Every 14 Days...(43)

The World Goes On (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

One thing I know when I pick up a Krasznahorkai book off a shelf is that I'm in for a couple of weeks (I hope) of unrelaxing Tube journeys. A series of shorts - some much shorter than others - this isn't quite in the same vein as "Seiobo There Below".

However, while not being a series of self-contained stories that somehow come together under a theme, there feels a lineage across all of what you read (I've had a beer). All (or at least most of) the stories follow the theme of man hitting a moment of truth; something that may seem insignificant, but can be a huge turning point for the individual. From a man about to set-out on a journey to a Chinese translator waking up hungover in the centre of a network of overpasses, Krasznahorkai digs deep to deliver an in-depth analysis of a single moment.

"The World Goes On", therefore, seems like a collection of extensively rambling haikus, which is probably a huge contradiction in terms, but captures a collection of points in time that could form a single lifetime as man laments, laments and laments. References to his earlier works, notably "The Melancholy of Resistance" crop up from an uncertain lecturer.

Rambling in both sentences and geographical location, as appears Krasznahorkai's life, "The World Goes On" is again a work of obscurity, thought and long sentences...contained largely between Tooting Bec and Goodge Street stations if you're me, where I fail daily to come across any moments of truth...and then I got off the bus (Tube).

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.0

The Book of Dave (Will Self)

Will Self appeared a lot on "Have I Got News for You" in yesteryear. Apparently he's written a book. Several in fact. And for a long while I've been trying to bring myself to read one. £2.99 in the Balham Oxfam for 477 pages eventually got me there.

To start, I was mighty confused. "The Book of Dave" is perhaps both an excellent and terrible starting point for Self at the same time. We start in a future, where London is divided by both extensive waters and dialects. It is almost written in "that foreign," and as such, is a rather irritating read to get into to make the 0.63p per page seem justified. But then we get to the second chapter, and things start to become a little clearer.

Taxi driver Dave, left by his wife and son, descends into middle age world-weary and bitter. He pens a rambling book as to his worldview of how families should be structured for his son, but after being committed and having therapy, decides to write it off as drivel. However, unwittingly, the book becomes a holy text of the future; his views on family structures followed to the letter by future generations.

With the splitting between the present and the future, "The Book of Dave" is an inconsistent read: The present the more enjoyable half; with the future more a ramble of nearly incomprehensible words that become a struggle to follow. However, the nature of the book means that this is necessary, not that makes reading these chapters any more enjoyable.

As such, it becomes quite easy to drift in and out of the long read, at times a good social commentary, at others a dull struggle. Whether or not I choose to take the plunge with another Self-penned (haha) book is undecided, but the more surrealist elements of his work may prove something of a barrier.

Days to read: 28

Days per book: 15.1

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Sue Townsend)

Born in 1983, Adrian Mole is one of those things that I recognise but can't actually recall. For me, Adrian Mole is a book with a tube of toothpaste on the cover and the theme song to the ITV adaptation. But, I don't remember actually having read any of it. Adrian Mole was only ever a teenager (aged 13 3/4 to be exact) in my memory, though I do also seem to remember something about "Dan!" from Alan Partridge.

In fact, Sue Townsend mapped out a whole lifetime for Adrian Mole over a series of books; the image of him as a perennial teenager perhaps coming from 1980's television, though the BBC did adapt one of the later books ("The Cappuccino Years") starring Stephen "Dan!" Mangan. But what of the books? Well, starting with the first two, we see Adrian in the first half of his teens getting to grips with spots, sex and the Falklands War.

Reading them now, aged 34 and several months, the first thing that strikes is the comic timing. Written as diaries with a paragraph or so serving each day, what seems an innocuous comment one day, builds up the laughs for several days in the future. His teenage naivety as the world around him is in chaos, his mundane, self-absorbed obsessions see him unable to detect his mother's affair, his parents' separation, his mother's subsequent pregnancy and dad fathering an illegitimate child.

Throughout, we are not laughing with the young "intellectual", but thoroughly at him, in much the same way many comedians bring out their teenage diaries on stage to recount what massive bellends they once were (and still possibly are). A mother at a young age, Townsend clearly draws on her experiences with her own children, and as such, these are very much books for those a little older than 13 3/4, though can be appreciated by any age.

The early teenage angst is the Adrian Mole I have non-existent nostalgia for. But, will I like the man he will become? Perhaps I'll try volume three, or leave the idiot where (I believe) he belongs.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4

Days to read: 6

Days per book: 15.0

The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole

Days to read: 8

Days per book: 15.0

Every 14 Days...(40)

Bullet Points (Mark Watson)

Mark Watson is on something of a wave of popularity with his recent television appearances (which has probably since decreased since I wrote this). He himself has even acknowledged this and, milking his new-found fame, encouraged fans to read his books as well...except the first two. I was half-way through his first novel, "Bullet Points", when I read this comment. Enjoying it up to that point, I wasn't going to let the author's opinion get in the way of my interpretation of the book!

