I'm back....
Life here has a tendency to bite back when you least expect it. The council finally got around to staring the job of ripping down the former Post Office building, a particularly ugly late 1960s concoction of concrete and metal, located near my flat. But before they could complete the job, the building finished it for them, the 4th floor quickly becoming the ground floor. No serious injuries, but the road has been closed ever since, which has been a bonus for the workers at the nearby roadworks, who are aren't being hassled by frustrated motorists and curious pedestrians, and the local kids, who now have a ready-made football pitch. Not sure the local shops are so happy since it has discourage the tourists (and the locals) from walking in the area.
When I'm not checking out this new local 'claim to fame', my nose can often be found deep in a good - or occasionally a not-so-good book. Amazingly, many of these books are not related to my thesis. The only problem is that I seem to better at starting books than finish them. Now residing on my bedside table amongst the to-be-reads or partially reads:
Occcupational Hazards (Rory Stewart) - a so far excellent book by a young Scot who was one of the early provincial administrators in post-invasion Iraq. His first book, The Places In Between, which charts his travels across Afghanistan just after the US invasion, is fascinating.
The Last Mughal (William Dalrymple) - another Scot who spent a great deal of time in the Middle East and India. Dalrymple has written a number of great books on his earlier travels, but this thick tome focuses on the events of 1857, when the Indian troops rebelled against the British, spelling the end of the Mughal dynasty.
The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) - my advisor's advisor and a book I'd heard lots about and which continues to be a source of controversy. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Strip Jack (Ian Rankin) - third in the long Inspector Rebus series. This is probably my sixth or seventh re-reading of the series, something that is always worthwhile. I just read that the next book in the series will included Rebus' retirement, though Siobhan Clarke will likely take over as the protagonist.
The Complete Illustrate Stories of Hans Christian Andersen - we read several of the stories in the original Danish as part of Danish Literature 2 and it's intriguing to see how the stories have morphed as they've been translated. Andersen is master with words, with the stories resonating and telling much more than they do in their sanitzed Disney forms.
Mao: The Unknown Story - I think this was bought way back when for reading during a trip to Denmark. Interesting, but digestible only in small chunks and so has gathered a lot of dust on my shelf.
True History of the Kelly Gang (Peter Carey) - bought as pre-reading for my trip to Australia. Almost finished, but the heavy 'dialect' used can make it a bit hard going on sleepy night.
From the library I also snagged a couple of books about the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, the latest Nicholas Evans novel and (to re-read) an account by Tenzing Norgay's son about his 1996 climb up Mount Everest. I also have a collection of Alice Walker stories, a history of Australia and some V.S. Naipaul novels, most gotten free from a former neighbour who had to pare down his collection before moving, stuffed into my shelves.
I've also got spots in my collection ready for the latest Thursday Next novel (Jasper Fforde), Kathy Reich's next book, the latest Inspector Rebus, and of course - the final Harry Potter, which I've already ordered. But if I could inspire any author to get the ink flowing, it would be Laurie Garrett. Her landmark "The Coming Plague", a beautifully written and painfully honest book about infectious diseases - elegantly placing our battle - increasing losing - again these diseases, into social, political and economical context - is just screaming for a new edition or a sequel.
Happy reading
Kate
Life here has a tendency to bite back when you least expect it. The council finally got around to staring the job of ripping down the former Post Office building, a particularly ugly late 1960s concoction of concrete and metal, located near my flat. But before they could complete the job, the building finished it for them, the 4th floor quickly becoming the ground floor. No serious injuries, but the road has been closed ever since, which has been a bonus for the workers at the nearby roadworks, who are aren't being hassled by frustrated motorists and curious pedestrians, and the local kids, who now have a ready-made football pitch. Not sure the local shops are so happy since it has discourage the tourists (and the locals) from walking in the area.
When I'm not checking out this new local 'claim to fame', my nose can often be found deep in a good - or occasionally a not-so-good book. Amazingly, many of these books are not related to my thesis. The only problem is that I seem to better at starting books than finish them. Now residing on my bedside table amongst the to-be-reads or partially reads:
Occcupational Hazards (Rory Stewart) - a so far excellent book by a young Scot who was one of the early provincial administrators in post-invasion Iraq. His first book, The Places In Between, which charts his travels across Afghanistan just after the US invasion, is fascinating.
The Last Mughal (William Dalrymple) - another Scot who spent a great deal of time in the Middle East and India. Dalrymple has written a number of great books on his earlier travels, but this thick tome focuses on the events of 1857, when the Indian troops rebelled against the British, spelling the end of the Mughal dynasty.
The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) - my advisor's advisor and a book I'd heard lots about and which continues to be a source of controversy. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Strip Jack (Ian Rankin) - third in the long Inspector Rebus series. This is probably my sixth or seventh re-reading of the series, something that is always worthwhile. I just read that the next book in the series will included Rebus' retirement, though Siobhan Clarke will likely take over as the protagonist.
The Complete Illustrate Stories of Hans Christian Andersen - we read several of the stories in the original Danish as part of Danish Literature 2 and it's intriguing to see how the stories have morphed as they've been translated. Andersen is master with words, with the stories resonating and telling much more than they do in their sanitzed Disney forms.
Mao: The Unknown Story - I think this was bought way back when for reading during a trip to Denmark. Interesting, but digestible only in small chunks and so has gathered a lot of dust on my shelf.
True History of the Kelly Gang (Peter Carey) - bought as pre-reading for my trip to Australia. Almost finished, but the heavy 'dialect' used can make it a bit hard going on sleepy night.
From the library I also snagged a couple of books about the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, the latest Nicholas Evans novel and (to re-read) an account by Tenzing Norgay's son about his 1996 climb up Mount Everest. I also have a collection of Alice Walker stories, a history of Australia and some V.S. Naipaul novels, most gotten free from a former neighbour who had to pare down his collection before moving, stuffed into my shelves.
I've also got spots in my collection ready for the latest Thursday Next novel (Jasper Fforde), Kathy Reich's next book, the latest Inspector Rebus, and of course - the final Harry Potter, which I've already ordered. But if I could inspire any author to get the ink flowing, it would be Laurie Garrett. Her landmark "The Coming Plague", a beautifully written and painfully honest book about infectious diseases - elegantly placing our battle - increasing losing - again these diseases, into social, political and economical context - is just screaming for a new edition or a sequel.
Happy reading
Kate
posted by Scottish Missy at 1:22 PM
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