Further Reading. The Mike's Soapbox Book Club

This year despite many distractions, such as Grand Theft Auto IV. I have read more books than I have for a great number of years.

I never have been much of a reader since I have monocular vision and being of the generation raised on good old fashion television.
It began with my favorite Christmas present of 2007, A book. called "From Anger to Apathy. The British Experience Since 1975." By Mark Garnett.
What can I say as a blogger. Other than this book was right up my street and knocking on my door.

It Chronicles the social/political changes in our once great nation since 1975, a time when if a political gaff and or fuel shortages were in the tabloid press, people took to the streets with milk bottles filled with four star and stoppered with cotton wool. My only grip is that this book is not apolitical. The book is staunchly conservative in political persuasion. However it so well founded in fact and argument, that it is enough to make any undecided voter think twice about where he puts his cross in the future.

It gave me a lot of the answers that I was seeking about the apathy in our county. Some conclusions of my own he didn't cover. As I feel the rise of the service industry's attitude of "Yes Sir, you can be obnoxious and ruin my day and I won't strike your face for it" has an awful lot to answer for.

The author is a lecturer in politics and has appeared on Newsnight many times.
As an anti-apathetic gesture I decided to E-mail him to thank him for such a fantastic read. I had not contacted an author before and did not expect a response from such a busy man, but he was kind enough to respond in kind words.

In March of 2008 I was saddened by the news of the death of a great man, the author of one of my favorite Science fiction movies.
Sir Arthur C Clarke died after 90 orbits around the sun, in his home in Colombo Sri Lanka. After this loss to the world, I felt compelled to read the other three books in the odyssey series. "2010, Odyssey Two", "2061, Odyssey Three," and my favorite "3001, the final Odyssey." I also read "Rendezvous With Rama".
I absorbed all books in a matter of weeks. The man was a true visionary. and I hope he has found peace amongst the stars that he spent so long contemplating.
The short epilogue of 3001 still gives me shivers. after a such a long journey with the characters and a happy ending that ties everything up with a nice bow, Sir Clarke pulls the rug out from under me with this.

"Their universe is very young, and it's God is still a child. But it is too soon to judge them; when we return in the last days, We will consider what should be saved."

I have been in awe of how powerful this is from when I first read, it to quoting it to you now.

Keeping with the Odyssey theme, I also read "the Odyssey" by Homer. good story a little hard to get into. it's a story that meant to be told as opposed to being
read.

"The Revenge of Gaia" by James Lovelock was a quite good read, the title suggests a fiction novel, far from it. A stark scientific reminder about humanity's place on our delicate planet.

Having saturated myself a few years ago with Tolkien during the releases of the epic movies about the "Lord Of The Rings" I had no desire to read any more of his works, the "Unfinished Tales" remain unfinished. I did however read "tales from the Perilous Realm, when I went on a trip to see the Levellers play in the spring.
The book is a collection of short fairy tales. "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a lot of fun. I has a giant and a talking dog in it called Garm. "The adventures of Tom Bombadil", which is a collection of songs and poems, more related to "Lord of the Rings", "Leaf By Niggle" a sad tale about an artist, and finally "The Smith of Wootton Major" (a story that has special significance to me), is about a rights of passage, fairies and a big cake.

I have read more books this year that I have omitted in this post because either I have not yet finished them or they aren't laudable to write about.

One such book is "The Union Jack" by Nick Groom, a history of the flag. an idea that does interest me, but is very complex if you don't already a lot of British history before King Harold then there is a glossary at the front. Yes this book has a glossary at the front. and that the only help you get. I would have liked diagrams or something in a book about a visual representation of our nation, but no this is why this book still has a bookmark in it it might be insightful but it will have to wait, there is a Jules Verne book calling me.