Book Thirty One

Finally, after the best part of two and a half months I finished Book Thirty One. And I bet you'd thought my reading bubble had burst. Well if you did, you were wrong! The thing that gets me is that this book is just shy of 1000 pages, but why would it take me so long to read it when before that I was reading an average of two books a month, almost all of which were over 300 pages? It doesn't add up. I read a similar amount of time, and still had the same journey to and from work. Maybe the word per ratio was unlike anything else I had previously encountered! I'll blame that.

Anyway, I did it. It was without doubt the longest book I have ever read. This one seems to be doing the rounds over here, much the same as 'The Beach' did all those years ago. I fully expect to see every rich, tie-dyed wearing toffee nosed crusty twit trust fund kid reading it in Thailand later this yet. Rah!

Putting all that to one side though, this book was great. It tells the true story of a guy on the run, having escaped from prison in Australia, who sets up a new life for himself in the melting pot that is Bombay. He lives in a slum where he sets up a free clinic, he works for the Bombay Mafia and fights against the Russians in the mountains of Afghanistan. What a life!

I've never been to India, nor have I ever had the inclination to do so and this book definitely puts a fascinating spin on the place. I still can't see myself going though.

I wonder what the movie will be like. It's supposed to be released next year, with Jonny Depp staring.