Reading Plans for 2020 & Beyond…..

I was going to do this next week but I couldn’t think of anything else so…… As we approach the end of the year and, indeed the end of the first decade in the 21st century, it naturally comes to mind to think ahead to what books I’m planning to read next. Now I’m the first to admit that I have grand ideas and mad plans that either never come to fruition or take AGES to get going. But with that caveat in mind here’s a few of my ideas for the year(s) ahead….

I’ve mentioned a few times about reading deeply into the beginning of World War Two and particularly that short period between the Fall of France in 1940 and the US entry into the war at the end of 1941 when Britain essentially stood alone against the Axis Powers. That will (finally) be arriving next year. I have over 30 books covering that time period so it’s about high time I get to reading them! I also have a growing pile covering the period from D-Day into the Cold War after WW2 ended in 1945. I do get a Cold War vibe occasionally from the nightly news so inevitably my interest in this time (just before I was born) has been piqued. Rather oddly (or maybe it’s just me?) as I’m reading a series of books about the end of WW1 and the effects of that conflict between the wars I’m intending to shift back a bit to address how it all started in 1914 and even a little further back to the transition of the Victorian Age to the Edwardian and the emergence of clearly modern times. Saying all of that I am very conscious of the fact that the vast majority of my history reading is based in the 20th century (where I feel most at home). I’ll see if I can address that by at least dipping into the 19th and maybe even sooner.

Geographically I shall still be concentrating on UK and European events and will mostly be looking at other countries through the European lens. The List over on the right of the page already has entries from Afghanistan to the UK and this list will probably grow over time. For now my outside Europe reading will be mostly focusing on the Middle East, China & Japan and the USA. As part of this, to get away from a purely historical viewpoint, I’ve been looking at some travel stories – both classic and modern – from around the world so they should be filtering through fairly soon. I’ve already added a Travel tab into the List covering previous volumes so you’ll be seeing that figure (presently 5) regularly increase.

Somewhat of a surprise – to me as well! – will be a number of sport related books in the future. As someone who barely registers that sporting events even occur my burgeoning interest in the area intrigues me probably as much as it does you. So far the only sports being covered are running and motor racing but that will probably expand as we go. We’ll see where that one leads……

Politically I’ll still be focusing on my special R4 category (Revolt, Rebellion, Resistance and Revolution) with the emphasis on the Resistance aspect and, therefore inevitably, mostly 20th century. At some point, when it all starts to gel in my mind, I hope to turn it into a PhD project but that’s another thing we’ll have to see about. Naturally my political reading will still be primarily from the Left of things but I’ll no doubt be tipping my toes into the other side – particularly if I’m reading about 20th century Prime Ministers and Presidents.

Having such a butterfly mind my reading will, from time to time, be all over the place. My ‘probabilistic’ approach is, I think, working really well so I’ll be continuing with that. This will mean that rather surprising books will turn up periodically which should be fun for all of us. Although I do like structure and don’t much like surprises the probability side of things does keep things interesting!

Finally, for now, is the issue of my upcoming retirement in March 2020. With (much) more time on my hands I hope/expect to be reading (much) more. My average presently is in the low 60’s. Next year I’m aiming for 75. The year after I’ll see how far I can push it to 100. From then on 100 will be my yearly target. How often I meet it…. Well, we’ll see! Here’s (hopefully) to some interesting a fruitful reading years to come!   

The Shortest Day.... Longer Days are Coming!!!

Cartoon Time.

Best avoided @ Christmas parties..... [grin]

Climate change: Met Office says warming trend will continue in 2020

By Matt McGrath, BBC Environment correspondent

19 December 2019

Next year will continue the global warming trend with temperatures again likely to rise more than one degree above pre-industrial levels. According to the Met Office, 2020 will likely be 1.11C warmer than the average between 1850-1900. The year ahead is set to extend the series of the warmest years on record to six in a row. Scientists say the strongest factor causing the rise is greenhouse gas emissions.

