Tidying up the bookshelves, and putting away the stuff I have read since last September – some additional commentary on a few of the more interesting/engaging reads, and as always there are a few Jack the Ripper books, as well as my current engagement with John Connollys Charlie Parker series, which continues to grip me owing to it’s brilliance;
Philip Gourevitch – we wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families - really fascinating study of the genocide that occurred in Rwanda. Amazing review of the behaviour of crowds, and how panics impact groups. Also how communities can be in harmony, and can so suddenly split. An amazing book.
Steve Cavanagh – the devils advocate
Harriet Gibsone – Is This Ok?
David Nicholls – you are here - whilst not as good as one day, it’s still a very engaging book. Many themes are similar. A kind of study as to how disparate people can build up walls around themselves, as well as how we can take them down.
C Bergstrom/J West – calling bullshit
P Pullman – The good man jesus and the scoundrel christ
John Connolly – The Reapers
John Connolly – The Lovers
David Graeber – bullshit jobs – amazing book that should be mandatory reading for the entire world tbh. We were promised the paperless office, and work and technology would mean we were doing 15 hour weeks, with a fuck ton of leisure time by now. In reality, we’re spending longer and longer at work. Graeber identifies that many many jobs are totally unnecessary (I guess many of us know, or have had colleagues who we’ve no idea what they do, and when they are off on leave or sick, there is no material difference to the business). It’s exceptional in thinking as to what is the purpose of working, and why we work.
Tim Booth – when I died for the first time
R huntford – Shackleton
K Follett – Never - seen numerous others mention this on here, and recommended by a friend. quite and engaging read, and alarming at how situations could potentially escalate.
D Kahneman – Noise
R Patterson – Jack the Ripper the works of francis Thompson
John Connolly – The whisperers
John Connolly – The burning soul
Rob Eastway – maths on the back of an envelope
Sally Rooney – Intermezzo – wanted to see what the buzz is about rooney. The book is ok, the story is ok, the characters are pretty good. A bit disappointed by the ending though.
Andy Cope – the art of being brilliant – attended a presentation by Andy Cope. Such an enlightening discussion – the guy is superb, and I love his research. Could listen to his stuff for hours. Lots of humour in his books, but extremely positive too.
Matt Haig – how to stop time
Guy Browning – never hit a jellyfish with a spade
RJ Ellory – a simple act of violence
Phil Scraton – Hillsborough the truth – as a football fan, and someone who attends games and large scale events (concerts, theatres etc) I am somewhat ashamed to say that this book opened my eyes to much I should already have been aware of tbh. What the families went through (and continue to go through) is inexcusable. What we as fans deserve, is better than what happened for those fans. The repeat failures, the cover ups, the limitations on investigations, all horrendous. Too much was done in the interests of coroners services, and the police. As we all know, the sun are absolute scum anyway, but they’re more vile than I originally thought tbh.
The battles the families have gone through are immense, and their resilience too is astounding. As is their dignity.
I hate the sign on chants they get, and I hope to gods sake I never hear anyone ever again refer to them as victim fc, given what I learned reading this book.
S Keogh – Jack the Ripper – murder investigation team
Joe Hill - NOS4R2
Charlotte Higgins – this new noise – history of the bbc, and it’s inception. A fantastic book!
John Connolly – The Wrath of angels
John Connolly – The Wolf in winter
Tom Phillips – humans
Dave Eggers – the circle
Adam Wood – Famous crimes past and present
Lenny Henry – rising to the surface
Bella Mackie – how to kill your family
Tom Phillips – conspiracy
M Zusak – the book thief
Brian Cathcart – the news from waterloo – it took 4 days for confirmation of the battle outcome to reach the UK. This is a fascinating tale of the apparently 4 different routes the news came via. So different to the modern age when news spreads instantaneously.
Stephen Fry – Odyssey – final book in frys myths retelling, and to the standard of the others, absolutely superb. Really engaging.
Tony Williams – uncle jack
John Connolly – a song of shadows
E Lockheart – we were liars
Guy Browning – how to be normal
R Ayoade – Ayoade on Ayoade
Guy Browning – office politics
Guy Browning – how to be normal
David Andersen – Blood Harvest
John Connolly – a time of torment
