The ‘New Scientist’ is a weekly magazine, first published in 1956, that covers the recent happenings in the scientific world. In 1994, the magazine launched a new column called “The Last Word” in which its driven by its readers – not all of whom are geeks in white coats. Here, they could not only pose a science-related question, but also provide the answers. “Does Anything Eat Wasps” is a selection of the questions asked and answered over the column’s first eleven years, and proved to be one of the UK’s surprise hit of the year.

The book is divided into chapters, depending on the focus of the questions selected – our bodies, our planet and ‘wierd’ weather for example. While the book is informative, it is equally as likely to raise a smile – the overall tone is not that of a difficult, highbrow scientific paper. Some of the questions that are dealt with include : how long can a human being live if their sole source of food or drink is beer ? (One respondant includes in his answer it would be unethical to conduct such an experiment – though I suspect he would have plenty of volunteers). What causes the changes, in terms of colour and consistency, in earwax ? Can it be scientifically proven that your arse looks smaller in black trousers ? And just how far above the Earth’s surface would you have to be before a compass stops pointing north ?

An enjoyable and informative book – though it’s one I tend to dip into once in a while, rather than reading it from cover to cover.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona in 1964. He won the Premio Edebe for his first novel, “El Príncipe de la Niebla” (Prince of the Mists). “The Shadow of the Wind” is his first novel for adults, was first published in Spain in 2001 and is set in Zafón’s home city. The book opens in the summer of 1945, only six years after the Spanish Civil War ended, and focuses on Daniel Sempere. Daniel’s father runs a bookshop specializing in rare and second-hand editions, while the pair live in a bookshop directly above it. Daniels’s mother died from cholera shortly after the Civil War, and was buried on his fourth birthday.

Approaching his eleventh birthday, Daniel’s father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books : a mysterious and secret place, it is a sanctuary for the protection of obscure and endangered books. When a bookshop or library closes, those titles in danger of disappearing are brought to the Cemetery by its guardians. No-one knows how long the Cemetery has been there, or who founded it. However, all those on their first visit there are allowed to ‘adopt’ a book – to protect it and ensure it stays alive. Daniel stumbles across and chooses a book called “The Shadow of the Wind” by Julian Caráx – an author and a title unfamiliar to him. It captures his imagination so completely that he is determined to read more of Caráx’s book. Unfortunately, not only are his books in short supply, but also Caráx himself proves to be something of a mystery.

Daniel’s father can only supply a few answers about the author and the book, but Gustavo Barcelo – one of his father’s friends – tells Daniel he has the only copy of “The Shadow of the Wind” in existence. Daniel learns more about Caráx from Clara, Gustavo’s blind and orphaned niece. Clara’s father, a lawyer close to the Catalan President, had been killed by Javier Fumero at Montjuïc Castle during the war. Clara’s mother has subsequently died from a broken heart. Fumero remains a feared man throughout the city, though was little more than a hired assassin during the war. He fought for every side at some point, siding with the winners after the fall of Barcelona and joining the police force. Clara, in her early twenties when she first meets Daniel, was introduced to Caráx by her tutor, Monsieur Rocquefort. Like Daniel, he only owned one of Caráx’s novels and was desperate to read more of them. He scoured the bookshops of Paris, where Caráx was based at the time – but found nothing further. In 1936, rumors reached him that Caráx had died – some said in a duel in Paris, others that he died in dire straits in Barcelona. Either way, it appears he had been buried in an unmarked grave.

While Daniel is able to pick up scraps of information about the author from a variety of sources, his most loyal ally in Fermín Romero de Torres. Fermín is living on the streets when Daniel first meets him, though he finally comes to work at the bookshop. He is a hugely entertaining free-thinker, who has a fantastic turn of phrase, a strong distaste for both Franco and Inspector Fumero and an eye for the ladies. Unfortunately, the pair realise there are others also interested in Caráx. Barcelo had earlier told Daniel of a man seeking to burn all copies of Caráx’s books. He later learns that this man is travelling by the name ‘Laín Coubert’ – an alias used in Caráx’s “Shadow of the Wind” by the Devil himself. He also realises he is being followed by the very same individual…

I didn’t know a great deal about this book when I started reading it, but I was hooked within ten pages. Zafón hasn’t so much written a novel as crafted one. Rather than following a tired formula and filling his books with clichés, his ability to actually tell a story is clear. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a book so much, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Zafón’s work.