Peter Kristal is a British boy growing up in the fictional town of Witching, Cambridgeshire, forever in the shadow of his American best friend Richard. As they grow older together, both become interested in psychiatry, moving to the US to study at university; Richard, however, at a much more distinguished university.

Their careers both develop, one obviously behind the other, though Peter achieves some minor success for his "bullet points" technique for mapping-out his patients' lives in bullet point form to help solve their problems. But despite this success, there is always something looming over him, stopping him from reaching a point of satisfaction and happiness. This constant chasing results in his eventual demise, harming both himself and the lives of others.

For a debut novel written by a young man, "Bullet Points" is a solid effort. Written from Peter's point-of-view with self-deprecating humour throughout, this is a nice, flowing read, with some interesting points throughout.

As the story draws to a close, it does maybe get a little messy in places - perhaps why Watson is keen to point out that he was young when it was written - but not enough to detract from the overall read, showing a writer with craft and a knack for placing humour at the right moments.

Days to read: 12

Days per book: 15.2

The Last Wolf (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

Being that the sentences in Krasznahorkai's novels are so long and rambling, short stories may be the best introduction for some readers to his works. These two shorts - separated by some twenty-three years; grouped due to their common warden theme - as such act as a good introduction for the novice, though are not as rewarding as the main body of his writing.

The more recent titular short, "The Last Wolf", concerns a German academic in Berlin, relaying a story of his recent trip to Spain to a Hungarian barman in a bar populated by Eastern Europeans and Turkish. Asked to write a piece on the region of Spain he is invited to, he instead gets distracted by the story of "last" wolves in the region and the local warden who monitored them.

The German's rambling tale is in-line with much of Krasznahorkai's work, though continued references and interjections by the Hungarian barman bring comedy to the tale. Though the real theme here is of the warden's relationship with the animals with whom he is put in the difficult position between protector and predator.

The older story, "Herman", is a more sombre tale, as a local warden, forced into retirement, takes revenge by roaming wild; setting traps on the people of the village that has deemed him surplus to requirements. A group of young officers arrive in the village and observe the mayhem as outsiders.

Being shorts, the two lack the depth of his novels; "Seiobo There Below" while a collection of shorts, combined form a greater whole when reading. As such, while the most accessible of his writing, these are not a good starting point to truly see his craft, feeling more of a stop-gap between greater works.

Days to read: 7

Days per book: 15.2

Botchan (Natsume Soseki)

"Botchan" is something of a popular work among Natsume Soseki's books. It is also slightly different in style to the other works I have read, though still sits very nicely within his oeuvre, following, as it does, the inner-workings of a young man's mind in a slightly different take in his exploration of the human condition.

Botchan, the child-like nickname for our hero, is a young graduate in Tokyo with little real direction as to what's next. Offered a role in a provincial school as a teacher on Shikoku, where Soseki himself once taught, he goes along with the offer, but is belligerent about the whole affair, finding little joy both at work or at home.

The narration is much more bumbling and colloquial than is typical from Soseki, reflecting the young, arrogant hero. His misguided nature sees him cause trouble for his work colleagues, and so eventually himself, but his belief that he is always right is where the comedy lies, and no doubt what gave it popularity, painting an interesting portrait of the young.

Perhaps lacking the depth and soul-searching  oh his other novels, "Botchan" shows some versatility; and that we all like a laugh.

Days to read: 10

Days per book: 15.1

A Light-hearted Look at Murder (Mark Watson)

The second of Mark Watson's first two novels, of which he is rather disparaging, "A Light-hearted Look at Murder" is an interesting tale involving a scenario you would believe came from the mind of a comedian; and continues the flowing writing and dotted moments of humour seen in his debut.

Alexandra is a woman in her mid-twenties, working in London in a job that holds little meaning for her, single and having to live with her "City boy" brother and his similarly male flatmate. Bored, she stumbles across an advert for pen-pals for prisoners and chooses to sign-up with nothing to lose. This is how she meets Andreas, her new German pen friend.

But getting little from him, he then sends her an extensive manuscript...in German. Luckily, flatmate Gareth knows some German (quite a lot, it would appear) and is happy to take time out from his busy schedule to translate it for her in convenient, chapter-sized chunks.

