Category: General

Following on from my return to physical book reading last year, here are a few more of the ones that I have found to be good reads, again more of a record for myself.

What can one say about Robert Maxwell that’s not already been said? This is a great book that sheds more light on his background and eventual demise and sad end. Did he jump or was he pushed? I don’t think we will ever know.

I did meet him once in person, and then had some dealings with him later when I worked for an American Publishing-Software company trying to get its first sale in the UK in the early 80’s. Wouldn’t talk directly to us – he sat in a back room – but negotiated by phone via one of his M.D.’s. He told me that he had been sacked three times by Maxwell for various reasons, HR just told him to ignore it and go back in. However, on the fourth time, he just never went back. I think he then became a teacher; probably less stressful!

I’ve read a number of books about this period in history quite a long time ago, but this one seemed to be a much easier read than the others and full of information I had not come across before or probably had forgotten!

Clearly Richard Huscroft carried out a massive amount of research for this book and covers in quite some detail, all the events that you might think ‘well, it’s just history‘ but, as has been proved over the years, had many ramifications for the present world that we live in today.

With an excellent Index and an eight-page section on Suggestions for Further Reading. This section will keep me going for quite a while. A very good read.

I was given this book as a Christmas present in 2024. To be honest, I was not sure that it was for me. However, what a great book, easy to read and full of astonishing facts that really make you think about everything that has gone before – am I getting old!

As the title says, it’s divided up into succinct stories, some very short and some not. But each a stand-alone event that somehow in their whole all pull a story together that once again tells ‘us’ why we are where we are today.

I’ve not read any of Neil Oliver‘s books before, but have seen him on TV a number of times. I like his writing style, easy to follow and quite humorous in places. Another good read.

Follow-up. I posted before about Hilary Mantels final part of the Wolf Hall trilogy, The Mirror and The Light. This was a great read but I needed to re-read some parts twice to get a real understanding of it.

Now having seen the final season of the BBC TV adaptation of Wolf Hall, I can only say what a masterpiece! The TV programme further explained (for me) some of the passages of the book that I struggled with due to her writing style. But what an epic piece of TV and getting the two main actors to reprise their roles again was also a masterstroke of planning. I shall make a point of watching both series again at some point, and perhaps even buying a disc set! Wolf Hall DVD. The Mirror and The Light DVD (tad expensive!).

I have got back into reading physical books this year, I read a lot many years ago, but seemed to drift away from them with technical work I was doing and reading on PC screens. This didn’t stop me from buying physical books and gradually my ‘tower’ of unread book increased in size. Until I was given a particular book that suddenly relit my interest in physical.

So, here is an overview of some that I have read this year, more a record for myself.

I was in the Far-East area, serving in the Royal Navy during the Vietnam War period, running into USA servicemen on Rest & Recreation (R & R) visits in Bangkok and visiting Subic Bay – a large US Navy/Air Force base – as part of our deployment. I also subscribed to Time Magazine at the time, so I was aware of much of what was going on around the Vietnam War.

Sharing the same surname as the early years of the war, USA Secretary of Defence Robert S. McNamara and subsequent author of this book also added extra interest to read more about his involvement and his subsequent changes of opinion.

It’s a very interesting book, full of – up till its publication – previously unpublished ‘intel’ that certainly throws a different light on his involvement/decision-making and the fall-out from the war. It’s very much a must-read for anyone who had/has an interest in the Vietnam War years.

As an interesting footnote, my copy has turned out to be a pirated copy, produced on a photocopier/scanner, but that’s a story for another post.

A detailed book that shines the light on exactly where Vladimir Putin came from and how he has continued to stay in place throughout tthe massive chnages that have happen to the former Soviet Union (USSR).

Great use of pictures through out showing his various connections with the Russian Mafia, KGB, Stasi as he rose to power.

As with any book of this nature, there are 90 pages worth of comprehensive end notes and a 27-page index.

A very good read.

The Mirror & the Light is the final instalment of the Wolf Hall trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies being the previous parts) by Hilary Mantel.

Be prepared for a long read, this one is some 870 pages long! However, as with the previous books, it’s another masterpiece of story telling, albeit sometimes a bit confusing that requires some rereading. But that is outweighed by a great tale that brings an obvious conclusion to the Thomas Cromwell story. Took some effort to read, but well worth it.

Just announced, the TV adaptation of this final book will be on BBC ONE November 10th.