Having gotten lost in complex mathematics, which helps explain the theory of relativity, I thought I’d briefly go back to basics with this short explaHaving gotten lost in complex mathematics, which helps explain the theory of relativity, I thought I’d briefly go back to basics with this short explanation of the history of this academic discipline.
I wasn’t too bad a maths when I was at school, but in retrospect, it was really all quite basic. When I started work and particularly when I became a bank teller, I was required to add up huge columns of numbers in my head, often with my branch manager leaning over my shoulder, checking my accuracy. Needless to say, I eventually became proficient in this exercise, a trick I retain to this day! But much of the other mathematics I learned at school - geometry and trigonometry, to name but two branches - have, to be honest, been of limited use to me. Or, perhaps more accurately, I’ve made limited use of them.
The history of mathematics starts, it seems, with the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians (Pythagoras was a Phoenician). They graduated from a basic abacus to basic arithmetic: additions and subtractions and gradually through to multiplications and divisions – though first in a very clumsy (to us) way. Algebra, geometry, factors, ratios, etc. would follow in time. This brief explanation doesn’t take us any further than this, but it’s interesting enough in and of itself....more
I recently listened to an audiobook in which singer/songwriter Paul Simon talked about how his father always felt that he was undereducated. Keep in mI recently listened to an audiobook in which singer/songwriter Paul Simon talked about how his father always felt that he was undereducated. Keep in mind, he was talking about a man who’d achieved a PhD. qualification late in his life. But I share that feeling with Simon’s father and with a greater merit. I was schooled at the local grammar school, and after achieving a set of very average O level results, I abandoned A level studies to start work at the age of seventeen. I picked up professional qualifications along the way, and yet I couldn't rid myself of the feeling I was undereducated. After forty years of working for essentially the same company (a bank that went through a number of mergers/takeovers during my time with them), I realised I’d had enough of them at the same time they potentially reached the same conclusion about me. We parted ways.
Ever since, through reading (and listening to) books, I’ve attempted to fill gaps in my knowledge. What could have made me a better manager/leader/innovator? I’ve consumed books about many successful people: famous politicians, brilliant businessmen, and other high achieving historical figures. Could I ever have been more than just an average sportsman? Ok, let’s binge on bio’s and technical instruction books. Oh, and what about the sciences, always a particularly weak area for me? After all, I’d given up on physics, chemistry, and biology very early in my scholastic life. Well, in truth, my reading in this area has been pretty limited, but at least my ambition to learn more led me to this book.
Of course I’d heard of the theory of relativity. Who hasn’t? But what does it mean? I really had no idea. Something to do with mass, light, speed, gravity, and the curving or warping of space I was to learn. All this with good dose of complex mathematics thrown in for good measure. It’s all very clever, though the detail really flew straight over my head. But just how Einstein develops and fine-tunes his theory (or really theories, as there’s also quite bit here concerning wider cosmological issues) over the course of a decade or more really is a good story, and very well told too....more
What a find! If I don’t listen to another good audiobook this year I’ll just be happy I stumbled across this gem. I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon for ovWhat a find! If I don’t listen to another good audiobook this year I’ll just be happy I stumbled across this gem. I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon for over fifty years, ever since my favourite school teacher brought a record player into an English lesson and played tracks from a Simon & Garfunkel album to we amazed students – nobody had ever done something this daring in a lesson before. His message was ‘listen to the words’, and it had most of us hooked: yes, theses were songs – good songs – but there was poetry here. I don’t know which album it was. The duo had released a few by then, but they had me. They had me good!
I’ve been looking for a good biography of Simon for a while, and this was the only one available on Audible (I prefer to listen rather than read non-fiction). In actual fact, it really isn’t a bio. It’s a series of conversations between PS , Bruce Headlam, and Malcolm Gladwell, a pair of Canadian journalists. Thirty hours of conversation, often supplemented by the musician’s live playing and singing, is distilled down here to slightly less than six hours of pure magic. The other thing to note is that this isn’t a potted history of Simon’s life or even his musical career, rather it’s an exploration of how his music is created: his inspirations, his methodology, his abiding inquisitiveness about, and love for, all types of music.
Over the course of numerous sessions, Simon sits down with his guitar, and they chat. They’ll get talking about a theme or a particular song, and an explanation will be given as to where the idea came from, what chords, or rhythm or style, was in his head - how the idea grew into something. He would often play a bit to demonstrate something and then perhaps sing along, maybe even a whole song. It’s enthralling. It’s compulsive. The man really is a musical genius....more
Like many people interested in American history, JFK and Bobby Kennedy have created a particular point of interest for me. I’ve already read a number Like many people interested in American history, JFK and Bobby Kennedy have created a particular point of interest for me. I’ve already read a number of books focused on the life and actions of this pair:
But I’ve also enjoyed a quite a few of Audible’s Great Courses, and when I spotted this one on offer as a freebie I concluded that another commentary on JFK’s short presidency would be a good way to keep me company during around 6 hours of dog walking time.
