Losing A Friend

What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography by Lord Alan Sugar

When I am stuck in a reading rut, I tend to look for books that come under the heading of 'non-fiction', like travel books, food-adventures books, true crime, autobiographies, etc, or I tend to give reading a complete rest.  Well, What You See Is What You Get:  My Autobiography (2010) has been in my to-be-read pile for quite some time and it is high time I rescue it and give it the attention it deserves.  

To many of us, Lord Alan Sugar is not an unfamiliar figure.  He is the boy from a tiny council house in East London whose first job was to sell sacks of wool as a kid!  Today, he is a lord, a market leader, the owner of Amshold Group Ltd and the popular star of the award-winning BBC series The Apprentice, and the more recent The Junior Apprentice.  He has two honorary Doctor of Science degrees and was knighted in 2000.  In 2008 he was appointed to the Government Business Council by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and in 2009 he led the government's Apprenticeship advertising campaign and roadshow seminars.  In the same year the (former) Prime Minister appointed him Enterprise Champion to advise the government on small business and enterprise, and he was also awarded a life peerage, becoming Alan, Baron Sugar of Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney.

Now he is telling his story, his way, charting his journey from a humble background to his meteoric rise to fame and fortune.  He is never less than his genuine, blunt and gutsy self.  He is a man who says things as it is.  It is true that what you see of Lord Sugar is what you get!  His outlook on life is old-fashioned and simple but inarguably full of wisdom.  His advice is pure common sense and they do make sense if you think about it.  Through the ups and downs of his career, he never falters or gives up hope and in fact, the lowlights of his life make him stronger.  He is a gentleman who will always advocate that hard work and hard work only is the realistic way to success, none of those instant fame or overnight success much publicized by reality television nowadays.  The book is a truly inspirational read and this autobiography will tell you more about who the real Lord Sugar is  - a man of integrity, a respected businessman and more importantly, a decent family man and loyal friend.  I cannot help but be full of admiration for this old boy from Clapton.  You can follow Lord Sugar on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.  I do not rate books of this nature.  Happy reading!

In A Sense, Reading Never Ends

Learning

Death in Perugia by John Follain

I thought it is time I read true crime based on a hugely intriguing murder that occurred more than four years ago in the hilltop city of Perugia in the heart of Umbria, Italy.  I did not take too much notice of the case when it unfolded.  It was not until Amanda Knox made news on television in October 2011, when the Italian court acquitted both her and Raffaele Sollecito of all the charges made against them, including murder, sexual assault and staging a break-in, that I first took more than a slight interest in the case.  

Guilty or innocent, I cannot come to a definitive conclusion even after closing the book and putting it away.  Why?  Because the motive for the murder is not clear.  There are no reliable witnesses as far as the case is concerned.  There is the lack of DNA, hardly any forensic evidence, conflicting witness statements, a very confusing crime scene and a lot of questions which bore more questions and more questions.  Prosecution made it easy for the public to believe that Amanda and Raffaele were linked to the murder due to their odd behaviour - they were photographed kissing - immediately after the crime.  However, an important but overlooked fact is that there was no evidence - blood and DNA - that connected Amanda and Raffaele to the crime scene at all.

When top criminal defense investigator, Paul Ciolino, reviewed the pile of evidence, he changed his mind from thinking Amanda Knox was probably guilty to concluding that the prosecution of Amanda was a "police-generated fairy tale and a railroad job from hell".  Police corruption of the evidence and crime scene was obvious from the crime-scene videotapes and deemed worthless and inadmissible.  There were lies, distortions and innuendo, so much so that the whole case was thrown into disarray.  An important discovery was covered up by the police and the prosecutor's office.  Certain people became afraid and were induced to keep what they knew to themselves for fear of reprisals.  

The only real victim in this four-year saga is Meredith Kercher.  

As for the others who were directly or peripherally involved, were they guilty, were they innocent, who knows?  Right from the beginning of the book, the flow of the story very clearly points the finger of guilt towards Amanda Knox and if so, why?  On the other hand, one can't help but ask whether Meredith had just been unlucky.  Perhaps she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.  If this were a work of fiction, it would be termed the "perfect murder" and I guess it was "the perfect murder" because the perpetrator was allowed to slip through the fingers of the law.  Any booklover who has read anything and everything under the sun will find this book, or more accurately this murder, completely unfathomable.  I certainly did.  Do read it and decide for yourselves.  

