Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money are Challenging the Global Economic Order by Paul Vigna
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Money supposedly makes the world go round. It doesn’t; that’s physics; but it is the lifeblood of business and the system that controls it, governments, banks, brokers and the other middlemen have made and lost fortunes with it and with that control comes power. Cryptocurrencies might be something that you have heard of, but like most people you are probably unaware how this new form of money is aiming to revolutionise the concept of money.

Bitcoin is probably the best known of these new cryptocurrencies. They are beginning to offer a genuine alternative to regular currencies, allowing people without access to credit and banks a way into global finance. This new money is a peer-to-peer type verified by technologies such as the blockchain and encryption allowing the bypassing of regular money channels. It is not subject to regular laws either, it was extensively used on the Silk Road website for illegal transactions and has gained some notoriety, however it is democratic and anyone can mine the coins to spend how they choose.

It is an interesting book about a new form of cash and whilst the authors do their best to explain it in simple and straightforward terms, it is at time very technical and complex. It is worth reading though, especially if you have an interest in technology or finance; but be prepared to be baffled at times.

View all my reviews

Stonehenge: The Story of a Sacred Landscape by Francis Pryor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Stonehenge. Just the name can conjure up that iconic image of the standing stones and sarsens against the background of the Salisbury Plain. Rightly so, it is a World Heritage site, but it is an enigma as it actual purpose can still only be speculated about. Was it a celestial calendar? Or a ritual site? Perhaps it was used for sacrifices, or used as a focus for the Neolithic peoples who built it. Whatever its purpose, we know that the area has been used for millennia as a place of significance with the first man made changes being made around 3000 BC.

Pryor is an expert in the Bronze and Iron Ages, but his particular speciality is Flag Fen, a huge site in Cambridgeshire that was used extensively for ritual purposes. Whilst he is not an expert on Stonehenge, he does have a gift for seeing the landscape as those people would have done. In this book he draws on the very latest in archaeology and research to give us a broad history of the monument, explores how a range of people have seen and used the site ove the years and considers the context of the site in the wider landscape.

Pryor’s ability to immerse himself in the age and the ability of see the landscape through their eyes, means that we get an expert view of the way that it evolved and changes, without descending into dry academic speak. As well as the rigorous writing, the book is full of excellent photos, high quality plans and beautiful pictures of Stonehenge. It is comprehensive without being complicated and well worth reading.

View all my reviews

Dirt Music by Tim Winton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Georgie Jutland has drifted into Jim Buckridge’s life. Widowed, he is a thriving fisherman in the Australian coastal town of White Point. Her relationship with his sons is tense and she has never really settled into his home or the wider community. Georgie is looking out the window very early one morning and sees a boat slip into the water to fish illegally. Buckridge and the other residents of White Point detest poachers.

The man in the boat is Luther Fox, formerly a musician but is now a loner since his family were killed in a freak accident. These two isolated individuals are inexorably drawn together and begin an intense affair. The residents of the town are not best known for their tolerance and it is a place of violence and secrets. Their liaison is full of risk and if discovered the danger is immense…

I have only read one of Winton’s books before, the excellent Lands Edge which is a memoir on his life at the coast in Australia, but this was the first foray into his fiction. He has managed to write a really powerful book with some great flawed characters and a tense plot. The writing is stark and sparse, and like the outback is intense and evocative. It has a really good ending too; very cleverly done. Must read some more of his fiction soon.

View all my reviews

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Koth had been a simple innkeeper in the town of Newarre for a while. A traveling scribe, calling himself Chronicler, is rescued from the Scrael, lethal spider-like creatures by Koth. Realising that there was more than meets the eye to this innkeeper, Chronicler offers to write his story. Koth reveals that he is actually Kvothe, renowned musician, fabled magician and legendary fighter, and agrees to spend three days telling his story.