The world first broke through one degree above pre-industrial temperatures back in 2015. Each year since then has seen temperatures close to or above this mark. The warmest year on record is 2016 when a strong El Niño made a significant difference. This weather phenomenon sees sea surface temperatures increase in the central and eastern Pacific and it's associated with a range of impacts around the world, including the overall global level of warming. According to the Met Office, the chances of a strong El Niño in 2020 are low. They forecast that the global average temperature next year will be in the range of 0.99C to 1.23C with a central estimate of 1.11C. The researchers say that the key factor will be emissions of CO2 and other warming gases. "Natural events - such as El Niño-induced warming in the Pacific - influence the climate system, but in the absence of El Niño, this forecast gives a clear picture of the strongest factor causing temperatures to rise - greenhouse gas emissions," said Professor Adam Scaife, the Met Office head of long-range prediction.

According to researchers, carbon dioxide emissions this year have risen slightly, despite a drop in the use of coal. The Global Carbon Project's annual analysis of emission trends suggests that CO2 will go up by 0.6% in 2019. The rise is due to continuing strong growth in the utilisation of oil and gas. The scale of emissions has a direct bearing on temperatures, scientists say. Provisional figures released earlier this month by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) suggest 2019 is on course to be the second or third warmest year ever. If those numbers hold, 2015-2019 would end up being the warmest five-year period on record. The Met Office say they have confidence in their prediction for 2020 based on what's happened in previous years. This time last year they estimated that 2019 would be 1.10C above the 1850-1900 mark. The actual temperature recorded this year from January to October shows a global mean 1.11C.

"The forecast for 2020 would place next year amongst the six warmest years on record, which would all have occurred since 2015," said Dr Doug Smith, a Met Office research fellow. "All of these years have been around 1.0C warmer than the pre-industrial period." With temperatures keeping close to the one degree mark, there will be renewed concern from scientists that the world is on track to breach the 1.5C limit that many researchers say is the threshold of increasingly dangerous impacts. 2020 will see a major push to get countries to ramp up their plans to ensure the world stays below the 1.5C mark. The recent COP25 summit in Madrid saw several key issues kicked down the road to Glasgow where countries from all over the world will meet next November. The critical issue of increasing ambition to curb emissions is set to dominate the discussions, which will be presided over by the UK. The Committee on Climate Change has warned the government that Britain needed to do better to meet its own targets if it wanted to have credibility with negotiators in Glasgow.

[I was just saying to the guys tonight just how ridiculously mild it is here this year. They’re predicting 45F on Christmas Day and 49F on New Year’s Day. I don’t know if that’s unprecedented but it’s bloody mild! Presently we have heavy flooding South-East of us (it’s essentially been raining on and off for a good 6-8 weeks now) and there’s no sign of let up. Australia could really do with some of our rain and the entire country looks to be on fire – which is exactly what Climate scientists have been saying for years. I saw recently that predictions as far back as the late 70’s are coming true. So when are governments going to start listening I wonder???] 

Just Finished Reading: The Deluge – The Great War and the Remaking of Global Order (1916-1931) by Adam Tooze (FP: 2014)

No doubt it was offered with the very best of intentions however naïve. But all the same the idea was like political acid – self-determination. Never fully explained or even understood it meant many things to many people and that, at its heart, was the problem. Throughout Europe and the wider world the idea of the right to and expectation of self-determination worked its magic helping to break up old empires and create countries out of whole cloth. It encouraged people’s, previously disenfranchised, to rise up against their governments to be allowed their own homeland and equal rights in the eyes of the law, and it brought democracy where none had previously existed. The Genie was very much out of the bottle and no one, even at gun point, was going to put it back in – although some would try very hard indeed.

