You somehow don't expect there to be sky in Leeds. There is so much going on above eye level that the sky seems just an insignificant covering over the top. So when it is actually interesting, it makes the view over stimulating.

Today the slice of sky filling the void between the towering Yorkshire Bank and the wide Norwich Union was a detailed mesh of overlaping greys. Each fractal edged cloud was of a contrasting grey to the next, the lighter ones evenly dispersed among the darker to make a checker board over the sky. it was like an intricate line drawing or a precise Escher print - not like weather at all.

In the next slice it was entirely different - a patch of pure blue framed by sharp edged white sheep clouds, their outlines brightly illuminated by the hidden sun. One stray grey wisp spoiled the summery view - its indistinct boundaries messing with the cut glass scene.

Heartsong James Welch

For the first time in ages, I chose this book just coz I happened to see its pretty cover on the shelf! Then, reading that James Welch was respected from writing “in the Native American tradition”, I figured it was worth a try based on that.

It was entirely fine, if not terribly remarkable. In 1890s Marseille, Charging Elk is left behind after the Buffalo Bill show leaves the town while he is in hospital. Not understanding the language or culture of the world that he has found himself, Charging Elk is alternately passed between government bureaucrats and left to fend for himself as he starts to learn about his new environment.

A gentle read, Heartsong subtly explores the problems that Charging Elk has understanding the cultural differences between the Oglala and western paradigm, and creates a believable and sympathetic, if not slightly stereotypical character in Charging Elk.

Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser, Allen Lane, 2001

Oh, its all very disturbing - fries that have a higher beef fat content than hamburgers, the high mortality of fast food restaurant workers, multiple injuries in met processing planes, union blocking, microbes that liquefy your brain and internal organs. There are loads of juicy tit-bits crammed into Fast Food Nation, most of which will persuade you never to take a bite out of fast food again!

Eric Schlosser starts at the beginning, and having described the rise of the fast food industry from the first hot dog carts to the mega corporations of today, he goes through the entire fast food process from the soul destroying farming methods through the gut wrenching food preparation to the down right unethical treatment of staff.

Strangely he manages to keep a lid on the sensationalism that inevitably arising from such disturbing revelations, and this leaves he narrative confidence inspiring. But it really is enough to put you off McDonalds for life.

Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood, Bloomsbury, 2003

Maybe I’m easily scared, but Oryx and Crake terrified me. It wasn’t the alarming vision of a genetically engineered future or the stratified society so much as the aching loneliness that permeates the narrative.

Atwood has always seems to me to be an easy but satisfying read. You start one of her books and five hours later you’re finished. They are impossible to put down.

This is no exception. I was entirely immersed in her believable future where the lucky live in company controlled compounds with all mod cons and high security developing bio-miracles to enhance and prolong their lives. The narrative moves forward in two time frames, the “before” and “after” and the reader’s understanding of the what the world has become is informed equally by both. By the end, I was ready as furiously as I could, desperate to find out how this bizarre future had come about. Atwood’s imagination and attention to detail (virtual bullets aside) are the high points of a marvellously frightening tale and this is definitely one of her best.

The Queen’s Fool
Philippa Gregory, HarperCollins 2003

The are two possibilities – either life in Tudor England revolved around royal espionage and the rights of women, or Philippa Gregory is somewhat hung up of these two facets. If I am being realistic, its probably a reasonable mixture of both, but I have to admit to being slightly disappointed that the second Gregory book that I have read explored pretty much the same ground as the first.

The Virgin Queen starts its narrative 12 years after the end of The Other Boleyn Girl heralded the execution of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII is dead and his son Edward is holding the throne. His death and Mary’s reign are seen through the eyes of Hannah, a Spanish Jew, living in disguise with her printer father in London. Hannah is thrown into court life when she sees an angel accompanying Robert Percy and is begged as a holy fool for the king – to use her “sight” to make predictions. As England is plunged into the turmoil of an unstable monarchy and oscillating decrees on religion, Hannah becomes closer to the Queen and her sister and becomes more fearful for her safety.

Again, the book revolves around the main character’s attempt to control her own life and not be passed between relatives and royalty. However, Hannah is not as charming as May Boleyn was, and the characters that control her are less sympathetic despite their well penned strong wills and desires. I also would have appreciated a greater amount of historical context – how they ate, washed, lived – the grimy bits! However, it was still an enjoyable and accessible read, and was the first I had really read about the Jews in hiding in Tudor England

God, its being a boring autumn! - i was poised to write about all sorts of adventures across the land and the wonderful thoughts I would have - but somehow we haven't got to go anywhere (though that might have something to do with spending lots of money on a boat!!!!!), and so this blog has turned into a review site!

