Category: Non Fiction

Breath Perception — Barbara Ann Kipfer

By 5t4n5

Breath Perception -- Barbara Ann KipferI really do need to have a non-fiction binge at some point.

A while ago i got into a rather good period of alternating between a non-fiction and a fiction book – and i got through quite a bit of non-fiction that i otherwise wouldn’t have read. That’s my biggest reading problem, i so love reading fiction and i’m so excited about all the good stories i have lined up waiting that i just never get around to reading all the good non-fiction that i buy unless i force myself. So i’m thinking that my previous rule… ‘i can’t start another fiction book until i’ve read a non-fiction one.’ is definitely going to have to come back to clear some of the backlog.

The crazy thing is that i will enjoy it once i get into it.

Barbara’s Page

#barbaraannkipfer

The Doors of Perception: And Heaven and Hell — Aldous Huxley

By 5t4n5

The Doors of Perception: And Heaven and Hell -- Aldous HuxleyOne day i’ll get around to reading this again, it’s been nearly 30 years and it just popped up in Kindle Daily Deals for 99p so i couldn’t turn it down.

I’m hoping to digitally rebuild my Aldous Huxley collection that i used to have years ago in real books – maybe when i’ve got a load i’ll have a good Huxley binge, but until then they can sit and gather some digital dust.

Aldous’ Page

#philosophy #aldoushuxley

Margaret Ogilvy — J.M.Barrie

By 5t4n5

Margaret Ogilvy -- J. M. Barrie>Having just read The Little White Bird and Peter Pan, it struck me that there may have been a little more to the characters than at first appears.

The character of Peter Pan was based on James’ brother, David, who died aged 13 (so never grew up), leaving the 6 year old James having to try and fill his shoes for his mother.   So it made me wonder who Hook was based on.   At first i thought Hook represented the parents but having read this book i’ve totally had a change of mind.

I suppose the clue is in Hook’s first name, also James.   The hand that gets cut off by Peter, a metaphor for the part of James’ childhood, and life, that was taken from him the day his brother died.   The hand is then fed to the ticking crocodile that follows Hook around wanting to consume the rest of him because it likes the taste — so is this another metaphor concerning the inevitable ticking clock of life, and that James felt the loss of his brother was continuously haunting and wanting to consume more of him and his family?

Then there’s Wendy, which having read this book cannot be based upon anyone other than Margaret Ogilvy herself.   He mentions in the book how after his brother died, other local women who lost children would come to her to talk.   Again, Wendy and the lost boys — the lost boys representing the children of the other women who went to join his brother David in heaven (Neverland).

But all that aside, this book was a heartfelt view into James’ home life and very much his relationship with his mother — who he obviously cared about immensely — and is an absolute must read for all fans of J.M. Barrie’s writing.   The book also covers James’ early literary career and what made him want to become a writer.   So a very worth while read.

So what’s next?   After 3 books in a row, i’ll be taking a literary break away from Peter Pan, Neverland and J.M. Barrie as i’ve got a load of books on “The Pile” nagging to get read.   But i’ll definitely be coming back to these three topics in my reading in the not too distant future.

Some more “Peter Pan and Neverland” books.

J. M. Barrie’s Page

#jmbarrie #peterpan #viclit

A Child at Heart — Christopher Phillips

By 5t4n5

A Child at Heart -- Christopher PhillipsThose of us interested in longevity and remaining young, fit and healthy as long as possible, realise early on that it all begins in the mind.   If the mind is not on board for an extended lifespan then the brain and body simply isn’t going to go there.

While this book doesn’t look specifically into the longevity benefits of a youthful mind it still has plenty to teach us.   This book is a wonderfully detailed look at the minds of all stages and ages of life and how we interact with each other — and Christopher isn’t shy of giving plenty of thoughts on what is wrong with our current view and treatment of young people and how that is impacting on adults and society as a whole.   As Christopher is a parent himself this book does give a few thoughts on parenting without being preachy about anything and i would definitely recommend it for parents or aspiring parents.

But Christopher is also very clearly a Socratic philosopher, and this book, i feel, continues the ideas of Socrates in how society, not just parents, should relate to and listen to young people.   I do find it incredibly disheartening that after more than 2000 years since Socrates execution for simply doing what Christopher prescribes in this book that adults still aren’t engaging with young people and giving them their rightful place within society.   And then adult society has the audacity to blame young people for causing the problems.

Whether you’re a parent, a philosopher, a youth worker, or someone simply interested in creating a better world, this book is a very good read and well worth getting a copy.

Christopher’s Page

#philosophy #christopherphillips

Meadowland: the private life of an English field — John Lewis-Stempel

By 5t4n5

Meadowland: the private life of an English field -- John Lewis-StempelA beautiful book from a wonderful writer.

