What are you reading?
- Thread starter Tonyblack
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At the moment I'm reading a book which the library book club chose, and which I heartily recommend. It's called Born on a Blue Day a Memoir by Daniel Tammet. The subtitle is "Inside the extraordinary Mind of an Austistic Savant."
This is a brilliant, well-written book by a real life "Rainman"-- a young man who tells his story to help others with conditions such as epilepsy or Asperger's syndrome to recognize that the nature of one's brain need not always interfere with one's overall development of one's potential. The NY Times review of it said, "Something in the way that Mr. Tammet describes the beautiful, aching, hallucinatory process of arriving at his answers illuminates the excitement of all cogitation."
Daniel brings his world vividly to life--but it was for me, something like being transported into a wonderful, but very strange world--a world where I don't belong and where I can only grasp slowly at what comes automatically for him. For him, numbers have shapes and colors and they are an all consuming interest. There is a world going on around him in which he learns to navigate with some difficulty--always the outsider--not so much looking in at others as unable to relate to them in the way he observes them relate to each other. That condition he accepts and brings us to understand.
As he says in the first paragraph, "I can recognize every prime up to 9,973 by their 'pebble-like' quality. It's just the way my brain works." For Daniel--January 31, 1979 is a Wednesday, because Wednesdays are always blue and the date is blue in his mind. For Daniel that date is a Blue Day.
This is a brilliant, well-written book by a real life "Rainman"-- a young man who tells his story to help others with conditions such as epilepsy or Asperger's syndrome to recognize that the nature of one's brain need not always interfere with one's overall development of one's potential. The NY Times review of it said, "Something in the way that Mr. Tammet describes the beautiful, aching, hallucinatory process of arriving at his answers illuminates the excitement of all cogitation."
Daniel brings his world vividly to life--but it was for me, something like being transported into a wonderful, but very strange world--a world where I don't belong and where I can only grasp slowly at what comes automatically for him. For him, numbers have shapes and colors and they are an all consuming interest. There is a world going on around him in which he learns to navigate with some difficulty--always the outsider--not so much looking in at others as unable to relate to them in the way he observes them relate to each other. That condition he accepts and brings us to understand.
As he says in the first paragraph, "I can recognize every prime up to 9,973 by their 'pebble-like' quality. It's just the way my brain works." For Daniel--January 31, 1979 is a Wednesday, because Wednesdays are always blue and the date is blue in his mind. For Daniel that date is a Blue Day.
swreader, reading your post on this I thought I'd check it out. So I intend to grab myself a copy.
I don't suppose the NY Times review is online? I can't find it on their website, though I did find out that Warner Bros. are looking to make a movie adaptation.
I don't suppose the NY Times review is online? I can't find it on their website, though I did find out that Warner Bros. are looking to make a movie adaptation.
Ooops! This is Sharlene posting. Tony was still signed in and I didn't realise.
Jinx, I'm now about 3/4 through an continuting to be amazed. I couldn't find the NY Times quote either, though it's on the back of the book. But if you google the title, you'll get a raft of Reviews, a video interview with Daniel, and even a Wiki article about him. Have fun. My experience is that two or three chapters at a time --and I need to come up for air.
Jinx, I'm now about 3/4 through an continuting to be amazed. I couldn't find the NY Times quote either, though it's on the back of the book. But if you google the title, you'll get a raft of Reviews, a video interview with Daniel, and even a Wiki article about him. Have fun. My experience is that two or three chapters at a time --and I need to come up for air.
I have just finished reading
The Last Book of the Dune series Not sure what I think of it at present.
Starship Titanic by Terry Jones based on Douglas Adams game. It was a good laugh
Am in the middle of reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman again. I love it. (Hence the reading it again)
I am about to start on Across Time and Space The Chronologies of Babylon 5 because I am such a B5 geek.
I tend to have more then one book on the go located in different places of the house for easy access. ie stardust is near the back door so when I go out to laze in the hammock I can easily pick it up.
The B5 book is in the lounge. so I can read while watching TV.
The Last Book of the Dune series Not sure what I think of it at present.
Starship Titanic by Terry Jones based on Douglas Adams game. It was a good laugh
Am in the middle of reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman again. I love it. (Hence the reading it again)
I am about to start on Across Time and Space The Chronologies of Babylon 5 because I am such a B5 geek.
I tend to have more then one book on the go located in different places of the house for easy access. ie stardust is near the back door so when I go out to laze in the hammock I can easily pick it up.
The B5 book is in the lounge. so I can read while watching TV.
I've just started reading The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (recommended by Tony I think).
I'm enjoying it, but the stupid names are really annoying me! It's like being at a party where you'd be having fun except for the drunken idiot following you around telling crap jokes
But so far it's very easy to read, so I'll probably read more when I've finished.
Not everyone has Our Terry's way with character names
I'm enjoying it, but the stupid names are really annoying me! It's like being at a party where you'd be having fun except for the drunken idiot following you around telling crap jokes
But so far it's very easy to read, so I'll probably read more when I've finished.Not everyone has Our Terry's way with character names
A word of warning about the Thursday Next books.
The first book is excellent and can certainly be read as a one-off. Presumably Jasper didn't know that it was going to be a series when he wrote it.
The second book and the rest are very much a series and you may find that the pace slows down as he is now writing a series and can take his time to expand on ideas over the course.
I've known people to be disappointed by the next books, but I'd urge anyone to stick with them as the series finale (Something Rotten) really ties things up and you'll be glad you stuck with them.
Trust me on this.
The first book is excellent and can certainly be read as a one-off. Presumably Jasper didn't know that it was going to be a series when he wrote it.
The second book and the rest are very much a series and you may find that the pace slows down as he is now writing a series and can take his time to expand on ideas over the course.
I've known people to be disappointed by the next books, but I'd urge anyone to stick with them as the series finale (Something Rotten) really ties things up and you'll be glad you stuck with them.
Trust me on this.
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