Book Review - 2021

Hi, reader

I haven't travelled much since I last posted. This morning I drove to various parts of Bordeaux trying to find a library, but to no avail. Each library I found was in a very busy part of the city and parking proved impossible. Eventually, I gave up and set my GPS for north, in the direction of Angers. Now I've found this lovely library in Angouleme. I think I'll relax here for a few hours and press on north later. I can see from my map that it'll take me at least two days to be in Calais.

As it's the last day of 2021, I've decided to review the books I've read this year. A few years back I realized that I'd pretty much stopped reading. I noticed that I was spending my free time more on computer games, social media and other distractions. It was especially annoying that I was using up so many hours on pointless games like Candy Crush, Pokémon Go and Angry Birds. When I was younger, I used to read all the time. Once, a kid on the school bus called me a book worm, and I took that as a compliment.

So back in 2018 or 2019, I decided to start reading again. Daily. Mostly I read on the journey to and from work and in bed before I sleep. A problem I have is that I'm a very slow reader. I have a need to hear every word inside my head and can't just skim over texts. Added to that, reading usually makes me drowsy, so I often only read about ten pages at a time.

Here, then, are my thoughts on the thirteen books I read in 2021 (in the order I read them).

Junkyard Planet by Alan Minter

This book was full of interesting information, but I also found it a never-ending trudge to get through. The writer has spent his life working in scrap management and recycling in various parts of the world and he gives a great insight into what happens to our unwanted stuff after we throw it away. I enjoyed the read but felt it could have been boiled down into a magazine article rather than a whole book.

Happy Slapped by a Jellyfish by Karl Pilkington

This one was a gift from my Mum. It was a very quick read and it's kind of a stream of consciousness collection of random thoughts from Karl. I feel that Karl Pilkington doesn't really belong in the world of celebrity and doesn't feel comfortable there either; he was thrust into the public eye by Ricky Gervais, mostly for Gervais' own amusement. If you like the kind of things Karl comes out with on the podcasts with Ricky and Steve, then I reckon you'll enjoy this too.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O' Malley

The only comic on the list. I love the Scott Pilgrim comics, and I especially like when they reference places I went to when I visited Toronto back in 2004. If you're a fan of Edgar Wright's movie adaptation of this series, then you'll certainly enjoy the comics. The series is about Scott Pilgrim, a slacker and part-time musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass ‍in a band. Although Bryan Lee O' Malley is Canadian, his art style is very Japanese and the comics have a Manga look to them.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

My friend Lisa leant me this one. Usually I love a story with a time travel element to it, but this one didn't grab me. The premise of the story is that Harry August's life begins again every time he dies and he retains the memories from his previous lives. As the story unfolds, we learn that there are other people experiencing the same phenomenon. I was grabbed by the interesting premise, but felt the writer didn't really do it justice. At times the story got confusing and at other times it dragged. Overall, it was an enjoyable enough read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Finally got round to reading this one! My friend Mark at British Council had been bugging me to read it for ages, and I got to see what all the fuss is about. This is a good story, but not as good as I was expecting. I know the author has more books in this series, but I don't feel compelled to read them just yet. This is one of those situations where I was reading a book that has been adapted into a film (twice). So as I was reading, I had a picture of Daniel Craig in my head for the main character. Overall, an engaging read, well-written, but didn't live up to the hype for me.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Another recommendation, this one from my student, Minerva. This book draws the reader in quickly by alluding to events that happen later in the story. The characters are well-defined and enjoyable to learn about. I don't want to spoil the story here, but I felt that the students were able to overcome their obstacles too easily for the most part - lack of conflict! It was a great book, and I'd read more by Donna Tartt in the future.

Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

I've seen the film maybe half a dozen times and I finally got round to reading the book. It's very good and I sped through it. One thing I noticed is that the author seems to be mimicking JD Salinger and the main character, Pat, talks to the reader just like Holden Caulfield. I noticed this early on in the book and then was surprised later to find Catcher in the Rye directly referenced! I think this is an impressive debut novel and recommend it.

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

This was my second time reading this book. I deliberately saved it to read during my last days in Thailand. It's an inspiring story of an Andalusian shepherd boy who leaves his life behind and follows his dream. I think I was hoping to get in that 'follow your dreams' spirit as I left behind my Bangkok comfort zone and headed for a COVID-ridden, Brexited Britain. This book is a quick and easy read and I'm sure I'll return to it in the future. 

A Song of Stone by Iain Banks

Dreadful! I've read six or seven books by Iain Banks in the past, starting with his debut effort, The Wasp Factory. I usually enjoy his fiction, although one or two have been all build up and a disappointing ending. This one lost me early on, and I found it vague, rambling, boring and I only soldiered on in the hope that there was going to be some amazing ending where everything suddenly made sense. Didn't happen. Iain Banks has written some great books, but I recommend you skip this one.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I remember being intrigued with this one when it first came out around 2002 and shot to the top of the best sellers lists. This year I finally got round to reading it and found it excellent. It's a dark story but told in an interesting, compelling way. I also liked the film adaptation, which stuck quite closely to the plot, with changes made being improvements in my opinion. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Another example of reading the book after seeing the film. I've seen Cuckoo's Nest many times, and it was great to finally read the novel. The story is narrated by 'Chief' Bromden, the gigantic yet docile half-Native American patient. We see everything unfold from his viewpoint, rather than McMurphy's. On the whole, the movie is better, especially the ending, but the book is fantastic too. The interesting thing I found is that the film has a great twist in the second half, yet that 'surprise' information is revealed to us right at the start of the book. The book cover reminds me of my travels in Scotland. I read it entirely in the back of my van!