Of course principles are easy to state, safely between two oceans with little or nothing to lose by the statement. Living up to the same principles when they hit the hard reality of international politics was something else. The easy part was returning Alsace-Lorraine to France (despite the number of ethnic Germans living there). The harder part was countries like Poland which had to be carved out of the pre-existing territories of Germany, Russia and others. Most especially difficult was the provision of natural resources and, more importantly, access to the sea at Danzig. No self-determination there just hard economics, realpolitik and hard bargaining. Even those on the ground could see that the Polish solution was storing up problems for the future. But that was for the newly formed League of Nations to resolve or at least that was the idea before it was effectively emasculated by its Byzantine internal set of rules in an attempt to appear fairer than it in fact was as well the aspect that America never took up its place at the table to spare any future European entanglements.

As a forward looking people the Americans – in the public guise of President Wilson – had little interest in Europe’s Imperial past. They did have an interest in the world’s economic future, unrestricted access to new markets, an open seas policy enforced by a navy at least the equal of Britain’s and the speedy recovery of war debt accrued by the Entente powers. Almost as important in many eyes was the restriction of Japanese expansionism within China and throughout Asia. Not only did the US consider the Pacific to be within their sphere of influence but they thought of the Japanese themselves with a mixture of suspicion and contempt. The US policy towards China itself was hardly coherent and managed to send mixed signals to both the Japanese and Chinese authorities which did little to help stabilise that chaotic region.

At the centre of everything were two countries fighting in many ways for their very existence – Germany and Russia. Germany was the vanquished foe trying to recover from the heavy blow of defeat and the heavier blow of post-Versailles reparations. Stumbling from government to government, fighting elements from both the hard-left and the hard-right, it had an uncertain future. Russia meanwhile was trying to decide between being a failed state or a pariah state. After the 1917 revolution, the declaration of a separate peace with Germany and a descent into years of Civil War the newly formed Soviet Union, birthed in a sea of blood, began to take its place on the world stage. Contained for now by the western powers it still had the capacity, real or imagined, to infect the rest of the world with the ideas of universal Communism. It was in many ways a useful bogeyman.

In this truly formidably impressive work the global chaos caused by 5 years of war, the likes of which had never been seen before, is laid out for all to see and the echoes of this great conflict are followed through as they impacted countries as diverse as Japan and Ukraine. Despite its world spanning reach and its 15 year timeline the detail presented between these 500+ pages is awe inspiring. It is by no means an easy read but the effort is amply rewarded and then some. Not only does the author clearly explain exactly the damage – political, economic and in a real sense moral – caused by the war but he also (again very clearly) shows how this often unresolved and unaddressed damage significantly facilitated an even greater disaster a mere two decades later. The author rightly points out that although World War Two was not the inevitable result of its predecessor the fact that systemic problems in the world system after 1918 were not addressed – even when known about and warned about – meant that any realistic options for peace were increasingly closed off between then and 1939. This is an important work and a must read for anyone who wants to understand exactly how we got here. I can think of much worse places to start if you’re willing to put the time and brain effort into it. Highly recommended. 

Cartoon Time.

Known in her family as 'the precocious one'... 

Cyberkitten & the December Election

Well, I got THAT wrong! I don’t think I have much of a future as a political forecaster….. I did do some research though. I talked to my gaming buddies who had varying opinions on the subject covering most of the options available – including not voting at all. I also talked to quite a few people at work both inside and outside my team. The consensus was pretty much the same whoever I talked to – that they were largely undecided and that all of the parties had problems and that any voting decision was going to be a tough one. When the prediction first came out that the Tories were going to win with an 80+ majority I didn’t believe it. After all they were expecting a majority last time and actually LOST seats. But then reality intruded….

As usual I’d book the day after off (so brought the start of my Christmas Leave one day forward to Friday 13th December) and planned to stay up all night watching the results as they came in. In the event I stayed up till around 3am and had lost interest by that point. By then it was obvious that the Conservatives were going to win and win big so I went to bed. Checking next morning I was actually shocked by the result. True the Tories didn’t do quite as well as predicted but they still managed to get a majority of 39 after gaining 47 seats so they should be able to do pretty much what they like despite any backbench rebellion. It also means that they should be able to push through their Brexit programme pretty much unopposed. Labour got destroyed – much more than I expected and apparently chalked up their biggest election defeat since 1935! Not surprisingly several of the leadership including Jeremy himself will be falling on their swords and bowing out of things. This will, inevitably, be followed by much in-fighting and bloodletting which will make the Labour Party unelectable for at least 5-10 years. We’ll probably end up with something akin to the Blair version of New Labour eventually. Even more surprising, at least to me, is the shift that didn’t happen as the Liberal Democrats picked up fewer votes than I expected and actually reduced their number by 1 – embarrassingly the seat of their leader who, in accordance with their rules, has had to stand down from her leadership position. About the only thing I got right, which to be honest was bloody obvious, was how well the Scottish Nationalists did – gaining 13 seats and almost taking the whole of Scotland (again). All of the pundits think this will mean an inevitable clash between the Scots and the British parliament and a possible constitutional crisis if Scotland insists on a second Independence Referendum and the British government deny them one.

So, not exactly the opposite of what I expected to happen but close enough. It does mean yet another 5 years of Tory government with a chaotic opposition and, probably, another 5 years after that too. Brexit will be agreed early next year but I doubt that we’ll be fully out by the Christmas 2020 deadline. I think it’ll drag on a year or two after that….. But we are eventually leaving. I’ll never see it as a good idea (or even a sane one) but I do need to accept that it is really going to happen. Interesting Times will continue for some time yet – you’d better buckle up!     

Cartoon Time.

[shudder]

Emotion-detecting tech should be restricted by law - AI Now

By Leo Kelion, BBC Technology desk editor

12 December 2019

A leading research centre has called for new laws to restrict the use of emotion-detecting tech. The AI Now Institute says the field is "built on markedly shaky foundations". Despite this, systems are on sale to help vet job seekers, test criminal suspects for signs of deception, and set insurance prices. It wants such software to be banned from use in important decisions that affect people's lives and/or determine their access to opportunities. The US-based body has found support in the UK from the founder of a company developing its own emotional-response technologies - but it cautioned that any restrictions would need to be nuanced enough not to hamper all work being done in the area.

AI Now refers to the technology by its formal name, affect recognition, in its annual report. It says the sector is undergoing a period of significant growth and could already be worth as much as $20bn (£15.3bn). "It claims to read, if you will, our inner-emotional states by interpreting the micro-expressions on our face, the tone of our voice or even the way that we walk," explained co-founder Prof Kate Crawford. "It's being used everywhere, from how do you hire the perfect employee through to assessing patient pain, through to tracking which students seem to be paying attention in class. At the same time as these technologies are being rolled out, large numbers of studies are showing that there is... no substantial evidence that people have this consistent relationship between the emotion that you are feeling and the way that your face looks." Prof Crawford suggested that part of the problem was that some firms were basing their software on the work of Paul Ekman, a psychologist who proposed in the 1960s that there were only six basic emotions expressed via facial emotions. But, she added, subsequent studies had demonstrated there was far greater variability, both in terms of the number of emotional states and the way that people expressed them. "It changes across cultures, across situations, and even across a single day," she said.

AI Now gives several examples of companies that are selling emotion-detecting products, some of which have already responded. Oxygen Forensics was cited for offering emotion-detecting software to the police, but defended its efforts. "The ability to detect emotions, such as anger, stress, or anxiety, provide law-enforcement agencies additional insight when pursuing a large-scale investigation," said its chief operating officer, Lee Reiber. "Ultimately, we believe that responsible application of this technology will be a factor in making the world a safer place." Another example was HireVue, which sells AI-driven video-based tools to recommend which candidates a company should interview. It uses third-party algorithms to detect "emotional engagement" in applicants' micro-expressions to help make its choices. "Many job candidates have benefited from HireVue's technology to help remove the very significant human bias in the existing hiring process," spokeswoman Kim Paone told Reuters news agency. Cogito, which has developed voice-analysis algorithms for call-centre staff to help them detect when customers are becoming distressed, was also mentioned. "Before emotion detection can own making automated decisions, the industry needs more proof that machines can in fact effectively and consistently detect human emotion," its chief executive Joshua Feast told the BBC. "What can be done today, is to evaluate the behaviours that proxy for certain emotions and provide that intelligence to a human to help them make a more informed decision. For tomorrow and the future, it's up to all practitioners and leaders in the field to collaborate, research, and develop solutions that help foster deeper, common understanding that will eventually lead to more connected relationships with one another - not in spite of technology, but because of it." The BBC also asked some of the other named companies for comment, but got no reply.

