The Philosophy of Whisky
I actually wrote a “proper” blog post on this one… it seemed the thing to do at the time.
Reviews
Read More
Professor at Large: The Cornell Years
A collection of transcripts from John Cleese’s addresses to Cornell University during his tenure (now indefinite) as professor-at-large at Cornell University: a post which, as he describes it, consists of “turning up periodically to stir things up”. It’s probably fair to say that about a third of this book is the transcript of his conversation…
Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes
Lovingly assembled collection of bits & pieces from dear-departed comic & human being Jeremy Hardy. He was truly one-of-a-kind and several nuggets in this book really shone out for me. Interspersed throughout were tributes/contributions from other friends & comics, making for a book which was more of a fond & fitting reminiscence, rather than a…
A Long Stride – The Story of the World’s No. 1 Scotch Whisky
You’d think that a history of a 200 year old company could be a yawn-inducing affair, echoing the tedium of digging through endless ledgers that the author inevitably had to do to look for clues in reconstructing the stories… however in the right hands it is the stories that come to life, and this exploration…
Creativity
Sorry John… I found this book, whilst small, incredibly annoying. I get that it was meant to be a simple little positive idea – and arguably one that’s very helpful to a lot of people. But how does that make a whole book? The book’s notable for being short and cheerful, which is something its…
The Last Day
Absolute belter of a first novel from one of the “QI Elves” – a dystopian future novel that stands up to John Birmingham levels of excellent, set in a world where the Earth has stopped rotating. Very difficult to put down; I found I finished this in the space of a week. Loved it.
Nat’s What I Reckon – UnCook Yourself
Tricky to know how to describe this book… and I daresay it doesn’t really matter. It’s like a transcription of a really long Nat’s What I Reckon video, in which he tells his life story and philosophy on life. I really like the guy. I’m delighted that he’s found success with those cooking videos. Publishing…
97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know
As someone who’s not a software architect, I figured this book about what software architects need to know might open my eyes to the sorts of things I might need to know about if I were to ever want to pursue becoming a software architect. The catch is, it was published in 2009 – so…
The Distilleries of Campbeltown: The Rise and Fall of the Whisky Capital of the World
A detailed yet slightly austere/opaque history of the whisky industry in Campbeltown from around 1769 through to the early 2000s, covering the burgeoning scene to its production peak with the 29 active distilleries in 1835 and the subsequent decline following industry rationalisation and war to its current population of 3. Well, 2 and a half,…
Pundamentalist
I love seeing Gary Delaney at work – a slightly battered comedy ‘everyman’ with a hint of wrong’un, he fires out puns and stupid one-liners like a sort of giggling bullshit howitzer, and I can’t help but get caught up in the joy of it. This is his first book, and bar some slightly iffy…