As she reads, we learn of Andreas' life from his days at Cambridge which resulted in his meeting and falling in love with the fifth tallest woman in Britain, becoming a Hitler impersonator and moving to London to start up a look-a-like agency, before life takes a more sinister turn.

Andreas' intriguing grasp of English makes for some comic writing from Watson, with his idiosyncratic mannerisms, though perhaps this starts to decline a little as the story develops (though I blame this largely on Gareth's translation). The switching between Alexandra's daily grind and Andreas' memoirs keeps the reader interested, though it is without doubt the German's half that brings the most amusement.

Alongside the moments of humour are some points of social comment, such as seeing the Berlin Wall as a tourist attraction in early Nineties Germany as strange, as well as the at times misguided nature of graduates in London.

As with "Bullet Points" things are perhaps a little loose at times, though again this is not enough of a distraction to spoil the overall enjoyment. I wonder if I'll enjoy one of his books that he actually recommends...

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.1

Piercing (Ryu Murakami)

"Piercing" is one of the Ryu Murakami books that I've put off reading for a while. Polishing off his other more well-known books in the West, I chose to leave this one on the shelf. And I can now see why I have.

Kawashima (good ol' River Island) watches over his daughter sleeping in her bed at night, gently stroking an ice pick across her cheek. While not wanting to, he feels compelled to use it on her. Wanting to satisfy this hunger for violent acts, he decides to take a break from work to stay in a hotel room in Tokyo and plot to finally use his ice pick on a young prostitute, and hopefully relieve himself of this desire.

The motivations within the premise are hard to get one's head round, and as such, Kawashima is not particularly a character to grow fond of. His meticulous planning puts him in a league with standard "psycho" characters, but with a lack of depth and simplistic writing - stating motivations, rather than allowing them to flow naturally - both Kawashima and his supposed victim are two characters you are quite happy to see slashed.

Days to read: 5

Days per book: 15.1

Every 14 Days...(39)

The Melancholy of Resistance (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

Pressing on to get all of Krasznahorkai's novels polished off within an extended length of time, "The Melancholy of Resistance" is the next on the list. As with his other novels, again he uses the extended passages of punctuation-less text to allow you to get deep into the heads of the protagonists. This style worked best in his "War and War", though "Melancholy..." is more along the lines of "Satantango" in that the chapters switch between different individuals, rather than the story taking place inside the mind of one man alone.

Like "Satantango", a desolate village is the setting. But instead of awaiting the return of its prodigal son, the village in question sees a circus move into town; a circus with the unique selling point of a stuffed, life-size whale. But along with it, the circus sees a ragged bunch arrive in the village, simply laying in wait, following the circus from village to village, leaving chaos in every location they venture to. After some time in the village, the men begin to wreak their havoc, destroying the already destroyed, leaving the locals simply powerless to resist. A village where nothing ever happens, the individuals of focus respond differently to the riotous behaviour: wanting to either hide away; observe it as it happens; or take it an opportunity to seize power within the village.

Written in the late Eighties, this definitely has more in common with "Satantango" than his other works in terms of story and setting, though the revelations towards the end are similar to those of "War and War"; though is perhaps weaker than both, not that this fact makes it a poor book. The men of the riotous mob blindly follow, with havoc leading to yet more havoc, to the point where no one knows as to why they are doing what they do: A juggernaut that cannot be stopped, though nobody knows as to why.

Days to read: 17

Days per book: 15.2

Dogs and Demons (Alex Kerr)

With his first book "Lost Japan", Alex Kerr showed himself to be a man in a love-hate relationship with his adopted home country. But while "Lost Japan" looks at how the things he loves about Japan are  slowly disappearing, his second book "Dogs and Demons", published around nine years later, shows how they are well and truly dead.

Dividing aspects of Japanese society into different chapters, what follows is a tirade against all aspects of modern Japanese living, systems, governance, art, education, landscape; you name it, Kerr will shame it.

Now, I am always a little sceptical of books of this nature; books that are largely designed to criticise can tend to look for statistics that support arguments, leading you to wonder as to the source as well as any possible balanced counterarguments. Lots of numbers are thrown around here, and while I'm sure these have been thoroughly researched, more balance is needed. "Dogs and Demons" becomes far too one-sided in its arguments, making it a little tedious, repetitive and ultimately depressing.

While Kerr's passion of Japanese culture is without question, and his writing this book is aimed as a wake-up call to the Japanese to correct their errors, the good points it makes get lost in a stream of figures and criticism. The book lacks a natural flow to read, piling on extra bits to further the argument and as such could have been shorter to avoid repetition in places.

