Read in 2018
Read in 2018
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How we got to now
Finished: Dec 22
Amazon
Rather enjoyable - I must have bored quite a few people with half-remembered snippets from various parts of this. Generally fascintating and very accessible.
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The Mating Season
Finished: Dec 3
Amazon
Always great fun.
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Hawksmoor
Finished: Nov 15
Amazon
Fascinating. Thought it was going to be more plotty, turned out not so much.
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How I won the Yellow Jumper
Finished: Oct 30
Amazon
Easy read, pleasant enough. Sort of fast food of a book.
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The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot
Finished: Oct 27
Amazon
A bit like some of the walks in the book, I found some of it tough going. A bit dense with the descriptions of landscapes and the things in it, even though it made me look things up, which is no bad thing. Enjoyed it more when it became more speculative, and was thankful of the discovery of the artist, Eric Ravilious. That bit of the book was great.
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How to Read a Building (Collins Need to Know?)
Finished: Jun 12
Amazon
Good run through architectural history with plenty of suggested jump off points to other books.
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How Not To Be a Boy
Finished: Jun 25
Amazon
Funny, and at times ponder worthy memoirs.
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Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism
Finished: Jun 10
Amazon
Recommending to everyone I know. Such a meaty, interesting book. Nominally the author's personal tour of Brutalist arhcitecture it folds in so many interesting and intruiging things alongside his personal response to the features buildings. Placing the Brutalist examples in their own contexts makes for a great understanding of how these, and all buildings come about against cultural, economic and social backgrounds. He also manages to throw in some great insight into the personalities and processes involved in the creation of these great projects. Really rekindled my dormat interest in Architecture, and allied with great footnotes, has set me on the path to read more.
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Never use futura
Finished: Jul 20
Amazon
Lovely examination, exploration and eplanation of a typeface. Great journey through how it was made, why it was made, how it was and is used and a myriad of cultural touchpoints in between. All clearly and engagingly written, with good illustrations. Also worth mentioning that it comes as a nicely portable pleasure object.
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The Biggest Game in Town
Finished: Apr 13
Amazon
Entertaining trawl through the world of Poker - which I suspect has changed quite a bit since it was written.
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The End of the Affair
Finished: Mar 23
Amazon
Took a little while for me to get into it, and was made easier when the plot moved along a little. Looked for a while like it was going to be a simple mystery about who was doing what, but got more into the relationships and internal struggles of the protagonists. WHich was more satisfying than that sounds.
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Forms That Work : Designing Web Forms for Usability
Finished: Mar 8
Amazon
Read it very quickly - loved it. Will keep dipping in and out.
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Moneyball
Finished: Feb 1
Amazon
Great fun - loved how it related the data and stats to the real life characters.
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Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in its Struggle to Be Understood
Finished: Jan 26
Amazon
Like his lecturers and interviews, great fun. Also very clear and direct - words not usually associated with contemporary art. And small enough to be a frequent re-read.
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Sapiens
Finished: Jan 24
Amazon
I keep (probably erroneously) summarising some of the key points from this book in discussions about lots of things. Probably a good sign. Really interesting, big ideas explained in a way that a dummy like me can understand.
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A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled
Finished: Jan 20
An entertaing, no shit guide to taking care of your mind.
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Concrete
Finished: Jan 15
Amazon
One person's collection of interesting concrete structures, couldn't see much organisation beyond that.
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Beware wet paint / designs by Alan Fletcher
Finished: Jan 8
Amazon
Lovely work, and a timely book to rekindle my interest in design and illustration. Feel like I've lost my mojo somewhat, and enjoying great work like this is really helpful.