What I've been reading

Helgoland
by Carlo Rovelli

"In June 1925, twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg, suffering from hay fever, had retreated to the treeless, wind-battered island of Helgoland in the North Sea in order to think. Walking all night, by dawn he had wrestled with an idea that would transform the whole of science and our very conception of the world."

Another by this great science author, this time comparing observations and theories about quantum physics with Buddhist, Roman and Greek philosophy. Given the level of scientific knowledge that has been pieced together about the nature of space, time, consciousness and reality, the philosophy of those ancient civilisations is actually helpful in suggesting ways to interpret some of our modern ideas. It supports what I have found about the lack of any conflict between my belief in both science and Buddhism.

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
by Eddie Izzard

narrated by the Author

"Writing with the same candour and insight evident in his comedy, he reflects on a childhood marked by the loss of his mother, boarding school, and alternative sexuality, as well as a life in comedy, film, politics, running and philanthropy."

This is an audiobook like no other because of his narration. He has dyslexia, which he does mention quite a lot (only slightly less than the assertion that God doesn't exist) so he clearly finds reading a bit challenging, and he can't resist adding extra comments, including real time asides, looking things up and even talking with the producer while he's recording. I'd only recommend listening if you like his style because if it annoys you then you won't get past the first chapter. There's a lot about his childhood and career, only a small amount about his alternative sexuality and nothing about his politics - I was hoping to hear a bit more about that.

God Knows

by Joseph Heller

"You already know David as the legendary warrior king of Israel, husband of Bathsheba, and father of Solomon; now meet David as he really the cocky Jewish kid, the plagiarized poet, and the Jewish father."

I was taught something about the history of Kings Saul, David and Solomon but it was 50 years ago and I don't remember much, although some memory cells stirred when Jonathan and Absalom were mentioned. I'm in two minds about the book, though - while I was reading it I wasn't that keen, but now I've finished it I think it was quite good. It would have been better if I'd known my Bible stories, though.

Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande

"What happens to people's teeth as they get old?  Why do the aged so dread nursing homes and hospitals? How should someone give another person the dreadful news that they will die? A surgeon confronts the realities of aging and dying in his patients and in his family, as well as the limits of what he can do."

A serious but dry book, lifted slightly by accounts of people's experience of diagnosis, disease progression and death. Hospice care, assisted living, palliative care and the slow descent to the end are explored in the many ways they unfold in society, showing the difficulties inherent in holding conversations not only with people who are dying, but more especially with their families.

Fry's Ties
by Stephen Fry

"Every single one of Stephen Fry's ties - whether floral, fluorescent, football themed; striped or spotty, outrageous or simply debonair - tells an intimate tale about a moment in Stephen's life."

I picked this up from a railway station book swap shelf simply because it's Stephen Fry, and it was surprisingly engaging. I won't say interesting - it hasn't made me want to know more about ties, or about Mr Fry, but I can now appreciate them as small pieces of wearable art. And some of them are really beautiful.