Last Days of the Dog-Men

A beautiful collection of short stories that had more to say about humans than dogs.  Though I guess that will come as no surprise.

Watson writes about a wide range of situations with gentle probing and sympathetic unveiling.  The characters are shown with all their objectionable blemishes and yet are still cloaked in vulnerable humanity.

I read these stories slowly, with pauses between each, to savour them and make them last.  Each had a unique impact - as all good short stories should.  There may have been a tear or two.  I will not soon forget the characters, particularly the tragic ones.  And there was enough sweet tragedy to satisfy even the most melancholic reader.  However the stories are never morbid or cynical.

Overall Watson has a achieved a collection that encourages introspection and empathy for those around us.  That seems a very impressive and worth while impact for a little book of short stories.

On Liberty

Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due study and preparation, thinks for himself than by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think.

If the cultivation of the understanding consists in one thing more than in another, it is surely in learning the grounds of one's own opinions. 

I enjoyed reading this immensely.  (Like my very 19th century choice of word?)  It was the subject of my first politics essay for the unit I am currently studying The Liberal Democratic State.  The book is insightful, engaging and challenging.  I tagged, highlighted and scribbled in this book with gusto.  I even chuckled to myself many times.  

Despite Mill's dour expression, (unattractive fellow wasn't he?), he was a man capable of intense passion.  I enjoyed reading the in depth introduction with lots of biographical information in this Penguin edition.  Harriet was a very lucky lady!   I don't know of many other examples of a relationship as deep, enduring and productive as theirs.  Pity she was already married when they met.  Fortunately her first husband, being much older, conveniently died while Mill still had a lot of life left to live with her.  Perhaps their years of honorably being "just friends" was in some measure responsible for the depth of their intimacy.  Is there a better basis for enduring love than deep and abiding friendship?  At the bottom of this entry is Mill's dedication to Harriet in On Liberty.  A tear-jerker! 

So what is the book about?  Mill is advocating for liberty - that individuals are sovereign over themselves.  He argues that it is not legitimate for anyone, government or individuals, to interfere with another person, except to prevent harm to others.  This has become famously known as the Harm Principle:

That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant.  

Mill sees the repressive Victorian culture as very damaging to individuality and originality.  He recognises that social pressures to conform lead to the suppression of truth and laziness of thinking.  He argues that liberty is essential in three domains: liberty of thought, liberty of tastes and pursuits and liberty of association.  He presents a compelling case for freedom of speech that has been the cornerstone for western societies commitment to this freedom.

John Stuart Mill had a brilliant mind and his political ideas were revolutionary.  It is a shame that their subsequent effect on the western political landscape has been so diluted and polluted by capitalistic greed.  Perhaps Hobbes was right after all, though I wistfully hope not.

To the beloved and deplored memory of her who was the inspirer, and in part the author, of all that is best in my writings- the friend and wife whose exalted sense of truth and right was my strongest incitement, and whose approbation was my chief reward—I dedicate this volume. Like all that I have written for many years, it belongs as much to her as to me; but the work as it stands has had, in a very insufficient degree, the inestimable advantage of her revision; some of the most important portions having been reserved for a more careful re-examination, which they are now never destined to receive. Were I but capable of interpreting to the world one half the great thoughts and noble feelings which are buried in her grave, I should be the medium of a greater benefit to it, than is ever likely to arise from anything that I can write, unprompted and unassisted by her all but unrivalled wisdom.

Agnes Grey

"You're to go to the schoolroom directly, mum - the young ladies is WAITING!!"  Cimax of horror!  Actually waiting for their governess!!! 

After being traumatised by The Wasp Factory I wanted to read something "nice".   So this was a perfect choice because, well, you don't get much nicer than Agnes Grey.

I thought I had not read this book before, but within a few pages I realised that I had.  I felt slightly disappointed that it was not going to be new or surprising, but then again, it was never going to be that surprising was it?

