Belated Post for the New Year

While I am doing most of my work now deciding where to eat, I am also working my way diligently through the Kindle back catalogue. Unfortunately the Man Booker thing didn't work Andrew, which as you can imagine, I am distraught about. BUt once we get to a palce where the internet is slightly better, I will download the hell out of those Man Booker books.

As is...

Things I watched on the plane that were memorable:

Watched this by the numbers thriller about some kid who had psychic powers or something but turned out to be a human working on another level, like basically an alien version of a human of whom glorious visions shot out of his eyes in the form of blinding white light. The CIA thought he was a weapon and were hunting him down and it was reasonably classy.

Watched about twenty minutes of this millenial movie about sex that seemed pretty terrible. Its called "How To Be Single". Featured that "Social Network" effect with texts embedded in the screen that will be as dated as the boxy computers and technofear of films like "The Net", but definitely not as good. I mean who can deny Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I can't.

Things I have read in Bali:

1. Broken Vows by Tom Bower
Well I am about 30% of the way through this painful sledging of what reads like the worst government the UK has ever had, the Blair Administration. Reading this is like "The Thick of It" but way more depressing. He starts in a negative place, post prime minister business dealings in Rwanda and Nigeria and then doesn't stop. It is relentless. It is dreary. With the Kindle Paperwhite, it tells you minutes left of each chapter. You end up spending lots of time looking at that.

2. Grunt by Mary Roach
Was very enjoyable. I feel this was one that Dad would love, and in fact anyone would probably love this. It was all about science, scientists and the science of making soldiers stay alive. There were chapters on Sharks, Submarines, Autopsies, Diarrhea and many more. It was definitely about 100% better than Broken Vows.

3. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
Even more enjoyable, Jon Ronson makes the sort of pop journalism that is tailor made for an airplane or holiday. This quick read was all about psychopaths which was told in a light and enjoyable manner, in the same mold as his book about Public Shaming, which was also really readable and enjoyable, and I presume anything else he has written.

4. My Lady Jane by three authors, who I won't be tracking down
Don't quite know why I read this, I think I was thinking classroom. Never really read any Young Adult fiction anymore, anyway. In order to liven up history, as if that is necessary, the authors don't worry with any complicated Protestant or Catholic machinations. Rather, the characters in this book can either turn into animals or not. This was basically what kept me reading till about halfway through this book and then I gave up. Its not that there is anything wrong with this book, I am just can't find the fifteen year old girl in me anymore.

5. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

Pretty good.