Coincidence or What?

During the last couple of weeks I have been reading a book entitled 'In the blood' [A genealogical crime mystery] by Steve Robinson. I hadn't read any of it for a couple days as I have been concentrating on writing my new short story: late this afternoon I decided to get back to reading the book.

A few minutes ago; at about 18:05 hrs. I read the following sentence: “According to the IGI Mathew Parfitt was christened on November 23^rd, 1803.”

How strange that today is November 23^rd. How curious that November 23^rd is also my birthday, not quite a christening, but close enough.

Is it a coincidence, is it a sign, or what? I think at least it might be an idea sometime for the plot of a short story.

Kindle Touch cheaper from Amazon.es

I ordered my Kindle Touch 3G on the Amazon.co.uk website and for this order selected my Spanish address for delivery rather than my UK address this time. I was therefore advised that it was necessary for me to be diverted to Amazon.es for this order.

Dam I thought, that's inconvenient and as electrical goods and computers are, from my experience, generally more expensive in Spain.

However I am very pleased to say that I was proved wrong. The Kindle Touch is cheaper in Spain than in the UK. I know there are complaints that the Touch is more expensive in Europe than America but that's another argument. On .co.uk website the price of the Kindle is £169.00, and the cost of the cover is £30.99. On the .es site the prices are €189.00 and €34.99. These seem to be at a £1 : €1.12 conversion rate. If my memory is right the last time we saw this rate was in May 2011. Now I know there has been a continued increase in the average exchange rate since then, but is it not a little strange that Amazon are pricing a product with a launch date of 27^th April 2012 and using such a low conversation rate? Having said this I'm certainly happy that they have done so because the exchange rate on my UK sterling credit card when they charged for the order was £ : €1.2197. this meant I gained a saving of £16.35 on the UK price. Thank you Amazon.

Since starting to think about this article I must also thank them again for an excellent delivery of my order. It arrived today; one day before they said in their emailed confirmation of my order, two days before the official launch date of the Kindle Touch range in Europe.

Now I have to learn how to use it properly to get all the benefits of its facilities.

North Slope By Michael Parker

I have finished reading North Slope By Michael Parker. Click on the link to read all about the book rather than me repeating it here. Michael Parker is a new author to me and I am very pleased to have come across this book. The plot is fast moving with interesting twists and turns. The characters are explained in enough detail to understand them. The description of the Alaska weather and the hardships endured by the cast of the novel bring a chill to the readers bones.

I recommend this book and will include Micheal Parker's other titles in my future reading list.

Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

I have just finished reading 'Hostile Witness' by Rebecca Forster .

This is an excellent court room thriller with many twists and turns in the plot to keep ones interest. It is a fast moving story with very good character analysis and court room scenes.

It follows the trial of sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton who is charged with arson and the murder of her step-grandfather. There is the added complication that he was the chief justice of the California Supreme court. Her mother pleads with Josie Baylor-Bates, an old college friend for help in defending Hannah. As Josie investigates the facts surrounding the alleged crime and the complications of the personal life of the family she gets further involved than a lawyer ought to.

This is the first book by Rebecca Forster that I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, having difficulty in putting it down. I recommend it as a very good and interesting read.

A Child al Confino

I have just finished reading 'A Child al Confino' (Click on the title to learn more) by Eric Lamet. A most enjoyable read about his life and experiences in the run up to the Second World War and his internment with his mother in Italy for the duration. I recommend this book.

The Lincoln Lawyer

I have just finished reading 'The Lincoln Lawyer' written by Michael Connelly. Rather than explaining the plot of the book here, click on the title for the full synopsis from the author.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It is a easy read; a gripping tale with unexpected diversions around the central court trial; that reached a suspense conclusion that brought the tale to a satisfactory end.

God is not Great.

I have just finished reading Christopher Hitchens' book entitled 'God is not Great' (this link is to a chapter by chapter summary).

I have found it a very interesting but difficult book to read. Difficult in that the quality of writing highlighted my inadequacies in both English language and literature. This is a consequence of the failings of myself and the state secondary modern education schooling system at the time and not of the writer. There was a constant need for me to consult the dictionary to gain the full benefit of content. It is a good job that the Kindle for PC programme, via which I read the book, includes an easily accessed source of word clarification.

The reading of this book has not brought about a life changing belief but has added clarification to my long held rejection of the validity and belief in a religious faith. To use a quote of Christopher Hitchens when referring to himself and like thinkers, myself included, “Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason.”

It is a book that has a meaningful message for both, those who don't believe in the unproven, and those who believe in the unbelievable, and unsubstantiated. It is worth the time and effort to read it. Perhaps more than once to fully comprehend the full thesis put forward by 'Hitch'.

I think now is the time for me to read his autobiography 'Hitch – 22'.

The Bomber by Liza Marklund

I had not heard of Liza Marklund or her novel 'The Bomber' and so had no particular reason to choose this book to read at this time, except that it was on special offer in ASDA, 2 books for £7.

The advertising précis on the back cover was another enticement telling me that;

“Crime reporter Annika Bengtzon is woken by a phonecall in the early hours of a wintry December morning. An explosion has ripped apart the Olympic Stadium, and a victim has been blown to pieces. As Annika delves into the details of the bombing and the background of the victim, there is a second explosion. When her police source reveals they are hot on the heels of the bomber, Annika is guaranteed an exclusive with her name on it. But it soon becomes clear the she has uncovered too much, as she finds herself the target of a deranged serial killer.”

Further comments such as “One of the most popular crime writers of our time” - Patricia Cornwell, “No one tells a story like Liza Marklund” - Karin Slaughter, “Nail-biting action and excitement” - Daily Express, and more on this theme added to the hype with the final catcher on the front cover; “All she wants for Christmas …..is to survive”.

The marketing departments of the publisher and the retailer had done their job.

Having just finished reading the novel unfortunately I am disappointed in it. It did not match up to my expectations.

It is an easy read and the descriptions are full and enlightening, where they needed to be. I liked the way that the dialogue was used to enhance the scene setting and move the story on where it needed to be. The plot as outlined could have resulted in an interesting and fast moving suspense story but unfortunately I found that the author took us on too many unnecessary detours. Too much time was spent describing the workings and internal politics within the newspaper which Annika the central character worked for. It was not directly relevant to the main story and I found it distracting. To a lesser extent I found that the time spent on detailing the family life of the heroine was more than was required to understand her and the pressures on her work life. This was no more than any other working mother and wife so was not a unique situation that required the many words written.

I think that the story could have been written a little tighter to the main story and in therefore in fewer words without any loss of emphasis of the central plot. The conclusion of the scenario is too weak, almost as if the author reached the point of thinking she had written enough and needed to finish it as quickly as possible in order not to go over a limitation of the total number of words to be published.

It was not a book that I found I had to keep reading and therefore difficult to put down. It was a pleasant read if not enthralling. I would neither recommend or dismiss it, if asked I will merely say I've read it. At some point in the future I may well give another Liza Marklund novel a try.