“1984” is set in London, the chief city of Airstrip One and the third most populous of Oceania’s states. Oceania is one of the world’s three great powers – the others being Eurasia and Eastasia – and is constantly at war with at least on of its neighbors. Although the roles of enemy and ally change regularly, the change is never officially acknowledged : if Oceania is at war with Eastasia, then it has always been at war with Eastasia. The Party rules Oceania through four ministries. These include the Ministry of Peace (which deals with the war effort), the Ministry of Plenty (responsible for economic affairs and shortages) and the Ministry of Truth (responsible for all forms of propaganda – including news, education and entertainment). However, the Ministry of Love – which deals with law and order – is the really scary one. Heavily fortified and guarded, it is home to the dreaded Thought Police and is impossible to enter except on official business. Oceania’s official language is Newspeak, an updated version of English with a vastly reduced vocabulary. Without the words to express an ‘undesirable’ thought, ‘thoughtcrime’ will become literally impossible. It is expected to have totally replaced Oldspeak, or standard English, by 2050.

The Party is led by Big Brother, and all good things come as a direct result of his leadership. His image stares down from every wall, and he is widely viewed as a savior and protector. His nemesis is Emmanuel Goldstein, who was once a leading member of the Party before betraying the cause. He is now the ‘Enemy of the People’, and commander of the Brotherhood : a mysterious army dedicated to he overthrow of the Party and State.

The book’s hero is Winston Smith – he is reasonably sure he is thirty-nine, and that the year is 1984 (though that is not entirely certain). A member of the Party, he works in the Records Department at the Ministry of Truth and lives at Victory Mansions. Although his position brings certain perks – certainly in comparison to the proles – life is bleak. Many items – including food, razor blades and boots – are in short supply, and his home – despite its name – is an old, rundown block of flats. In every room throughout Airstrip One, telescreens are installed. Although similar to televisions, they can only be dimmed but never switched off. They not only receive programmes, but also transmit to the Ministry of Truth – meaning the Thought Police can monitor whoever they like whenever they like. Winston is officially married, although he has been separated for nearly eleven years. Marriages between Party members have to be approved by a committee, though any attraction is apparently frowned upon. Sex is an act widely viewed with disgust, while sexual immorality is known as ‘sexcrime’. Winston’s life changes when he starts keeping a diary. This is not technically illegal, though – when caught – he knows it could be punishable by death.

Generally, I don’t like making blanket recommendations, but “1984” is one of the few exceptions. While it is a grim book, everybody should read at some point. Some see it, like “Animal Farm”, as a satire on the USSR – Big Brother does seem to look like Stalin, there are constant references to ‘Three Year Plans’ and people call each other ‘Comrade’. However, it applies to any form of totalitarian government – or indeed, any government that has too much control over an individuals life.

The book’s hero is Sam Shotter, the nephew of the hugely successful businessman John B. Pynsent. Although from New York, Sam was educated at Wrykyn, in England. (Mike Jackson, Psmith’s trusty sidekick, is another former pupil). However, as the book opens, he has been working for his uncle for three months and has succeeded in little more than kissing stenographers, organising high-kicking competitions and generally demoralising the workforce. As a result, Uncle John feels he has no option : Sam is to leave the Pynsent Import and Export Company immediately and take up a position at Lord Tilbury’s Mammoth Publishing Company in London. (Lord Tilbury is currently holding negotiations with Sam’s uncle and hopes to curry favor with him by ‘helping’ him with his troublesome nephew). Rather than travelling in luxury with Lord Tilbury on the Mauretania, however, Sam makes the trip to England on the Araminta, a tramp steamer. A close friend of Sam’s, Hash Todhunter, is the steamer’s pessimistic cook – someone whose company Sam finds a good deal more enjoyable than his future employer. When he finally arrives in London, Sam finds himself a little short on funds. This is largely due to Hash secretly emptying Sam’s wallet to back a greyhound at the local dog-track. Luckily, Sam stumbles across Willoughby Braddock, another old Wrykynian. Braddock, despite staying as a guest with a former neighbour, is remarkably drunk and offers to put Sam up for the night. Sam had been on a fishing trip in Canada several months previously and had found a girl’s photograph pinned on the wall of a hut he’d taken shelter in. He had, naturally, fallen in love with the girl in the photo. When he discovers the object of his desires, Kay Derrick, lives in the house he is spending the night in, he decides that nothing will stop him winning her heart. The first step in his plan involves renting the empty house next door. Unfortunately, three criminals – Soapy and Dolly Molloy and Chimp Twist – have their eyes on the same house. They believe the proceeds from a former colleagues heist has been hidden in Sam’s new home – and they’re not about to turn their backs on two million dollars. (They would, however, be quite happy to double-cross each other if it meant they didn’t have to split it).

