Author: Mike

Books I’ve Read – 11

MikeLeave a comment

The second book in the Languedoc Trilogy by Kate Mosse. Another great read – I do like her style of writing – this one is written a standalone story, but does carry on the themes established in the first book – Labyrinth.

I didn’t know a great deal about Tarot cards before reading this story, but their meaning and interpretation is revealed throughout this tale. Another great story. Backed up as usual with abundant and relevant info at the back of the book. A very well researched book.

Not sure why so many books I read at the moment seem to cover the same area in France that I have visit many times over the years, I need to go back.

We all sat through various history lessons about Henry VIII at school, right?, But what about the years before he arrived on the scene? Not covered that much, well certainly for me. This story sheds more life on that period known as the Wars of the Roses – yes, I’ve heard of that!

The third book (based on the order suggested by the author) of The Plantagenet and Tudor novels takes us through another chapter of the Cousins Wars and their never-ending struggle for supremacy over one another.

As per previous books, I spent a lot of time on the Internet following up information from the book. Another great book. Kingmaker’s Daughter next.

A new writer for me, but another great read. A bit far-fetched in places, but nicely put together to make a good spy/adventure story with a great deal of verifiable facts in the tale. Turns out to be the first of a trilogy, so now I have to read the others, of course.

The author also has a past connection to Touch of Frost – a great TV detective series which ran from 1992 to 2010.

It’s amazing to me, just how much research goes into novels to get the stories just right to make them believable. Let’s hope the others are as good as this one.

It caught my eye… 8-2025

MikeLeave a comment

Churches in the UK are under threat! Not from a 2nd Reformation, more from a failure of Bricks and Mortar!

In a report from the National Churches Trust, the Guardian quotes that “One in five churches say their building has deteriorated in the past five years, …”

But there is some hope, especially for Hastings’ Holy Trinity (HTH) Church.

I was always and still am a big fan of Inspector Montalbano, the Italian detective series set in Sicily. Yes, it had its many oddities, one of which was the lack of motor vehicles in every episode. But it was a great series and sad that it is no more, apart from the odd repeat.

Imagine my surprise and delight at seeing the advert for Inspector Gerri. Not just another Italian Detective series, but one that has a lot of flesh on it bones and in many ways superior to Inspector Montalbano. Set in beautiful Apulia, it’s a must-see programme.

Yes, another TV programme – I’m catching up on my Humax recordings, (still another 195 programmes to go, but that another post!)

Venezuela has been in the news quite a bit recently as Trump ramps up his ‘Narco-War’ against the country. However, as we find in Michael Palin‘s travel documentary, there are many sides to Venezuela.

From deserted tourist towns, to Intelligence Services stopping them and from Angle Falls – how did that helicopter land – to a 3-metre Anaconda. It’s another must-see programme, and a country to visit, perhaps!

It caught my eye… 7-2025

MikeLeave a comment

Another fascinating programme from the BBC Storyville cupboard – The Librarians. The programme focus’s on the pressures being piled on United States Librarians from a Trump driven agenda to suppress/control what books are available in Public and School libraries.

I found the 90-minute story fascinating to watch, with heartfelt testimonies from many under scrutiny Librarians and coverage of ‘school-board‘ meetings, where at one of these ‘events’, a ‘parent’ is recorded threatening to assault a librarian with a firearm!

Some good comparisons to other incidents of book/reading suppression in stories like Fahrenheit 451 and pictures/video of book burnings in Germany during the Nazi era.

I must admit that I was amazed at some of the content in this documentary, common-sense seems to have been driven out by some kind of pseudo-religious fervour seemingly backed by money from Trumpesque like funding sources.

Could this happen in the UK? Well, it might surprise the reader that there has been a rise of complaints and requests to have certain book taking off the shelves at UK Libraries!

          Microplastics in our Bodies

Another shocking story of the continuing invasion of Microplastics into our bodies!

Even UK government research shows that it is a major problem. Other articles continue to show that the rise of microplastics is a serious problem to our health.

The problem is getting worse by any measurement, and one wonders when politicians are going to wake up and do something about this threat to the Human Race?

            The rise in diagnoses

A family member has recently been diagnosed with Autism, bringing it more into focus for me. Like many people, I thought I knew quite a bit about it, but of course there is always more to learn!

One question I would ask, though. What is driving the increase in diagnosis of Autism? Has this number of cases always been with us or are we are just getting better at diagnosing it, or are there other reasons. Which ever, it’s a learning curve for all of us!

Books I’ve Read – 10

MikeLeave a comment

Wow, three posts in short succession! I’m doing well at the moment. Here are three more books I have read this year. Though in reality, one is a reference book that I pulled off the shelf to find some information that I seemed unable to get from the Web. Now there’s a surprise!

Anyone of the pre-mobile era, will find this a great read. It traces the rise of the mobile phone from early Nokia days right up to the latest iPhone (circa 2020’s – when this book was published). Why it took me so long to find and read it, I am not sure.