The lectures are written and delivered by Michael Sheldon, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has written six biographies and, for ten years, was a feature writer for the London Daily Telegraph. His aim here is to take a balanced look at JFK’s presidency by examining both its successes and failures. Much of the input comes from a rich archive of eyewitness accounts from people who saw him up close as both a candidate and as a president. A good deal of this material has been drawn from a library of oral histories at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
We’re walked through a brief family history, followed by his route to the presidency (the first Catholic to achieve this status, of course). Then there’s quite a bit of focus on his private life: he was, as been widely reported, a serial womaniser. The remainder takes a look at the big issues he was required to deal with in his time in office, which amounted to a little less than three years. His major challenges included: his health (he struggled throughout his life with issues connect to Addison’s disease); the Bay of Pigs fiasco (very soon after he gained office); the Cuban Missile Crisis (which arrived not long after he’d been bullied in his first meeting with Khrushchev); his pledge to reach the Moon by the end of the decade (this was subsequently achieved after his death, in July 1969); the civil rights battle (legislation with eventually be pushed through by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, some eight months after Kennedy’s assassination); Vietnam (there were just 685 military advisers in country at the start of his administration, but this had increased to more than 16000 by the time of his death). His assassination is covered, but only really in a political context.
Kennedy’s presidency it might not have been the longest, but it was certainly a busy one.
The author concludes that on the plus side are: JFK’s youthful ambition, energy, and his willingness to address the racial divide in America. In addition, there are his grand visions for scientific and technological changes together with his success at resisting American involvement in a major war (with the Soviet Union).But he admits that Kennedy divides opinion. There are many who can’t hear anything negative about the man but also a lot who can’t say anything positive. Either way, he says, he changed the way Americans look at the office itself. He was truly the first modern president.
Overall, I found it to be another useful and interesting look at one of the most fascinating men of the 20th century....more
Tim Marshall was formerly Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News, his 2015 book Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You EveryTim Marshall was formerly Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News, his 2015 book Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics explains the geographic lottery: who wins, who loses, and why. This more recent book explores ten regions that are potentially going to be central to how global politics will play out going forward. The regions are: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel (bordering the Sahara Desert), Ethiopia, and Spain. Interesting, the final area is Space. Russia and China aren’t explicitly covered, but their tentacles are everywhere, here.
The author walks us through the history of each region – interesting enough in itself – and examines what opportunities are available and what threats are posed to each. There’s the full range of ancient disputes, religious divisions, friction over boundaries, and other elements at play. Russia and China are presented as active predators, the colonisers of the modern age. Marshall discusses the advantages of cooperation for these regions, the draw of establishing new partnerships. But he also identifies the potential risks, for instance: drives for independence in a number of regions, the desire by potential partners to grab scarce natural resources, or to acquire strategic footholds.
It’s a fascinating book that’s an education in and of itself, but particularly when read as a follow up to his earlier publication. Highly recommended....more
I like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always aI like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always attracted to all things American, I couldn’t resist grabbing an audio copy of this book, narrated by the man himself. It’s effectively a follow-up, or accompaniment, to a BBC television series which was released in 2008. Therefore some elements are somewhat dated, but nonetheless the opportunity to follow him as he visits every state in the Union was too tempting to miss.
It’s fair to say that his adventures are somewhat whistle-stop. I’d even say that some states barely get a visit. But Fry is amusing and interesting company as he scoots around the country in a black London Taxi. He’s clearly in love with, and in awe of, America and his enthusiasm for (nearly) everything he comes across is, in a sense, uplifting. But one of the more irritating elements – despite his pledge in his introduction to avoid such things – is the obvious set-ups for the television series which was the prime motivation behind his journey. These set-piece ‘adventures’ felt trite, and I skipped through a few of them. He’s much more interesting when he talks about things he came across, and people he met, whilst not being filmed.
A few takeaways:
Grimmest place: Trump’s casino in New Jersey
Most boring states: the Dakotas
Most beautiful state: Utah
Most friendly state: Actually, practically everywhere ...more
The Middle East region is seldom out of the news these days, the current Israel-Hamas war being the latest in a long line of conflicts. Jeremy Bowen, The Middle East region is seldom out of the news these days, the current Israel-Hamas war being the latest in a long line of conflicts. Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been reporting from the region for over thirty years. He clearly knows his patch well and here he’s documented his appraisal of where things currently stand and how this point was reached, with a particular focus on the time since he began his regular reports.
