And Then You Die by Michael Dibdin
Sequel to "Blood Rain". Not one of Dibdin’s best – rather contrived, episodic, and with superficially-drawn characters. But it does leave the way open for the next book … .
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Teach Yourself PERL in 24 hours by Clinton Pierce
Phew! Finished it at last! You’d have to be seriously dedicated to work through the 24 chapters in this book at the rate of one hour each, even averaging over the whole thing. But it is good, and by the … Continue reading →
Medical Handbook for Walkers and Climbers by Peter Steele
This book will help you take the step from the standard first-aid course to simple expedition medicine. As the author says, read it at least once at home before throwing it in the bottom of your pack, where hopefully it … Continue reading →
The Creaky Traveler (in the North West Highlands of Scotland) by Warren Rovetch
This is really two books in one, part separate and part interwoven. The main book – about three quarters of the whole – recounts the author’s travels up the north-west coast of Scotland. The other book is a handbook of … Continue reading →
Berner Oberland 2002, part 3
Lauterbrunnen Day 7 – Thurs 1 August Down Up at 0700 – more snow overnight, no freeze – breakfast – down to Jungfraujoch station for first train (0900) – Kleine Scheidegg – Lauterbrunnen – collect bags forwarded from Meiringen – … Continue reading →
Berner Oberland 2002, part 2
Finsteraarhorn Day 4 – Monday 29 July Early I mentioned that I’m not at my best with early starts. I’m even less at my best when the start is directly and steeply uphill – I just don’t seem to get … Continue reading →
Berner Oberland 2002, part 1
Introduction Before we start . . . We met up at Zurich airport – Chris, John and me. John and I were an hour and a half late thanks to Easyjet, so we’d missed our connecting train that would have … Continue reading →
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
A rather odd book. I’ve only read two of Ishiguro’s books – this and Remains of the Day – and it left me wondering if all his pricipal characters have a deep-rooted personality flaw. It’s certainly true here. The most … Continue reading →
Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart
After reading the book I’m certainly looking forward to my visit, but I don’t think I’ll be in the queue to buy the farm next door. Stewart is careful not to give away the exact location of their farm – … Continue reading →
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
A planned visit to Provence in April prompted me to read this book some 12 years after it was on the best-seller lists. It’s hard now to see what the fuss was about – maybe the TV serialisation was more … Continue reading →