However, the household name of, well it was for me – Rory Cellan-Jones tells a great story about the Hendy (German), Cell (American), Mobile (UK) – local parlance for what has now become one of the most ubiquitous devices of all time.

How did Apple’s iPhone & Google’s Android outwit all the other offerings? What happened to Blackberry, Ericsson and many others? This book will tell you all. It’s a very good read.

Book two of this series. Another good read from Abir Mukherjee, continuing the story of unlikely bed-fellows, Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee off on another detective adventure.

Sometimes I feel that follow-on books don’t always live up to expectations, but this does and I am sure the others in the series will, there are four more after this one.

Always great to find new authors that can weave a story over so many books, the first two have kept me entertained and a good job that my sister has all the rest of the series, so that will save some pennies as I work through them.

A New Kind of Science is a very interesting book, again something that I actually bought quite a while ago (2002), read some of it, but then kept it on a shelf as a sort of reference book.

If I remember correctly, I came across Stephen Wolfram‘s name and his book when I was doing some consulting work with a number of small end computer companies looking for the next ‘big-thing’ and his name was mentioned by a number of them. Sadly, none of their ideas came to fruition, but I did get paid!. The book has been quite an interesting book to keep for reference. His comments about Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a 2002 viewpoint are very interesting.

Books I’ve read – 9

MikeLeave a comment

If you are as old as me, then you will remember the Pentagon Papers (first mentioned in the New York Times in 1971 and the furore they caused, which turned a Daniel Ellsberg into a hero (in my opinion) of free speech.

The Afghanistan Papers is a similar set of data, mostly from declassified secret interviews (SIGAR) of US military and others involved in the Afghan conflict, collected into a riveting read by the Washington Post Journalist & author Graig Whitlock.

If you want to know why and how the US government tried to keep their many secrets secret about the Afghan conflict, then this book is a must-read.

Yes, I am back to reading another of Kate Mosses historical fiction books. This time, book one of the Languedoc Trilogy, Labyrinth. It’s a lengthy read, with some 694 pages! But a great story. Again, based on methodical research.

I am not sure what draws me to her writing, maybe it’s the area this one and the previous The Burning Chambers series are set in.

I’ve been to this area of France a number of times over the years and interestingly looking at the end pages at the back of this book and looking over some old photos, I seem to have done The Labyrinth Walk of Carcassonne without even knowing it! A great read. Sepulchre is next!

Now for a bit of education. What do I know about the eastern regions of Russia and China? Siberia, a desolate place full of past Gulags and China with its vast agricultural areas and its Ice Festival in Harbin!

For much of its length, the Amur River forms a water border between Russia and China, this book looks at the history and peoples of these regions. Colin Thubron (80 years old when he made this trip), brings to life the different regions on his journey, following as closely as possible the route of the river.

It taught me a lot about this area and extensive use of Google Maps helped understand that these regions are not a desolate as I first thought.

Books I’ve read – 8

MikeLeave a comment

Not so long since my last post, catching up!

Another deeply researched book as usual from Barbara Tuchman and, like A Distant Mirror, a book you cannot put down when you start reading it.

Although originally published in 1962 about a subject that happened in 1914! I had not read this book before now. I have no idea why not. Did I discover new facts about the early days of the World War One? Yes I did.

It’s amazing what you think you know from past teachings until you read something like this and up crops a host of new facts you never knew about. This is another must read book, filled with some interesting photos and full of notes, sources and a great index.

After the book above, a lighter read.

I had not heard of this author before, but William Boyd has written a well-thought-out story in this one. Apparently his first of what looks like many, from the list on his Wikipedia page,

Kept me entertained right through to the end. Another good read.

With a few more that I have received from friends, it looks like I will get to know Mr. Boyd a bit more over the coming months.

.

Another new author for me! Recommend by my sister and what a great read it is. Has really researched his story and brings together an interesting police duo of Inspector Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee.

Set in 1919 Calcutta and having visited the place once on business in the early 80s, it was interesting to read the differences described and yet similarities that remained in my mind from my visit.

A great tale, well told and kept the pages turning. It looks like Abir Mukherjee is well on his way to being a successful author, He has me hooked, as I have already bought the next instalment – A Necessary Evil in the series.

Books I’ve read – 7

MikeLeave a comment

Five months! Now, where has that time gone since I last posted about books. But at least I have been reading. Here’s another three…

A very interesting book that explains the background, origin and battles fought over earlier centuries that today allows us to simply pick up a jar of Nutmeg, Cinnamon or many other spices without having any inkling of the history of the contents.

This another book that benefits from the use of the Web. Well, at least in my case. So much extra info to be read about as you work through this book.

Packed full of notes, a great Bibliography, lots of illustrations and an excellent index, this book will take you on a great journey of exploration into the history of just why Spice’s meant so much then and still do today.

Many of us like mushrooms and as part of the Fungi family, this book opens up a whole new world about how fungi are interconnected and how that affects just about everything we touch, smell and see.

