Read in 2019

Read in 2019

1. How we got to now Steven Johnson 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.

2. The Mating Season P G Wodehouse Finished: Dec 3 Amazon

   Always great fun.

3. Hawksmoor Peter Ackroyd Finished: Nov 15 Amazon

   Fascinating. Thought it was going to be more plotty, turned out not so much.

4. How I won the Yellow Jumper Ned Boulting Finished: Oct 30 Amazon

   Easy read, pleasant enough. Sort of fast food of a book.

5. The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot Robert Macfarlane 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.

6. How to Read a Building (Collins Need to Know?) Timothy Brittain-Catlin Finished: Jun 12 Amazon

   Good run through architectural history with plenty of suggested jump off points to other books.

7. How Not To Be a Boy Robert Webb Finished: Jun 25 Amazon

   Funny, and at times ponder worthy memoirs.

8. Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism Barnabus Calder 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.

9. Never use futura Douglas Thomas 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.

10. The Biggest Game in Town Al Alvarez Finished: Apr 13 Amazon

    Entertaining trawl through the world of Poker - which I suspect has changed quite a bit since it was written.

11. The End of the Affair Grahame Greene 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.

12. Forms That Work : Designing Web Forms for Usability Caroline Jarrett Finished: Mar 8 Amazon

    Read it very quickly - loved it. Will keep dipping in and out.

13. Moneyball Michael Lewis Finished: Feb 1 Amazon

    Great fun - loved how it related the data and stats to the real life characters.

14. Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in its Struggle to Be Understood Grayson Perry 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.

15. Sapiens Yuval Noah Harari 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.

16. A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled Ruby Wax Finished: Jan 20

    An entertaing, no shit guide to taking care of your mind.

17. Concrete Leonard Koren Finished: Jan 15 Amazon

    One person's collection of interesting concrete structures, couldn't see much organisation beyond that.

18. Beware wet paint / designs by Alan Fletcher 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.