Tim O'Hare

The Fort is an unusual, one-off, novel by Bernard Cornwell that is based on a real campaign of the American War of Independence. The really unusual part of the novel is that there is no obvious hero and it is not at all clear which side Cornwell, and thus the reader, is supposed to be on – the British Army who make and defend the fort of the novel’s title or the American forces sent to capture it and send the British packing. Bernard Cornwell’s novels usually follow a very successful formula – obvious hero (e.g. Sharpe) is involved in campaign, leads small band of forces in against-the-odds battles whilst sparring with obvious anti-hero (sometimes form the same side) and becoming involved with ravishing beauty (usually linked in some way to anti-hero). In contrast, The Fort, cuts between the two sides, describing first the British movements, then the Americans in an alternating pattern that gradually weaves the whole action together. There are potential hero figures on both sides and in the early chapters it is a little confusing if you are trying to follow this story according to the usual Cornwell formula, but after a while, it becomes clear that this story is set out differently, and then it is possible to let the plot unfold comfortably. In the end there is a (sort of) hero figure but his role is quite understated whilst there are multiple key characters on both sides who all get a good slice of the action.

This is an interesting story that promises a more exciting conclusion than the one that eventually occurs (which is, of course, constrained by the real events it follows) but after an uncertain start I found I enjoyed the way the story was delivered and the development of multiple characters.

Watchman is an early novel by Ian Rankin, creator of Detective Rebus, set in the world of the secret service spies (Watchers) and the IRA bombing campaign in London. Following an apparent blunder on a simple mission at the start of the story, the central character of the story is an experienced Watcher who finds himself sent to Northern Ireland to carry out what purports to be a simple observing task but ends up being anything but. With his life very much under threat from unexpected areas he is forced to forge an expected alliance of sorts with an IRA terrorist and then uses this alliance to uncover the truth behind a web of corruption and betrayal within the service.

Parts of this story race along with really high intensity, particularly the section describing the immediate aftermath of the observation in Ireland, and are really gripping. But, overall, the story is perhaps a little convoluted and, at times, unbelievable. Still a good read though.

Having recently read Philip Ball’s excellent book ‘Critical Mass’ and having a deep interest of music I was quick to acquire and read his book ‘The Music Instinct’ in the hope that it might explain the mystery of why music has such an amazing impact when we listen to it. The book was interesting and informative, but I found it quite hard going in places and it really needs a sound-track so that points made in the text are instantly illustrated with examples. I discovered a lot about how music is constructed and how and why notes fit together but I don’t feel I got much closer to understanding why music has the mental and physical impacts it can sometimes generate.

A little while ago I worked my way through listening to the audio-book of Rory McGrath’s autobiography ‘Bearded Tit’. Rory McGrath is a comic who I find moderately funny some of the time and also somewhat annoying some of the time but because I have a (small) interest in birds and birds form a central part of McGrath’s story I decided to give this a listen whilst walking to and from work and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I particularly enjoyed the earlier parts of the story which recount McGrath’s time at Cambridge University. Here he meets and falls in love with JJ, but just when everything seems to be going so well, disaster strikes. At that point JJ completely disappears from the story, something which, as I listened, annoyed me… The later part of the story has McGrath grown-up and frequently enjoying birding trips in Easter Anglia but is is not without tragedy, before the final twist wraps things up delightfully and is a nice demonstration that, sometimes, life can be stranger than fiction!

The White Lioness is a rather interesting novel in Henning Mankell’s Inspector Wallander series because the plot develops via two parallel strands, one set in the familiar Wallander setting of Ystad and the Skane region of southern Sweden and the other set in early post-apartheid South Africa. Gradually, these two threads are weaved closer and closer together until eventually the story becomes one and the action really moves up a gear.

On the hunt for the killer of a completely innocent woman, Wallander finds himself both hunting, and being hunted by, an ex-KGB operative who has been training a South African hitman in preparation for a high profile assassination and who has no qualms about using maximum levels of violence to preserve his own safety. In a fog-bound chase, Wallander practically loses his senses and goes to ground, hiding himself from colleagues who, concerned for his well-being are also on the lookout for him. Eventually, Wallander’s gambles pay off and he is able to close the case and transmit vital information about the assassination hit to South Africa . But all does not go quite according to plan and Wallander finds himself in a race against time to get the full message through.

The way that the double storyline and settings are brought together mean that this novel is always moving forward in interesting ways and allows the plot to unfold on multiple levels. Wallander is typically tortured by his own thoughts and failings. This is (of course) skillfully written and thoroughly enjoyable.

‘The Business of Dying’ is author Simon Kernick’s first novel. It was recommended to my wife by her father and has been sitting waiting for me to pick up for quite while (I was told I probably wouldn’t like it that much but should give it a try…). Basically, this is an example of what I would call an easy-reader. It’s an action/police/crime thriller in which the main character is both criminal and crime investigator (he’s a policeman who moonlights as a hit-man). So, there are a couple of story threads that are wound together as he investigates one set of crimes and then comes under the spotlight himself for his own crimes. Perhaps inevitably, the two story-lines end up merging together as his desperate run for freedom leads him to cast caution to the wind to pursue those that he is chasing.

I’ll certainly read more of Kernick’s books (there are several waiting for me in the house already) but I won’t expect the depth of, say, Henning Mankell. Based on this first example, I think Kernick is the sort of book I would take away as a holiday read.

Alex Bellos’s ‘Alex’s Adventures in Numberland’ is a marvellous book about mathematics, recommended to my elder daughter by her GCSE maths teacher last year. She didn’t read it, but when I saw a copy in the local Oxfam shop I grabbed it and, now having read it, am so pleased that I did. I can see absolutely why an inspirational maths teacher would recommend this book to his pupils although I can also see why most of those pupils would not consider reading it!

The book is a really good overview of why maths is relevant, important, fun, inspiring etc. It’s the sort of book that makes you want to study the subject much further, just for the sake of doing so. I particularly enjoyed the section on the maths of gambling but all the topics covered were interesting. I definitely recommend this one.

I first read George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ 23 years ago but recently I’ve come across a lot of references to it in connection to cliques and power-struggles relating to an internet messageboard that I spend a lot of time on. So, it seemed like a good idea to re-read it and remind myself of the point it makes – basically that power corrupts and that the maintenance of power relies on the presence of a group who are willing to be led but insufficiently astute to rein in the excesses of their leaders until it is too late.

It’s an easy read; you have to suspend reality of course to allow the notion of a farm run by talking animals not to interfere with the message, but the message comes through clearly. But then, that’s what you would expect from a classic book.

I read John Medina’s book ‘Brain Rules’ after accidentally stumbling upon a recommendation by one of my colleagues. They made it sound like an interesting and inspirational guide to the way that the brain works with specific relation to teaching and learning so it was obviously a book that I should read.

Much of the content of Brain Rules was familiar to me but it is simply set out and not over-complicated so it provided an easy to read reminder of some points that I ought to be taking more notice of. Sections on topics such as memory and attention span were pretty stark reminders that lectures (which I give lots off) really ought to be designed taking into account the way that the brain works – for example, in 10 minute blocks with each block being on one point, clearly stated at the outset and then elaborated and reinforced.

I came away with a desire to take one of my lecture courses and to perform a complete re-design from first principles – I think this would be a very interesting process. However, in reality, time will probably only allow me to keep some of these ideas vaguely in mind as a general influence on the way I work.