Tuesday 29 September 2009

Anyone know a good vet?




Anybody know a good vet? All day yesterday I had a gradual build up of pain in my shoulder that radiated down my arm and up my neck. By the time I got to bed I could barely move my head. Any position I could arrange myself in that was comfortable for my foot ...yes, you guessed it, was uncomfortable for my neck/ shoulder.

So here’s me today with my foot in an ice bath and a heat compress across my shoulder. S’not funny you at the back.

By the way, these heat compresses are amazing. It’s like a giant sanitary towel, shaped like the wingspan of a pigeon (without the head, tail... and the guano). You pull it from the packet and as it comes into contact with your skin these wee pads positioned inside it heat up. Clever, eh? And you can wear it for 12 hours.

An interesting side issue to this situation is that I’m also suffering from “walk-envy”. This is a very real phenomena, kinda in the same ball park as penis-envy or boob-envy, without the strange glances and padded underwear. How it works is this – people walk past my window all healthy and pain free and stride-y and I get pissed off. Oh, give it a rest, dude. It’s only been a fortnight.

So while I’m consumed with envy at people who can walk without pain I’ve got four books on the go. Does anyone else out there read like this? This is quite normal for me until one book in particular asserts itself on my mind and demands that I finish it first.

My foursome include Chris Ewan’s A Good Thief’s Guide to Paris, which I received courtesy of Scott Pack at Me And My Big Mouth (a must-read blog for book lovers). This book has a wonderfully intriguing premise where you have a novel where the main character is a novelist writing a book about stealing stuff, while he is actually stealing stuff. I don’t normally read caper novels as I prefer my books to be life or death, but I’m really enjoying what I’ve read so far.

Her Fearful Symmetry is Audrey Niffenegger’s next book following the HUGELY successful The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I loved. Early signs are good, however when I bought it at my local Waterstones the bookseller commented that they were having trouble selling it. It seems a good proportion of the locals who bought the first book didn’t really enjoy it. What, you mean they were swayed by all the attention it received. Noooo. I was disappointed. I want people to enjoy books that I love. Philistines.

Also adding to the clutter in my Being Read Pile is Robyn Young’s Brethren. This is a tale of knights going on a crusade and putting those pesky locals to the sword. Initial impressions are mixed. I’m struggling to identify with the characters, but I can see that all the elements are there and it should be worthwhile carrying on.

I’ve also started a review copy of James Ellroy’s soon to be released Blood’s A Rover. This is another book where I’m conflicted. It’s the third in a series and I’m probably hampered by the fact that I’ve not read the other two, although the blurb does say it can be read as a standalone. For those of you who are unaware of Ellroy, he’s the writer of L.A. Confidential and feted as one of crime writing’s modern greats. This is a doorstop of a book, with a large, bewildering cast and a style all of its own. James Ellroy can write a sentence of seven words and impart a degree of information that another lesser writer might manage in a seven line paragraph. Sometimes the staccato sentence style he adopts is a delight, sometimes it’s an irritation. However, this is definitely one that’s worth persevering with.

Sometimes you do have to work at your pleasures, no?

11 comments:

  1. Interesting, I posted about my book spending spree Sunday. I went OVERBOARD, but, in character for me, I don't regret it.

    I'll have to give one of those goosey shoulder thingies a try. Mail delivery is heck on the shoulders especially driving from the right when the controls are on the left.

    Get well.

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  2. are you saying audrey n. new book isn't as interesting as TTTW? i was wondering how her new book was doing. my sister just gave me a huge bag of books to read. amazing but i'm in between books right now, usually have one fiction, one non going at the same time. anyway, michael, hope the neck pain subsides. if it doesn't go away, have your heart checked. radiating arm pain is not good.

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  3. Marley, what did you buy in your book spree? Let us know if there are any you recomment.

    Thea - I've read some more of audrey's book and really enjoying it. I love her whole premise on this one. So far, definately worth it.

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  4. hey, do you have Madmen on tv over there? i'm loving this show. seasons 1 & 2 are on dvd.

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  5. yes we do, Thea. I've heard lots of good things about it, but haven't yet got round to watching it.

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  6. madmen has great writing. very interesting characters. i think you'd like it. how's the foot today?

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  7. foot is improving thanks, Thea. regular ice baths and arnica gel seem to be doing the trick.

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  8. I've heard of 'foot and mouth' but 'foot and neck'? Now that's gotta be nasty. Maybe the neck/shoulder pain has something to do with all the limping around... is there such a thing as an over-compensation injury? I'm sorry you're still not back on your feet but obviously the enforced down time is a good opportunity for catching up on your reading. I hope things improve soon for you.

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  9. Thanks, Carol - now getting back onto 2 feet. The ice and arnica are working wonders.

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