But what is interesting is that written many years ago now, with its criticisms of destroying landscapes, extensive bureaucracy, wasteful education systems, etc., etc., in criticising Japan for being behind the times, Kerr has unwittingly almost written the blueprint for many nations subsequently. As London chooses to build odd-shaped skyscrapers and tasteless housing, in this sense, Japan was ahead of the times.

The message of this book is clear, and certainly good points are made along the way, with much that needs to be heeded for things to improve. The journey, however, is not always so enjoyable.

Days to read: 22

Days per book: 15.3

The Gate (Natsume Soseki)

Every now and again, I feel "Ooo, I should read some Natsume Soseki." That recently happened again, and choosing between the various (three in total) different editions of "The Gate" that Foyles of Charing Cross Road had to offer, I opted for the cheapest.

Sosuke and wife Oyone rent their lodgings in Tokyo. Here they live a relatively quiet and peaceful life, where little happens and that's the way they intend to keep it. But while little happens on the surface, there are undercurrents of a troubled past, disputes with relatives over finances and Sosuke's younger brother's potential slip into alcoholism, as well as the hanging cloud of their childless marriage.

The couple try and avoid direct confrontation as much as possible, always putting off problems that need to be solved until another time. As such their lives are constantly on edge due to their lack of activity, as tomorrow will always be there.

As ever, Natsume's working of a story about the inner-workings of the human soul and how this affects outer lives is expertly crafted, with some brilliantly written passages that can only suggest that my reading "now and again" should be "very often." Why put things off until tomorrow?!...

Days to read: 17

Days per book: 15.3

Sixty-Nine (Ryu Murakami)

After some heavy and/or politically-charged writings about the human condition, some light relief was called for. "Sixty-Nine" by Ryu Murakami was one such book. Not about oral sex, it is in fact set in the year named after the sex act.

Set in Murakami's hometown of Sasebo about a seventeen year old in '69, there is definitely something of an autobiographical slant to this work. Written from the viewpoint of a thirty-something narrator looking back on his teenage school years, this is a tongue-in-cheek memoir full of self-deprecating humour; with grandiose recalling soon shot-down by the reality.

Murakami's novels can tend to be quite sex-heavy, but despite its name, "Sixty-Nine" has more innocence to it than its antithesis, "Almost Transparent Blue". The latter looks at disaffected youth, in days of hedonism with sex and drugs and rock n roll; whereas the former looks more at the naivety of everyday teenagers. While wanting revolution, the characters' motivations are hollow, purely to get the attention of girls in attempts to lose their virginity; which of course, they do not. There is little referencing to drug taking; and music is a passion of youth, rather than a temporary voice for the disenfranchised.

"Sixty-Nine" isn't what you'd call groundbreaking, but is a nicely written pseudo-memoir that flows easily in the mind.

Days to read: 5

Days per book: 15.2

Every 14 Days...(37)

Seiobo There Below (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

It's fair to say that Krasznahorkai is a difficult author to read, with his lack of punctuation and endless, rolling sentences that go on for pages and pages. But stick with it, and the rewards are there to be seen. 'Satantango' and 'War and War' were challenging, and 'Seiobo There Below' perhaps tops them in terms of trying to get your head around the extreme depth in the writing.

Essentially, 'Seiobo There Below' is a collection of short stories; not that it's particularly framed that way. Each chapter is the story of the relationship between an individual, or individuals, to a work of art. This takes various forms: a Buddhist monk preserving a statue of a Buddha;  a Hungarian going to the Acropolis of Athens, only for it to be too sunny for him to see anything, thus spending his time drinking with some young locals; a security guard for the Venus de Milo at the Louvre in Paris; others.

Each is a painstaking look at how we appreciate art, all with a sense of pain and suffering as the cost of the reward. Each is meticulous in its detail, with the heavy influence of Japanese art reflective of Krasznahorkai's time spent in Asia. And indeed, this is not without its suffering itself. The need to immerse yourself in the minds of various individuals in Krasznahorkai's long-winded fashion takes some effort on the part of the reader, needing to juggle a lot of detailed text with knowledge of various artistic styles and cultures. The chapters are even numbered to the Fibonacci Sequence!

The title comes from a story midway through the book, 'The Life and Work of Master Inoue Kazuyuki', about a second-rate and over-worked Noh master in Kyoto, who has to summon the goddess Seiobo from his very depths for his performance. With 'Seiobo There Below', Krasznahorkai has performed similar feats.

Days to Read: 22

Days per book: 15.3

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick)

Another one of those books that 'I should have read by now,' seeing as it's had a lot of influence on other works in its time, and I've seen 'Blade Runner'...in bits. With recent releases like the 'Ghost in the Shell' remake, I thought it was perhaps time that I read it.

