So after the heady experience of actually finishing a book (a rarer event for me than starting a book), I’ve got all carried away and started to write one. Not that I’ve got any skills in that area, as you no doubt know if you read enough of this web site, but I thought, I’d give it a go, you never know maybe I would strike it lucky.

Anyway, with nothing more that an empty page, and the name of the main character, I started to type, mostly at random, and mainly about stuff. But type I did, and after 30 mins, I had a whole page, of 432 words! Only 172 pages 74,568 word more and I’d have a book.

So I bet your dying to know what my book is about. No ? Well I’m going to tell you anyway, It’s about some stuff, a man named Clive, who has a coffee table and sells tiles…. There is more to it than that, but I can’t tell you what, because I don’t know yet, as I said, I just started typing, so there isn’t a plot as such, more of a first page.

I haven’t even decided what type of story it’s going to be yet, It might be sci-fi, but I doubt it, I could be romance, but I’m not very good at sloppy, it might be crime, that could be fun, murder mystery or travel and adventure with a bit of everything, I suppose it all depends on my mood.

anyway, after one day as an future best selling writer, I’ve hit that age old problem every one in my profession gets from time to time; writer’s block. It’s not that I haven’t got ideas for the rest of the story, infact I’ve been rewriting the first paragraph of the second page in my head all day, it’s just when I came to write it down tonight, it didn’t quite look right, So I deleted it and surfed the internet for a bit instead.

My novel is still sitting open in word, awaiting inspiration, but I haven’t had any in the last 30 mins, so there it sits, 75,568 words short of a masterpiece, With the potential to knock Harry potter of the number one spot on Amazon, maybe I will go get some food, the trip downstairs may inspire me*.

*Kevin is feeling a bit strange today

I finished the book, which is praise in it’s self from me, given the huge amount of books that I start and never finish. I think it’s a question of momentum, I start out reading the books with the greatest intentions, and if the first few chapters are good I build up a good momentum, really good books (which are rear indeed), keep the momentum going from the start, while most books hit a slow down in the middle somewhere. The key to me finishing a book, is whether or not I have enough momentum to carry me through the middle bit of a book, with A short History of Nearly Everything, I did.

It’s starts well, with some big space science and early physics, which to me anyway is interesting, then we start to go into the world of quantum physics, which lets face it could be bunkum and most people wouldn’t know. Then we get to the bit I struggled with, not because of the writing because Bryson does his best (which is very good) to bring the subject to life, and keep your interest, but I’m sorry biology, and the world of mosses, and plankton, just doesn’t grip me. Fortunately the momentum from the first half of the book, carried me through this, which brought me onto the accent of man as it where, which again is mainly conjecture and guess work, but entertaining non the less.

The main theme of the book, is doom, or more specifically impending doom. The first half of the book talks about how the earth is overdue, a large meteor, earthquake, shift in magnetic poles, or really large volcanic eruption, all of which would ofcourse wipe out quite a lot.

The second half is then filled with how we just about managed to get here followed up with a finally telling of how we’ve wiped out more species of animals and plants in the last few thousand years, mainly because we are careless and stupid.

That rather dower summary aside it is a good book, and I did enjoy reading it (hence why I finished it), Science can be a terribly dull subject, but fortunately Bill Bryson is not a terribly dull writer, I do think you will need to have some scientific inklings to enjoy the book.

I think I’ll give it 3 stars*
*my star rating is totally made up and has no real relevance to the quality of the book, I mean I didn’t even tell you 3 stars out of how many

sometimes, you hear about things from the US and you think it’s can’t be a real place. such as this children’s book

Help! Mom! There are liberals under my bed

Book Description
This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.

Thinking about it, i have no evidence that America does exist, Ruth has been, but she could be involved in the conspiracy, America could be part of a lefty BBC conspiracy, America is just a cardboard set at pinewood.