Emteq - a Brighton-based firm trying to integrate emotion-detecting tech into virtual-reality headsets - was not among those flagged for concern. Its founder said that while today's AI systems could recognise different facial expressions, it was not a simple matter to deduce what the subject's underlying emotional state was. "One needs to understand the context in which the emotional expression is being made," explained Charles Nduka. "For example, a person could be frowning their brow not because they are angry but because they are concentrating or the sun is shining brightly and they are trying to shield their eyes. Context is key, and this is what you can't get just from looking at computer vision mapping of the face." He, too, thought there was need to regulate use of the tech. But he expressed concern that in doing so, lawmakers did not restrict the work he and others were doing to try to use emotion-detecting software in the medical field. "If things are going to be banned, it's very important that people don't throw out the baby with the bathwater," he said.

[It does seems that we (or at least some companies) are determined to automate discrimination and disadvantage based on algorithms – and flawed algorithms at that. If your face doesn’t fit – literally -  based on a computers reading you could fail an interview or even get arrested in some pre-crime style dystopia and just because a computer programme makes a decision and because people believe what’s on a screen in preference to what’s in front of their eyes. We will rue the day that this sort of thing because accepted and in widespread use.]

Just Finished Reading: Destroying Angel by Richard Paul Russo (FP: 1992)

Everyone thought, or at least hoped, that it was over. No new bodies had been discovered for years. Maybe the killer had moved on or maybe even died or had been arrested for a different crime. Maybe it was just over, finished. In a wat Tanner no longer cared. He’d left the force, made a new life for himself. He was finally getting by. Even the nightmares had started to subside. Then they found the bodies. Two of them chained together just like the last time. Whatever the explanation the Angel of Death was back in business. As much as he tried not to get involved Tanner had information the police could use. If it was still currant that is and if the police would agree to the terms Tanner’s informant would ask for. That was the problem of course. The police never really liked making terms with a cop killer even when the cops he’s had killed were as dirty as they come. Cops just hated cop killers and who could blame them. But it was the only way so Tanner got his green light. He’d go back to working for the cops this time rather than with them. He’d get his expenses and maybe some back-up if the shit really hit the fan but mostly he’d be on his own, reliant on his old contacts, calling in favours and hoping that none of his old enemies still wanted him dead. After a few days the nightmare’s started again but bad dreams were the least of Tanner’s problems as he was about to find out…..

I’d been wanting to read this for a while. I always loved cyberpunk from the moment I stumbled across it back in the late 80’s. Although I’d never read this author before I was delighted to discover that he was a skilled practitioner of neo-noir. This is essentially a hard-boiled detective novel transplanted to near future (21st century) San Francisco. Although the high-tech aspects are dated somewhat – no cell phones for example or even smart phones – the story still follows the high-tech/low life themes common throughout the cyberpunk genre. Most of the action takes place at street level and even the few rest periods as well as periodic meeting with police investigators takes place on the mean streets rather than in the glass and chrome towers where the future is really happening. This reality is acknowledged but ultimately skirted around. A reality of the world but someone else’s reality. Most of the main characters are criminals. Even Tanner is a smuggler of sorts useful to the police who usually turn a blind eye to his operation, useful to certain parts of the Corporations and helping to maintain local hospitals who can’t afford the latest designer drugs. Most of the street criminals do what they do to get by – petty theft, illegal gambling, prostitution, and drug dealing. Others prey on the lower levels and meet out judgements where ‘required’. It’s a dog eat dog world where law is rarely seen. The feel of the city is gritty and realistic. Things are mostly falling apart and everyone knows it. The name of the game is simple survival. Needless to say I really enjoyed this. What’s even better that it’s the first book in a trilogy. OK all three books are out of print but that just makes it more of a challenge. Well written, well-paced, nicely visual, edgy and with a decent ending this was a breeze to read and was a real page turner. Highly recommended if you can get a copy. (R) 

Cartoon Time.