Wodehouse is a very funny author and has a very distinctive style of writing. He isn’t afraid to use outrageous twists of fate to make sure that if something can go wrong (or right, depending on your point of view), it will. This was one of the first books by Wodehouse I read, and it remains one of my favorites – I really can’t see it failing to raise a smile. As the author himself said : “Sam the Sudden” is darned good.

Hannah Pool, a journalist for a British newspaper, was born in a small Eritrean town called Keren in 1974. Placed in an orphanage in Asmara, Eritrea’s capital, shortly after her birth she grew up believing her mother had died in childbirth with her father dying shortly afterwards. When she was roughly six months old, malnourished and suffering from chicken pox, she was adopted by David Pool, a British academic, and his American wife, Marya. At the time, David was teaching at the University of Khartoum and Marya was doing voluntary work with some nuns.

Marya died when Hannah was four and briefly went to stay with some friends in Norway before moving back to England with her dad. By the time she was twenty, David was lecturing at Manchester University, with Eritrean politics among his areas of expertise. When Eritrea won its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, the guerrilla fighters he’d got to know in the 1970s had become government ministers. David was among the people invited over for the celebrations and, on impulse, went looking for the orphanage in Asmara. Not only was it still standing, it was still being run by the same nun – Sister Gabriela – who’d arranged Hannah’s adoption.

Several months after David’s return home came the bombshell : a priest David had spoken to at the orphanage wrote a letter with the news that not only was Hannah’s biological father still alive, she also had at least one older brother. “My Fathers’ Daughter” tells the story of Hannah’s trip back to Eritrea to meet her ‘natural’ family for the first time.

This is a very easily read book, though it can’t have been a very easy one to write. Hannah doesn’t spare herself – her doubts, panics, frustrations and the occasional bout of confusion are all covered. The fact that much of the book is written in the present tense, in nearly a conversational tone, really helped put those feelings across. At times, it felt like I was intruding on something a little too personal – like someone else’s diary, I was unsure I ‘should’ be reading parts of it. At the same time, however, it almost felt like the book finished too soon. The epilogue, looking back over the year after she returned home, could nearly have been worth a book itself. Very highly recommended.

Released in 2003, and only 78 minutes long “Belleville Rendez-Vous” is a rather quirky animated film. Directed and written by Sylvain Chomet, it was nominated for two Oscars (Animated Feature Film and Best Song) and won the inaugural BBC FOUR World Cinema Award.

Madame Souza is the film’s heroine. A widow with a club foot, she is responsible for raising Champion, her young, orphaned grandson. Champion appears to be an introverted, lonely child, something that worries his grandmother. Her efforts to cheer him up include buying him a puppy called Bruno – unfortunately, Bruno isn’t welcomed with any great amount of enthusiasm. However, the discovery of a scrapbook tells Madame Souza exactly what Champion is interested in : cycling. She promptly buys him his first bicycle, something that brings the reaction she has been hoping for.

The years pass by and, even as an adult, Champion is passionate about his sport. His grandmother supervises his rigorous training, in preparation for the Tour de France. Madame Souza and Bruno have also, apparently, been employed in the race’s “broom wagon”. (This is a van, used to pick up the cyclists at the back of the peloton who have decided to abandon the race). However, on the stage to Mont Ventoux, Madam Souza’s broom wagon is sabotaged. The saboteurs are members of the French Mafia, who – using a fake broom wagon – kidnap Champion and two other permanently breathless cyclists. Mounting a rescue, Madame Souza and Bruno follow the kidnappers to Belleville – a huge city, part New York, part Quebec and part Montreal. It’s also home to three very helpful, old-time singing sisters.