Overall, I'd say this was a book where the idea is stronger than the actual book itself. I'm not particularly a big one for sci-fi, particularly in book form, and so the writing style was not much for me, feeling a little short on painting a picture in my mind, more telling you exactly what happened. Moments seem to come out of nowhere and are over in a flash.

The ideas, however, are good, and one can see why they have influenced many films, manga and comics, particularly considering it was a book written in the Sixties, with society moving more towards artificial forms.

It's a shame that they don't come packaged a little better, however. The characters and their relationships seem as artificial as the intelligence on display, lacking any particular depth. As such, while the concepts are interesting, they're ones you're quite happy to not be living with.

Days to read: 15

Days per book: 15.3

Too Much Information (Dave Gorman)

Having polished off his other books, I now turned to the latest instalment of bearded checked-shirt wearer Dave Gorman's paper-format writing. Each of his previous books have been about journeys; though this one less so. Though perhaps the journeys he was taking were starting to become a little convoluted.

Here we look at the concept of the digital age and the endless stream of consciousness it sends our way, to the point where we can no longer see what we take in, blinded as we are by all the other distractions around us. This is a world where we see, but don't look; hear, but don't listen; and read without any information actually being taken in.

This is an interesting concept, particularly in this day and age of multiple screen-viewing, endless multi-tasking, that actually sees us only do things by halves, not giving our full attention to what is necessary. There is an interesting social point raised here, though - naturally for a more comedy format book - taking an in-depth sociological look at the issue is perhaps missed. Along the way, this becomes more of a collection of rants and raves, similar to the various anthologies of articles comedians and writers now release for people who can't really be arsed to read the Guardian every Sunday. A lot of the content was used in his recent 'Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Goodish' series on Dave, though its 2014 release perhaps pre-dates the televised versions.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it would perhaps have been nice for a more depth summary of the comedic observations and investigations he conducts, with a little more comment at the cost of a little of the comedy.

Days to read: 13

Days per book: 15.3

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

You should never judge a book by its cover...yeah, you should! If the promotional cover's rubbish, what is the undoubted shit inside going to be like, I jest! But all joking aside (the left-hand side), I should have paid more heed to the cover for this edition of Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'...and then never read it.

The tagline reads 'A fable about following your dream.' But also states '65 million copies sold,' implying you should buy it because it's popular, not because of your personal desires. Switching to the back, we see 'Dreams are made to be followed. Life is meant to be lived. Some books are meant to be read, loved and passed on. 'The Alchemist' is one of those books.' It then features celebrity endorsements, not reviews, from the likes of Madonna and Will Smith (not the not-that-one Will Smith, but that other one). This is why you shouldn't buy books online.

Paulo Coelho is one of those names you see a lot on book shelves: a name I thought I should probably have read some of by now, assuming he was some kind of Brazilian Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  But very quickly I was aware that this wasn't for me. I'm not sure where to start with why I didn't enjoy this, but what follows are some suggestions.

Perhaps due to translation, but the writing style is far too simplistic. This is not literature, but storytelling one would expect in a primary school assembly. As such, this is a book that annoys rather than engrosses, and you simply want to stop reading it. Each page feels the need to give us a handy life tip, which are incredibly repetitive. Life is far too easy for our young hero; everyone he comes across is simply a guide on his journey, pointing him in the right directions, far too happy to help. Call me cynical, but life just isn't like that. The moral here is that if you want something to happen, you just need to really want it and life will complete the puzzle for you.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. Put simply: this is a bad book. The young hero learns 'the soul of the world,' while his English travelling companion only reads books and so learns nothing of life. Some books teach you nothing of the world. 'The Alchemist' is one of those books.

Days to read: 8

Days per book: 15.3

100 Anime (Philip Brophy)

Sometimes with books on a certain genre or theme, the most simply packaged are the most effective. For the BFI, Philip Brophy's '100 Anime' is simply that: a review of a hundred different anime films or series. Not the best, not the most noteworthy; just a hundred of them.

Starting by looking at some consistent themes across anime and Japanese culture, Brophy looks at each of the hundred within the context of these themes, a lot of which are sexual. To an extent, the academic look at some of the titles might be a little too much and reading too much into things. However, his analysis does shed some interesting light on some of the works.

Admittedly, I haven't watched some of the hundred. In fact, I have only seen a small percentage. For those I have seen, it adds some interesting perspectives. For those I have not, it either makes me want see them instantly or can be a slightly dull read for a couple of pages, reading about something I haven't seen and am unlikely to ever be interested in doing so.

That said, this is a thorough and comprehensive look at a snapshot of the contradiction-in-terms I've just written.