He does cover some of the earlier history too, from the point Britain destroyed the Ottoman Empire in 1918 (it continued to rule the area until 1948). He’s scathing in his appraisal of the way Britain became the catalyst for many of the issues witnessed since, particularly as a result of disastrous decisions made during WWI and after WWII. He states that by the 1990s the region was stagnant with countries waiting for the demise or death of dictatorial leaders, but eventual outfall from the collapse of the Soviet Union and later the events of 911 were to kick-off events that are still reverberating today.
Bowen lays out his book in a series of interlinked essays. He trots through Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War, the Israel-Hezbollah War, the Arab Spring, the brutal murder of Gaddafi, the rise and fall of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Iranian nuclear programme. It’s worth stating that the current conflict kicked off after this book was completed and is therefore not mentioned – though it is forecast!
In truth, I found it all rather overwhelmingly grim and also hard to follow. This is partly down to how the book is structured with themes often being repeated and events overflowing from one section to another, but also due to that fact that it’s complicated – damned complicated. Another factor is that to my Western ears the long, difficult names just didn’t stick in my head and I found that I lost track of some the figures mentioned on a regular basis. But mostly it was the fact that Jeremy’s job was, in part, to visit the scenes of death and destruction and report what he saw. I don’t know how he did it for the length of time he did. I became distinctly battle weary quite early on.
I did learn a lot, but to be honest I was glad when I was fully through the book. I listened to an audio version read by the author, I voice I’ve become well acquainted with over the years. It’s a good way to obtain a comprehensive overview of the regions recent history, but my advice is to ensure you’re not already in a dark place before you begin, and have a decent tot of something strong within easy reach throughout....more
English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3000 mile road that that once traversed the country, ending (or beginning, depending from which side you begin your journey) at San Francisco. On the map the route looks like a pretty straight line, passing through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. He’s completing the journey alone, taking as much of the original road as possible and he’ll be taking his time, driving for around seven weeks.
Reynolds is good company as he travels sans Sat-Nav and therefore frequently gets lost. This isn’t helped by the fact that he has to navigate himself around regular interruptions to his chosen path. He stays at cheap hotels, accommodation he hasn’t booked in advance as he’s not sure where he’ll be at the end of any given day. In the evenings he usually grabs a stool at the bar in a promising looking joint and grabs a beer or two as he chats to locals about his journey, their life and Donald Trump.
Set in the year 2000, Trump is in the White House and the author is clearly not a fan, being a self-confessed middle-class, white, liberal. In fact most of the people he chats to aren’t Trump fans either, though some of them confessed that they did vote for him. It seems that many found the appeal of Hilary Clinton to be even less attractive than that of The Donald. Many, it seems, liked neither and chose not to vote at all.
En route, he visits a good number of museums, meets some interesting people (nearly everyone he meets being extraordinarily friendly) and reflects on the history of the places he passes through. I’ve read quite a bit about ‘manifest destiny’ and the Westward expansion, but this book still filled in some gaps in my knowledge. But above all, the author filled me with the pleasure of the journey – his journey. I loved the pure adventure of it. I’ve taken one road trip of around 2500 miles through parts of California, Nevada and Arizona and I’d love to take another trip, plotting a very different route. This book fuelled my ambition no end. ...more
I’d come across Professor Patrick Allitt before, whilst working my way through a number of the excellent American history courses available on AudibleI’d come across Professor Patrick Allitt before, whilst working my way through a number of the excellent American history courses available on Audible. Born in England, I continue to find a little incongruous to listen to his Derbyshire lilt talking authoritatively on this subject. But his enthusiasm and obvious knowledge do tend to make his lectures compulsively listenable.
The only issue I have with this set is that the history is just too recent and as a result I found that, for the most part, it simply provided a reiteration of news I’d already absorbed. To be fair, Allitt does a pretty good job of refreshing my memory on this recent period and he also provides some additional insight and analysis new to me. But overall I found this set to provide pretty slim pickings compared to other courses I’ve listened to....more
A young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requestA young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requesting this book – the photos are stunning! It’s harder to appreciate the quality via the e-book I was given access to, but I do believe they’ll show brilliantly well on paper. There are some good practical tips too for aspiring travellers, for instance how to make a ‘proper’ cup of English tea (clue: it doesn’t involve a microwave) and the fact that when visiting an English pub you have to approach the bar to order food and drink, the staff won’t come to you. From a personal point of view these both tickled me.
