What's in a word?

During my recent 'downtime' (unemployment) I've found myself returning to one of my favourite activities. I've always enjoyed reading but have often found I just get out of the habit of it especially whilst at Uni where all the academic reading drowned the enjoyment of a good book.

Currently I'm re-reading the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series, all are easy reading which I find quite relaxing but sometimes I find it's good to challenge yourself with a good book.

A couple of years ago I decided to try to read more classic novels, when I was a bit younger I read some Dickens and Austen but ended up returning to reading my more usual books. This time around Having fairly well gorged myself on my favourite type of books (Napolionic military stuff, Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forrester) I sought the advice of some English Lit friends at uni. I've found the experience to be a good one and have managed a good mix of old and new books largely thanks to recommendations from friends. Books are often steeped in history and so are the books that I love to read. Below find some of my recommendations for you...

Robert Harris - Archangel

The first Robert Harris book I heard of was Fatherland but this wasn't the first I got around to buying and neither was Archangel. The first I read was Pompeii which proved a fine introduction to his brand of historical story telling. Archangel takes a slightly different tack, the book is steeped in cold war history and for anyone interested in the cold war is definitely worth a read. It takes themes that could easily have happened and expands on them, it isn't a bold as Fatherland and doesn't expand on things that have already happened in the way that Enigma or Pompeii did but it is that balance that makes it so interesting. Read it yourself and see.

Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart

I honestly believe that this book will come to be seen as a classic in the same way that we think of Dickens or Bronte. The book is centred around colonisation in Africa and features an engaging main character and tragic yet almost real story. The book is apparently one of the most widely read pieces of African literature and so it should be, it showcases what we (Europeans mostly) did to Africa and looks into the world that we destroyed with our "civilising" approach. I wish I'd read the book whilst at University as I'm sure it would have helped me with the work I did on the 3rd world especially on colonisation. Definitely a good one if you are in a thought provoking kind of mood.


Samantha Hunt - The Invention of Everything Else

I bought this book by chance and was glad I did. It centres around the life of Nikola Tesla one of the greatest scientists of his age. The story of his life and his interactions with the books other central character a young chambermaid make for engaging reading. I love finding new books by chance and often find myself picking up books at WH Smiths on my way somewhere on the train. This book is probably my favourite that I've picked up on the go and I hope you enjoy it like I have.