Days to read: 36

Days per book: 15.2

Every 14 Days...(36)

The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)

I was directed to this mammoth of a book by a Jasper Sharp review of a completely unrelated one. It was nothing to do with my Catholicism or Connery-ism. It's not something that I would normally choose - a novel set in a medieval monastery - though for some reason I did.

Adso, a young monk (or whatever), German, I believe, follows his mentor, an elder Geordie monk (so I'm imagining the guy Sean Connery played in the film, yeah?) to a monastery in Italy to investigate the mysterious death of one of its number. After their arrive, further deaths occur as the duo try to piece the puzzle together, with all pieces pointing to the library, for which entry is barred.

Eco, being a semiotician, writes extended descriptions throughout the work, with all details of significance, in what turns out to be a long read. Each chapter starts with a brief summary of what is about to come, showing that it is not necessarily revelations in the story with which he wants to draw you, but the significance and meaning behind them.

There is a lot to take in, with what could be a straightforward whodunit turned into something much more, making the book's conclusion that much more significant. It's a challenge, with much going over your head or passing you by, with Eco's own summation at the end, to an extent, necessary.

Days to read: 51

Days per book: 15.3

Mainlander (Will Smith)

No, not that one. English mainland-born, Jersey-raised (not that Jersey) comedian and writer, Will Smith.

Colin (and I want to say 'as played by Smith,' as he seems very much a character based on his own image, from the stand-up/writing of his I have seen) in an English teacher on the island of Jersey, though he is originally from mainland England, thus a 'mainlander'. One evening while escaping his wife, driving to the sounds of Eighties power-pop, he comes across one of his pupils hanging by a cliff edge. Feeling he should do the right thing, it's something he chooses to raise the next day at school, the boy himself now absent. His private investigations into the matter win him no friends on an island where people simply believe things will put themselves right.

Smith is no stranger to including an irreverent look at his adopted homeland in his work, with his impressive, yet obsessive, '6 Degrees of Bergerac', and with 'Mainlander' he chooses to lampoon the small islander mentality of Jersey-folk. While starting from the perspective of Colin, chapters soon switch to other inhabitants of the island: Colin's wife; her ex, with whom she is now having an affair; and a local detective. Though Smith chooses to include two further mainlanders: a Scouser working on the islands; and, interestingly, a Frenchman acting as right-hand man of local playboy Rob - the ex with whom Colin's wife is having an affair.

The locals paint a picture of an island where nothing happens, as everyone knows everyone and there's no chance of escaping gossip. Though 'Mainlander' pooh-poohs (hehe) this idea, unearthing a catalogue of crimes, secrets and mysterious pasts.

This is a very likable read: the sort of book you can devour at will, easy as it is to read, progressing well, with the switching of focus maintaining your attention. As a first attempt at a novel it is a strong showing, focusing on a subject matter with which Will Smith is well-versed and it'll be interesting to see how further efforts turnout.

Days to read: 10

Days per book: 15.3

War and War (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

My promises of attempting to watch the seven-hour film adaptation of 'Satantango', my first attempt at a Krasznahorkai novel, have not yet come to fruition, though I did buy a copy for my wife for her birthday...it's a start.

From my previous experience, and reading that the man himself states, and I paraphrase, 'only God can use full stops,' I was expecting 'War and War' to be another slog. Though after something light, airy and Jersey-based, like a cow, I was up for something hard and Hungarian, like a hussar. Most of 'War and War' is set in New York.

Korin is an archivist in a small Hungarian town, uncovering a manuscript while at work. With no identifiable source on it, he begins to read it, and its revelations change his world forever. Verging on madness, he feels compelled to give up everything and go to New York to upload the manuscript to that most modern of inventions: the Internet (it was the 1990s) before his demise.

Each sentence is numbered and is anything from a paragraph to three pages in length. You have to really think when reading this, therefore. It's no simple read. But once you get over this fact after the first few pages of turning tear-soaked paper, you realise that the rambling writing structure is very much to the benefit of the reader. Rather than being a struggle, it can help the text flow in one's mind. It also serves to get the reader in the head of the rambling, bumbling Korin, with the answer to all life's questions locked in his mind, though the key of comprehension is missing. What appears a daunting read can become quite satisfying.

When focusing on Korin, his internal processes and his discovery when gazing around the skyscrapers of New York, the books flourishes. It struggles in the middle, in Korin's daily relaying of the manuscript to the non-Hungarian lover of the interpreter he lodges with on arrival in New York. The manuscript jumps through time at will, acknowledged by both Krasznahorkai and Korin alike, though you do not find yourself taking the same journey with the characters as Korin does. The journey you are on is with Korin.

