I've been struggling a bit with books. Often I find my enthusiasm wanes as I progress through the chapters. I still haven't quite finished This Is Not The Way - Jews, Judaism and Israel; it's a really good book but I felt it had become repetitive. I will keep going, I have to before I pass it on in a few weeks. I don't know whether I've mentioned This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong (and why it matters). It seemed like an interesting and amusing purchase. I've read 25 pages and should get back to it; I slightly lost patience with its jokeyness. Everything Is Predictable - How Bayes' Remarkable Theorem Explains The World, a much-valued gift which is heavy maths (my thing) requires appropriate brainpower at appropriate times. I love it but lack the top-line enthusiasm to get back to it straight away. I even haven't finished Diego Maradona's Last Interview, a great book which was also a gift - probably back in January.
There's obviously nothing wrong with any of these books, it's me that's the problem. Maybe I've lost my seriousness of purpose and I need to get it back. I promise not only that I will but that I will share my feelings about each book I finish. They're all on my side table glaring at me and making me feel guilty.
I've also been reading Into The Magic Shop: A neurosurgeon's true story of the life-changing magic of compassion and mindfulness by Dr James R. Doty. It tells of a young boy's meeting with a strange woman who lives nearby - and runs a magic shop - and who takes him under her wing and "teaches" him about self-worth and overcoming adversity. The boy (the author as an eighth grader in California) becomes a brain surgeon; it's beautifully written, heavily presented as heart-warming but somehow feels a bit...creepy. My intensely cynical self is at its worst in questioning whether it really is a true story. Looking back, my attention is drawn to the dedication page. Alongside the usual "to my wife and children" and to Ruth, the Magic Shop guru, is:
To His Holiness the Dalai Lama who continues to teach me the meaning of compassion
I don't know that I have the patience to engage any more with this mystical stuff but I definitely think there are people of a certain bent who will find this book unputtable-down and intensely rewarding. I can't promise I'll get back to it. I'll just quote one of the 24 (!) testimonials quoted at the beginning:
This is one of the most compelling and inspiring books I have ever read. We're with Jim at every step, as he struggles with poverty and trauma, becomes a world-class brain surgeon, gains and loses a fortune and learns deep lessons about the magic in each person's heart. Gripping, profound, extraordinary [Rick Hanson PhD, author of Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom]
If you're one of those who is attracted to this book, I genuinely hope you will set aside my reservations, read it and be inspired by it.
Moving on: today I've ordered a new book: And What Do YOU Do? by former LibDem politician Norman Baker. I can't start it yet because for some reason isn't available in Kindle edition and I have to wait for delivery tomorrow of a paperback copy. Once I've read it I'll be looking to pass it on because I have limited shelf space. This is what Amazon says about it:
The royal family: the quintessential British institution or an antiquated, overindulged drain on the taxpayer?
For all their foibles and idiosyncrasies, the royal family wield considerable influence and yet rather than facing the scrutiny their position merits, they enjoy sickeningly obsequious coverage which reports their activities with breathless awe.
And What Do You Do? is a provocative and hard-hitting analysis, exposing the royals extravagant use of public money and the highly dubious behaviour of some among their number. Former Minister of State and current Privy Counsellor Norman Baker breaks ranks to explore the wider role the royals play in society, including the link with House of Lords reform and the constitutional position of the monarch.
Now fully updated to include new material on Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, this irreverent and uncompromising account asks urgent questions about the future of the world s most famous royal family.
It's my kind of thing; from childhood I've been sceptical about royalty, an abolitionist who nevertheless has struggled to give a reasonable answer to the question of what would replace it. "Would you want Boris Johnson to be President, Nigel?" Nope. "Tony Blair?" Heaven forbid. "Richard Branson?" You see how hard it would be; maybe better to stick with what we have but limit their power and don't give them any money. Let's wait and see what Norman has to say.