Reading in Reykjavík

I used to be a regular visitor of   the eponymous blog that spawned this book. I was aware from the first that it should really be titled "Stuff liked by stereotypical, white, middle-class, liberal, urban Americans aged between about 18 and 40", but that didn‘t make it any less funny. I‘d check in, smile or occasionally giggle over the humour, agree or disagree with Lander, and then move on to the next blog in my feed. For some reason (i.e. I found another blog I liked better – I have limited time to read blogs and only ever juggle about 10 at any given time) I stopped reading the blog, but coming across the book in a second hand shop brought a smile to my face and I bought it and took it home with me to read.  The thing to keep in mind when reading this book is that it is, as I said above, very much about stereotypes and therefore it is by necessity hyperbolic. It also seems to aim to shoot down or at least uncover pretentiousness and one-upmanship, which makes it s...

Year published: 1960 Genre: Science fiction, satire Setting & time: England, mid-20th century Two scientists discover an anti-ageing substance derived from lichen and put it to use in very different ways. When the public find out about the substance it is not, as one might expect, unanimously welcomed, and society is divided into different factions when people start to realise all the implications. I don’t quite understand why this book is labelled as science-fiction even if a scientific discovery and its consequences are at the centre of the plot. The science is explained in simple layman terms and doesn’t dominate the plot even though it is of course the factor that sets the plot in motion. This is an interesting moral satire on British society in the mid-20th century and an intelligent examination of what might happen in such a society if the people discovered that it was possible to double their expected lifespan. This is a fun read rather than a funny one, as the underton...

Originally published in 2 parts, in April and May 2004. Book 14 in my first 52 books challenge. Author: Muriel Spark Published: 1961 Where got: second hand shop Genre: Literature, satire I seem to have a knack for choosing books that have been made into movies. I wonder why? This week's choice was made into a memorable, if rather stagy, movie, starring the wonderful Maggie Smith. SPOILERS AHEAD! ... .. . .. ... Don't say I didn't warn you! The book is about a teacher at a private girl's school in Edinburgh (Scotland) who has her own special ideas about education. She strives to turn out girls who are liberated and free thinking - or what she thinks is liberated and free thinking. Her behaviour and teaching methods are far from orthodox in the conservative environment of the school. She makes enemies among the other teachers and the headmistress is constantly trying to find an excuse to get rid of her. Her closest allies are a group of her students, six girls known a...

Originally published in 2 parts, on March 24-26, 2004. Book 9 in my first 52 books challenge. Author: Evelyn Waugh Published: 1948 Where got: second-hand bookshop Genre: Social satire I first saw the movie as a child and again recently on TCM. I had no idea it was based on a book until I started reading about the film on IMDb, and when I found the book I immediately bought it in anticipation of a good read. Here are a couple of links to information about the author and his books: Evelyn Waugh: The best and the worst Evelyn Waugh (includes a bibliography) The novel tells the story of Dennis Barlow, a poet and ex-pat Englishman who has managed to make himself a nuisance to the stiff upper-lipped Englishmen of Hollywood by taking a job at a funeral home for pets - something that "just isn't done" by Englishmen Abroad. When arranging the funeral of a friend at Whispering Glades, a fancy and extremely kitsch funeral home, he meets a young cosmetician by the name of Aimée ...

This was the very first book review I posted on my very first blog ( 52 Books: A bibliophile's miscellany ), back in 2004. It was the first book I read as part of a book-a-week reading challenge that aimed at discovering as many new authors and genres as possible. I might not review it in the same way or give it the same rating now, but I am letting the entries stand as they were when I wrote it. All that has changed is that I left out some outside links, left out the cover image and fixed a spelling error or two as well (I hate those). Originally posted in several parts on January 24-31, 2004: Entry 1: I've had this book in my "to be read" pile since sometime last autumn, and have wanted to read it for even longer, which makes it a good choice for the first in my 52 books challenge. Below are a couple of links related to the book. Author : Joseph Heller Published : 1961 Where got : charity shop Genre : Satire, war Entry 2: I've finished several chapters and am be...