I've started a new blog

Check it out here:
http://mybooksfilmtv.blogspot.co.uk/

Reaching 40

I reached my 40th birthday a few weeks ago.   I got about halfway through my goal--I read 19 books, though I was not able to post entries on them all as I originally planned. In February I found out I was pregnant, and I gave birth to a daughter in late August.  I hate clichés but in this case, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans" totally applies.  

As anyone can imagine, I've been busy since her birth. I was also very busy before she arrived, tying things up at work in anticipation of 1 year maternity leave, and finishing up the book project.  But I am glad that I did this blog, and I plan to try to finish more books when sleep deprivation and general new baby tiredness becomes a distant memory.  Although there were some books I didn't like, I did discover a few authors that I enjoyed like Margaret Atwood and Julian Barnes which was the point of doing this, really.  You can never be too old to try new things, and in this journey of life, our tastes and interests should be continually evolving and expanding.   

Bringing Up Bodies by Hillary Mantel

This year's Booker Prize winner is announced:
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19965004

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

I know, I know.  I wrote in my last post that the next book would be about Midnight's Children.  But, the public library happened to have this book available for me, so I read it over the last two days.

The story is structured as a road trip, that Mr Stevens, the main character, takes.  He has flashbacks of his life starting from the late 1920s, but most especially dwells on his service as a butler between the two World Wars in the 1930s when it is revealed that his employer, Lord Darlington, was a Nazi sympathizer.  Towards the end of his life, and after Lord Darlington has passed away, Stevens examines his life and his belief in the "perfect butler." 

I have actually not read this book before, but I've seen the film.  The book is really good.  As a librarian for architecture (one of the subjects I cover), I've gotten a few research questions over the last few years about the English country house, which I have to admit I have more of an appreciation for since I saw the film with Anthony Hopkins in.  I also watched a PBS reality show called Manor House http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/edwardianlife/introduction.html a few years ago, and saw some episodes of Downton Abbey.  Of course, that was the heyday of the English country house.  The real-time of the novel, is set during the decline of the country house.   I recall a great quote from Manor House made the by the butler.  The class system of the country house worked, and worked efficiently, "but at a cost of close personal relationships."

As times are changing, including what is expected of butlers, Stevens ponders the idea of "bantering,"  as his new employer seems to want a less formal relationship with him and this practice, which Stevens has great difficulty with, seems to hold the key.

The Finker Question (and 2 other books)

Alright, I'm cheating a little bit again.  I've tried for the last 2 months to get through this book and I've decided to abandon it.  I completely agree with this book review:
 http://mewandering.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/the-finkler-question-review/  so, I won't go into too much detail about it other than to say I found the main character, Treslove, very irritating.  In fact, I was on the train to London (for a meeting in June), and somebody sitting next to me on the train asked what I thought of the book so far.  He also said he'd tried to read the book, but found the main character irritating, and self-centered.  So anyway if you're curious about the plot, take a look at the review linked above.  Yes, I'm technically cheating, but I'm eight months pregnant, impatient with my body and at the moment, and would rather spend my time reading and writing about things I at least find interesting.  I will try to get on track this week with Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.  It is a book I've always wanted to read, and hopefully I might enjoy it more than the other authors from India that I've read so far.  

I did manage to read 2 other books this last week when I gave up Finkler.  One was Ines of my Soul by Isabelle Allende.  The other was How Not to F*** Them Up by Oliver James.  They are quite different, as you can imagine.

Ines was a really interesting historical novel centered around a real woman who lived in the 1500s and who was a conquistador that established Chile.  She has 3 great loves of her life, that cause her to go on epic journeys, and true to Allende's style, there is a bit of magical-ness about several of the the woman in the story, as well as either obvious strength of character or subtle fortitude.  There is also a realistic portrayal of war and violence during this period that allows people to empathize (but not idealize) with the native populations of Chile and Peru. It's a pity that Allende does not qualify for the Booker (as she is not part of a commonwealth country), because although some critics claim this is not one of her best books, I think it is much better and compelling than a few of the books on the Booker Prize list.

What do I have to say about How Not To... ?  Well, I think Oliver James is a marketing genius.  Stealing lines from this article (http://jezebel.com/5547612/its-not-your-kid-its-you-okay) "What, you mean a parenting book called How Not to F*** Them Up is controversial?"  Of course there is controversy, otherwise it wouldn't sell.  What I think is interesting is, about blogs and book reviews, is that many people who've not read the book can feel very compelled to post their opinions.  And they don't even put insightful remarks, they just go into soundbite mode.   For example, " Written by a man, criticizing mothers. Enough said." http://www.circleofmoms.com/debating-mums/would-you-pass-the-good-mother-test-544529.  The book doesn't actually criticize mothers, it criticizes daycare and his own mother who suffered from severe depression because she stayed at home with 4 kids.  He actually says in the book that staying at home with a mother who had depression and was neglectful, was just as bad going to daycare where nobody pays attention to a small child.