But aside from the tips and photos what really grabbed me was Autumn’s story: her bravery in undertaking the trips alone, her angst when faced with challenging situations (e.g. getting an uninvited mauling twice when in Italy or travelling to Australia with a potential diagnosis of cancer overhanging her). It really is a gripping account, written with modesty and honesty. I couldn’t help seeking out a few places listed that I’d visited and checking her reaction against mine. It really is great fun and, I think, truly inspiring.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I suppose Rory Steward first clearly appeared on my radar when he stood as one of many candidates for Tory leadership (and therefore Prime Minister) fI suppose Rory Steward first clearly appeared on my radar when he stood as one of many candidates for Tory leadership (and therefore Prime Minister) following Theresa May’s resignation in 2019. I recall it being claimed that he’d been a ‘spook’, working for the British Intelligence Service, MI6, for several years after completing his degree at Oxford. It made him sound interesting and whenever I’d heard him talk he did seem to have some engaging things to say. He definitely came across as somebody a little different from the normal boring MP’s that turn up on British television, churning out their party’s policy by rote.
The spy element to his past is unverified, what is known is that he’d spent time as a diplomat, a charity worker and a Harvard professor before becoming a Member of Parliament. This book largely covers the period immediately before his election and up to the time he left Parliament, not long after his abortive leadership campaign. Rory talks us through what he considers to be his major successes (which might just be the least interesting element of this memoir), explains why he chose to become and MP and also what his constituency duties comprised. All this is interesting enough, but it’s hardly what has made this book such a hot topic since it’s release. What people (myself included) are interested in is what it was like to have David Cameron, Liz Truss, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson as a boss?
Stewart doesn’t pull any punches. He lets rip at each of them, with the exception of May, whom he admired. He has nothing good to say about Cameron, whom he found to be disinterested in him and his ideas, a man who populated his office exclusively with ex-classmates from Eton. Of Liz Truss, he says that she valued announcement and polling over implementation and delivery. In fact, he paints a picture of someone who is totally unbearable. But it’s Boris that comes in for most disparagement, described as a feckless blowhard and, above all, a compulsive liar. Others that face harsh criticism include ex-Cabinet ministers, Michael Gove and Gavin Williamson. But in truth there’s very little positive language aimed at any of his fellow MP’s here. Other than May, the only close allegiances he mentions are those with his one-time boss, David Gauke and veteran Conservative Ken Clarke.
The parliamentary machine, he claims, doesn’t work. Ministers are often appointed without the requisite knowledge or background to fulfil their briefs and usually only for a short period of time - often no more than a year. They are then shuffled up, down or sideways, making room for another unqualified appointee to occupy their barely warmed chair. Meanwhile, senior civil servants, who can see that yet another change of direction is in the wind, try their darndest to either explain that the latest idea is ‘not possible’ or frustrate it in other ways, until their new minister is also moved aside.
Interesting though all this is, it does paint a truly horrible picture of our government in action. Moreover, many unnamed MP’s flit in and out of the frame, each seeming to fit one or other of the following stereotypes: an eccentric, an entitled snob, or a weirdo. Is it really this bad? Are the people who run our country really so self-serving, so self-aggrandising? Is Britain’s government system really so flawed and so filled with inappropriate members? I wasn’t always so cynical, but these days, I fear there is only one answer to all of the above....more
I’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and playI’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and played it continually in our house. He then added Madman Across the Water and I was completely hooked, this becoming my favourite album of all time – by anybody! I subsequently added other albums to the family collection, in fact all Elton's albums up to and including the biographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Keep in mind that in the the first half of the 1970s Elton was releasing a new album at roughly six-monthly intervals. After captain Fantastic I admit that I somewhat neglected EJ for a period; his music had diversified somewhat as he explored a new writing partnership and he lost me for a bit. I was to return again later, re-listening to the early albums, though I never did invest in his work from 1976 onwards, with the exception of the excellent Songs from the West Coast (2001).
This book details Elton’s rise to fame, explores his early life, his fledgling career and walks us through each album (complete with critique) and then practically every major event in his life to date. It’s comprehensive, up to date and has loads of photos to supplement the text. I found that there’s a great deal I didn’t previously know about the singer/song writer, for instance: that he’d been a session player on Tom Jones’s Delilah and also the Hollies track He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and that an album called Reg Dwight’s Piano Goes Pop was once release in which he sings covers of songs by artists such as Mungo Jerry and Canned Heat.
If I had to find something to criticise, it would be that I don’t agree with some of the thoughts here on the merits of a number of Elton’s albums and also that I found the writing a little ‘dry’. In addition, I noted that a reference to the song Tiny Dancer states that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to recount the time he met his first wife - something he refutes in his own memoire Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me. But I know that this is nitpicking, this book really is as comprehensive a study of the man and his work as I’ve come across and the collection of photos here really are fantastic. This book would make a fabulous addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of any Elton John fan.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I must admit, it felt to me that the digital revolution started at some point after I commenced work at a local bank branch, in the mid 1970s This wasI must admit, it felt to me that the digital revolution started at some point after I commenced work at a local bank branch, in the mid 1970s This was just a few years after decimalisation and it seemed that every task was completed manually. My branch manager didn’t even allowed me to use an adding machine to complete my till balancing task - all calculations had to be done manually. But according to Isaacson, the revolution’s genesis goes way back to the 1830’s, when the daughter of poet Lord Byron – an amateur mathematician of some repute – began to forecast progressions that lay in the future, in the course of her work with English inventor Charles Babbage.
