Helen Russell (2015)

Fluffy and without pretensions, this is a fun and mildly entertaining read, half unserious cultural analysis and half displaced biography. But there’s a lot to be learned from Danish culture for those of us from other (or, as the Danes would possibly say if they weren’t too polite, less developed) cultures, not least the importance of getting away from the stresses of industrial life. It doesn’t convince me to move, I have to say (not least because I already know that I don’t like pickled herring and excessive numbers of rules), but the power of tradition and ubiquity of festivals and entertainment do make it sound inviting.

3/5. Finished Saturday 30 January, 2016.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Michael Collins (1974)

Truly an inspirational read. Collins’ personality comes through perfectly: human, humble, excited by his luck, a keen observer of technical and human features and frailties, not trying to sound other than he is.

This is a book about the space programme taken broadly, perhaps best exemplified by the fact that it takes until page 364 (of 478) to get to the take-off of Apollo 11. Collins talks about his history in joining the programme (at the second attempt), his experiences in the Gemini programme before Apollo, the tensions and differences that went into the design, testing, and flight of the vehicles themselves. He deals frankly with his flight experiences and his lack of jealousy at not actually making a moon landing himself: he probably could have done on a later mission had he not consciously decided beforehand to walk away from spaceflight after Apollo 11. He is fascinating on the subject of his own isolation in the orbiting command module, which he found far from lonely and which led to an amazing exchange with Charles Lindbergh, himself no stranger to solo flight.

His relationship with his flight companions is extraordinary, perhaps because he is the most outgoing of the group (Neil Armstrong coming “a distant second” in terms of self-containment to John Young, his commander on Gemini 10). Collins clearly feels something of a lack in his communications with these other men, in that they interact almost purely technically without sharing their inner experiences: one gets the feeling he would have liked to hear more from them, but realised he could never open them up.

5/5. Finished Friday 8 January, 2016.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Alan W. Watts (1966)

A book that tries to take some of the planned seriousness out of life, recommending a more accepting and present course that enjoys the journey rather than worrying about achieving some future goal. As such, as a way of approaching living, it’s an excellent antidote to the cult of self-help and self-actualisation books that currently flourish, and has lost none of its power in the half-century since it was first published.

3/5. Finished Thursday 24 December, 2015.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Roman Krznaric (2011)

An excellent tour through philosophy and cultural history in search of the good life. There’s a lot to like in this book, which is erudite and subtle without being in any way pretentious or a hard read. Starting off discussing the six modes of love recognised by the ancient Greeks, it then proceeds through ideas of travel, belief, work, time, money, and finishes with ways we might improve the ends of our lives (treading a very similar path to that identified by Atul Gawande in Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End). On the way it performs a welcome rehabilitation of Adam Smith and visits the thought of Gandhi, Goethe, and a whole range of less famous (but equally important) innovators.

It’s impossible to read a book like this without comparing it to The Consolations of Philosophy. In many ways it’s a perfect complement to Alain de Botton‘s work, similarly addressing modern concerns from the perspective of classical authors. I prefer Krznaric’s approach mainly because it’s more broadly about art and literature rather than strictly about philosophy, which allows him to draw on a wider range of inspirations. It certainly provides a lot of provocations to leading a better, more thoughtful, and richer life.

5/5. Finished Tuesday 15 December, 2015.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)

Val McDermid (2014)

An easy-to-read and broad-ranging exploration of forensics. The fact that McDermid is a crime fiction author clearly makes a difference, as she writes with the ease of someone used to making these ideas accessible. The book ranges over all aspects of forensic science, perhaps being strongest on the physical aspects like fingerprinting and DNA profiling. What comes out most strongly is the need for an holistic approach to investigation, the ways in which all the different aspects of a case – physical, psychological, and circumstantial – need to be fitted together to form a consistent scientific and criminal narrative.

4/5. Finished Wednesday 2 December, 2015.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)