Wednesday, 28 March 2012

English Passengers

Matthew Neale - read March 2012

Three stories, a crew of Manx smugglers, Tasmanian aborigines and an expedition of Englishmen. The three stories intertwine across the world. It gives an insight into the plight of the aborigines and the mindset of the English explorers. The Manxmen just have no luck but have the last laugh.

The book was the winner of the 2000 Whitbred Book of the Year. It was a good read once I got the hang of the style of writing.

Sunday, 18 March 2012

Timbers for Woodworking

Edited by J C S Brough read for reference

The book is a handbook for timber workers. It was first written in 1945 but this book is the revision published in 1955. It tells the reader all about timber; Where it comes from i.e. the distribution of the varieties, its properties, how the measure standing timber, how the cut it to yield the maximum timber but with regard to the look and use of the cut timber.

It is written in formal English of the 1940's. It is a great insight to handling standing timber to logged timber.

Sharpe's Honour

Bernard Cornwell read March 2012

Richard Sharpe is at Vitotia 1813. He goes of on a mission, gets the girls, loses the girls, loses and finds a forture, battles the French, dispenses justice and inspires his men to win the battles of Vitoria. It is the usual fare and is not a bad piece of entertainment for all that.

Sunday, 11 March 2012

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

David Mitchell - read March 2012

The really interesting story. As an Englishman it is strange to read stories from a different national perspective. The Dutch and the English have always had a strange relationship and this book goes someway to explaining it. It also has a lot to say about Japanese culture. It also gives an insight to the Japanese mind set.

The story has, what I thought was, a sad end but that's how life is.