It seems that the author has two goals here: firstly to walk readers through the major steps taken from these early ideas right up to the date this book was published, in 2011; secondly, to highlight the fact (sometimes to the point of labouring the point) that these progressions were the work of many and that just about every step forward was facilitated through partnerships and collaborations, not by the work of individuals working alone.
He starts by saying that it took about a hundred years from the date that early ideas were propounded to delivery of a really meaningful step forward. We learn that the early ‘wins’ were delivered by people with very specific skills – mathematicians, metallurgists, quantum engineers, physicists and chemists – working collaboratively. There were two basic types of individual involved: theorists (those with the ideas) and experimentalists (those that brought the ideas to life). Through the establishment of symbiotic relationships, these people started to make significant headway from the 1930’s.
In addition to his later work decoding the encryption of German Enigma machines during the Second World War, Alan Turing also advanced the idea that all mathematical computations can be performed by a machine that follows a set of rules. The author shows that in addition to Turing many others – mostly Americans – began building machines, with the first electronic general-purpose digital computer, called ENIAC, being built in 1945. From this point on a series of inventions (the transistor, microchip and microprocessor) gradually allowed the development of smaller and better computers and also the ability to network devices.
ARPANET, in 1969, was the first operational computer network, and this also signalled the birth of email, with the internet being officially born in 1983. The book introduces many key figures up to and including this point but it isn’t until the 1970s that I started to recognise names, such Bill Gates & Paul Allen and Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak. From here Isaacson launches into a discourse on how continued growth was facilitated by a combination of an open source model, in which software and other developments are openly shared (a concept favoured by some, including Apple co-founder Wozniak) and a proprietary approach, in which developments are owned and closely guarded (Microsoft's Gates and Jobs aggressively promoted this route). Finally, there is a section on artificial intelligence and a discussion on where this might lead in the future.
I found the book to be informative, if a little soulless. Personally, I prefer the author’s biographies (e.g. Jobs, Musk and even Leonardo da Vinci) to this lesson in history. In his bio’s, he’s able to get under the skin of a person – even da Vinci – but his brief account of the many personalities involved here just didn’t hold me in the same thrall. Also, at times it’s quite technical and that’s an area in which I’m particularly weak, so I found some of the text hard to follow. But I did find it to be a comprehensive account and from a purely educational standpoint I’m really glad I spent time with it....more
I’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t unI’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t until the release of his biographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) that I became aware of the close collaboration between Elton, who composed the music, and Bernie, who wrote the lyrics for the songs. Whilst Elton became all glamour and glitz, as the years passed, his song writing partner steadfastly stayed in the shadows. This self-penned story of Bernie’s life therefore throws a good deal of light on a man who’s definitely isn’t the shy and retiring bloke I imagined him to be.
Brought up in the rural eastern English county of Lincolnshire, he walks us through his life in rough chronological order. That said, there are few dates here, so it’s sometimes hard to accurately follow the timeline. He didn’t enjoy school, but always loved music. Eventually he started writing down lines that might later turn into songs. His early influences included American country, R&B, improvisational jazz and even Scottish ‘runt’ Lonnie Donegan. His eventual partnership with Elton John, via an advert in the New Musical Express is, of course, well documented.
Taupin constantly refers to himself as a loner, and yet he’s been married four times, has had a lengthy string of girlfriends and lists a number of close friends, in addition to his best buddy Elton. Included in this list are American singer Alice Cooper and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. His addictions to booze and what he refers to as the White Lady, or the powder, fuelled many late nights as he made the acquaintance of a seemingly endless stream of well-known singers, actors, artists and writers. He comes across as a wonderer, a man who struggles to settle, who is happy to dine and holiday alone, but who is forever seeking stimuli and is always excited to meet new and interesting people.
