Hangover Square

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Originally published 1941, the edition I read was a Penguin Classic. Sometimes when selecting books I avoid the old ones in favour of the modern, but I have really enjoyed some of the older ones that I have tried recently. This one is acclaimed as "One of the great books of the twentieth century" but I spent most of the time I was reading it being puzzled by the decision to republish this very dated book, set in 1939 England. Things that did grab my interest early on were

• the acknowledgment of quotations taken from Roget's Thesaurus
  
• the definition of schizophrenia from Black's Medical Dictionary early in the book
• the refrain, introduced in the first chapter: "...he had to kill Netta Longdon. He was going to kill her, and then he was going to Maidenhead, where he would be happy."

The poor man suffers from periodic clicks in his head, which change him from one state to another. In one state, he is consumed by love for Netta, who treats him with scorn, and in the other state he needs to kill her.

The story grew on me, and by about 3/4 of the way through I really did care about what was happening to the characters. However it is not a joyful easy read.

The Design of Future Things

The Design of Future Things by Donald Norman
2007
ISBN 978-0-465-00227-6

This author is a guru of design, and I have his "The Design of Everyday Things" aka
"Psychology of Everyday Things" also in my reading pile - not being a library book it is getting less attention, in spite of having better pictures!
One thing that really impressed me was the author's willingness to admit to changing his maind about things in a public forum - shows integrity.
The book talks about intelligent cars and smart houses which are being developed in research facilities now. It discusses rules for good design, and considers (in a playful Afterword) how machines might feel about people. An interesting discussion is the difference between automation and augmentation. I think it was a green book with dormouse in the title (John Markoff's What the Dormouse Said ) which first alerted me to the centrality of this debate in the early years of computr design and development.

The Raw Shark Texts (Part Two)

The Raw Shark Texts Part 2

This story continued to intrigue and challenge right until the end.
Described on the spine of my copy by Mark Haddon as "The bastard lovechild of The Matrix, Jaws and The Da Vinci Code"! Also has overtones of "The Old Man and the Sea", and a book I read just before I started blogging on my reading which was a thriller involving deepsea fishing and technological tracking of fish.
Thoroughly recommended.

An aside to explain what I am doing here. About 25 years ago I started at A in the Fendalton Public Library. I am currently reading H from the South Library (still in Christchurch). My online library account reports on authors I have read but is not yet smart enough for me to be able to find information on books I read previously. I particularly enjoy making links between themes, styles and content matter, and I was looking for a topic to blog on. So here I am.

The Raw Shark Texts (Part One)

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
2007
ISBN 9781921145742

I am only up to page 77 so far, but I am intrigued by this book which has code, puzzles, illustrations, accompanied by loss of identity, loss of girlfriend, loss of memories AND a cat called Ian. It also has a "Ludovician conceptual fish", and the "non-divergent conceptual loop" to provide protection from said Ludovician.
The accompanying website is way cool but Define: Ludovician in Google gives nothing.
I am looking forward to getting further into this book and will report back later.

Why software sucks...

Why software sucks... and what you can do about it by David S. Platt
2007
ISBN 0-321-46675-6

A reminder that programmers are the last people who can possibly understand the average user, by definition. Should make normal users feel happier - and less alone - about their frustrations in using software. And should make programmers think more carefully about what they are doing and why. Some lovely examples and jokes.
Visit the book's website or see Plattski's own blog.

Disobedience

Disobedience by Jane Hamilton
2000
ISBN 0-385-50117-X

A seventeen-your-old boy, Henry, discovers his mother's affair by reading her email over a period of time. Meanwhile his father and younger sister reenact Civil War battles, with the sister pretending to be a boy. A tarot reader suggests that Henry and his mother were married in a previous life, and Henry develops the theme to consider all members of his family in different combinations in past lives. Henry is growing up and preparing to leave home but is also closely engaged with his family's day-to-day life.

Bulletproof Web Design

Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm
2006
ISBN 0-321-34693-9

A very clear description of how to mark up and style web pages so that they can be resized and viewed on different browsers without becoming destroyed.


Existing page layouts are shown and the problems they generate a re described. The markup structure is set up, and then the styling is built up step-by-step. The new page is then shown to be bulletproof. Links to many useful hacks and articles are given.

The Accidental Time Machine

The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
2007

A bit like "Back to the Future" and its successors, but more thought-provoking.
Matt Fullar is working at MIT when he discovers that he has created a time machine. With the help of a turtle he discovers that he can send it into the future and then wait for it to reappear. Then he sends himself into the future, and the story develops as he experiences different future worlds.
In one future, MIT is an institute of Theosophy instead of Technology!
And ultimately, Matt meets a Very Important Person who helps him to understand life and find happiness!
Physics enthusiasts may enjoy this book.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
2007
ISBN 978-0-241-14370-4

An intriguing tale of a Pakistani who is educated in America and begins to make great money working for an American firm. When the Twin Towers are destroyed and he returns to Pakistan for a holiday with his family things begin to change for him.
The tale is told in the first person. The narrator has met an American stranger in a Lahore cafe and begins to tell his life story, interspersed with drinks, a meal and descriptions of the local people and happenings.

Zipporah

"Zipporah" by Marek Halter
ISBN 1-84617-119-9 Large Print version
2005

A tale of Zipporah who became an important part of Moses' life.
Set in Biblical times and surrounded by the people and happenings of the times, this is a romance. Customs and beliefs of ancient times are described. The central character, Zipporah, is convincingly portrayed as a pivotal person in the development of Moses the leader.
Although the theme is religious, it is possible to read this book without a particular set of beliefs.
Written by a man, but with a strong message of the influence of women on events.
Themes include the treatment of people who are different from the norm, either physically, racially or in beliefs.
This is the second book of the Canaan trilogy. The first centres on Sarah and Abraham. Both include visits to Egypt.
Translated from the French.
Note that the book pictured here is not Zipporah, but shares the same picture "Young Kikuyu Woman" by Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame.