Thomas Stevens completed the first circumnavigation if the globe by bicycle.
Have just downloaded his book For when I get time. I like this quite from the wiki page:
"We found that modern mechanical invention, instead of disenchanting the universe, had really afforded the means of exploring its marvels the more surely."
I've just finished a couple of books about the Tour de France (How I won the yellow jumper, magic spanner) and have started re-reading the inspector Rebus series of books. Prior to those, it was Long Way Down by Charlie Borman and Ewan McGregor & Human Universe by Brian Cox.
Left in the Past: Radicalism and the politics of nostalgia. It's a bit academic and heavy-going but it's making me cleverer (more due to having to look up the meaning of every 5th word than the content ).
Need something a bit lighter next - I think Nick Crane's Two Degrees West is on the top of the pile
PaulE wrote: ↑Mon Mar 01, 2021 11:54 pm
re-reading the inspector Rebus series of books
I was a huge Rebus fan years ago. They're some of the few books I've re-read.
Talking of re-reading, I've been working my way through every issue of The Ride Journal, roughly an article at a time, for over a year now. It's great for a daily boost of bike-stoke.
The Railwayman by Eric Lomax. A beautifully written and harrowing account of a railway obsessed young man and his experiences as a POW at the hands of the Japanese while working on the Burma railway. I defy anyone to not weep like a baby at the ending.
As usual I have a number on the go.
The secret horsepower race - Calum Douglas
George Brown sprint superstar - his brother
Mountain biking in west Wales - Dave Palmer
Bothies, huts and howffs V2 - James Carron
Just finished Exactly by Simon Winchester.
The blurb makes it sound very nerdy 'how precision engineers created the modern world' but actually quite fascinating.
One or two subjects meh but the rest generally interesting.
It starts with how they bored the first cylinders for steam engines on through Whitworth threads and ends in space with Hubble lenses via Seiko watches and why they laugh at Rolex.
Mariner wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 11:24 am
Just finished Exactly by Simon Winchester.
The blurb makes it sound very nerdy 'how precision engineers created the modern world' but actually quite fascinating.
One or two subjects meh but the rest generally interesting.
It starts with how they bored the first cylinders for steam engines on through Whitworth threads and ends in space with Hubble lenses via Seiko watches and why they laugh at Rolex.
Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky
Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (slooow going and I keep on going back to it for a chapter between other books)
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (audiobook)
Dreadnought, Robert K Massie
Next up is One Man and His Bike on the non-fiction side and Foundation & Empire on the fiction side.
Currently on the lookout for something good, so will watch this thread with interest.
Just finished Emily Chappell's Where There's a Will. Really good writing that doesn't always come with memoir/autobiographical material. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Also just finished on audible Jon Ronson - Them, encounters with extremists. Its about 10 years old and very good. The facts in it are often unpalatable but Ronson makes them compulsive reading/listening, for me anyway.
Also just finished on audible Jon Ronson - Them, encounters with extremists. Its about 10 years old and very good. The facts in it are often unpalatable but Ronson makes them compulsive reading/listening, for me anyway.
I read that many years ago. Interesting subject and book. I'm sure if it was written now, it would include 'Boners'*
Also just finished on audible Jon Ronson - Them, encounters with extremists. Its about 10 years old and very good. The facts in it are often unpalatable but Ronson makes them compulsive reading/listening, for me anyway.
I read that many years ago. Interesting subject and book. I'm sure if it was written now, it would include 'Boners'*
More seriously my mate bought Road to Valour for me recently. Gino Bartali’s bio.
Sports bio’s normally bore me stupid but this is very interesting.
A man who won Grand Tours either side of WW2 and fought in the mountains with the resistance in between.
lune ranger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:08 pm
More seriously my mate bought Road to Valour for me recently. Gino Bartali’s bio.
Sports bio’s normally bore me stupid but this is very interesting.
A man who won Grand Tours either side of WW2 and fought in the mountains with the resistance in between.
"Tomorrow, we ride" by Jean Bobet , domestique to and brother of the first three-time winner of the tour de france is well worth a read.
"The voluptuous pleasure that cycling can give you is delicate, intimate and ephemeral. It arrives, it takes hold of you, sweeps you up and then leaves you again. It is for you alone. It is a combination of speed and ease, force and grace. It is pure happiness."
Hopefully not too relatable on here, but just started to re-read touching the void today as I had to spend a couple of hours sitting by an MRI scanner so needed a small book without staples! Excellent, somewhat harrowing and rather life affirming sums it up so far.
I'm half-way through The Time Travelers' Guide to the Middle Ages.
Quick back story: Reg bought a copy, read it and sent it to Sean. Sean read it, and sent it to me.
Now, I have a small white fluffy dog (I refer to her as the daily challenge to my sexuality ...) She is lovely and fun and has largely kept me sane during lock down, particularly when my kids have been at their mum's.
But she HATES the post. Considers it an intrusion on her space and something to defend.
So when Sean's parcel was pushed through the slot, she went berserk. I was on a call so took an extra moment to get to the door, and even though that only took 10 seconds, in that time she had ripped open the package and shredded its contents.
Ruined. So I bought a new one and have been slowly enjoying it. If anyone wants it after I'm done, PM me and it'll be delivered forthwith.
Been reading a great true book about the first englishman to find himself in Japan back in 1611 after washing up there after a shipwreck called Samurai William, he ended up "going native" and having a family and becoming a link between European traders and Japan:
TheBrownDog wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 11:53 am
I'm half-way through The Time Travelers' Guide to the Middle Ages.
Quick back story: Reg bought a copy, read it and sent it to Sean. Sean read it, and sent it to me.
Now, I have a small white fluffy dog (I refer to her as the daily challenge to my sexuality ...) She is lovely and fun and has largely kept me sane during lock down, particularly when my kids have been at their mum's.
But she HATES the post. Considers it an intrusion on her space and something to defend.
So when Sean's parcel was pushed through the slot, she went berserk. I was on a call so took an extra moment to get to the door, and even though that only took 10 seconds, in that time she had ripped open the package and shredded its contents.
Ruined. So I bought a new one and have been slowly enjoying it. If anyone wants it after I'm done, PM me and it'll be delivered forthwith.
Got that on Kindle after the references on here and really enjoyed it. Any other Robert McFarlane fans about? I really enjoy his writing.
If at first you don't succeed you're running about average!
Introverts Unite! We are here, we are uncomfortable and we want to go home.
AndreR wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 3:03 pm
Any other Robert McFarlane fans about? I really enjoy his writing.
My girlfriend bought me The Old Ways a couple of Christmases ago - enjoyed it a lot, very engaging.
The wild places is great too. That's where I heard of Nan Shepherd whose "the living mountain" is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in the world
currently reading “One man and his bike” by Mike Carter as recommended by several on this forum.
Decided to read more this year as have dozens of books I need to get through ... so far this year I’ve read Keith Richards’ autobiography, re-read “Touching from a distance” by Deborah Curtis about Ian Curtis/Joy Division & “Kill ‘em all” by John Niven, a black comedy
Just finished Nims Purja’s book on completing all 8000ers in records breaking time (was 7 years but he smashed it in 7 months ). Easy read with a massive positive vibe coming from the book
).
. An interesting book that is.
). Easy read with a massive positive vibe coming from the book