So what does his book actually say?  There is a spectrum of parenting styles that can be divided into three general categories: "huggers" (25% of population) "flexi-moms" (50% of population),  and "organizers" (25% of population).  He thinks that each category has benefits and disadvantages. Huggers put their perceived needs of their kids first, organizers think children should accommodate them or the needs of the rest of the family, and flexi-moms, while in the middle, tend to fall into varying degrees of hugger or organizer.  He does seem to think that people on extreme ends of either spectrum have issues they need to sort out with therapists (as Oliver's profession is therapy and psychoanalysis that shouldn't be a surprise).  What is his main message?  Know yourself and be honest.  If you are a hugger, that is great for your under 3 year-olds.  Spend time with them, but make sure that as they get older you gradually allow them to develop a sense of their own independence. If you are an organizer, who will be interested in kids once they get a bit older and would rather work or spend some time working (he seems to think that part-time mothers have the best of both worlds) be honest and get your husband/partner, another relative, or an nanny to look after the kid and form a bond with them, so that the child can get attention and develop. 

I didn't agree with everything he said, nor the way he presented all his ideas.  For example, he did have all these studies about what causes depression in parents, and how daycare can have adverse effects small children (causing them to be more violent, aggressive, etc.)... but I thought it was odd that he made such sweeping generalizations about bad daycare, especially in the US, without details to back up his claims.  (I mean details of real places and actual incidents that occurred, not just studies of children's hormone stress levels, because while that's interesting, you don't know from a small sample what is actually causing stress levels to rise). And when it came to the UK, where he is actually based, he never discussed the role of Ofsted (http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/) and their rating system for preschools and schools.  He just said their were not enough "excellent" places. I went to daycare as a child in the US, and comparing that experience to the UK early years provision (which I've seen a lot of when we visited nurseries), the UK is so much better.  He briefly mentions Unesco standards, for every 3 children you need one adult supervising, but every nursery and daycare center I've ever visited here does that, along with other criteria, or they get ranked low in their Ofsted report.  Most of them also have anti-bullying policies (unheard of in my day).  In the case where there was a mean child at my son's nursery, all the parents knew who he was and talked about him.  (When my husband met the parents of the mean boy, my husband said he knew exactly what was wrong.  The parents seemed to be very nice huggers, who gave the boy no boundaries at all.  Since he was never told no at home, or told "no" in a pleading voice, rather than with authority, he did whatever he wanted).  Basically none of the other children liked him and the parents of the other children would not invite him around for parties, play dates etc. (because who wants to parent someone else's child)?  It seemed to me the nursery was providing some discipline and structure that the boy was clearly not getting at home, because his parents were inept.  (I think it's better for a 2-and-a half-year old to learn that is not right to make fun of other children, then wait until they are 6-year-olds in school).

Anyway, this is a long post about a book that does not meet the "award" criteria, but it is a book I read before 40, so here it is.  As I said, I'll try to get back on track next month.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is another novel that didn't win the Booker Prize, but it was short-listed.  I haven't read the 2005 winner, but this is a very, very interesting novel, that falls under the genre sci-fi drama.  The three main characters are:  Kathy (narrator), Ruth, and Tommy.   The novel jumps backwards and forwards from their childhoods until the characters are in their late 20s early 30s.  Throughout the novel it is hinted that these "students" are not ordinary people.  We find out as the story unravels just what they are and the destiny that their world has in store for them.  I don't want to say too much because the surprises are worth encountering first-hand.

It's not the most up-lifting novel, but it is fascinating. I bought the book second-hand yesterday at my son's school fair, and wasn't able to put it down.  This is the experience I was hoping for when I started this project and this blog.  I'll be on maternity leave after next week, so hopefully, I can get through a few more books.

Ishiguro is a really good author, I've read another shortlisted book of his, When We Were Orphans, and possibly The Remains of the Day (which did win the Booker Prize in 1989, I'll have to go back and check.)

Art Researchers' Guide to Edinburgh edited by Kerry Eldon and Rose Roberto

Other Guides

Okay, so this book didn't win a Booker Prize, and it's only just been published, so we don't have that many sales yet. But I'm putting it here so everyone can see what I've been doing when not working, and not reading, and let's face it, if I don't market it, who else will, since it's not with a major publisher?

My co-editor, Kerry, based at the National Galleries of Scotland, and I have been working on this book for the past year.  It is the second in what I hope will be a good series of little guidebooks around the UK.  Last year I did a similar one for the city of Leeds.  There is talk about doing a guide to Dublin next, but when it will come out will depend on the sales of this book.

You can find out more about the series here, and order a copy online. [Edit: this is now sold out, but the latest one on Liverpool is available here.]

The book launch for this book was on Thursday night, at the ARLIS conference reception at the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology. We've been getting lots of praise for this little book, so I encourage everyone with any interest in art, design, or architecture to ask your local library to purchase one, and if you are planning a trip to Scotland anytime in the next few years, please get your own copy.  It's light, fits in the pocket, and it's very useful.  The index is pretty unique, so if you're interested in painting, or sculpture, or 18th century botanical illustrations, you will know exactly where to go.  (Yes, it is that detailed). And it's a good price at only £6.50 that won't break your bank.
This guide is now sold out, but more guides are available for Manchester and Liverpool.