I’m pretty sure I did not know much about Fungi, apart from those you ate or saw growing on a rotting log on the country walk. However, but this book has certainly changed that.

With over 20 pages of notes, some great illustrations, an extensive bibliography, this book takes some reading, but in the end you get to know just what’s under that mushroom you have just picked!

Amazingly, I purchased this book in 2016 and then somehow it disappeared into a box in my study till rediscovered during a tidy up earlier this year!

I served in the Royal Navy for nearly 16 years and apart from a short stint (four days on loan to fix some equipment) submarines we definitely not for me.

This book (all 835 pages!) is a great read and amongst the many subjects it covers, it is also a great way to find out about the Perisher, or Submarine Command Course to give it its official title. All potential Submarine Captains must pass it first time, if you don’t, you’re out! Surprisingly, there is some thinking about changing that.

Books I’ve read – 6

MikeLeave a comment

What a book! It’s taken me over six weeks to read this book. It contains so much information about a subject I thought I knew, but clearly didn’t. Also, as is custom now with me, when reading factual books it took me to many places on the Internet.

I just did not know how much fighting there was between the various ‘tribal’ factions before the Europeans came to India. I also did not know how much Afghanistan and other States had invaded these lands.

It’s the first book written by William Dalrymple that I have read, it’s a very well researched book with great footnotes and explanations and a real insight in into the way the East India Company operated across the various states of India. History is sometimes not very pretty, but this book is straight forward in its telling, including all its gory details. A very good read.

This is the fourth and final instalment of The Joubert Family Chronicles series from Kate Mosse. What a great read and finale to a story that has spanned some 300 hundred years in its making.

I did not like the third instalment – The Ghost Ship – as I thought it wandered of the main the theme and to me at the time of reading, it was just a bit of a Pirate story. However, in hindsight (always a wonderful thing) and now having read the last instalment, I see it a bit more clearly in the whole series.

I have not read any of Kate Mosses books before these, but it has spiked my interest and will be using a birthday gift voucher to purchase The Languedoc Trilogy.

James Clerk Maxwell is not a name that springs to mind in most people’s thoughts. But if you look around at the modern world, his influence is everywhere. As the person who discovered Electromagnetic Waves, his discovery led to the eventual development of the Radio, Television, Radar to name a few and even today’s ubiquitous Smartphone. I also know his name from a photography point of view, as he is credited with taking the first colour photograph.

This excellent short book from Wiley is well worth the cost and Basil Mahon (ex REME) has done a very good job in covering Maxwells life and works and how he influenced the work of many others including Albert Einstein. In a modest way, I would not have had a technical career in the Royal Navy without Maxwells discoveries

It caught my eye… 6 -2025

MikeLeave a comment

There’s a lot of commentary around Donald Trump at the moment, far too much to delve into it in a single post, but there was a great article about Patrimonialism in The Atlantic magazine last week.

One Word Describes Trump is still available for free on the Atlantic website and it is very much worth a read.

Patrimonialism for me is very much the word to describe Donald Trump.

A sign of the times! DanePost has announced that they will be ending the delivery of letters from the end of 2025.

Is this a trend that will now move out across the whole of Europe? Certainly, as more Postal Services are privatised, prices will go up – it currently costs £3.35 to post a letter in Denmark!

With the sale of Royal Mail recently being approved by the UK Government, might we see similar dramatic changes to UK letter deliveries?

Shock Horror, Skype is closing down!

Certainly it is the end of what was a very good app, I used it a lot many years ago, but it seems to have been overtaken by App’s like Zoom & WhatsApp to name two.

Microsoft has posted a ‘Transition to Teams‘ article, I guess that’s where I might end up!

It caught my eye… 5 -2025

MikeLeave a comment

I am in the process of clearing up the piles of papers in my study and came across an old article (2009) about Cinerama, a forerunner of today’s IMAX. Cinerama was a great idea at the time that sadly did not catch on, but not before it brought a travelling Cinema (in a tent – like a Circus) to the UK and a number of other European countries.

Making a new search on the web this week led me to find a few new links about Cinerama, including one about a young (at the time) Junior Projectionist who worked at the UK travelling Cinerama during the mid 1960’s in the UK.

I remember going to see a show when it was in Paignton (we lived in Plymouth), an amazing film experience. But sadly, no more. Though, you can still be able to see some Cinerama films at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.

Keeping on the theme of Cinema, it was great to Medicinema win an award at the 2025 BAFTA’s.

I had not heard of this organisation before seeing this year’s BAFTA’s awards. Good to see how Cinema can be used as part of recovery during a stay in Hospital.

In a new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) current has not declined in the last 60 years. Despite the fact that no one seems to still be able to predict if it will suddenly collapse or not.

It just goes to show how difficult it is to accurately predict climate change, and particularly how the impact of it will at some stage affect us all.

For me, the Ocean Currents hold the secret to what will happen, so it’s important that we pay attention to all the details that these studies contain.