Category: Review (Page 74 of 133)

3.5 out of 5 stars

If you were to mention the Maldives to most people they would conjure up images of pristine beaches and luxury hotels. This champagne lifestyle comes at a price though, not only is it expensive to go there, the Beckhams were rumoured to have spent £250k on one holiday alone, but there has been a human cost to this lifestyle for the residents and workers of the island. On top of that, the Maldives is in a perilous position. It is the lowest country in the world, only nudging a few meters above the waves and will be affected by climate change as sea levels rise.

Having previously had a strong Buddhist influence, the country is a Muslim country that is not as strict as others, for example, alcohol was allowed in certain places, but it still could be quite draconian at times. The country was run by a Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for 30 years after he won six consecutive elections without opposition. It was the only country in the world not to have a political party, even China has one political party. For most visitors, all that they would have been able to see was the luxury resorts and a little of the islands they were designated to holiday on. Most would be blissfully unaware of the history of the place. This was because islands in the archipelago that were not designated ‘tourist resorts’ were off limits to any outsiders. The rules have been relaxed now and this means that Tom Chessyre had the opportunity to see what real life was like there for residents and immigrants.

Travelling between the various islands on cargo boats and other craft is a good way to meet the locals and the people that work in the resorts. He does end up in a couple of the luxury resort for the odd night or two, but most of the time he is staying in guesthouses run by the locals. It makes it much easier to tease out the stories that they have of their country. Given how draconian the regime is, some were reluctant to speak, or if they did then they have been anonymised by Chessyre. We hear of their fears and hope for the country as well as he is prepared to let people confide in him. A lot of people were affected by the 2004 tsunami, and the atolls are very vulnerable given their height; there is no high land to retreat to when the waves sweep in and the future seems bleak for some residents. I thought this was really good, insightful reportage and travel writing of the other side of an island paradise.

5 out of 5 stars

A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Almost half a century ago Roger Deakin had made the decision to move out of London and bought a very dilapidated farmhouse called Walnut Tree Farm. If it had been left any longer it would have become a ruin, the wood had rotted through in a lot of places and the thatch was so bad it had no protection against the elements. To add to the charm, the downstairs had been used to keep animal in and was full of their detritus. This Elizabethan building was located on the edge of Mellis Green, deep in the countryside of northern Suffolk.

This building was to change Deakin’s life and be the seed for books that would become classics in the natural history genre. Before that, he had to get the structure to a point where it was safe and he could start living in it. It involved stripping the entire building back to the oak frame, repairing and replacing wood to add strength back into it and rebuilding it to a habitable home. As with all projects like this, it took much longer than expected but when finished it became a much-loved home until he died in 2006 alongside the fire.

Where it was located was one of the largest common grazing areas in the UK at the time. Deakin slowly changed the landscape, planting trees, draining and clearing the moat, and letting the land be used in a sustainable way. He had the odd run-in with neighbours, in particular over Cowpasture Lane, but this place was to motivate him in many ways. His regular swims in the moat became the book Waterlog, the love of the landscape around was key to the creation of Common Ground and because of his work in the environmental business meant that he had a light touch on the land around his home.

This book is a wonderful celebration of Deakin’s life and works seen through the prism of the place that he made his home. The photos of the work of the strip down, restoration and rebuilding of Walnut Tree Farm as it progressed and the extracts from the notebooks and diaries as the works were progressing really make this book special. Most of these have never been seen before. The personal insight from Deakin’s son Rufus and the current custodian, Titus Rowlandson add depth to the story of his life. Deakin was intrinsically linked to this place and in its time it became a place of pilgrimage to lovers of the natural world and still holds a place in their hearts. If you have ever read, Waterlog, Wildwood or Notes from Walnut Tree Farm then this in one for your bookshelf.

4.5 out of 5 stars

A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Completing a PhD is an exhausting business and as Alex Woodcock completed his on medieval sculpture, he was physically and mentally exhausted and rapidly heading towards depression. Even though he had studied the art, he had never picked up a tool and chipped away at a stone with the intention of creating something. He signed up for a course and began the process of learning the craft of stonemasonry. A few years later he had qualified as a stone mason and applied for a job at Exeter Cathedral. One of the tasks in his interview was to assemble a bench, which at the time seemed a little odd but he got the job, just. He spent his time there replacing and renovating the stonework of the building as it slowly succumbed to the elements of the years. After a decade there, he felt that he needed to cross the Tamar and make the move to Cornwall.

Fed up with unpacking, he headed to the beach for a walk and to get some sea air. A chance meeting with a man with a metal detector on the beach began a conversation that carried on in the pub over a pint. Before long they had hatched a plan for a field trip to the church at Crantock. So begins his compulsion to discover the village churches of Cornwall and look for the Romanesque architecture and carving that these churches still have. Romanesque carving dates from the 12th century and is an often overlooked form, especially when compared to Gothic. It is rounder and squatter in form and have simple geometric shapes. The carving is carried out on the structure of the building too, so when you look around you will see the patterns favoured by the masons as well as the fantastical creatures that they added, the most famous of which is the beakhead. (Very similar to the masks used by the doctors of the Black Death).