Just Finished Reading: The Fleshpots of Sansato by William F Temple (FP: 1968)

It was a discovery that would change everything. In order to hold the ‘lessor’ species in check the ancient Dorian race denied all others knowledge of the Gate system that allowed instantaneous travel between stars. Forced to travel by sub-light shipping one way it was almost impossible to expand as humankind wished. Now one of their greatest scientists had discovered how the Gates work – and had instantly disappeared. Tasked with finding him at all costs the head of Earth’s most secret service, Sidereal Intelligence, has a lead he wants his agent Roy Garner to investigate. Roy has been picked because of his love of the finer things in life and especially women. Such skills will come in handy where he’s going. For the scientist was last seen in Sansato – home of the galactically famous Sato girls – where any pleasure and any vice is available at a price.

This was a fairly typical SF pulp novel of its time. As a Teen (when I read most of this stuff) I would’ve probably been interested mostly in the discussion of Einstein’s Time Dilation issue as the Speed of Light was approached rather than the other aspects of this short (a mere 127 page) novel. The underlying plot was paper thin, the characterisation likewise and the dialogue pretty bad. The author was trying to channel 40’s Noir into a SF background but without much success. Being the late 60’s there were a few sexual hints, some of which were on the disturbing side to be honest. The main female characters, such as they were where indentured prostitutes with little say over any aspect of their lives – no matter how well-known or ‘valued’ they were. Overall the plot was barely coherent and the ending telegraphed pretty much in advance. A slow read and not a particularly interesting or fun one. (R)   

Cartoon Time.

Just Finished Reading: Life Moves Pretty Fast – The Lessons we Learned from Eighties Movies (& Why We Don’t Learn Them from Movies Any More) by Hadley Freeman (FP: 2015)

I tend not to judge a book by its cover but a good one will certainly attract my attention. This one (shown in the cover art above) looked just like a VCR cassette – same shape, size and (probably) weight. It immediately made me do a double take and then smile at its cleverness. Half sold already. Of course the subject matter helped – 80’s movies. As someone who (well, almost) grew up with 80’s movies – I was in my 20’s, living away from home and, at least for the early part of the decade at university with a VCR machine and a nearby video store. Needless to say I developed a deep and abiding love for the teen movies of the time and much more besides.

The author of this interesting, funny but admittedly hit and miss homage to the time and genre had a bit of a different exposure. She saw her first 80’s movie aged 8 or 9 so had a much different route into the subject at hand which shows in her pick of movies reviewed and honestly gushed over. For example she starts off with Dirty Dancing. To be honest I don’t think I’ve seen the whole movie so I learnt a lot from her description and her analysis of its cultural and social place in the 80’s scheme of things. On to The Princess Bride (which I have seen at least once or twice) which I agreed was a good film although maybe not as good as many people think it is. Then Pretty in Pink. OK, I’m a HUGE John Hughes fan and I like Molly Ringwald as much as the next person but again PinP wouldn’t normally have made my Top 20. I did find the background of the film interesting – as well as the discussion of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (I’m looking at you Zoe Deschanel) – which made me laugh. I was more than a little creeped out by Hughes’s relationship with Ringwald though…. Then one of my all-time favourite films and one of the best comedies ever made – When Harry Met Sally. Quite brilliant. I realised that there were feminist themes in the movie (obviously) but enjoyed it myself because of the realism of the relationship between the two leads. Then onto another of my all-time favourite movies – Ghostbusters. Again both very funny and very clever. As with the other films – even the ones I wasn’t greatly interested in – the author provided some good insights and background information 90% of which I was completely unaware of. Naturally at some point we had to get to the movie where the title of the book came from: Ferris Bueller’s Day off. I watched it recently after finishing this book. In any list it’d probably be in my Top 20 favourite movies. I LOVE it to death – as does the author (naturally). I found myself agreeing with much of her analysis and hoovering up the movie trivia around it. Then she lost me completely with Steel Magnolias which I knew existed but have never seen. Then (as if in recompense) was another film that I love dearly – Back to the Future. I’ve seen that movie many times and the sequels almost as much. I still quote it from time to time. After that the book got a bit….. vague, looking first at Batman movies and then at Eddie Murphy who I always thought to be rather hit and miss. Some of the reason behind that was explain here. 