Complicity by Iain Banks

I decided to give Iain Banks a second chance. I picked this book up in Plockton, Scotland from one of those little free libraries. I enjoyed this one more than Song of Stone, although found it a bit dated; the main character makes lots of references to music and bands and also computers and technology. The whole thing is very early nineteen nineties. The story is an engaging crime mystery. I see it's been made into a film starring Johnny Lee Miller, but I'm in no rush to watch it; the trailer looks awful.

My Booky Wook by Russell Brand

This was probably my most enjoyable read of 2021 and I finished it two days ago. I've long been a fan of Russell Brand and his eloquent use of the English language. This autobiography takes us through his early life, teenage years and his first tastes of fame through films, presenting and stand up comedy. Russell writes in the same way he speaks, sometimes using a flourish of obscure vocabulary, and sometimes talking like a bloke down the pub. I see there's a Booky Wook 2 and I'm looking forward to reading that.

And that's them all. Now I'm in France with nothing to read, and I really want to find a new book soon. Hope you've read some excellent books in 2021.

Thanks for reading my blog,

Brian

 

Back in France

Hi, reader

This'll be a short post because all I've really done today is drive. And it's been an easy drive. 

I've been concerned about the growing COVID variant hysteria, so I wanted to get from Spain to France before that border became more complicated. Actually, it was easy. Same as driving from France to Spain, there was no border check for passports, COVID or anything; I just drove on through.

I set out from Huesca in Spain around lunchtime. Filled up on diesel and bought some groceries too.

This is the point where Spain becomes France, I think.

I enjoyed driving through the Pyrenees by daylight this time. The mountains looked amazing covered in snow and there were a lot of people skiing. I saw one guy descend from the sky on a kind of parachute/parasailing contraption wearing skis. So he landed and started skiing right away; made me think of Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me.

I don't have any pictures of the Pyrenees as the roads were narrow and winding and there was a lot of traffic in front and behind. So I just enjoyed the scenery. It was quite a change from the journey down, when I was often the only vehicle in sight and the snow-covered mountains were ghostly shapes against the night sky.

This evening I'm in Bordeaux and I've just sampled the vegan burger and fries from a 'gourmet' burger restaurant. 13 euros.

Tomorrow I'll try to set off by lunchtime again and make it somewhere within a day's reach of Calais if I can. Although it might take me two days to get somewhere like Abbeville. 

And now time to settle down and watch some TV. I'm at the end of season 1 of Money Heist. Ridiculous but fun. It's similar to Prison Break in that sense, so if you enjoyed (the first 2 seasons of) Prison Break, give it a try.

Thanks for reading

Brian

Happy Christmas

Hi, reader

Christmas has come and gone and I hope it was a good one for you.

I had a mostly quiet Christmas, wandering around Valencia and relaxing at the apartment with the cats I'm taking care of.

Christmas day started with a Zoom call to my son, Mum, brothers and sisters and some of my nieces and nephews. It was good to see everyone enjoying their Christmas morning.

Later on Christmas day, I drove back to my friend, Kelly's, house for a Christmas dinner with Kelly and her friends Lauren and Michael.

The big surprise I had was how much Kelly had transformed the house in the 2 or 3 days since I'd last been there. The electricity and solar panels were working, and the main rooms had been cleared of all clutter. The house now looks amazing.

Christmas dinner was so lovely and I enjoyed the low key meal the four of us shared. Kelly cooked three menus: meat, vegetarian and vegan. It was delicious, and we followed up our meal with a card game by the light of the log fire. Lovely.

Later in the evening, I played Chess online with my son, Hugo. This photo was taken by his Mum in Phuket.

And now the dust has settled on Christmas, I once again face a big challenge. Louise will return to her apartment this evening, and it'll be time for me to move on soon. The temperature is still pleasant enough here in Valencia, but I'm aware that I need to do my journey in reverse, heading further north into colder climates. 

I believe there are now tight border restrictions, certainly for getting from France to the UK. I haven't investigated what's happening at the Spain/France border yet. But when I'm near Calais, I'll need to do a track and trace form, a COVID test, book a ferry to Dover and organize whatever COVID isolation requirements are in place for once I'm in the UK.

I'm not looking forward to this journey much, but I shall have to approach it as a series of challenges that can be met one by one, 

I might make a few blog entries along my return journey to Wales, but I think mostly I'll be focused on surviving, keeping warm and getting to my end destination.