I listened to an audio version, narrated by John Lee. There were times when I though his delivery wasn’t quite suited to the material, but his jocular pub raconteur drawl definitely worked for the many hilarious anecdotes that pepper this book. In fact, I really can’t recall when I laughed so much. Like most celebrity bios I’ve come across, it drifts into a list of achievements towards the end, but on the whole this is a fine overview of the life of a gifted man who has actually led a particularly varied and interesting life. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Hachette Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve been an avid reader of Donna Leon’s Venice based Commissario Brunetti mysteries for many years, reading all thirty two episodes and also passing I’ve been an avid reader of Donna Leon’s Venice based Commissario Brunetti mysteries for many years, reading all thirty two episodes and also passing many of them on to my late mum, who eagerly gobbled them up too. So when I spotted that she’d written a memoir, I was really keen to get hold of a copy at the earliest opportunity. But having read it, I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It certainly wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
What I was expecting - perhaps what I was hoping for – was something that would, at least in part, lead me through the journey the author went on whilst writing the Brunetti books: what inspired her, how she gathered information on how policing works in the city, what the catalyst for some of her stories was. In fact, there was only one short section that touched on these books, and this was only in passing.
Does this make it a bad book? No, of course not. Instead, there are many pleasant surprises here as we learn of the author’s early life in America and the wanderlust that subsequently took her all over the world, often at the drop of a hat and with no real means of supporting a lengthy trip abroad. The early sections are anecdotes from her youth, with a particular light shining on her truly inspiring mother, and focus then moves to some memorable episodes from her travels. Later, there are sections focussing on her discovery of Italy, a country she formed a lifelong love affair with, and also her home in Switzerland. Her last piece is a reflection on ageing; Donna has now turned eighty, and yet it’s clear she has adopted a constructive and pragmatic outlook in terms of where she is on her journey through life.
The book really feels like a random collection of memories and adventures but laid out in chronological order. Beyond her early years in America, there is actually very little here about Donna’s personal life, other than references to a number of friendships she built up over the years. The picture it paints is that of a person who has taken chances and been expansive in how she’s chosen to lead her life - a very full life. But it’s a relatively short book, and I just wish there had been more here about her writing. I enjoyed my time with it, but it does feel a bit like a meal that’s missing a course.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an early reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
The Battle of the Bulge was (16/12/44 – 25/1/45) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WWII. It was also the largest and bloThe Battle of the Bulge was (16/12/44 – 25/1/45) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WWII. It was also the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. In fact it’s really inaccurate to call it a single battle as it was really a series of fights between German and largely inexperienced US troops, fought through the densely forested Ardennes region of Belgium.
This book covers of the context of the battle and walks through the significant events that took place during those terrible five weeks. The detail imparted also includes: troop movements, intelligence gathered, equipment and armoury deployed, condition and terrain. Aside from this there are quite a number of first person accounts of actions witnessed – some of these extremely harrowing. Incidents touched on include atrocities carried out by German troops, such as the Malmedy massacre, a war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS.
What comes across strongly is just how much confusion was caused to Allied troops, who were caught completely off-guard by the offensive. Also, very evident is the chaos, confusion, random luck (both good and bad) and sheer brutality of war. One surprise to me was the degree of antipathy senior American soldiers felt towards British Field Marshal Montgomery, who after the event tried to grab much of the glory even though he only really got seriously involved after the battle had been pretty much won.
I listened to an audio version, competently read by Mack Gordon. My only reservation here being that trying to keep tabs on what was a complex and confusing event was very difficult without a map to hand or a good working knowledge of both the area and the makeup of the various American units deployed. An easy one to remedy, perhaps, but tough when you’re largely listening to the book whilst walking your four-legged friend.
My thanks to Arcturus Digital Audio for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’d heard of Burning Man, my only real take being that it’s a wild gathering where anything goes, and then they burn a large effigy of a man. Well, afI’d heard of Burning Man, my only real take being that it’s a wild gathering where anything goes, and then they burn a large effigy of a man. Well, after working my way through this book I can confirm that I was on the right lines, but selling the whole thing short. Way short.
The week-long event takes place every year in the desert at Black Rock, north of Nevada. Attendees are asked to abide by the festival’s principals, which include a call to get involved, be self-reliant and, when it’s all over, to leave no trace that you were ever there. This book explores the background and the aims of Burning Man but the key element here is the art that’s been on display over the years. Much of it is huge, wildly imaginative and sometimes absurd. And more often than not the photographs show people climbing all over the pieces, as attendees are invited to ‘come and play’ with the exhibits.
For me this book achieved two things:
1. I was prompted to undertake further research into the festival as a result of what I saw and read here: in combination it exploded my perception that this is just a wild, uncontrolled party. Yes, shirts are optional, but at its heart it is highly organised and the ethos here is to explore, to discover, to experience and then to clean up and go home, leaving the desert as you found it.
