Families and how to survive them - robin skynner/john cleese. A random book picked up from my dad's spare room bookshelf but fascinating nonetheless. Having recently read a John Cleese biography which mentioned his foray into group therapy it was interesting to read the book that came out of it. Rather than being biographical though 'families' is a simple to understand 'conversation' between Cleese and Skynner about how we develop psychologically as individuals within a family unit. From birth and our attachment to our mothers, through adolescence and rebellion we finally come to marriage and loving relationships - Skynner expresses his belief that all problems within family relationships are due to being 'stuck' at an earlier development stage, and the importance of understanding that yourself in order to move past the issue.

There are a lot of interesting perspectives in this book, different ways of looking at familiar family situations, and Cleese's input is to make the whole affair highly readable - although not laughable (this is a serious book). Whether or not it's a suitable replacement for a full tranche of psychiatric help is a decision you'll have to make yourself, but this book will help you make that decision and perhaps let you see ways to make your own progress. I'm definately going to check out the 'sequel' and see how that reads.

Turn of the century - kurt andersen. A weighty novel that I decided to carry around with me as the last book I read in Thailand! Not the most sensible of decisions but there we go. The story is centered around a new media married couple - one in software development, the other in TV shows - both big industries at the end of the 20th century in New York where the story is set. We follow their lives and internal observations on minutiae in a manner not unlike American Psycho but with much less blood. In fact, apart from some interesting machinations around a Microsoft takeover and a new TV show nothing much seems to happen - although everything has importance. Ultimately there is a story in there, but it's lost to the acute observations of 20th century life - without which the novel would be a slim novella and a lot easier to carry. Not a must read, but readable nonetheless.

Ishamael - daniel quinn. A cautionary tale describing how human evolution is now dominated by a group of humans called the 'takers'', who will end up destroying the world. The author, through the story of a captive ape called Ishmael, guides out understanding to what he believes is a better way - or at least a social evolutionary seperate branch - the 'leavers' who were the nomadic peoples oppressed since Cain (agrarian culture) destroyed his brother (the nomads) Abel. All good stuff with a good message - makes you think, but not too hard as its written in simple American esoteric-speak.

Starcrossed - a a gill. Random book picked up at a hostel. Surprisingly good beach read with a lot of wit and insight into celebrity life and some reasonable plots and characters going on (even if one of the main plots seems to disapear halfway through the book).