One thing led to another and this initial trip became a year-long pilgrimage looking for these early churches, their carving and their fonts. Woodcock extended his range across the South West to Devon and Dorset. At each of the churches, he uncovers the history of each, revealing details of the carving and occasionally the people that created it. He also takes time to reflect on the moments of his own life that brought him along the path he was currently walking. A chance knock on the door of Little Toller HQ when he was looking for St Basil’s led to them publishing this book and for a debut book, it is quite impressive. Woodcock has excellent attention to detail and because he is a historian and a carver knows his subject inside out. The sketches of the stoneworks that add a lovely touch to the book. The stunning cover and end papers have the sort of attention to detail that you’d expect from Little Toller. Sculpture is where art meets masonry and these works of art can be seen by anyone who wants to take a few days out to visit the same places that he went to. It is a love letter to Cornwall too, its landscapes, its coasts and most importantly it’s overlooked Romanesque architecture.

3 out of 5 stars

It was late one evening when Mark Boyle checked his email one last time and turned off his phone. He fully intended to never switch it back on again. In his new home, a cabin alongside a wood there was no electricity or running water, no internet or sewage connections nor was he even going to have solar power! He was going fully off-grid.

Boyle was going to have to grow and catch his own food, collect his own firewood, build and repair anything that he needed around the home and collecting water from the stream. Washing is done by hand, he catches his own food and lives frugally off the land. It was a simple life, but tough as everything that you do means that you get to live another day. He had almost no money or and his only income was from his writing. Even that was problematic as all correspondence was going to be by letter so arranging anything could take several days and more often weeks. He had consciously made the decision to completely avoid all forms of technology and was a totally committed eco-warrior.

As tough as his new life was, it was good for his mental health as he had none of the stresses of modern day life. He rose with the sun, and life around the small holding was dictated by the weather and the seasons. Some days there were never enough hours in the day to do all the things that he needed to do. On other days he had the luxury of time to pursue projects like a homemade hot tub. His partner, Kirsty is there as almost an afterthought in the text.

Boyle gives an insight into what it is like to step off-grid and make your own way in the world. It does make you think about our dependence on many things that we now take for granted, for example, electricity, internet, refrigeration and light. It also goes to show that we still need human interaction even though we may not need technology all of the time and that gaining skills in other areas may be beneficial. When writing this book he did have to hand write the manuscript which as he only had the single copy meant that he either had to copy it out again of hope that it wasn’t lost or damaged. However, he did have to type it up for submission and it reminded him why he hated computers. I didn’t think that this was a good as Deep Country. In this eloquent book, Neil Ansell undertakes a similar exercise for five years in Wales. It is still worth a read if you have ever considered walking away from the modern world. Another in the same vein is How To Live Off-Grid – Journeys Outside The System by Nick Rosen.

A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.

There is something special about eating food outdoors, whether it is breakfast in the garden, fish and chips by the sea or a picnic alongside a river, all of these moments are good for the soul. However, this being England, you’ll have a completely cloudless sky why you lay the rug out for your picnic and 10 minutes later there is what looks like a thundercloud in the distance. And wasps. Where do they come from!

If you are brave enough to not be daunted by all that the countryside can through at you then you will need a book that suggests what to eat. The Picnic Book by Ali Ray goes one step further and has a list of places to go where you can take the food that you have just made. Split into sections for the type of picnic that you might want to carry in a backpack, cool-box or hamper. The recipes are straightforward to make and suit people of all abilities in the kitchen and are a good mix of healthy food as well as treats for your day out.

I liked the variety of suggestions, from pizza puff spirals, fig and blue cheese tartlets, marmalade chicken and various salads, snacks and desserts. There are also menus suggestions, though you can mix and match as you see fit. Having suggestions on where to go to get your outdoor fix is a good idea. They are spread throughout the country so you should find something near you, though for some reason the New Forest gets a mention twice. The photos of the dishes are nicely done too. They didn’t feel twee or made to look perfect and I think that they look more appetising because of that.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Damien Le Bas didn’t have what most would consider a conventional upbringing. He is a gypsy and his community have always had a strained relationship with others in the UK. He spent time with various family members travelling around the countryside, selling flowers and carrying out all sorts of odd jobs. He didn’t follow the usual path for gypsies either, winning a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital before going onto study at Oxford.

This is about his travels back through his memories to the ‘stopping places’ or in their language, atchin tans, that he remembers from childhood and his attempt to find them once again. He does up his van, installing a bed and collecting a few necessary items that he can use to cook with as he hits the road with the intention of stopping over,  getting back to his roots and indulging in a little nostalgia. His journeys with take him and Candis all around the country, up to the Appleby Horse Fair and even as far as the South of France to the shrine of St Sara-la-Kali.