Krasznahorkai makes you work for the conclusions, and you're not quite sure you get to them yourself, though Korin's revelations from the manuscript of humanity switching from a state of war to a state of war, never peace, is one that lingers, bringing meaning to the book's opening: 'Heaven is sad.'

Days to read:16

Days per book: 15.3

Silence (Shusaku Endo)

Rather than watching Martin Scorsese's recent re-make of the aforementioned, I thought I'd actually read the original text first. Catholic that he is, Scorsese often talks of the impact this book has had on him and his faith, with the film thirty years in the imagining, and ten years in the making.

In all honesty, I can't say I'm too fussed about watching the film, other than my unnecessary attempts to see every film starring Tadanobu Asano, even the really bad ones - you know the ones I mean, Keanu Reeves! I'd probably much rather watch the 1971 Masahiro Shinoda version, adapted by the Endo himself.

Well, enough about audio-visuals, what of textual eye intake? Well, for a book about incredibly difficult internal struggles and revelations, this is a particularly easy read. Despite switching in its styles and approaches - starting as letters sent home, moving into conventional narrative and then to diary entries - the story flows very well and can be breezed through at quite a pace. Though that is where ease ends with Endo's 'Silence'.

Rodrigues is a priest from Portugal who wants to locate his former mentor, considered lost in Seventeenth Century Japan - a place and time dangerous for Christians. Journeying via ship around Africa, he and his companion Garrpe, stopping off in Macao before sneaking into Japan, with the aid of a drunk Japanese, Kichijiro. Locating some local underground Christians, the Portuguese soon serve as missionaries in their new land. But once settled, the persecution of Christians becomes apparent, with the local authorities arresting local Christians, and eventually Rodrigues. Imprisoned and burdened with the suffering of his new-found flock, his faith is tested to its limits.

As a Japanese Christian, Endo is keen to see the arguments for Christianity's place in Japan from both sides: the Christians want to spread their message of truth; the Japanese wanting to remove foreign influence and the bickering factions of the religion brought by different Europeans. Dialogue, therefore, is typically theological debate between Rodrigues and his captors. The arguments from both sides don't always fall on deaf ears, with the Japanese simply wanting Rodrigues to commit apostasy to undermine his power to Japanese Christians.

The Japanese commit despicable acts upon those captured, placing the blame at the feet of Rodrigues for not renouncing his faith. As the screams continue, Rodrigues suffers without a sign from his God, soon unable to maintain his position. Throughout, the concept of God's 'silence' is plainly spelt out, with use of the word, in the translation at least, frequently made. This does dumb down and lessen the impact of the revelations, as well as not feeling like that great writing to an extent. Though this is toward the middle of the book only, the end coming on strongly.

The Japanese argue that Christianity cannot blossom in the 'swamp' of Japanese land. The God Japanese Christians follow is a confused version of the European God. As such, 'Silence' is as much about cultural differences as anything. As ideas migrate, they will be adopted by the locals in their own image, either misunderstood or rejected. To the Japanese authorities, Christianity is a war between the Protestant Dutch and Catholic Portuguese; a warring religion the Japanese do not want in their land, with the faith of the individual less important.

Parallels with today show that we have not come that far, and unwittingly, Scorsese's finally-realised piece couldn't have been more timely...

...If he stays faithful to the novel, of course. I wouldn't know.

Days to read: 9

Days per book: 15.3

Every 14 Days...(33)

A Clergyman's Daughter (George Orwell)

And so I reach my final George Orwell novel: 'A Clergyman's Daughter'. I decided to leave this one until last as, you know, 'The Clergyman's Daughter:; she sounds like a right frigo! But it's the fact that she has less-than-frigid moments that get her into so much trouble.

Living a repetitive life in a small Suffolk village, Dorothy is the servant of her father, ensuring the running of the local church, and indeed lots of the daily life of the village. But lured by the advances of an older local (piss) artist, and the fear of the scandal it will bring, she soon finds herself awake in London, lost and confused as to how and why she got there. She then goes on a journey to find money, food and shelter, all the while keeping her secret safe.

Being Orwell, this is a critique of something, and here it is various institutions keeping the little man in his place: Dorothy struggles to get consistent pay as a hop picker; before being constantly moved on as a homeless in London; before working in a low-level private school, where education and the magic of teaching come second to obtaining the school fees from the parents. In all areas, she is kept in her place, unable to go against the status quo, as the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. She, therefore, returns to her old life, the scandal now died down, in yet another system of daily struggle, but one supposedly more respectable.  

