OMIC DICTIONARY BILL BRYSON Troublesome Words (Viking $216.99)

BILL BRYSON

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Cashing in? For Christmas? Surely not. it would take a cynical mind to suggest that this book. languishing in bookshops since 1984 under the title The Penguin Dictionary Of Troublesome Words has been reissued with new emphasis placed on the author, a travel writer called Mr Bill Bryson whose popularity has soared in recent years. Marketing ploys aside. this was conceived when Bryson was working as a sub editor at The Times. and really is a dictionary. explaining common misspellings. misuses and anomalies in the English language. As such. it’s of interest to journalists. English teachers and obsessive Crossword players. Bryson's travel writing succeeds due to its humour and attention to trivial details that might otherwise go unnoticed. But presenting these details in isolation is not enough to hold anyone's attention. To those with an interest in language. it's an enlightening tome to dip into. To anyone else. it's as welcome as getting the Yellow Pages for Christmas. (LOuisa Pearson)

BLACK COMEDY MARK LAWSON Going Out Live (Picador {it 5.99) .00

There's no doubting Mark Lawson's talent for his day jobs (TV critic for The Guardian and sometime television presenter) but this foray into fiction writing is something of a hit and miss affair. With the author obviously using his insider knowledge. Gomg Out Live is an often scathing and bleak

account of the media world and the current obsession with all flavours of celebrity. The story centres on Richard Fleming. a radio and television presenter teetering on the brink of breakdown as his private and public lives career out of control. As events go from bad to much worse. his self- obsession and superficiality rise to the surface. and Lawson doesn't pull any punches in the portrayal of Fleming or any of the other characters. However. once you accept the author‘s point about media people being self- important twats there‘s very little to keep you engaged. making Going Out Live a disappointingly slight work. (Doug Johnstone)

SCIENCE FICTION DARK LIGHT

Ken MacLeod (Orbit £16.99) 0.

KEN MACLEOD

DARK train

Are you bored by 'sentences' like this: ‘These crystalline low- temperature. quasi- natural and endlessly self-transformed entities had appeared as an infinitely intricate jewelled garden or huge congeries of minute machinery. a masterpiece of the blind watchmaker operating with nothing more than a faint wash of solar and stellar energy differentials and the self- organising properties of extremophile nanobacteria.’?

Yes? You‘re not alone. but once you get past the fantastical mumbo- jumbo. the second part of MacLeod's Engines Of Light series is pretty entertaining. Croatan is a world where a quasi- feudal society coexists with primitive hunters and the enigmatic. reptilian Saurs. The return of immortal cosmonaut Matt Cairns and his crew does little

to calm this volatile mix,

while the prospect of

planetary peace is hardly

helped by mercurial

communist Volkov. MacLeod's world is

different enough from

Our own to be

interesting, and similar enough to be comprehensible. But with so much going on. his plot seems jumbled. and Dark Light's cosmic conspiracy theories are

just too silly to excite. ; (James Smart)

TRUE CRIME ROBERT JEFFREY

Glasgow’s Hardmen (Black & White £9.99)

‘Today. Glasgow still has the type of hardman who glories in his own reputation' notes the author, and with that also comes the public's fascination with the hardman and his Mafia style underworld. Robert Jeffrey tells the stay of Glasgow's tough men and women through the

: years. using the ; Glasgow newspaper

world's archives.

Many of the names are instantly recognisable such as Bible John.

Jimmy Boyle and Arthur Thompson but Jeffrey

also looks at some of

the other characters

who have shaped the City's criminal history in different ways, including the police. judges and lawyers. One of the most notorious criminals discussed is Peter

; Manuel who finally confessed to having committed many ghastly

murders. It is said that once he was found guilty he actually ran his final steps to the gallows.

The book gives a fascinating and accessible insight into Glasgow's colourful reputation as a hard city. offering just enough detail withoat being too gruesome.

(Jane Hamilton)

Books

EVENTS AT BORDERS

THURSDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 7PM

WHO WANTS TO BE A GLASWEGIAN?

Ian Black runs a free quiz in Borders cafe based on his new book Who Wants To Be A Glaswegian?

A fun night out for anyone interested in the city.

SATURDAY lST DECEMBER 7PM

HITLER WAS A VEGETARIAN

A collection of short stories and Herald columns from the popular Orkney based writer, Ron Ferguson. In his wide-ranging articles, Kirkwall’s Kierkegaard turns his quirky gaze on politics, religion, sex, football, the media and contemporary culture.

THURSDAY 6TH DECEMBER 7PM

SCOTTISH URBAN MYTHS

We all know a tale or two of scary or amusing events said to have happened to a friend of a friend, or a sister's boyfriend's mum. These are urban myths and as author Brian Hennigan» explains, Scotland has more than its fair share.

SATURDAY 8TH DECEMBER 6.3OPM

SIMON SINGH

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

As part of a series of talks for the Andersonian Chemical Society, science journalist and television producer Simon Singh will be giving a special presentation at Borders. His most recent work was the Channel 4 series The Science of Secrecy and its accompanying book. He is also known for The Code Book and the bestselling Fermat's Last Theorem.

THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER 7PM

IAN WHITE

Ian White's Hillwalker Series of CD-Roms is entertaining, informative, and practical. They will complement anyone’s enjoyment of walking in the British Isles. Developed by Ian, a keen hillwalker himself, the Hillwalker Series features four titles: The Munros, The Corbetts, the Lakelan Fells and the Mountains of Wales.

BORDERS"

98 BUCHANAN STREET, GLASGOW GI 38A TEL: 014] 222 7700

www. bordersstores.com/stores/28S OPENING HOURS:

8am to I lpm, Monday to Saturday, lOam to 9pm Sunday

99 No). t.%I)t:-t:1’lli“i THE LIST 105