2. I found sight of the art on display (the photographs are superb) mind boggling. The scale of much of it defies logic – how did they ever transport it out to this wildly remote place? I gained a new appreciation of how art can fire the imagination and stimulate creativity in those who see it and experience it.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for supplying a e-copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
How can a man, admittedly a very intelligent man, who is so brusque and rude with virtually everyone who works for him, is so maverick in the way he cHow can a man, admittedly a very intelligent man, who is so brusque and rude with virtually everyone who works for him, is so maverick in the way he chops and changes things on a whim and who constantly goes ‘all in’ to back his own judgement – often against the advice of seemingly wise counsel - become the richest man in the world? Or, to turn this question around, is it necessary (or, in fact, essential) to be such a man in order to achieve this level of success?
Isaacson clearly spent a good deal of time observing Musk. He had long discussions with him, regularly swapped messages with him, and talked to many others about him. He’s also well placed to judge him against at least one other man who achieved stellar success as he’d previously written an excellent biography of Steve Jobs, having spent a similar amount of time with the late Apple and Pixar boss. He notes that both shared a propensity to treat people badly and were essentially difficult people to work for, but that each could articulate a clear vision and share a one-track mind on delivery. Both, he says, were not afraid to intimidate and upset people in order to get them to achieve things they believed to be impossible. In passing, he further observes that Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) – other mega-successful businessmen - are similarly objectionable characters.
I’d previously read Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future so I had a reasonable knowledge of Elon’s background. But that was published in 2015, and this book, therefore, brings in more recent events and achievements. It’s also fair to say that Isaacson draws out some insights from the past not covered in the earlier book. For instance, one anecdote tells of how Musk was sent to a summer camp when he was still very young, which featured fighting as a key component of its learning activities. On his first visit, he was on the wrong end of a significant beating, but as he grew, things changed in later visits he was to become one of the beaters of the young and the frail. So perhaps this fed not only his survival instinct but also his determination to prevail.
His relationship with his father, Errol, is covered episodically throughout. Erol is described as a difficult man: temperamental and psychologically abusive. He chastised and criticised Elon consistently through his formative years. His bullying tendencies might be one of the reasons Elon fled his native South Africa at the first opportunity to begin a new life in first Canada and then America. We’re walked through his further education (Queens University, Ontario & University of Pennsylvania) and his business career (Zip2, X.com & PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, Neuralink, The Boring Company, OpenAI and Twitter/X). It is really amazing to think that he was running quite a number of these companies – and at a pretty granular level – at the same time!
There are some great sections on how Musk developed and deployed what he referred to as his ‘algorithm’, which essentially aims to: question every requirement (and I do mean every requirement); delete anything that might be unnecessary (even if some have to be added back later); simplify and optimise every process; accelerate the time cycle; automate if possible. These steps, Musk says, must be completed in strict order, as many times before he’d tried to simplify or automate a process he really should have already deleted. Isaacson cites a good number of examples demonstrating how this works in practice, very effectively saving money and speeding up delivery. Having worked in operations for much of my career, I wish I’d cottoned on to this checklist many years ago – it’s simple but brilliant.
Elon Musk is a man who prefers danger to comfort, loves drama and conflict, has a compelling sense of urgency about everything he does, and can inspire and repel in equal measure. He’s a natural disruptor, a challenger of the status quo, and he has a brilliant mind which allows him to not only vision the big picture but also to understand the micro detail involved in achieving his aims. I wouldn’t want to work for him, but what he’s achieved really is hugely impressive.
Isaacson has done a brilliant job in pulling this biography together, I absolutely loved it....more
We are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessaryWe are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessary to run at an average pace of 4 hours 34 seconds per mile. This book sets out to explore the likelihood of this happening and, if it were to happen, what the key levers would be that would enable this achievement.
OK, so maybe it’s one for running aficionados! But lots of people do run – not to anything remotely close to the standard required to approach this level of performance, but sufficient to be able to fully appreciate what a crazy pinnacle this really is. To put it into some context, the average finish time for over 38,000 runners in the 2014 London Marathon was around four and a half hours. A decent goal for a good high school runner would be to run a single mile in under 5 minutes.
The author delves into the history of the race and digs up some interesting facts about its origin and its growth into a mass participation event. It seems that just about every large city has its own marathon these days and having run in London, Berlin and Paris (amongst others) I certainly appreciate the appeal of these events. It’s an opportunity to participate (albeit distantly) in the same event as world class athletes. At the same time, it’s a chance to challenge yourself and often to raise money for a worthy cause.
But the main focus here is on the elite athletes as they chip away at the world record time and get ever closer to the two-hour mark. The current world record is 2:02:57. Not so far off then? Well, maybe not but some experts still suggest it is physiologically impossible for humans to achieve this goal. In this book the author takes a different stance and feels that the achievement is inevitable… eventually. The physiological, mental, environmental and training impediments are closely examined – often using outputs from serious scientific study. I found it all totally fascinating.