I read quite a lot, I like to think it’s part of my job (keeping abreast of technical something or other). Most of what I read is boring and nerdy, but occasionally someone throws something my way that just makes me laugh out loud, which I can tell you gets you funny looks in an open plan office.

today I’ve found one such thing, it’s the Worlds Worst Writer fiction awards. It’s not so much bad writing, as writing styles taken to there logical extreme.

My harry potter week is going quite slow, Ruth Finished the book in the first two days, So I’ve had all week to get through it, but what with busy work making me very tired, and Daisy to play with I’m only 100 pages in so far. Ruth is of course desperate for me to finish so she can talk about it. I may get some time this weekend.

So far: well i don’t think i’ll spoil it if i tell you they still haven’t made it to hogwarts yet, in everybook the summer seems to get longer and longer.

You didn’t think we were normal did you? Yes, we read the Harry potter books, it’s not like we are mad mad Harry potter fans or anything, there was no queuing outside borders at midnight to get a copy to read through the night, oh no, our copy arrived with the post this morning right from Amazon.

We are mellowing to; this time around we only got one copy. For the last couple of books we got two copies delivered so we could both read them it at the same time, but to be honest, the lack of decent editing down (here’s me with three years of drivel on the internet, complaining about editorial control) meant that the fourth and fifth books dragged on a bit.. The good news is that this book isn’t as long as the last two, true it’s 606 pages, but at least it bucks the trend of ever increasing storyline.

I’m quite happy to read Artemis Fowl:The Opal Deception, while Ruth reads Harry potter, she’s already about a third of the way though it, so I don’t have long to wait.

I think it’s time I declared a book amnesty, as people have pointed out, our online library has quite a list of things I am currently reading, and it’s out of date too. The problem is, I have to be in the right mood for books, and I go through phases, so sometimes (like the beginning of this year, when I read the first three hitchhiker books in a month) I rattle through books, and then I stop. The next time I of course pick up another book, so as a consequence our house is littered with half read books with random receipts, train tickets and occasionally even a book mark stuffed between the pages.

Well today, to coincide with the arrival of my newest book (see bottom), that I am declaring a book amnesty, any unread books can be returned to our library, and I don’t have to have any guilt about only half reading them, so to get this out in the open here are the books I am declaring ‘closed’

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish - Douglas Adams
a good book, but the Hichhiker books tend to tail off towards the end, and I just lost interest (also I stopped reading at the point in the night when daisy was feeding). I’ve tried several times since to pick the story back up, but it’s all self indulged in flying around islington having sex, and hippies with fish bowls, and besides I know how this on ends.

The Bookseller of Kabul - Asne Seierstadm
It never really grabbed me this book. It sounds good, and indeed it does start well, but it just didn’t speak to me. Yes it’s insightful, thought provoking and original, but I think it lost something in translation for Norwegian, or it’s just to high brow for me.

The Supernatrualist - Eion Colfer
Eion Colfer, is the author of my favorite children’s books, Artims Fowl, and I always pick up the other books he writes because the usually flow with the same style and comic bits* as the Fowl books. I did struggle through The Wish List (in fact come to think of it, I can’t remember finishing it). But this book sounded and indeed is a better read than that, it’s just not worked this time for me. I thought this would be a good commuter book, to read on the train going to and from work. Unfortunately the journeys actually to short for that, and as a consequence I’ve read the first few chapters and carried the book around in my bag for a few months since.

So this is where I am at, I’ve cleared my reading decks, the more observant among you will notice that this still leaves a few books on the “what Kevin is reading” list, but they are all reference books, and to be honest, can probably just be taken off.

So what’s my new book?

Living History - Hillary Rodham Clintion
Yes I know it’s quite a contrast to my normal reading, but what with the election coming up, I thought I might as well read what the next president of the united states has got to say for herself.

no doubt I won’t finish this book either, I’ll probably read about a third of the book and then get distracted, and the whole process will start again, but at least I’ve taken away all that guilt I feel when a see a book lying half finished on the table (ah the next step will have to be actually collecting the books and putting them back in the library).