Starting with his childhood, he tells of the time spent travelling with the Edema Ruh, a travelling band of performers. It is a happy time for him, even more so when they are joined by Abenthy, a gentle man who teaches him about the world and some elements of the ‘sympathy’ magic that exists in this world. He witnesses him call on the Name of the Wind one day and vows that he will learn this skill at the university. Tragic events and a lucky escape from the mythical Chandrian causes him to end up in the city of Tarbean as a beggar where he has to survive on his wits. He is still driven by the desire to reach the university to learn more of the magic that Abenthy taught him. So begins the next phase and possibly most dangerous phase of his life.

I have heard lots of good things about this book, but this is the first time I have read anything by Rothfuss at all. And it was a really good story; it had a great plot, with a good build up of tension and twists galore. I liked too the mediaeval world that he has created; it feels real whilst infused with magic and dark elements. It did feel a little YA, not always a problem, and I didn’t like the spoilers in the book concerning Kvothe and another character. I want to find out for myself as I read it. Looking forward to getting my hands on the next one, 4.5 stars overall.

View all my reviews

Under the Tump: Sketches of Real Life on the Welsh Borders by Oliver Balch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Strangely enough, the only reason I know about Hay-on-Wye is because of the books. This Welsh town has over 20 bookshops and is the host to a huge literary festival at the end of May. When the writer Oliver Bach decided to move to the village of Clyro, just outside Hay; he wanted more than to immerse himself in a world of books, put down roots and make it a maybe make it a place he could call home

Compared to London and Buenos Aires where he had lived before it was utterly different, and he wasn’t to settle into village life with his family. He is ably assisted by the Victorian diarist, Francis Kilvert, a curate who wrote about the village in the 1870’s. Bach wanted to see how much had changed since then, as well as find out just what had stayed the same. Like all newcomers, he is treated coolly at first, but ever so slowly, people warm to him. The village is full of characters, he meets local councillors, activists, hippies and a family that have dropped of grid. Hay even has its own King, self-appointed of course. Being a rural community, agriculture is a major part of the economy and he spends time with the local young farmers groups, finding out just what keeps them entertained and helping out at a function.

It is a nicely written book and he is honest in his opinions of the qualities and flaws of country living. Initially he feel like an immigrant, but the longer he spends there he finds that he is not the only incomer; there are others that even a few generations on feel like they are still new. I particularly liked the history of the area that he discovers, uncovering details about where he now lives and the houses and landscape around. As interesting as it was to read though, there did not feel like there was a huge amount of depth to the book. Just need to arrange a trip to Hay now…

View all my reviews

Bradley Wiggins: My Hour by Bradley Wiggins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cycling is full of great races, The Tour, the Giro, Paris-Roubaix. These are tough, and few have the capacity to win, but these are all undertaken with lots of other riders. There is one cycling record that is even more gruelling than these; The Hour. Those that have set a new record join an elite club; those that have won the Tour de France and set a record are the crème de la crème.

One man.

On paper it looks simple enough, how far can you cycle for one hour. But this is one of cycling and sports toughest events mentally and physically. If you start hard and fast you’ll fade by the end, if you start slow, then you’ll never be able to reach your target. It is a discipline that requires a metronomic speed around the track with fraction of second differences each lap. Many riders who have undertaken, including the great Merckx, it say it is the hardest thing that they have ever done.

One bike..

The UCI have changed the rules several times on the type of bike and position the rider can use. They can now ride with a regular time trial machine. Naturally the bike Wiggo uses is very technical advanced. They spent a large fortune on the Pinarello Bolide and is pure excellence for the bike geek, it includes custom printed titanium set of handlebars, reduced friction chain, redesigned front fork and a carbon frame designed in conjunction with Jaguar. It is a thing of beauty.

One hour…

He takes us behind the preparation for this attempt. But as a team they had nothing to go on, so they designed their own programme building of stamina and utilising the famous ‘marginal gains’ that UK cycling is now known for. Scattered throughout the book is profiles of those that have taken on this challenge and won; these men were heroes of Wiggins, and with this he joins their ranks. The photography in the book is brilliant, there is a mix of informal portraits, arty bike shots and dynamic image as he hurtles around the velodrome. It is a really enjoyable read by one of my favourite sportsmen as he takes on that clock.

View all my reviews