Category: Reviewed

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

Bridge of Sighs — Laura Morelli

By 5t4n5

Bridge of Sighs -- Laura MorelliThis was a free offering from Laura for signing up to her newsletter when i got to the end of The Gondola Maker.

As shorts go it’s a good well written piece in much the same style as The Gondola Maker at around the same time and place.

My only gripe is that i wanted more — which is a complement.   It would certainly have made a great first chapter to a much more deeper look into Venice, and Europe, at the time of the Black Death.

Although Laura’s thing is art, so she’s probably not planning to write a full novel on bubonic plague.

Anyways, i’m looking forward to getting around to reading The Painter’s Apprentice in the not too distant.   I’m definitely a fan of Laura’s Venice.   More please!

Laura’s Page

#venice #lauramorelli

The Gondola Maker: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice — Laura Morelli

By 5t4n5

The Gondola Maker: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice -- Laura MorelliI’ve never been to Venice and other than, “It’s got canals”, i know nothing about the place, so i can genuinely say that any knowledge of Venice is not required to enjoy this book.

Our protagonist, Luca, is the oldest son of one of Venice’s finest gondola makers, and when he completely burns his bridges (literally) on his future at his family’s squero he is left homeless and penniless.   Refusing to leave the city he needs to find a way to survive and rebuild his life.

We then follow Luca’s ups and downs as he takes the reader on a journey around 16th century Venice through every layer of life.

It’s certainly not a book of twists and turns and subplots and stuff, it’s really quite a simple story.   But it is a wonderfully written story that gives the reader a real feel of life in historical Venice from the view of the working gondoliers and those they interact with that make this book so compelling.

Next up, ‘Bridge of Sighs’, a little short by Laura from this Venice of the past.

Laura’s Page

#venice #lauramorelli

Magnificent Devices: Books 1-4 — Shelley Adina

By 5t4n5

Magnificent Devices: Books 1-4 -- Shelley AdinaWe have a 17 year old protagonist, Clair, who is like a female James Bond on some super-amazing, mental and physical, performance enhancing drugs: if you’re looking for something serious to read it’s all rather ridiculous.   However, if you’re willing to put your belief in reality aside for a while, it is, undeniably, a rather enjoyable read.   12 days to get through 4 books isn’t too shabby for me so it obviously kept me turning the pages.

So if you aren’t looking for a serious read and are just wanting something that just passes away the hours without you taking anything seriously then this might be for you.   I think, “silly” might be a good term to use in describing these books.   But that’s not to use “silly” in a bad way, sometimes a bit of “silly” is a good thing in a world like ours — maybe we could all use a dose of “silly” now and again.

The plus side is that the characters quite likeable, although the baddies always seem to be a complete bunch of buffoons while the goodies are simply incredible in every possible way — again, making one not take it at all too seriously.

Am i going to read the rest of the series?   Yes, i’ll certainly come back for more at a later date when i’m in the mood for something “silly” like this.   But right now i really do need to read something a bit more complex and believable.

Shelley’s Page

#steampunk #shelleyadina

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

Sword of Honour — David Kirk

By 5t4n5

Sword of Honour -- David KirkI loved this book.   Far better than Child of Vengeance.

Looking back over the 2 books, it felt to me like David gained in confidence writing tales about Musashi and also that, the more he wrote, the more he came to know him better: like he’s beginning to get inside his head more.

But then i suppose the first book was more about Musashi the youth, just beginning to find himself, and this book is more of Musashi as a young man puzzling over what he’s found and finding more, and this reflects well in the writing of both books.

Once again, David’s writing is superbly descriptive without overdoing it.   Just like the first book, the story just keeps on moving and i just didn’t want to put it down: there are no pregnant pauses awaiting within, it’s just full gas all the way: find a comfy chair and buckle in.

I do hope book 3 in this series won’t be too long, i’m hooked!

But, in the meanwhile, i’ve found The Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy, written by the real Miyamoto Musashi, and i’ll be diving head first into that now.

David’s Page

#japan #davidkirk #miyamotomusashi

Child of Vengeance — David Kirk

By 5t4n5

Child of Vengeance -- David KirkDavid has taken the tales of Miyamoto Musashi and created his own story from these, so some of this is loosely based in what is told of the real man and some of this is based entirely from David’s imagination.

All told, it works really well, but there just seems a step too far here and there, which, for me at least, was distracting a little.   While it has been compared to Shogun by some, for me, it just doesn’t have that same level of believability to it.

But then, if i want the real tales of Musashi then i could, of course, go and read them.

It certainly keeps you reading.   It’s pretty much non stop without the annoying pregnant pauses of most stories, and David really does portray the period very well.

All in all, i got this book and the next in the series for 99p each on Kindle — which is an absolute bargain for this kind of story telling — and i’ll be diving back into Musashi’s world in the second book of this series, Sword of Honour, later today: i’m looking forward to it very much.

David’s Page

#japan #miyamotomusashi #davidkirk

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

Temporal Contingency — Joseph R. Lallo

By 5t4n5

Temporal Contingency -- Joseph R. LalloAnother great addition to this incredible series.

The 2 previous reviews for this series are here and here.

I’m not usually a fan of temporal sci-fi stuff as most of what’s out there tends to run completely up its own arse while leaving the reader with their heads well and truly shoved up their own — but this book doesn’t feel like that.   Joseph plays some great temporal “get out of jail free cards” in this book that certainly made it all work for me and, best of all, prevented the aforementioned anal acrobatics.

And he’s really pushing the boat out with Ma on this one — that’s the beautiful woman on the cover.   She’s definitely become my most favourite fictional AI and one of my most favourite fictional characters altogether.

Anyways, great stuff, and i really can’t wait for Indra Station.   Sweeet!

Joseph’s Page

#scifi #josephrlallo