Oh well, I am not disheartened. Cornwall beckons in three weeks time, and we are starting to plan next year. So far it looks like Prague, Skye and Cornwall with hopefully some trips to the Cotswolds, moors, dales, lakes etc. And definitely more camping!!

So I am going to change my description of this blog. I am far to private a person to post half the things that I think about, and not bored enough to start burbling about my day. So I shall continue along this theme, and start to sound like a book-a-holic (thats what 40mins a day on the train does to you), and there will be some posts about places that are not York as soon as I go to them!

Portuguese Irregular Verbs - A Professor Dr von Iglefeld Entertainment
Alexander McCall Smith, Polygon, 2003

Welcome to the charming adventures of the inimitable Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Ingelfeld. As a professor of philology, you might not expect the eccentric professor to have much scope for adventure, but his wonderful understanding of the world and the people in it renders even the most basic of experiences a wonderful exploit. In this, the first of several books, we learn a little of the professor’s past and are treated to stories of his adventures in the pornographic world of Old Irish and his new encounters with sports.

The professor is a delightfully clueless academic, and his exploits are so very funny! The style of the stories is marvellously accessible, and the humour much more exactly honed than McCall Smith's more famous Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.

The Other Boleyn Girl
Philippa Gregory, 2001 HarperCollins

Anne Boleyn is a well known figure to anyone who was forced to study the Tudors at GCSE. We all know that she seduced Henry VIII, had 6 fingers and was beheaded as a witch so that Henry was free to marry Jane Seymour. But she, like all historical characters described in note form ready for regurgitation in exams, has always seemed a bit dry to me! The Other Boleyn Girl describes the events of the English court from Henry’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon to Jane Seymour from the perspective of Mary, Anne’ older sister.

From early years being manoeuvred into bed with the King, to Anne’s eventual beheading, Mary provides a naïve narrative as she discovers the limits of her control over her life and the workings of a court whose purpose was only to please. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the pettiness of court and the trials that young women had to go through just to please their family. In fact, it was a real page turner, and I was loathe to put it down on several occasions. I can’t vouch for how accurate it was, some of the dialogue seemed to me to have a modern phrasing, but I really appreciated the telling of a story that I knew in facts alone as a set of situations affecting real people.

Adventures in a TV Nation
Michael Moore and Kathleen Glynn. HaperCollins 1998

I only discovered TV Nation at the end of its run on BBC2, and for reasons unknown, there don’t seem to have been any reruns. So it was with great pleasure that I delved into Adventures in a TV Nation. The book introduces the show and tells the stories of several of the features, from the conception of ridiculous ideas to the eventual segment, including the examples that never made it. There is also a chapter on the features that got stopped by the censors such as the Cuban success in the Health Care Olympics where patients from Canada, the US and Cuba were followed through hospital treatment for a broken leg. The Cuban system came out on top, with efficient, accurate and most importantly, free service, but the censors felt that the political situation was so volatile as to not be ready for such praise to be given!

It wasn’t exactly a hard read (all of three hours), but was immensely enjoyable, and a fascinating accompaniment to the show.

What I loved
Siri Hustvedt, Sceptre 2003

At first this book didn’t really grab me. The story of Leo, an art historian living in New York, and his relationships with his family and friends, wasn’t entirely boring, but it wasn’t dramatically exciting either. The characters were believable but not terribly engaging, the situations interesting but not page turning. At some points it felt that the author was in over her head trying to make the protagonist have insightful thoughts about the lives of those around him, but these thoughts were sometimes jarring and out of place. The highpoints were the discussions of the adults’ work; Violet’s investigations into hysteria, Bill’s exploration of life through painting, Leo’s dissection of art and Erica’s brief comments on literature.,

The story picked up when the character of one of the son’s became more extreme. The confusion that surrounds Mark’s actions and provocations is intriguing, and the story takes on aspects of a thriller as Leo is assaulted, exploited and led on a wild goose chance across the Midwest. We are introduced to a group of shady characters that inhabit the darker side of the art world, and are presented with a startling insight into their lives. The influence of the unpredictable Teddy Giles casts an ominous shadow on the proceedings, and the everyday occurrences become less familiar and more intriguing. The last third of the book was stimulating read, and well worth the slow build up.