Although far from a perfect book about far from a perfect movie era (a significant number of 80’s movies were SO bad I believe they actually warped space-time and probably destroyed whole alternative universes – I’m looking at YOU Buckaroo Banzai). It was fun travelling down such a nostalgic path even with someone else leading the way. My version of the book would’ve been rather different (more Schwarzenegger for one thing!) and would’ve covered the 80’s films that ended up defining my life like:

The Breakfast Club
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Terminator
Die Hard
Gremlins (which me and the guys are seeing tomorrow on the BIG screen)
Bladerunner (which I’ve seen over 60 times)
Top Gun
Aliens
The Lost Boys
Weird Science
Heathers
Risky Business
Beetlejiuce
Escape from New York……..

Definitely a fun read for all 80’s movies fans but this is very much a personal journey looking back at a childhood spent watching iconic movies whilst growing up lonely in New York. Recommended with caveats. (R)

No snow for a LONG while yet I think....

Cartoon Time.

Meanwhile... In the North of England more rain is expected.....

The Sunshine Blogger Meme Thingy….. (Nominated by Sarah from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken)

What genres do you prefer? Why?

Science Fiction (Never ending storytelling, mind expanding, open ended universe), Crime/Mystery (Puzzle solving), Historical (Getting ideas what to read next in non-fiction history), History (Finding out how & why we got here), Philosophy (Ideas!), Politics (The natural human condition), Science (Finding out how the Universe works).

What genres do you refuse to read? Why?

Romance… ICKY! Full of kissing & love and stuff….. [shudder]

What is the easiest thing about blogging for you? The hardest?

The easiest thing is finding stuff to post or re-post. The hardest thing is producing original content on a regular basis. Being tagged really helps!

If you could become a character in any book, which book and why?

Probably the hero’s side-kick, or his/her side-kick’s side-kick. Definitely not the hero. Too much effort involved and heroes tend to get other people killed. Too much pressure!

If you could travel to any period in history, which would it be, and why?

To visit? Probably early 20th century Europe circa 1910. Just before it all started going wrong. When Western civilisation still had confidence and hope in the future. Before we screwed everything up. That’d be nice, to see things how they might have been…..

Do you ever DNF books? What makes you DNF?

VERY occasionally. I’m normally very good at picking books that I’ll at least read. Odds are probably 1 in 60 or higher of a DNF. Reasons: REALLY bad or BORING writing.

Who are your favourite authors?

Bernard Cornwell, Larry Niven, Jane Austin, Alison Weir, Mark Mills… and countless others. I just love good story telling.

How important is book cover quality to you? Why?

I like the look of a good book cover and a bad one might put me off buying a book but covers are relatively unimportant compared to subject/plot and author. 

Name a character that you would want to be best friends with, and why.

I keep bringing her up but I do think that I could be fast friends with Elizabeth Bennett – even after she married D’arcy. She’s smart, funny, witty, good natured (mostly) and most likely a great deal of fun to spend any time with.

Name a character who would become your mortal enemy, should you ever cross paths in real life.

Oh, I don’t do the whole mortal enemy thing. Life is just too short. It would be a very strange world indeed where I dedicated a portion of my waking hours to doing bad things to someone. I’m really not that person.

Which authors would you invite to a dinner party? (never mind silly things like death)

Iain Banks & Philip Pullman, Ian Kershaw, Margaret MacMillan, James Holland. That’d make for some seriously good conversations late into the night!

Cartoon Time.