So that’s the history and the science, but the secondary element to this book – and the one that really grabbed me and hauled me through it in two sessions - is the account of top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai. Geoffrey comes from the Rift Valley area of Kenya and, in fact, originates from a tribe that produces most of the best marathon runners in the world. Like just about everyone he grew up with he didn’t wear a pair of shoes until his teenage years and his childhood and early adolescence were memorable mainly because of its general impoverishment and the sheer effort required just to get by, day to day. His story is interspersed with the scientific study and it works really well. It elevates what might have been considered a pretty dry academic text into something with much more depth and feeling.
I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d urge anyone interested in marathon running or even sport in general to take a look at it. I found it inspiring.
Merged review:
We are hardwired to discover new ways to challenge ourselves
To run a 26 miles and 365 yards of a marathon in under two hours it would be necessary to run at an average pace of 4 hours 34 seconds per mile. This book sets out to explore the likelihood of this happening and, if it were to happen, what the key levers would be that would enable this achievement.
OK, so maybe it’s one for running aficionados! But lots of people do run – not to anything remotely close to the standard required to approach this level of performance, but sufficient to be able to fully appreciate what a crazy pinnacle this really is. To put it into some context, the average finish time for over 38,000 runners in the 2014 London Marathon was around four and a half hours. A decent goal for a good high school runner would be to run a single mile in under 5 minutes.
The author delves into the history of the race and digs up some interesting facts about its origin and its growth into a mass participation event. It seems that just about every large city has its own marathon these days and having run in London, Berlin and Paris (amongst others) I certainly appreciate the appeal of these events. It’s an opportunity to participate (albeit distantly) in the same event as world class athletes. At the same time, it’s a chance to challenge yourself and often to raise money for a worthy cause.
But the main focus here is on the elite athletes as they chip away at the world record time and get ever closer to the two-hour mark. The current world record is 2:02:57. Not so far off then? Well, maybe not but some experts still suggest it is physiologically impossible for humans to achieve this goal. In this book the author takes a different stance and feels that the achievement is inevitable… eventually. The physiological, mental, environmental and training impediments are closely examined – often using outputs from serious scientific study. I found it all totally fascinating.
So that’s the history and the science, but the secondary element to this book – and the one that really grabbed me and hauled me through it in two sessions - is the account of top Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai. Geoffrey comes from the Rift Valley area of Kenya and, in fact, originates from a tribe that produces most of the best marathon runners in the world. Like just about everyone he grew up with he didn’t wear a pair of shoes until his teenage years and his childhood and early adolescence were memorable mainly because of its general impoverishment and the sheer effort required just to get by, day to day. His story is interspersed with the scientific study and it works really well. It elevates what might have been considered a pretty dry academic text into something with much more depth and feeling.
I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d urge anyone interested in marathon running or even sport in general to take a look at it. I found it inspiring....more
Matt Hancock became a household name and face in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care he regularly feMatt Hancock became a household name and face in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care he regularly featured in the daily televised press conferences provided by the government. Essentially, he was the man largely responsible for co-ordinating the country’s efforts to combat this plague. To me, he came across as energetic and largely on top of his brief… if a little smarmy. He was forced to resign in June 2021 after his affair with a colleague – and a photograph of the pair disobeying social distancing guidelines – was revealed by a national newspaper. Here he provides his own recollections of the period, from the outbreak of the pandemic through to his resignation.
Set out as a series of diary entries, there’s a good deal here about how key people worked together and sometimes feuded as information was gathered, actions debated and decisions made. The key medical people come out well but a number Hancock’s colleagues less so. Dominic Cummings (Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson) comes across as a real snake, in fact he is accused of doing pretty much everything he could to bring Matt down. He’s clearly a hated figure: again and again he crops up, but never in a good way. It seems that Cummings had been totally let off the leash by Johnson and was a bully who ruled simply by fear, seeking to grab control of pretty much everything. Others that attract the ire of the author include Kate Bingham (chair of the UK Vaccination Taskforce), former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. Bingham for constantly trying to undermine efforts to maximise the purchase of vaccine doses and the other two for blatantly playing politics throughout the crisis.
It’s hard to judge how much of what’s here is simply Hancock telling the truth as he saw it or alternatively a tempered version painting him in a better light than he deserves. But he’s a politician and it’s his version of the truth, so there’s are undoubtedly elements here that are self-serving. Either way, I found it interesting to re-visit this grim and dramatic period of our collective history with a decent insight into what went on behind closed doors at the highest level.
As I listened to an audio version of this book, read by Hancock, I realised that I’ve become attuned to his voice, having heard it so often in the past couple of years. I think this added positively to the experience; he’s a persuasive speaker and listening to him walk me through his recollections of this troubled time reminded me just how dark a time this truly was.
My thanks to W.F. Howes Ltd for providing a copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
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