It’s very difficult not to like Madame Souza – a very determined old lady, she has nothing but her grandson’s best interests at heart. Bruno, the old dog, is always worth a smile to two. His main interests are barking at trains, eating and sleeping – he also provides one or two slightly strange, but also funny, dream sequences. Although a French film, there is really no need for any dubbing or subtitling as there’s virtually no dialogue. Quirky in parts, a little surreal in others, it wouldn’t be a typical Disney film – it’s one that would be enjoyed more by adults than children.

The third part of The Bartimaeus Trilogy, “Ptolemy’s Gate” finishes the story began in “The Amulet of Samarkand” and “The Golem’s Eye”. Like the first two instalments, the majority of the action is set in a mostly recognisable London – admittedly, with a few noticeable changes. The Empire (which still exists), having already defeated the Czech Republic, is now bogged down in a difficult war with the North American colonies. However, French and Czech spies are apparently operating in England, and there is trouble throughout mainland Europe. Magicians have been the ruling class since Gladstone’s time, holding all positions of power. Rather than wands and potions, these magicians derive their power from their ability to summon and control a variety of demons – for example, afrits, djinn and imps. Meanwhile the non-magical human masses are referred to as commoners. Despite the fact that the Resistance formed by some ‘militant’ commoners) was defeated a few years previously, an increasing number of commoners in England are becoming restless.

Three years have passed since the events of “The Golem’s Eye”. Nathaniel (more widely known as John Mandrake) is now the Information Minister – although he still, unofficially, keeps an eye on things at Internal Affairs. His old rival Jane Farrar, the Deputy Police Chief, is the closest thing he has to a friend on the Council – both are favourites of Rupert Devereaux, the Prime Minister. On Devereaux’s instructions, the pair have been working closely together. Following the actions of Lovelace and Duvall – two high ranking, treacherous magicians – Nathaniel and Farrar the pair have been monitoring other magicians. Their surveillance catches a very interesting conversation between two minor Civil Servants – the main point if interest being the mention of a ‘Mr Hopkins’. This appears to be the same Hopkins who not only taught the treacherous Duvall how to control his Golem, but also worked with the commoners’ Resistance. Nathaniel had searched for Hopkins following the incident with the Golem, but with no success. He also has suspicions there is a traitor within the government. Now, he believes he has found a path to his prey.

Bartimaeus, Nathaniel’s favourite fourth-level djinini, is caustic, irreverent and hopelessly vain – he boasts about the walls he built at Uruk and Karnak, but never mentions his work at Jericho. While he was never too fond of Nathaniel, things have now gone too far. Two years have passed since Bartimaeus was allowed to go ‘home’ and, without a rest, he will die. As it is, he is much slower, weaker and is easily distracted from his duties – a mere fraction of the impressively talented djinn he once was. However, he has lost none of his wisecracking abilities. While he once favoured taking the form of a former master, Ptolemy, he has recently been appearing as Kitty Jones. Kitty, a commoner and former member of the Resistance, saved Nathaniel from Duvall’s Golem. Although she escaped, Nathaniel believes she died – largely because Bartimaeus bent the truth beyond all recognition. Seeing Bartimaeus appear as Kitty always makes Nathaniel uncomfortable; as a result, it’s one of the few pleasures Bartimaeus has.

Kitty, meanwhile, is still living in London – although she is operating under a number of false identities. (Luckily, she has the papers to support those identities thanks to a friend’s father who runs a printing business). While she works some evenings in a pub, she has also started working for a magician called Button. Her new boss is a retired librarian who is interested in research, reading and writing. Unusually, for a magician, he has no interest in playing the political game. Kitty, despite her past in the Resistance, is determined to learn as much from him as possible; she is particularly interested in learning more about Bartimaeus.

Stroud has produced another very enjoyable book, though I am sorry it’s the end of the trilogy. As with the previous books, the focus from one chapter to another switches between the characters. Stroud writes Nathaniel’s and Kitty’s stories (“Nathaniel grasped Kitty by the arm, drew her to one side.”), while the djinni tells his own (“I delicately rearranged the fragments of cloth”). It also – finally – becomes clear why Bartimaeus remains so devoted to Ptolemy, his former master, as some of his chapters deal with his time in Egypt.

