Monthly Archives: February 2014

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger

This book starts off slowly but luckily for me it picks up around p80 (I only give books a maximum of 100 pages to make an impression on me). The pace accelerates after that, hurtling with breakneck speed towards the unsettling ending. The Little Stranger is a beautifully crafted and extremely creepy novel. It definitely warrants a re-read as, after I listened to the Guardian book club podcast, there is a fair bit I missed the first time around.

High Sobriety

High Sobriety

Although I don’t drink anywhere near what Jill Stark used to put away, I related to most, if not all, of her feelings during her booze-free year. The book is easy to read. I’d definitely recommend it. The only thing that can get a little bit annoying is the constant barrage of statistics, but I suppose that is her job – she’s a health reporter.

Her honest writing has made me want to take a long, hard look at my own relationship with alcohol…

Two books about running

I got a couple of books on running for my birthday:

Running With the Kenyans

What I talk about when I talk about running


I can’t say that either book made a huge impact on me. But ‘Kenyans’ was interesting in that there isn’t some big secret of the success of the Kenyans; it’s a combination of many factors:-
* tough, active childhood
* barefoot running
* altitude
* diet
* role models
* simple approach to training
* running camps
* focus & dedication
* desire to succeed & change their lives
* mental toughness
* lack of alternatives
* abundance of trails to train on
* time spent resting
* running to school
* all-pervading running culture
* reverence for running

‘Talk’ is more of a series of diary entries. There were lots of bits that I could identify with: his attitude on personal goals, ‘at least he didn’t walk’ and running to fill a void, to name a few. I enjoyed his introspective style. Although he doesn’t seem like he’d be much fun to hang around with, he’s a pretty good writer.