Bookshelf

20 books in 2020: I am the messenger

This was yet another recommendation from a friend at work and when I saw it was on sale I picked it up for my Kindle.

The book, by Markus Zusak, unfolds in the form of a first-person narrative from the reluctant hero of the book, Ed Kennedy. At the start, we join Ed as he lies on the floor in the midst of a bank heist that he unwittingly manages to foil.

Being deemed a hero for his actions only briefly paints Ed’s life in a favourable light. He’s pretty much a dead beat, driving cabs around the town he grew up in to make a living, with no real purpose in life. When he’s not doing that he’s spending time with his friends playing cards or living alone with his smelly dog, The Doorman.

However, following the events of the bank heist, Ed receives a playing card in his letterbox with three addresses marked on it. Driven by curiosity initially, Ed’s life changes dramatically as he endeavours to complete the barely defined tasks presented to him.

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Bookshelf

20 books in 2020: Flowers for Algernon

I thought I’d challenge myself to read 20 books in 2020 because I felt I’d gotten out of the habit of reading and 20 was a reasonably high bar to set, considering even in a good year I’ve only read about a dozen.

First up was the classic science fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys. It’s the tale of a retarded adult, Charlie Gordon, who undergoes an experimental operation designed to make him smarter. The operation has been performed on a mouse in a lab, named Algernon, with seemingly positive results. However, the childlike naivety of Charlie means he’s ill-equipped to deal with the emotions and changes in perception that lie ahead.

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WordCamp Glasgow 2020

With tickets being a veritable steal at £20 it was impossible to turn my nose up at the opportunity to attend the first WordPress event of 2020 in my nearest city. Having to hold on until after payday, I eventually bought what the site told me was the second-to-last ticket available and, when I checked the next day, the event was a sell-out.

I’ve been to a slew of conferences in the past, from several iterations of The Future of Web Design in its heyday to the short-lived jQuery UK and even shorter-lived UX London events, so I knew roughly what to expect of the day.

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