Not only is it a journey to his past haunts, but it is a glimpse into the world of British Gypsies, their culture and language as well as a nostalgic look back at his family’s past. He has a unique position with a foot in each community to explain the differences and the common traits and even though he is a member of this culture, he doesn’t look like a member because of his fair complexion. This occasionally leads to confrontation.  I didn’t feel that we got to know much about the man and only had a taste of what the culture is like. He is a lyrical writer too, which makes this an enjoyable read.

3.5 out of 5 stars

A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.

We live in a hyper-connected world. If you have a smart phone then you can probably only go a few minutes without having to look at it. There is a constant stream of notifications from emails and social media app that clamour for your attention every time you pop it back in your pocket. The flip side of this is that there are more people today who are incredibly lonely, ironic given that we have a whole world at our fingertips.

Solitary confinement is often used as an extreme form of imprisonment, and the book begins with the story of Dr Edith Bone’s who was locked away for seven years and 59 days. She managed to stay sane by mentally walking through cities she had visited and survived. Our modern life means that the distractions can end up taking over far too often. (Twitter, I am looking at you). However, what Harris wants to concentrate on in this book is the positive effects of solitude. That by taking time away from life means that we can fully concentrate on the matter in hand and possibly even recapture some of our own sanity.

I also realised I was getting angry. Angry because part of my life had been stolen from me. So I set myself looking for those lost pieces of solitude in every corner of the world.

Solitude is something that companies want to erode as profits lie in getting you to consume time and their product or service. However, you can turn it around if you choose to do so. Solitude is the process of removing external distractions and concentrating on the matter that is important to you at that moment. Having time alone to allow your mind to wander will bring forth fresh ideas and direction before you re-engage with the world again. My favourite part was when he spent a week at the family cabin on an island off the coast of British Columbia and lived out the premise of the book. It takes him a few days and then he starts to notice things, that while they have always been there, he has never noticed before. I think he writes well, the book is well researched too, he handles the subject matter well, keeping it interesting and the narrative flowing. Lot of things to think about after reading this and that is a good thing.

Consciousness by Hannah Critchlow

The question: What is Consciousness is such a difficult one to answer. We know that we are conscious, but are other animals conscious too? What about plants, or forests and other ecosystems? But the more you think about it opens up wider questions, can we absorb the consciousness of other people? Can machines gain consciousness too?

In this short book, Hannah Critchlow sets about answering some of these questions and summing up some of the latest thoughts on how our brains work but perceiving and responding to the world around us.

Genetics by Adam Rutherford

It is quite amazing to think that DNA was first discovered just over a century ago, though several scientists had concluded that something was passing on traits from parent to child, but couldn’t quite say what. Exactly what it was and how it was constructed though was discovered by Francis and Crick with an enormous amount of assistance from Rosalind Franklin, though she didn’t know it at the time.

Rutherford has written a really good brief overview of the history of genetics, how we are almost certain related to a monarch back along the family tree and what fruit has more genes than us and how to see evolution happening in the genetic record. He brings us up to date with some of the latest discoveries on the subject and the possibilities of genetics in the future.

I love the format of these little expert guides. It harks back to the books I used to read as a child and remember fondly. These have a difference though, they are concise books with detailed information written by experts and are a brief introduction to some complex science. Great little books for the budding scientist and those that want to read up on an unknown subject.

3 out of 5 stars

Belinda was distraught, her boyfriend at the time, Nathan, had chosen his career in the US Navy over their relationship. Bodie was in a worse predicament though. Abandoned by his owner if he was not rehomed very soon then the animal shelter would have to euthanise him. Belinda didn’t think she could get any lower. They say that you should not rush into another relationship after a breakup and the same rules apply when getting a dog, but she needed some company. When applying online she had four options to say why she wanted a dog:

Playmate for family dog

Guard dog

Exercise motivator

Companionship.

She thought long and hard before making her selection. However, she felt that she needed to try and turn this around and this was why she was standing in front of Bodie’s cage. All that was needed was a home visit and it was arranged for a few days later, and suddenly he was her responsibility.

It took a little while to get used to having a dog around the house as well as getting into the routine needed. She became really good friends with Molly and her dog, Winnie. The only problem was just as it happened she found out that Molly was moving to Portland, Oregon and she invited her to her home after she had settled in. A road trip seemed in order and it seemed the perfect opportunity to drop in at some doggy themed stops on the way.

It is a beautiful coastline to travel along and take in the views of the Pacific. Bodie is a gentle, friendly dog. And as well as a trip to see their friend, it is primarily a journey of discovery for them both, where their limits are and how they can fit in with each other. Letting him off the lead for the first time was a nerve-wracking experience. She manages to find hotels that accept dogs and begins to take the steps that she needs to get over her previous relationship, which she mostly does. Except on the way back home, the phone rung, and as she was busy doing something else, didn’t look at the caller. It was Nathan and he wanted to meet up again…

This is more of a personal memoir with an element of travel. You are not going to discover anything profound about this part of the world, rather it is a feel-good type of book. It is written in a chatty and upbeat style with some amusing anecdotes. Jones is honest with her feelings throughout the book, telling it just how it is. If you have read Me, My Bike and a Street Dog Called Lucy then this would be one you’d like.