Presently, Amanda Knox is back at home in Seattle and has reportedly signed a book deal with HarperCollins worth $4million(!) to tell her side of the events surrounding her initial arrest and conviction, incarceration and the trials that followed.  Her book will be out next year ie 2013.  Her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, has followed suit with a book deal with Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books scheduled to come out earlier than Amanda's this autumn.  His book will be called Presumed Guilty:  My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox.  

From the paperback:  John Follain, who covers Italy for The Sunday Times, tells the definitive account of the Meredith Kercher case from her murder to the acquittal of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox.  Shortly after 12.30pm on 2 November 2007, Italian police were called to the Perugia home of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher.  They found her body on the floor under a beige quilt.  Her throat had been cut.

Four days later, the prosecutor jailed Meredith's flatmate American student Amanda Knox, and Raffaele Sollecito, her Italian boyfriend.  He also jailed Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast drifter.  Four years later Knox and Sollecito were acquitted amid chaotic scenes in front of the world's media.

Uniquely based on four years of reporting and access to the complete case files, Death in Perugia (2011) takes readers on a riveting journey behind the scenes of the investigation, as John Follain shares the drama of the trials and appeal hearings he lived through.  Including exclusive interviews with Meredith's friends and other key sources, Death in Perugia reveals how the Italian dream turned into a nightmare. 

John Follain was voted runner-up for the 2006 Paul Foot Award for Campaigning Journalism, and nominated for the 2008 Magazine Journalism Awards for his interview with the Knox family.   

Breaking news update (30 January 2014):  The Amanda Knox retrial began in September 2013.  Today, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007, for a second time.  Amanda is sentenced to 28 years and 6 months in jail whereas Raffaele received 25 years.  The judges ordered that damages should be paid by Amanda and Raffaele to the family of Meredith.

Books Than Money

The Sweet Life In Paris by David Lebovitz

A line from the book:  I believe in taking advantage of my decision to live in a foreign country by making myself open to new adventures whenever the opportunity arises. - A Fish Out Of Water, p94.


From the paperback:  Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited in the 1980s.  Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to the City of Light to start a new life.  Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighbourhood.

But he soon discovered it's a different world en France.

From the illogical rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the nightmare of unchecked bureaucracy and the arcane etiquette of the cheese plate, The Sweet Life In Paris:  Delicious Adventures In The World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City (2009), is a story of how he came to fall in love with - and even understand - this glorious, maddening city.

Here is David Lebovitz talking to RedVisitor - The Essential Guide for Discerning Travellers - based in Paris, France:



My take:  If you have never been to Paris (I doubt that) or have been a few times and are thinking of going again or if you just want to read about Paris from an insider's point of view, then perhaps this is the book you have been looking for.  Travel guides don't tell you the nitty-gritties and this book does.  It is a "deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of light, cheese, chocolate, and other divine confections."  Food lovers will also enjoy this book as it is filled with Lebovitz's fine French recipes covering starters, mains, sides, desserts, sauces, etc.  It is a much-welcomed read after an unending stream of crime fiction books since the beginning of this year.  Nothing beats reading about food and life, wouldn't you agree?  There are more colourful and fascinating videos on David Lebovitz's Youtube Channel or you can sign up to David Lebovitz's popular Paris-based blog here to find out more about him and his food adventures in the City of Light.  I do not rate books of this nature.  Enjoy getting to know the real Paris never mind the food - yum!

What The Chinese Say About Reading

A Life of Reading

The Mozart Conspiracy by Scott Mariani

Do visit Scott Mariani's official website for more information on The Mozart Conspiracy, the second book in the Ben Hope series, published in 2008.

Click here to listen to Mariani talking (from Wales) on WNYC radio about the elusive circumstances surrounding the death of the prodigious composer back in March 2011.

This is an excellent action-packed thriller which grips you from start to finish.  Mariani's books have great entertainment value.  I shall look forward to the third book in the series.

Rating:  3/5

Confessions of an Uncommon Reader

What's Your Ideal Life? asks Mark Twain

Secret Sins by Kate Charles

Paperback blurb:  Life may not be getting any easier for curate Callie Anson, but it is definitely getting more interesting.

When a young man goes missing - with a heavily pregnant wife at home - the local police are baffled.  Has he run away from his imminent new responsibilities?  Or does his disappearance have a more sinister explanation?

And just when the police think they've solved the mystery, someone else goes missing:  a troubled teenager and granddaughter of one of Callie's parishioners.

An absorbing and chilling mystery, Secret Sins (2007), the second book in the Callie Anson series, explores the power of passion, morality and loss, and the things people do in the name of love.  For more information, go to www.katecharles.com

Rating:  5/5

There's Something About Novelists

This is absolutely hilarious.