Thanks for reading,

Brian

Garden of the Turia

 

Hi, reader

It was a lovely sunny day in Valencia, so I took a leisurely stroll through Jardín del Turia (Garden of the Turia).

The River Turia used to flow through Valencia, but it was diverted following a catastrophic flood in 1957. The old riverbed is now a verdant sunken park that allows cyclists and pedestrians to traverse much of the city without the use of roads. The park boasts numerous ponds, paths, fountains, flowers, football pitches, cafés, artworks, climbing walls, an athletics track, a zen garden and more. The many bridges overhead carry traffic across the park.

The bridges divide the park into sections. One section can be all weeping willows and people sitting on the grass like you're walking through a Surat painting. Then you pass under a bridge and there's street art and young ragamuffins pulling impressive stunts on bikes and skateboards.

Some parts have stepping stones over ponds.

This bench was the perfect place to relax for ten minutes or so ...

... and just enjoy the park.

The weather was perfect for a walk. Sunny, but not too hot.

Each section is different, so it makes it really interesting to see what comes next. If you visit Valencia City I recommend you put a stroll through Jardín del Turia on your must see/do list. I think this park can be enjoyed by people of all ages and, of course, it's free.

Even the designs on some of the bridges seemed very artistic.

I encountered this posse of young people hanging out under one of the bridges and listening to music. I strode ahead with confidence and purpose, just hoping they'd let me pass through their 'turf' without having to prove my worthiness in a hip-hop dance battle. 

It's Christmas Day tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone.

Thanks for reading,

Brian

Apartment in Valencia

Hi, reader

I've finally reached the end goal of this journey and I am now staying in an apartment in a nice, lively area of Valencia City. 

Please meet Leeloo (on the left) and Biffs (on the right). They're brother and sister, two adult house cats who - so far - seem very easy to take care of. Their owner, Louise, is in the UK for Christmas, so I'll be living in her apartment and taking care of these two for the next week

Biffs miaows a lot, mostly because he wants to be fed or petted. Leeloo is quieter. She's named after Milla Jovovich's character in The Fifth Element.

The apartment has strong WIFI and Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +. There's hot water and a well-equipped kitchen. So I have everything I need to relax for the next week. 

My first stop was Valencia beach. The sun was out and people were walking around in t-shirts. I even saw some brave swimmers going into the ocean. Not for me!

How about this? Orange trees grow everywhere in Valencia. Lots of streets are lined with orange trees. I've been advised they're probably not healthy to eat due to pollution. 

Yesterday, I went to the cinema to see Spider-man: No Way Home. I was excited by the premise of this film, a poorly cast spell from Doctor Strange results in characters from other universes entering the MCU. Added to that, the reviews have been really positive, with some critics proclaiming No Way Home to be the best MCU movie to date. Wow!

I found my way to Cines Babel. It's quite a basic, old-fashioned cinema. Very clean inside. The ticket was cheap, about three euros, I think.

I enjoyed my walk to the cinema along tree-lined streets. There were a lot of people out and about.

Spoiler free review: 

Sorry to say, I found this film disappointing. I think I set my expectations too high, caught up in the fever of all the rave reviews. The film contained a lot of characters I didn't care much about. There were also lots of parts where attempted humour feel flat with me (and the audience around me). Ultimately, I got bored waiting for it to end. I think the problem is that after nine Spider-man films, it feels like the character has been done to death. The film was entertaining enough and had some good moments, but I didn't leave the theatre buzzing with excitement.

I enjoyed the walk home. Night had fallen and the streets were lined with these old style street lights.

Back at the apartment, the cats seemed happy to see me. Here's Biffs playing with his snack dispensing toy.

And here's Leeloo just looking at me.

One more shot of them having breakfast this morning.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing my time between lazing around the apartment watching TV and going out to explore Valencia City. I'm invited back to Kelly's farmhouse on Christmas Day for a vegetarian roast dinner and Boxing Day for a barbecue. Hope you have some great Christmas plans lined up.

Thanks for reading

Brian

Casinos

Hi, reader

I've reached Valencia but before heading Valencia City, I stayed for three nights at my friend Kelly's farmhouse near the village of Casinos. Kelly and I were teaching colleagues at British Council, Siam Square, Bangkok.

This is off grid living. There's no WIFI and the electricity comes from solar panels. Kelly's still trying to get the house ready for Christmas, so I spent quite a lot of my time helping to move furniture around.

Let's have a look at the house. 

This is the front porch, where I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and reading my book.

Cute little kitchen.

The living room. Although the days have mostly been warm and sunny, nightfall brings a bitter chill, so we got the fire going to warm the place up in the evenings.

View from the front porch.

And my van parked out front under the carob tree.

Kelly's house has an acre of land. As well as the carob tree and some almond trees, there are over a dozen olive trees.

So all's well with me, and my trusty van has made it all the way to Valencia. A journey of over 2000 kilometres. My next stop will be Valencia City where I have agreed to take care of two cats while their owner is on holiday. 

Thanks, as always, for reading. Hope you're getting ready for a lovely Christmas.

Brian