Sunday Salon on the Sly
Debra Hamel and Clare Dudman have suggested that readers/bloggers spend a part of each Sunday reading and periodically blogging comments on the books they've chosen. They've named this highbrow enterprise The Sunday Salon. I'm not sure how successful I'll be at this because my family still doesn't know that I'm blogging. I've been at this for a year and a half now, right under their noses, and they still haven't caught on. (...Yes, we're a rather stupid lot.) Debra coaxed me to participate "on the sly" and I'll try to do so. Of course, it's difficult to be sly when there are time constraints to consider, so I think I'll need to come up with some creative solutions to the problem. It's no use trying to read when my husband is around anyway. There's no ignoring Peter. He'll stand beside me, talking, demanding responses. That's just too frustrating. So, this time I won't attempt to do periodic updates. I'll just tell you what I'm reading at the moment.
I've got two books on my bedside table: "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert and "44 Scotland Street" by Alexander McCall Smith.
Daniel Gilbert is someone you'd like to have over to the house. His book is interesting and cleverly written. He's a university lecturer and you know that his classes will be well attended because he has the witty approach appreciated by young people. His book discusses why it is that we seldom know what we really want or what will truly make us happy. I've already used his advice to advantage. He illustrated how we are apt to make purchasing decisions based on the wrong criteria. Stores will display a variety of products and frequently convince the consumer to choose enhanced features or capabilities which are neither wanted nor desirable. We are routinely influenced to turn our backs on what we actually want in favour of another item which may in fact not suit us as well. A variant of the same kind of thinking can be applied to relationships too. A worthy book.
"44 Scotland Street" is something of a disappointment. The title quite possibly is a reference to the long-running British soap-opera "Coronation Street". It would make sense, because the book is very much like a soap opera. Originally published in "The Scotsman" (newspaper) in serial form, this book - the first of a series - has one hundred, ten abbreviated chapters.
Alexander McCall Smith is a likeable, very accessible writer but he's no Clare Dudman. I find his characters relatively unbelievable and lacking dimension. Really, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series is where he shines. I think that's because his respect and affection for the African people is so evident in his books. Perhaps my own lack of familiarity with Africa allows me to more readily accept the lack of nuance too... While it may not be 'great' writing, McCall Smith produces a pleasant, highly marketable product and if he isn't rich as Croesus now, he soon will be. There's a lesson to be had here: It needn't be exquisite writing to be commercially successful. In fact, I think really good writing may actually limit commercial success. After all, most of us (the reading public) are ignorant clods who don't want to be bothered with reading anything too demanding.
Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Clare Dudman, Daniel Gilbert, Debra Hamel
posted by Susan @ 10:07 AM
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