Sweet Tooth

Author: Ian McEwan


Ian McEwan knows how to write and Sweet Tooth is simply a joy to read. Serena Frome is the daughter of a an Anglican Bishop, who is recruited by MI5 after graduating from Cambridge in the early 70s. The book has a little of everything ranging from the romantic exploits of a beautiful young girl, spy stories, the challenge of writing novels and explanations of mathematical puzzles. Ian seemed rather enamored by the "three doors" probability puzzle that has stumped many a mathematics professor in the past. He goes into the depths of this puzzle and evaluates several different angles, that I am sure the casual reader is going to miss. Notwithstanding this, the novel is beautifully written and is one hundred percent pure pleasure to read.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Author: Rachel Joyce


Harold and Maureen Fry are a retired couple living in a small village called Kingsbridge in Southern England. When Harold gets a message from a former colleague he is jolted out of his boring sedentary life, and decides to literally put one foot in front of the other and set out walking to meet the friend from his past life. He is unfazed by the fact that he is 60+ years old, in poor physical shape, has just a light coat on his back and is attempting to walk a disance of 600 kilometers, with a pair of boat shoes on his feet. It would be an understatement to say that he is rather unsuited for this venture.

The premise is very interesting and brings out the joys of taking long walks. Being a long distance runner myself, I enjoy the clarity of thought I experience during a long run. I am able to focus my thoughts and evaluate different angles and points of view. In a similar vein, during his long journey, Harold reminisces about his early years with his co-workers, how he met his wife, his children growing up, and many other anecdotes that make good reading material.

On reading this book, I was so impressed with the idea of walking to a distant place, that I floated the idea of walking from Cupertino to Napa Valley, to my wife. I told her, we could do it over several days and stay at different hotels on the way. She didn't even spend 5 seconds considering it, and scoffed the idea outright. For now, I guess, I will live with reading about Harold's adventure along the way.

This is one of those books where the author has a great idea with the theme, but is unable to generate anything significant along the way to keep your attention. There are some minor twists and turns along the way, but none are noteworthy enough to keep your interest. Overall, it is a pleasant read, and will inspire you to take long walks.

Telegraph Avenue

Author: Michael Chabon


The book is set on Telegraph Ave at the border of Oakland and Berkeley, which is very much in my neck of the woods. It centers on the lives that revolve around the families of the two partners of Brokeland Records, Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe. Archy is black and Nat is white (Jewish) and the novel brings out the quintessential diversity that is prevalent in the Berkeley region. Archy and Nat have their own unique personalities and Michael develops their character, flaws and all, very effectively.

Their wives Gwen and Aviva are also partners but in the birthing business and are strong characters on their own accord. I found the mis-adventures of Berkeley Birth Partners to be a more compelling story than the struggling used vinyl business that is Brokeland Records. Overall, Michael paints a picture that is vivid and rich with plenty of entertainment and suspense thrown in. The backdrops seem very authentic and the language is complex and has an eclectic mix of black and white metaphors. My only gripe is the rather convoluted language forced me to re-read several passages just to grasp their message. There is even a 12-page sentence that describes where everyone is from the point of view of a parrot. Sometimes I wonder if Michael is more interested in flexing his muscles and showing off his large vocabulary, instead of just trying to tell this story.

Overall, this is a great book if you can comprehend it.