Category: Books

“Bound for Glory”-Woody Guthrie’s autobiography

Just finished “Bound for Glory”, the autobiography of Woody Guthrie. I was a bit disappointed, to be honest. The book takes you up to a certain point in time and stops at that point. I know it has to stop somewhere but it does not give any indication of how Guthrie became such an important… Continue reading “Bound for Glory”-Woody Guthrie’s autobiography

Henry James and Washington Square-not sure what to think

I have just finished the Henry James novel, “Washington Square”. I don’t quite know what to make of it, to be honest. The writing is extremely proper and exact. Some would say legalistic, so anxious is James to describe situations, conversations, and emotions with the greatest amount of accuracy and exactitude. It did not surprise… Continue reading Henry James and Washington Square-not sure what to think

The Chimp Paradox-a book that should be read again and again

I am a massive fan of the book, “The Chimp Paradox”. I have written about it before on this website. I won’t bore you with the synopsis or the invaluable lessons to be gleaned from Professor Steve Peters’ work. You can take a look at the blog post linked above to read a brief summary.… Continue reading The Chimp Paradox-a book that should be read again and again

Reading classic books for a second time

I am reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert at the moment. And it is my second time to read it. Recently, I read The Great Gatsby for the second time. And prior to that I read Catcher in the Rye for the second time. Prior to that I reread Catcher in the Rye. And I… Continue reading Reading classic books for a second time

My first Charles Bukowski novel, “Ham on Rye”-recommended?

I’m reading my first Charles Bukowski novel at the moment. “Ham on Rye”. It is said to be semi-autobiographical. If it is you would have to have great deal of sympathy for Bukowski the child. Because the upbringing he describes in “Ham on Rye” is brutal. An uncaring, ignorant, violent father and a submissive, dull,… Continue reading My first Charles Bukowski novel, “Ham on Rye”-recommended?

What I’m reading at the moment

I am reading, for the second time, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I must admit I am enjoying it more this time around and I was thinking why this might be so. I would say the same thing about “The Catcher in the Rye” which I found immensely more enjoyable the second time… Continue reading What I’m reading at the moment

12 rules for life, by Jordan Peterson

I am listening to this book on Audible now and it is getting increasingly irritating. I have not finished yet-only about 50% of the way through-but there are two major problems: Mr Peterson’s high pitched voice, which sounds whiney after a short period and the degree to which God, religion etc. has influenced Peterson’s 12… Continue reading 12 rules for life, by Jordan Peterson

I published this audiobook 12 days ago and have been stunned by the sales

On 22nd December 2021 I published my fourth book on the Audible audiobook platform owned by Amazon. I have been pleasantly surprised, bordering on stunned, by how well the book is selling. Today, the 3rd January 2022, I have sold 15 audiobooks. This is in excess of 1 audiobook per day-an average of 1.25 books… Continue reading I published this audiobook 12 days ago and have been stunned by the sales

On letter writing

Letter writing features large in many of the books that I read and enjoy.  Books by Anthony Trollope, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens are set in the 19th century and it is easy to forget now what it was like in the time before SMS messages, email, WhatsApp, telephone, cell phones and other modern communication methods.… Continue reading On letter writing