The reader is transported to a working Herefordshire farm where they journey through the life of a real, English meadow from Jan 1st to Dec 31st, wonderfully detailing what most wouldn’t notice but what, to a meadow, are crucially important aspects of its eco system.

Sadly, and i mean extremely so, farmers like John are being driven out and intensive farming is systematically destroying not only the countryside fauna and flora, but also England as a sustainable island.   But it is heartening to know that the real countryside and those that care for it are still out there and keeping these isolated islands of Nature alive so that hopefully, one day, if its not too late, we can wake up and stop the intensive farming and remake our countryside — fingers crossed.

I will certainly be reading more of John’s books in the future and totally recommend this one to anyone with even the slightest interest in the Nature of rural England.

John’s Page

#johnlewisstempel

The Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy — Miyamoto Musashi

By 5t4n5

The Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy -- Miyamoto MusashiAnother book that’s sat on my Kindle for years unread, but having just finished David Kirk’s books it really felt like the right time to read this.

It’s hard to judge this book in any real contemporary terms because it simply has no place in the contemporary world.   It’s an anachronism from a time and place that is no more and will never be again.

It is aimed solely at the samurai warrior, but maybe there are those who are ultra competitive who do contact sports, and also military personnel, that could still gain a lot from reading it: which doesn’t apply to me.

It is, however, an incredible view into the mind of one of the greatest strategists (swordsmen) from Japanese history, and it really gives you the genuine thoughts and attitude of a Samurai in regards to fighting and killing with swords.   It’s probably the most amoral thing i’ve ever read, and in that aspect alone it’s quite wonderful because it is so genuine and fascinating.

Musashi’s Page

#japan #miyamotomusashi

Bushido: The Soul of Japan — Inazo Nitobe

By 5t4n5

Bushido: The Soul of Japan -- Inazo NitobeI’ve always found Japanese history, particularly that of the Samurai, fascinating, but living on the other side of the world in a completely different time, and in a completely different culture, one can never truly know what these people and the time and place they lived in was really like.

What we can do is simply enjoy these snap shots from the past about a culture long gone that we may still have something to learn from.

Originally published in 1900, the setting for this book is between the end of feudalism and the beginning of modern Japan and is, to my mind at least, a wonderful view of the past and what that can possibly mean for the future.

A very interesting book for anyone who enjoys reading and learning about Japan, especially the historical influences of Bushido on modern Japan.

I only gave it 4 stars on goodreads as it does use some very long and not often used words; i found myself using “Look Up” on my Kindle a great deal which did detract from the flow of the book.   Having said that, it’s definitely worth the effort and you do learn a few things along the way, so please don’t let that put you off an otherwise really good book.

And thus begins my little, Japanese reading festival, next book up is Child of Vengeance by David Kirk.

Inazo’s Page

#japan #inazonitobe

Chasing Excellence — Ben Bergeron

By 5t4n5

Chasing Excellence -- Ben BergeronA very interesting book for those into achieving extreme levels of performance in their lives.

Although it’s based in the world of Crossfit (which i have no interest in whatsoever) and written by a top Crossfit coach, this book is suitable for all kinds of people who want to achieve excellence in their chosen path.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 on goodreads because i feel it could have gone deeper, but then that might just be me wanting more of this kind of thing.

Anyways, a great book for the bookshelves of everyone who doesn’t want to live a mediocre life and is willing to actually put some work into their goals instead of looking for shortcuts and life hacks.

Ben’s Page

#benbergeron

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance — Robert M. Pirsig

By 5t4n5

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -- Robert M. PirsigIt’s one of those ubiquitous books that’s kept turning up on library shelves, charity shop shelves and bookshop shelves throughout my life and yet i’ve always walked away from it, until now.

I’ve always had quite a deep interest in Zen and it always seemed to me that putting it with motorcycle maintenance just wasn’t something i wanted to know about.   But now i have a motorbike that needs some maintenance, and this book turned up in a “Kindle Deal” for 99p, i thought the time was right.

But oh, how wrong i’ve been all these years.   It’s not a book about Zen, or how to fix a motorbike while practising Zen, it’s a wholly different thing altogether.

In fact, it’s a road trip book where our narrator takes his son on a road trip on an old motorbike across the USA.   But it’s a road trip with a difference.

At it’s heart it’s a book about insanity, the condition of society and its relationship to technology, and a fair bit of Greek philosophy as well; and it’s all broken up with the story of the road trip.   And it’s simply, awesome.

With hindsight, i’m happy that i’ve never read it until now as i’m much older and it really blended nicely with my own life experiences: having dropped out of a Philosophy degree course for much the same reasons and now many years later i can look back and see things more clearly.

This is the 40th Anniversary Edition and the ending in the “Afterword” is what truly completes this book.   It really is a masterpiece of writing, so make sure you buy this edition.

Robert’s Page

#philosophy #robertmpirsig