Glyphs & Graphs

This book taught me one thing – we need more nuclear power stations in the UK. It’s clean, cost efficient and not nearly as scary as pop culture imagines it to be. A really interesting book if you like science; Tim writes about how nuclear science works, dispels common fears and myths about radiation, and argues that nuclear technology (properly understood and managed) can play a crucial role in medicine, industry, and tackling climate change.

I stumbled across this book in a YouTube video by Gary Stevenson. His only reference was about how the book was written in a raw, London street slang. I was not prepared for the content. It’s a semi-autobiographical novel that follows a young student drifting between university life and violent gang culture in London, capturing his struggle with identity, loyalty, and the seductive pull of street life. Wow – life in London can be rough. Guns, knives, drugs, gangs and Nietzsche; what a combo. Excellent read!

I’ve always preferred fantasy over science fiction, because fantasy doesn’t have to try as hard to suspend your disbelief – you just accept that dragons and goblins are part and parcel of the current universe. Once established, we can all get on with the story without overly concerning ourselves with the logistics of how wizards can summon hell zombies etc. Science fiction, on the other hand, often falls flat when it tries to convince you that the superconductive-splurge-a-tron particle whizz-a-ma-bob is not only scientifically feasible, but is the single solution to the current problem. Wier, however, does a superb job of establishing just enough scientific credibility to progress the story – and it’s a great story. It’s all still bollocks, obviously, but it’s really enjoyable bollocks.

Weir follows a lone astronaut who awakens with amnesia on a desperate interstellar mission to save Earth and must rely on science, ingenuity, and an unexpected ally to stop a cosmic threat.

Holiday read. Minshall explores how manufacturing underpins nearly every aspect of modern life, revealing the hidden global systems, innovations, and supply chains that shape the products we rely on every day. Interesting, yes. Niche, yes. Would I recommend? Yes, if – like me – you really must understand how toilet paper gets made…

The Let Them Theory is a powerful, almost life-changing concept that I would recommend anybody to do a bit of reading into. That’s the thing, though. A bit of reading is all you need. It’s basically a modern take on classical stoicism.

Robins’ book belongs to that ever-growing genre I’ve named in my mind as “this could have been a blog”. An excellent premise unnecessarily padded out into an entire book to make aaaaall the $$$.

Let me rewrite it for you… Stop trying to control, manage, or change other people and instead reclaim your energy and focus by simply thinking “let them”. You’re welcome.

Way better than I was expecting. Obviously a risky read when you’ve seen the iconic film adaptation, but I was still kept hooked. Crichton explores the science in more depth than the film offers, and I enjoyed listening to the monologues about how the science would work more that the parts with the big scary lizards.

I’m assuming every man and his dog has seen the film, but just in case, Crichton writes about a billionaire who creates a theme park featuring genetically resurrected dinosaurs, only for the illusion of control to collapse when the creatures break free and expose the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition.

I opened this book purely for entertainment – it was a £1 charity shop job – though I have to say I was impressed by the historical literacy and credibility of the author. It was published in 2006, a few years after Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, so I was expecting a cash-grabbing bunch of conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims around freemasonry. What I got was a pretty decent history book written by, it turns out, the curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

Robert explains the history, symbolism, myths, and misconceptions surrounding Freemasonry, arguing that many popular conspiracy theories are unfounded while clarifying the fraternity’s true traditions and practices.