Anne is definitely the least Bronte-ish of the famed sisters.  Agnes Grey is much more Mansfield Park than Wuthering Heights.  It is a very preachy little book.  Agnes would give Fanny Price a run for her money in the goody-two-shoes department, although with the retrospective narrative position, Agnes at least carries a bit more authority and insight.  

Just when you start to feel that the book is a little too nice Agnes goes ahead and falls in love.  And then the moralising gets diluted by some good old fashioned romance.  Exactly what I needed to help me recover from the torturing of wasps!

I tend to get mixed up with who's who and who wrote what amongst the Brontes.  Fortunately a quick wiki search can set it all straight.  To aid my memory, of the 3 Bronte sisters who survived childhood:

The Bronte Sisters

Charlotte, the eldest, outlived the rest, experienced some acclaim in her lifetime for Jane Eyre, married her father's curate, but died soon after at 38yo while pregnant.  Her novels:

- Jane Eyre

- Shirley

- Villette

- The Professor (written before Jane Eyre but rejected by publishers during Charlotte's life)

Emily, the middle sister, died at 30 years old in December 1948, just 3 months after Branwell's death in September 1948.  She published one glorious novel:

- Wuthering Heights

Anne, the youngest of the family, died at 29 years old, 5 months after Emily in May 1949.  Her contribution:

- Agnes Grey

- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

All three of the sisters also wrote poetry.  Their first published volume, containing poems by all 3, was not well received at first.  The portrait above was painted by Branwell.  Apparently Branwell was also in this portrait originally but either removed himself, or was rubbed out by his father after an argument!

Poor little Anne is the apparently the least distinguished according to wikipedia.  I guess her writing is the least like to be studied by high school English Literature students, if this is anything to gauge by!  And yet the entry on wikipedia about her is much, much longer than either of the entries about her sisters.  Go figure.

Anne on Wikipedia 

The Wasp Factory

This is not a book that you "enjoy" reading exactly.  I found myself wondering at times "What kind of person writes a book like this?"

But I did find it engrossing and intriguing.  I thought the portrayal of the main character, and in particularly his psychopathy, fairly convincing.  Though this point was strongly disputed by other members of book club.  Over the course of the story I found myself warming to the awful main character, almost against my will, and despite a strong sense of revulsion.

Banks story-telling ability is demonstrated well enough to leave me wanting to read more of his work.  That in itself seems a strong testament to an authors first published novel. 

He publishes as Iain Banks for "regular" fiction and as Iain M. Banks for science fiction.  I plan on trying one of his scifi books soon.  A dose of good scifi is always welcome - so hopefully Iain M. Banks has some good scifi to offer.

The Ethics of What We Eat

"We can make better choices." 

This book has been sitting on my book shelf for about 4 years.  I have put off reading it because I knew that when I did I would need to make some changes.    And I did.

The book starts from the view point of the dinner table and shopping habits of three families: “Typical American Diet”, “The Conscientious Omnivores” and “The Vegans”.   

I think that the eating style of the families represents most of the spectrum of family eating patterns, and I think any reader would find a lot they could identify with in the concerns expressed by the families.  From budget constraints, to lack of time, to struggles in balancing good nutrition with the children’s taste buds.


The consequences of the families' food choices are investigated.  The families are all treated respectfully, but it is made very apparent that some food choices are having terrible consequences which can be considered ethically wrong, even if unintended.

Although Singer is well know for his animal rights activism the book does not focus narrowly on the impact our food choices have on animals.  Instead a broad range of issues is considered including the environment, poverty, equality, and fairness.  I was particularly impressed that the complexity of the issues is presented, rather than broad, generalizations with overstated easy solutions. 

I found that the format worked very well as it made the information seem so relevant and applicable.  The book is well researched, extensively referenced and presented in very readable style.

Singer and Mason present a compelling argument that inspired and motivated me rather than making me feel guilty - and that is not an easy balance to find.  I highly recommend this book to, well, everyone.  We all eat!  And, to echo the authors, we can all make better choices.