Well - a bit of a mix after a long break. Last blog I mentioned starting a book called "The Whisperer" by Donato Carrisi - touted to be an Italian version of Stieg Larsson. The book is about finding a grave of arms cut off from abducted girls - a tad macabre I would have htought - but it did get your attention. The book followed the story through a young police officer her spent her life finding lost children and her interaction with the criminologist and his team who were searching for the serial killer. I am not sure if it is at Larsson level, but it was well written with lots of twists and social commentary - and well worth the read! It came to a satisfying conclusion - quite unexpected .... but as you look back it even makes sense.....
After that break, I continued on my roll with Michael Connelly and his series following through Harry Bosch of LA Police Department - his dogged determination to find the bad guys, his fight with giving up smoking, his clashes with the police hierarchy, his romances and not - and all in all a really good read. So after the Last Coyete and Trunk Music, I read Angel's Flight, A Darkness More Than Night, City of Bones and Lost Light! I told you I was on a roll! And there are more of the series to read. But I thought I should vary my reading or go totally mad. [What is the attraction in such plots as homicide stories? Is it the trying to work out "who dunnit?" Is it because we "become" part of an important mission to right a wrong? Or is it sheer escapism that provides our brains with an escape from other pressing demands?]
So, I bought a hard copy of Daniel Silva's "Portait of a Spy" where Gabriel is forced out of his retirement on the coast of Cornwell to take on suicide bombers. I have only just started - but it seems like it is as good as those before it! So nice being able to follow a series - particlarly when you see the characters develop over time.
I have also downloaded "A Dance with Dragons: Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire" by George Martin! I read the first of the series some time ago and now look forward to the culmination. The TV series "A Game of Thrones" based on the first book - is awesome! So well filmed and so close to the plot and feel of the book. More of this later!
So I languish in fiction and again fail to get more into philosophy and theology. If you know a good book out there to get me back on track in considering the weightier issues of life, religion or the world, please let me know - I would hate to become Alice in Wonderland and lose site of "reality" amongst the good stories.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Escape with Connelly - and a bit of existentialism
It has been a while since I have blogged - mainly because I needed to sort something out with my google blogger account. But in the meantime - I have kept up with some reading!
I have escaped into Michael Connelly books - a good detective read. I started with The Last Coyote, moved on to Trunk Music and now I have downloaded Angel's Flight - yet to start. I have obviously enjoyed the Harry Bosch series that is covered by these books - a detective who is a little on the edge, a bit of a rough personality, honest with a good heart - on the wrong side of the bureaucrats - and mixed and varied love stories for our loner. I would like to find something deep in it all - but basically, its all just a good read and well constructed stories. So I read on - still a few to go in the series yet! The good thing about crime is that there is a lot of variety and a lot of scope for an author!
I did have a good read of my latest New Scientist - the Existential Issue (23 July 2011). The whole quantum thing blows my mind - the whole universe emerging from something smaller than a full stop! Entanglement where one object is affected by another simultaneously regardless of distance; Paralell universes?! and observers affecting the state of something. One interesting article was titled "How do I know I exist?" - and not a simulation! The artcile considers whether Descartes' maxim "I think therefore I am" is floored " "...there is no ghost in the machine; our actions are driven by brain states that lie entirely beyond our control" - so thinking therfore is argued to be an illusion - hence the maxim is floored! According to the author. Another article explores "why me?" It looks at the notion of consiousness being an emergent property of the brain (makes sense to me). The author considers whether consciousness can continue after death, and quotes an earlier philisopher (Metzinger) as saying it is "extremely unlikely"! (wow - I thought he would have said no chance at all!). The author also highlights that it is "extremely unlikely - but not impossible." He suggests that a machine could allow your consiousness to survive death. Raises some interesting possibilities!
Another author (Lawton) describes how our body changes and is replaced over time - "Imagine being given a new car the day you are born. Over the next 70 years you gradually replace almost every part from the tail pipe to the headlights. A few bits and pieces remain, buts is it really the same car? Think about it."
Anyway - I have started an interesting book by a new unknown author - Donato Carrisi - called The Whisperer - likened to the Steig Larsson phenonomena. I am now half way through it - a serial killer hunt thriller - very well done and lives up to the cover endorsements! I shall report on this in the next blog.
In the meantime, keep reading!
I have escaped into Michael Connelly books - a good detective read. I started with The Last Coyote, moved on to Trunk Music and now I have downloaded Angel's Flight - yet to start. I have obviously enjoyed the Harry Bosch series that is covered by these books - a detective who is a little on the edge, a bit of a rough personality, honest with a good heart - on the wrong side of the bureaucrats - and mixed and varied love stories for our loner. I would like to find something deep in it all - but basically, its all just a good read and well constructed stories. So I read on - still a few to go in the series yet! The good thing about crime is that there is a lot of variety and a lot of scope for an author!
I did have a good read of my latest New Scientist - the Existential Issue (23 July 2011). The whole quantum thing blows my mind - the whole universe emerging from something smaller than a full stop! Entanglement where one object is affected by another simultaneously regardless of distance; Paralell universes?! and observers affecting the state of something. One interesting article was titled "How do I know I exist?" - and not a simulation! The artcile considers whether Descartes' maxim "I think therefore I am" is floored " "...there is no ghost in the machine; our actions are driven by brain states that lie entirely beyond our control" - so thinking therfore is argued to be an illusion - hence the maxim is floored! According to the author. Another article explores "why me?" It looks at the notion of consiousness being an emergent property of the brain (makes sense to me). The author considers whether consciousness can continue after death, and quotes an earlier philisopher (Metzinger) as saying it is "extremely unlikely"! (wow - I thought he would have said no chance at all!). The author also highlights that it is "extremely unlikely - but not impossible." He suggests that a machine could allow your consiousness to survive death. Raises some interesting possibilities!
Another author (Lawton) describes how our body changes and is replaced over time - "Imagine being given a new car the day you are born. Over the next 70 years you gradually replace almost every part from the tail pipe to the headlights. A few bits and pieces remain, buts is it really the same car? Think about it."
Anyway - I have started an interesting book by a new unknown author - Donato Carrisi - called The Whisperer - likened to the Steig Larsson phenonomena. I am now half way through it - a serial killer hunt thriller - very well done and lives up to the cover endorsements! I shall report on this in the next blog.
In the meantime, keep reading!
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