The Importance of Being Interested

 

The Importance of Being Interested by Robin Ince (2022 Atlantic Books paperback 389pp)

 

I had this book on the to-be-read pile since January-February, only managing to read a couple of chapters before other books arrived attracting my attention. Finally made an effort to get through the rest of it last week, and here we are.

Robin Ince is a stand-up comedian who has branched out to become a writer, radio presenter and podcaster among many other things. I’ve enjoyed most of his output and have read his previous two books.

This volume is essentially his love-letter to science and scientists. Ince has found a passion for the subject relatively late in life after having been turned off by his experiences at school with sub-par teachers.

In each chapter he takes on a different subject or concept – from the size of the universe to the mysteries of death. Along the way he tells us what he’s learnt, adding in selected quotes and anecdotes from the scientists he’s interviewed or befriended. A strong theme is the humanity of the experts, not quite the ivory-tower image we may have of them.

There’s also a lot of humour from Ince and his friends. Very British irony and wry comments keep things going when the subjects take a darker turn.

The Covid pandemic is mentioned often in the background as Ince finds himself confined to an attic room only let out for daily exercise. Seems the lock-down book projects are now filtering through the publishing system with several of the books I’ve read lately having similar themes and origins.

Overall, an interesting read but if you’re not already a fan of science and/or the author I’m not sure this book would convert you.

Red Sauce Brown Sauce

Red Sauce Brown Sauce by Felicity Cloake (2022 Harper Collins Kindle 384pp)

 

I heard this book being mentioned on the always excellent “Backlisted” podcast and tossed up whether to order the hardcover and wait for it to arrive or to go down the Kindle route for instant gratification. I took the latter option and glad I did as this was the perfect tonic for me in some recent stressful times.

Subtitled “A British Breakfast Odyssey” the concept of this non-fiction book is simple. The author, Felicity Cloake, a mild-mannered food writer and cycling enthusiast follows up a previous adventure in France (chronicled as “One More Croissant for the Road”) by riding her bike around the nations of the UK discovering the different breakfast traditions and related regional foodstuffs. At the end of each chapter, she polls the people she’s met whether they prefer Red (i.e., Tomato/Ketchup) or Brown (i.e., HP/etc) sauce on their breakfast fry-ups or bacon sandwiches, hence the title.

After a false start (the pandemic comes along and scuppers her plan to do the trip in 2020) and some minor accidents she sets off on her journey. She’s joined on some legs by friends and family so she’s very seldomly alone. There’s a lot of humour and good cheer to this book. People on the whole are friendly towards her and help her on her way.

As well as visiting café’s, greasy spoons and restaurants she also visits factories and premises where some of the more common and some more obscure breakfast products are made. We meet the various characters trying to preserve local food traditions or just make money in these uncertain times. Along the way she includes potted histories of many breakfast-related products and at least one recipe per chapter.

It’s a joy to read and two or three chapters a night on the Kindle put me in a good mood before sleep. I was looking forward to reading more all the following day. Its not earth-shattering or important but was just a good read.

 

Happy-Go-lucky

 

 

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris (2022 Little, Brown paperback 260pp)

First of all, I was suffering from Covid when I read most of this book so that may in no small manner affected the following opinions. I’m somewhat better now but its still taken me weeks to actually write this so I’ll be brief and to the point.

This may be the first book by Mr Sedaris which has somewhat disappointed me. This collection of essays and tales felt so familiar that I thought for second that I had started re-reading his previous work “Calypso” or something equally as unlikely. Late last year I had devoured his second volume of diary entries (“A Carnival of Snackery”) and I think quite a lot of the early part of this book is recycled and expanded from that book. Then we start on more tales of his family and their seaside property in the US – before and after its damaged by a hurricane. I don’t begrudge him writing about his family but it is getting a little tiresome to me now. Things improve when he discusses his ever-colourful father in his final days although it gets a little weird when he just about accuses the man of molesting himself and his sisters.

Tales of travel, hotels and shopping lighten the load somewhat but then he regales us about his life under Covid lock-downs and comes off sounding like a bitter old curmudgeon.

Not saying I didn’t laugh out load at some sections and he still can write brilliantly but, I don’t know, some of the magic was missing – maybe it was my Covid or his somewhat narrowed horizons during the period of writing. If you need a diversion its worth a read but doesn’t represent Sedaris at his best.