The book’s ‘hero’ is Ken Nott – a Scottish ‘shock jock’ who works in London for Capital Live. He’s very much a liberal who doesn’t believe in religion; having said that, he isn’t about to prevent someone from going to church. Ken currently lives on the ‘Temple Belle’, a very cool houseboat on the Thames. His home, however, is actually owned by Sir Jamie Werthalmey, Capital Live’s incredibly rich owner, and is rented by our hero at a very reasonable rate. Ken also appears to be a very prolific lover. Divorced from Jude, his current official girlfriend in Jo. A PR agent for a record label, Jo’s main project appears to be pandering to the every whim of the label’s current ‘hot’ band, Addicta. Unofficially, Ken’s also been spending quite a bit of time with Celia. This is something he has to be very secretive about – not only because of Jo, but also because Celia is married to John Merrial. Merrial is not only an acquaintance of Sir Jamie’s, but is also a noted ‘businessman’ whose imports and exports include drugs and people. Although, apparently, he isn’t personally violent, crossing him will leave you – at best – VERY injured.

The story itself jumps backwards and forwards, which may put some off – for example, its established very early in the book that Ken and Celia are lovers, though the history of their relationship is told only gradually as the book progresses. The biggest factor on how much someone’s going to enjoy this book is Ken himself. He holds very definite opinions about things – notably politics and religion – and won’t hold back when he wants to make a point. Given that the book opens on the 11th of September, 2001, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that part of what Ken has to say touches on America’s response. I’m also pretty sure there’ll be people who won’t like what he has to say or how he says it – as a result, I suspect the book won’t be enjoyed by the pro-war, anti-liberal community. However, this isn’t a book about the Twin Towers or the ‘War on Terror’ : it’s about Ken’s ability to get himself in trouble. Despite what I felt was a slow start, I enjoyed it a great deal.

“A Song of Stone” is set in the aftermath of what appears to have been a long and devastating war – though at no point is any indication of its causes, or even who was fighting. While the war itself may even be over – it’s hard to tell, with no real communication between different parts of the country – it’s left anarchy behind : food and fuel are scarce, while there are regular skirmishes between a number of roaming factions. The story is told by Abel, an aristocrat with a title – albeit, apparently, a minor one. As the book opens, he and his beloved Morgan are abandoning their castle – hoping to avoid the sort of people it would probably attract. Unfortunately, they are captured early in their journey by a band of partisans who – as Abel feared – viewed the couple’s home as an excellent base of operations. Abel and Morgan are taken back to their home – now, as trapped by the castle’s walls as they are protected by it.

The book is told entirely from Abel’s point of view – “I wonder at the lieutenant and the history of her men”. Gradually, hints of his former life are given, much of it involving the development of his relationship with Morgan. Little, on the other hand, is told of the lieutenant or her men – even their real names are withheld. The language and style used is very descriptive at times, lyrical and nearly pretentious in places. For all his attempts to romanticise his thoughts, his feelings and his past, however, I found Abel to be an increasingly dislikeable character : for a member of the nobility, there was very little noble about him. In fact, as the book went on, I wasn’t even convinced Morgan felt any real warmth towards him. For someone who hasn’t read anything by Banks, I’m not sure I’d recommend this as a starting point – “Whit” and “The Crow Road” would possibly be a better introduction. However, “A Song of Stone” is certainly worth reading.

“Of Mice and Men” was first published in 1937 and has been adapted for the stage and screen. It’s set in mid-1930s California and opens beside the Salinas river, a few miles outside Soledad. The book focuses on Lennie and George, a pair of migrant workers who earn a living on the state’s farms. George is the dominant character of the pair, as Lennie isn’t quite capable of looking after himself properly. Although big and strong, he has a poor memory, panics easily and doesn’t always understand what’s happening around him. All he wants out of life is to have his own farm with George, look after some rabbits and “live of the fatta the lan’”. As the book opens, the pair are on their way to a new job; they had to leave their previous job and go on the run after Lennie was (falsely) accused to rape. Things don’t go smoothly for the pair when they arrive at their new place of work. It’s clear that the farm owner’s son, Curley, and his wife are going to be the source of a great deal of trouble.

“Of Mice and Men” is a very short book – a great deal shorter and much easier than I’d expected. I had a great deal of sympathy for Lennie, who was based on a real person : in an ideal world, he shouldn’t have been leading the life he was living. Similarly, I think George was placed in an impossible position at the end of the book – though I couldn’t help but wonder how George himself saw things. As I was reading the book’s climax, I couldn’t help but think of something Candy had said to George earlier in the book, regarding his dog.