjoyable read, however I did find it to be a little repetitive and over long.