Home alone

After two months crammed full of exams/deadlines and a few days of partying/being sociable, I am finally enjoying some time to myself. I find there is something so refreshing about being alone for a while, I'm no introvert but sometimes I do like to just be by myself; to read, think, pray and just generally have a rest.
There is nothing better, after a stressful time, than reading outside in the sunshine. Letting your mind be carried far away from the cares that had been pressing upon you and allowing it to be totally absorbed by some distant place or time is so refreshing. I find in striving to understand the feelings, hopes and dreams of other people I can see my own in a different light and understand them better.
I also like sit and listen to music, not the type of music I am subjected to in clubs, but real music with lyrics that read like a poem. I know that students especially always seem to have music playing in the background of thier lives and I am no exception, but it is rare that I actually listen to the words. However when I do I always find something interesting and often surprising to occupy my thoughts for a while.
I know that today's society holds up a busy social life as some kind of ideal, but i think... every now and again... it's good just to sit alone and think. Having said that, by the end of this week 'home alone' at uni, I'll probably be longing for a packed diary again...

Here is my list of the best books to make you think:
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
This was written by the same guy who wrote 'The Kite Runner' which I remember being insanely popular when I worked in a bookshop a few years ago. I actually prefer 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', although they are both thought-provoking and moving stories set in Afghanistan during some of it's most tumultuous times, as it tells the story of two women and the contrast between their lives and mine really affected me.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)
Every time I read this book I understand its relevance to our society today a little bit more. It always reminds me to cherish love, peace and truth because without them the world would be a very dark place indeed.

Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China (Jung Chang)
The stories in this book are made all the more poignant because they are all true. I can't even begin to describe this book in one paragraph; it is truly extraordinary and will make you feel almost every emotion imaginable.

I do apologise for my lack of posting recently. I know I said I would be back as soon as my exams finished but I've been totally distracted by all manner of things, including a book which so totally absorbed me I could think of little else until I had finished it. The storyline and characters captured by imagination so completely I have been pondering on it for days; in clubs, out shopping, having coffee... you name it. It's a classic, in truth I can't believe it's taken me this long to get round to reading it.
'North and South' (Elizabeth Gaskell) has officially soared its way to the top of my "favourite books of all time" list. Showing 'Pride and Prejudice' lacking in gritty conflict and real-life challenges. The possibility of enduring love at the end of 'North and South' is made all the more precious because of the suffering that comes before it. This is a book full of developing relationships: between the workmen and the masters, between Miss Hale and Mr Thornton, between the North and South of the country. All of these relationships start full of prejudices and conflicts. It is fascinating to watch their very nature change through the events in the book and equally fascinating is how each of these individual storylines intertwine and affect each other as events unfold.
Like I say, it captivated me... hopefully it will you too.

North and South (Book)

North & South (DVD)

For a more comprehensive review and summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_and_South_(1855_novel)

Bad Science.

This is one of my favourite books of all time, I've been telling friends and family to read it for years but they all seem to be scared off by the fact that it has the word 'Science' in the title. They needn't be worried, Ben Goldacre takes the jargon and confusion out of science, and replaces it with good old fashioned common sense and a bit of logical thinking. I for one am sick of the mess of complicated pseudoscience we are presented with from all angles. Not only does this book blow all that out of the water and explain the real facts behind the headlines but by the end of it you will be able to spot 'bad science' a mile off, which I think is a very good thing.

p.s. I would particularly recommend the chapter on Dr Gillian McKeith if she has ever spoilt your T.V. dinner by poking around in someone's poo.

Here are some other people's thoughts on 'Bad Science':

"Unmissable... laying about himself in a froth of entirely justified indignation, Goldacre slams the mountebanks and bullshitters who misuse science. Few escape: drug companies, self-styled nutritionists, deluded researchers and journalists all get thoroughly duffed up" The Times, Books of the Year

"Hugely entertaining... an essential primer for anyone who has ever felt uneasy about news coverage of faddish scientific "breakthroughs", health scares and "studies have shown" stories - it should be on the national curriculum" Time out

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks

 And check this out for bad science updates: http://www.badscience.net/