October 2010 Archives

Fascinating account of the life of Joseph Needham, a Cambridge academic biologist who became an authority on China and the history of it's culture and science; and an equally fascinating and unusual insight into China's jack knife social, political and cultural changes since the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Amazon link: The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom - Simon Winchester

Finished off whilst 'baby sitting' B&R, Mortal Causes shows a sectarian side of Edinburgh that's little seen. A young man is found, murdered in a paramilitary style, his body hanging in one of Edinburgh's now-buried closes. As Rebus and Siobhan investigate, we're introduced to the sectarian underclass and undercurrents that exist in Edinburgh. To make things even more murky, Big Ger escapes from Barlinnie prison, and Abernethy from Special Branch turns up....

Amazon.co.uk link:
Mortal Causes - Ian Rankin

Siobhan appears, as does Big Ger, and we learn a little more about Rebus, this time in real Edinburgh locations - and with his fifth outing, Ian Rankin and John Rebus really hit their stride. A great read, with more than one black book and plenty of dirty deeds....

Amazon.co.uk: The Black Book - Ian Rankin

It's been a while since I last dipped into Sci Fi and I remember advidly reading Ursula Le Guin novels in my late teens.... but not The Dispossessed, which 'everyone' says is a must-read. So when Blech offered a bunch of old books up for grabs, I took the chance to take his copy.

Whilst the worlds of Anarres and Urras are entirely credible, and provide the setting for plenty of exploration of a range of alternative models for society, I just didn't feel any connection with the main character, brilliant physicist Shevek and this made the novel hard work for me. More of a worthy read than an impassioned one.

Amazon.co.uk link: The Dispossessed - Ursula Le Guin