What I've been reading

Illywhacker
by Peter Carey

narrated by Peter Hosking

"Herbert Badgery is vagabond and charlatan, aviator and car salesman, seducer and patriarch. He might very well be the embodiment of Australia's national character, especially in its fondness for tall stories and questionable history."

A long book and mostly good, but suffered from my frequent complaint - there was no meaning to it. The story was interesting enough, and I liked the way that something was described up front but the events leading up to it came later on. Ultimately, however, I learned little from it.

The Truth About Fat: Why Obesity is Not That Simple
by Anthony Warner

"Most people try out diets just to see if they work. One friend cuts out sugar, a second cuts out fat. Another mumbles something about gut microbes. Even scientists still seem to be arguing about what causes obesity, so what hope is there for the rest of us?"

After I'd got about two thirds of the way through this I wondered whether I ought to give up being a Dietitian. He does such a good job of laying out just how complex obesity is, the myriad of interdependent factors that cannot be prised apart, and the impossibility of using most research to provide answers that there seems little point offering people advice about their weight. The conclusion with the most weight behind it (no pun intended) seems to be that to improve health we need to reduce financial inequality. If that happens, along with a whole lot of other societal changes (including outlawing the stigma and institutional abuse that fat people face on a daily basis) then obesity may not continue to increase. But the system is so complex that actually there is no real way of knowing what will happen. I've lent the book to Sister D and I'm looking forward to hearing what she thinks of it.

Man and Boy
by Tony Parsons

"Harry Silver had it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful son, a great job in the media. But in one night he throws it all away. Then Harry must start to learn what life and love are really all about."

A light souffle, a palate cleanser between all the long, difficult books. Nothing much to object to, but an easy read with a fairly predictable plot.

The Vicar of Wakefield
by Oliver Goldsmith

narrated by Nicholas Farrell

"Dr Primrose and his family live in rural bliss until disaster threatens to destroy their happiness: abduction, impoverishment, and betrayal combine to lay them low, but a surprising figure brings hope when all seems lost."

Time for another 'classic' work of fiction from 1766 (and apparently never out of print since then), all I can say is that it is of its time. Men and women had their roles and their place. One of the threads within the book was that a serial adulterer conned a young woman into thinking he had married her only to reveal that it was a sham, but in order to retain her honour she was redeemed by proving that the marriage to this despicable bastard was legitimate. I seem to be reflecting on how times have changed almost every day.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
by Eckhart Tolle

"The phenomenal bestselling self-help book of its generation. Surrender to the present moment, where problems do not exist. It is here we find our joy, are able to embrace our true selves and discover that we are already complete and perfect."

Even I find it hard to believe that I've been reading this book. It's been hanging round the house since The Boy gave it to Mr A as the most misguided Christmas present I can imagine. If it hadn't been for its fame combined with my newfound interest in Buddhism it would have been out to a charity shop with all the rest, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about so I had a go. Reader, I confess, I couldn't finish it. I probably got more than half way, and I suppose I found a small grain of usable truth in it but it just seemed to restate the same principles over and over and it got boring.