Hello there. This is what I thought of the books I read in May.
May Contain Traces Of Magic
By Tom Holt
As usual, the universe that Tom Holt has created for his writing is very well realised and utterly believable, but this book centred around the main character’s lack of knowledge about the situation he was unwittingly in, which made it a bit confusing, as it also meant we as readers had a lack of knowledge. Luckily I persevered, as I found myself wanting to get to the bottom of it, but I could see how many people wouldn’t bother as it’s very confusing. The main character spends a lot of time thinking things over in a “he said, she said, maybe he’s lying, maybe she’s lying” fashion, and by the end I was glad it was over. Not one of his better efforts, if I’m being honest.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
By Audrey Niffenegger
This book was amazing. Not only did it explain time travel in a possibly realistic way, but it didn’t present it as some kind of super-power. Henry didn’t disappear off and save the world, he spontaneously went back or forward in time – arriving naked and often confused about when he was, having to rely on his wits and instincts to survive. I loved that he was a librarian – as far removed from a super-hero as possible! I also loved how that for different portions of the book, either Clare or Henry were in a more knowledgeable position about their respective past, present or future. It must have been a nightmare for the author to keep track of things!
It was an intensely passionate story from start to finish, and it also raises the question of the conflict between Fate and Free Will. Not wanting to spoil things for any potential reader, every novel time-travel touch that could have been implemented, was; Past and future versions of Henry turn up unexpectedly and unexpected situations emerge from these unexpected visits with pleasingly unexpected outcomes.
The A-Z of Cool Computer Games
By Jack Railton
Not a traditional story book, but one I have had a hankering to read from cover to cover for a while now. I’ve flicked through the chapters that were relevant to me before, but skipped all the other stuff – having read it now I can see that I was missing out on some genius observations. I felt myself nodding along quite a few times, it was so true how once every week, us Spectrum owners would have a crack at that one game that never seems to load. After fiddling with various mic and ear combinations, and slightly changing the volume on the tape deck, you’d get the first red and blue lines at the side, then a little crackle of yellow and blue, then another burst of red and blue, then it’d misbehave and you’d get a tiny crack of yellow and blue that would just stop while the tape still made the horrible screeching loading noises.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly, it brought back so many happy nostalgic memories.
Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?
By Paul Heiney
Again, not a proper “story book”, but this time a collection of scientific questions and answers. I found it incredibly fascinating, especially the stuff about space-time and gravity and dying suns. The section on numbers was also interesting. Did you know that if you broke down a body into it’s constituent elements (impossible, I know, but it’s theoretical), that the average human body is worth £652.10 and that large slugs can live for up to ten years? Did you know that blinking causes the average human to spend around five years of their life with their eyes closed? It was a fascinating read, but I’m sure I’ll have forgotten most of the facts in a week or so.
Support RF! Buy these books through Waterstones, our affiliate.
