‘In the Spell of the Barkley’ by Michiel Panhuysen

Yep, it’s another running book. This time about the infamous Barkley Marathons and an account of Panhuysen’s various attempts to complete it. Spolier alert: he failed to complete it. Probably not much of a spolier, very few people have ever completed the Barkley Marathons.

Although, it’s more than just a book about how a bloke kept failing, it’s a story of sporting obsession, exploring what drives people to challenge themselves at the limits of what is possible.

It’s quite nice to read a running book where the writer doesn’t actually ‘win’. If you know nothing about the Barkley Marathons this book is well worth a read, if you know a bit, probably not.

‘How to be Invisible’ by Tim Lott

Teenage fiction.

Really liked this book. Gave it 3.5 stars, it probably deserved more, but it is only a teenage novel so can’t really give it much higher.

It follows a teenage boy, Strato Nyman, who learns how to become invisible. Strato is a science ‘geek’ so the book is full of references to science stuff, as well as the explanation of more complex words he uses, he seems to be slightly autistic.

Definitely worth a read.

‘There are Rivers in the Sky’ by Elif Shafak’

I quite liked it. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars, which I think means I would recommend it, although even I’m a bit confused when it comes to my rating.

I’m sure this book is supposed to be understood on a metaphorical deep level, it’s about a drop of water and how water is poetry and water is people and water is memory, or something like that. Or a novel what explores our connections, through water, or course.

Anyway, it begins with a drop of rain that lands on the head of a King in 632BC and then goes on to follow the lives of three people that all have very different lives: Arthur, River Thames, 1840; Zaleekhah, River Thames, 2018, and Narin, River Tigris, 2014.

I really liked Zaleekhah, lived on a boathouse in London, recently split with boyfriend. I quite liked Arthur, born into poverty to become a success, his story jumps between London and Mesopotamia. I was less interested in Narin, hence the 3 stars I suppose.

I should probably finish with a, well worth a read.

‘Dylan Goes Electric!’ By Elijah Wald

After watching the Dylan movie ‘A Complete Unknown’ – which was excellent – it was suggested I should read this book about the exact same thing: Dylan playing an electric set at Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

I enjoyed the book.

It didn’t really definitively explain what actually happened on the night in 1965. For example, there were reports of the crowds booing Dylan off stage, the book goes on to say that maybe it did and maybe it didn’t happen. There were reports of Pete Seeger running around with an axe to cut the cables in rage, again, the book goes on to say some people saw it, others, that it never happened.

What the book does give you is a really good understanding of the folk scene at the time, and the struggle of trying to survive in this new world of pop and rock and roll.

‘One Track Mind’ by Michael Stocks

Michael Stocks is an ultra runner. Yes, that’s right, it’s another running book. The second running book of the year.

This book follows 49-year-old Michael’s attempt at running 150 miles in 24 hours to get selected to run for Great Britain.

The books not bad, it definitely gives you a flavour, both mentally and physically, at what it takes to run for 24 hours around a 400m track. It gives you a fascinating look into the world of extreme endurance.

There is one little bit that stuck with me. At 49 miles into his race, in the late afternoon, Michael talks about ‘those who are positive’. He says:

To be surrounded by people who build us up and want us to be happy is one of the greatest gifts in life.

He goes on to say how he only told certain friends and family about his running goals because some people simply don’t make us feel good about ourselves.

The people we need in our lives are the ones who want us to be happy. They may not always know exactly the right thing to say, but they will always try to help us bring out the best in ourselves. They are prepared to listen, encourage and respect us for trying, whether we are successful or not.

‘His Bloody Project’ by Graham Macrae Burnet

I really liked this book. It is a fictional story about a lad who kills, written using seemingly real documents, including trial transcripts and witness statements.

It’s set in 1869 in Scotland and follows Roddy, a 17-year-old boy, who commits a triple murder. He admits to doing it and the motive is clear. But is he insane?

Great novel. Well worth a read.