Monday 28 October 2013

The personal touch

According to the dictionary I have closest to hand, to recommend something is "to commend to the attention of another as reputable, worthy, or desirable". Someone should really tell the likes of Amazon that.

A recommendation is a personal thing, it carries particular weight and meaning between two parties because of the relationship that exists between them, which is why word of mouth is such a powerful marketing tool.

When I clicked on Amazon today, though, the first screen I came to contained no fewer than 29 recommendations while also informing me of five items 'other customers were looking at right now'. From "More items to consider", via "Related to items you've viewed" to "Inspired by your browsing history" there is seemingly a category to cover every eventuality, every click I've made on the site and a suggestion related to everything that I've ever looked at.

All that's not to say that there is no place for Amazon, which I quite like even though I'm not oblivious to the questionable morals of its tax policy and the effect that such a juggernaut of a retailer is having in innumerable industries and, given the subject of this blog, on smaller booksellers in particular.

I'm not actually completely against such suggestions, only that the quantity seems wildly excessive. It's a scattergun approach devised by computer programmers that aims to pique your interest and attract further purchases by using evidence gained from the one occasion when you were looking for a Christmas present for your nan.

Which brings me to a new Tumblr book blog I came across called Go Book Yourself.

Billed as "Book recommendations by humans, because algorithms are so 1984", to say that it's a straightforward concept would be an exaggeration. Each post merely suggests four other books readers might like based on books they may already love.

It's that simple, yet because it seems so personal, it's hugely effective. In fact, I recommend it.

Thursday 3 October 2013

Farewell to a friend

We all have authors whom we read religiously and whose books we devour insatiably regardless of widely held critical opinion; authors whose books we snatch from a bookstore's shelves as soon as they are released.

After cursory thought, I think I've got three: Dick Francis, Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler (and my library of Cussler books only began when I read a recommendation on the dust jacket of one of his early tomes that "Cussler is the guy I read" by Clancy).

Sadly, following news on Wednesday that Clancy had passed away, aged 66, Cussler is the only one of my triumvirate who remains alive. Dick Francis died during my original year-long book challenge and I wrote about it here.

At this stage, I should clarify that I'm only referring to Clancy's 'proper' work - his books rather than the many films (don't get me started on Harrison Ford's age suitability) and video games, In fact, I'm referring solely to those books written entirely by him, and not the money-spinning series for which he contributed ideas but which were largely diluted Clancy.

Given the amount of literature that exists in the world, I am appalled when I think of the number of times I must have read the likes of The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, my personal favourites. My copy of Patriot Games is but a mere tattered memory of what it used to be - indeed, I must write a piece on the particular enjoyment of endlessly re-reading books.

The Hunt for Red October, a claustrophobic tale of a defecting Russian submariner, was Clancy's first novel, and probably his best. An author who clearly loved being meticulous about his research, he was obsessed with detail and crammed in as much as possible, sometimes to the detriment of the story.

For The Hunt for Red October, his publisher reportedly convinced him to cut 100 pages of such technical knowledge and - judging by future bloated works after The Hunt for Red October had established his bestselling reputation and started garnering him substantial advances - as Clancy's clout in the industry increased, the quality of his work suffered as you tried to locate the merest hint of the plot within 10 pages of the in-depth make-up of an atomic bomb or the strategic importance of a missile defence system.

Let's be clear, though: I loved it. In main character Jack Ryan, the marine who became an investment broker who became a teacher who became an intelligence officer who became a spy who became vice-president who became president (and did so in a manner convincingly enough that you accepted this career path), he created a hero who combined intelligence and bravery with a clear moral compass.

Clancy's thrillers may have reflected his conservative Republican nature - Ronald Reagan apparently called The Hunt for Red October 'my kind of yarn' - and been the polar opposite of my own views, but it made for a thrilling ride and he will be much missed.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Glad all over

Any cursory examination of the books I have reviewed will reveal that Malcolm Gladwell was among my favourite authors of my year spent on the 100-book challenge. I read three Gladwell books - Outliers, The Tipping Point and What the Dog Saw - in quick succession and a further (Blink) soon afterwards, and
promptly wished I hadn't because it resulted in a near three-year wait for his next opus.

Thankfully, the wait is almost over with the release of David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, what's been billed as a study of the balance of power between the weak and the strong, and how the small outwit the mighty.

I've been following the pre-release publicity, and it's clear that there has been a backlash to Gladwell's work; complaints that his anecdote-led arguments are too simplistic and that one of the ways he profits, through large scale seminars that regurgitate his work, take advantage of those who hold him up as a modern guru.

Indeed, there is a revealing Guardian interview with Gladwell that addresses those very points here - while an extract from David and Goliath can be read here.

For my part, I have no issue with Gladwell's easy-to-follow style of writing; in fact, I would argue that it's his main strength. As a reader primarily of fiction, particularly in my leisure time, if you'd told me in January 2010 that by the end of the year I would have read four largely sociological studies, and gone so far in the evangelical stakes as to recommend and even buy them for friends, I wouldn't have believed you.

Furthermore, it's prompted me to seek out similar work that I have hugely enjoyed over the past few years, such as Incognito, The Secret Lives of the Brain, by David Eagleman and Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice by Matthew Syed (both of which are highly recommended). So, I can't wait.