The switching of scenarios asks some faith in the reader: To go from scenario to scenario in quick succession, often without real explanation, doesn't leave this as a story with natural flow. The whole chapter of random dialogue between London's homeless is difficult to follow, but serves to show the various  characters that inhabit the streets.

This is not his best, probably his worst, but is still an interesting work, nonetheless. Orwell done, now for the complete works of Katie Price.

Days to read: 20

Days per book: 14.9

The Shipping Man (Matthew McCleery)

The enticing back cover of this book reads thus:

'Part fast paced financial thriller, part ship finance text book, The Shipping Man is required reading for anyone with an interest in capital formation for shipping.'

Now, this book isn't really aimed at me. But it is aimed at my wife, and that is why I bought it for her as a gift - I'm that kind of husband.

Robert Fairchild is a bored American stockbroker?, investment banker? - one of those sorts of jobs - and unwittingly finds himself with the opportunity to buy himself a shipping vessel, courtesy of a mysterious Greek stranger. Soon realising that venturing into the shipping industry - like buying a flat in Budapest - isn't as simple as Monopoly, he finds himself left with a ship in need of some TLC (don't go chasing waterfalls). Needing to get rid of it quick, he comes to a mutual agreement with an unusual Norwegian, as his shipping adventure continues.

It's not really the stuff of classic literature, and immediately on reading you know this is written by someone whom isn't exactly an English Literature graduate. Broken into short, simple paragraphs, this doesn't paint pictures with words, and has dialogue designed to describe financial transactions, as opposed character development.

So, is it any good? Well, if you want classic literature, definitely not. If you work in the Norwegian ship finance industry, it will probably make references to things you come across on a daily basis, and as such, you can feel a connection to it. It's entertaining enough, and offers some insight into a world in which I have never really expressed an interest.

It's fair to say this has niche appeal.

Days to read: 11

Days per book: 14.9

Satantango (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

I fell for Foyles of Charring Cross Road's marketing, picking this up off the 'suggestions shelf' and buying it as it was written by someone with a Hungarian name - my Hungarian wife was with me at the time, and was able to confirm it was indeed a Hungarian name (doesn't Hungarian look like Higuain?!).

I subsequently learnt that Bela Tarr's epic film adaptation is over a whopping seven hours in length and opens with something like ten minutes of cows standing in a field. This is going to be a real page-turner then, isn't it?!

A village lies in wait in Eighties Hungary; waiting for The End. The inhabitants spend their days drinking, suspicious of each other, with nothing to hope for. Until one day, news comes that the charismatic Irimias is due to return after some years away. On his arrival, the village bursts back into life, with the villagers eager to follow him to a better tomorrow, whatever that may be. But their habits now entrenched, the group cannot help but live out the same problems that plagued their days, just in a new location.

Much like the film after it (I'm guessing), this is one that is a challenge for its audience. There are no paragraphs, well, one per chapter anyway, meaning that this is written in long blocks of text, making it difficult to follow exactly who is talking, when; or leave a pause for breath. But essentially, you know it means it's written by someone better than you are.

This is a long slog, but a rewarding one: the officers' translating Irimias' 'reports' toward the end bringing humour; as does the tragedy of the conclusion. It is not always the most entertaining, but absorbing and clever, and as you come to the end, you just know you're going to give a third of a day in attempting to watch it on the moving picture box. I like cows.  

Days to read: 17

Days per book: 15.0

The Nakano Thrift Shop (Hiromi Kawakami)

Feeling forced into reading Kawakami's 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' after months of Internet marketing, the marketing for her latest work was much more direct and easy: It was everywhere in Foyles, so it was picked up and bought.

Now, the former was somewhat light, but enjoyable enough, so didn't fully satisfy. This is something that can also be said of 'The Nakano Thrift Shop'.

Hitomi is a young and naive girl whom takes a job at a small thrift shop, run by the strange middle-aged womaniser, Mr Nakano. The slow life in the shop means that Nitomi, Nakano-san, his sister and the other young employee, Takeo, spend much of their days sitting around and yacking, while eating take-away ramen. Nothing much happens then, until Hitomi starts making whoopee with Takeo, leading to obsessive mobile phone antics.

I said Hitomi was naive, and that is pretty much the theme of this book. She seems confused in the adult world, unsure of her life goals both in work and love. She is, therefore, a little annoying. As the narrator, you are put into her state of mind and may find yourself not always agreeing with her way of thinking, or just annoyed by it.

The writing style is quite simplistic, stating things blatantly, rather than laying seeds for the imagination, and so it doesn't ask too much of its reader. This will no doubt make it a 'bestseller', easy for daily commutes, but won't challenge you too much.

Like 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' before it, this is the very definition of a light read.

Days to read: 12

Days per book: 14.9