The Magician

I have now arranged that all my unread books sit on two bookshelves. I now own so many unread books that there is no reason for me to buy more, and yet .... One dusty old paperback book is "Cakes and Ale" by W.Somerset Maugham . This looked like a worth book that I should read. However I was tempted at the Hillhead library to read "The Magician" by Maugham instead. This book was one of his earlier ones, but was loosly based on Aleister Crowley, although Crowley was never possessed any real magical powers (sorry guys). As many of the reviewers note the book starts very slowly, but gradually it speeds up, with black magic, possession and human sacrifice. What I need to read now is "Of Human Bondage", that is described by amazon as "Of Human Bondage" is the first and most autobiographical of Maugham's masterpieces. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as would-be artist, Philip settles in London to train as a doctor. And that is where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a formative, tortured and masochistic affair which very nearly ruins him.