Caution: Nick Drake fan on the loose. Salamanca Place, Salamanca. February 2012. Two books finished this week, both decent. First up is Austrian/German Daniel Kehlmann's Me and Kaminski . An exploration into the concept of artistic genius, this is a surprisingly bleak book. Ultimately, some not very likeable characters irritate each other in the pursuit of their own self-interest (but that interest largely rests on what another can do for them). An odd road trip eventuates that features an incredibly narcissistic 31-year-old journalist/ wannabe biographer and the decrepit (almost) forgotten painter. I liked you, you might too. Recommended. Second up is Italian Alessandro Baricco's Silk . A short and lyrical tale of desire that is structured around a wandering French silk breeder and his illicit ventures to Japan alone in search of disease-free silkworms, it explores the concepts of love and desire in a very subdued way. Stylistically reminiscent of an old-fashioned fable, I sus...