Happy Birthday: Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling on Vostok 1, Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961, with his flight taking 108 minutes. By achieving this major milestone for the Soviet Union amidst the Space Race, he became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including the nation's highest distinction: Hero of the Soviet Union.

As I *forgot* yesterday...... [lol]

Just Finished Reading: The Railway Detective by Edward Marston (FP: 2004) [348pp] 

London, 1851. It was a crime that shocked the nation. For the first time a train had been stopped and the contents of its mail carriage taken away – including a considerable amount of gold and a number of mail bags. Under intense pressure from the railway company, the Royal Mint, the Post Office and the Press, Scotland Yard assigns Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck to the case – a rising star in the department. Colbeck certainly has his work cut out for him. The raid was carried out with military precision and had quickly overcome both guards and locks to gain access to the gold – something considered simply impossible. The questions, however, were piling up: how did the robbers know the train would be carrying so much gold? How did they open the twin safes so quickly? But the most perplexing question of all bothered Colbeck deeply – why, after securing the gold did the robbers delay their escape in order to derail the locomotive? Was it simple malice or a perverted desire to cause additional destruction or was it something more, something sinister? As Colbeck continues his investigation he becomes convinced that the gang will strike again and that the object of that strike will not be simply to gain more money but will be an attack on the railway itself! 

I’ve been looking forward to ‘starting’ this series for a while now after previously reading, and greatly enjoying, the 15th book back in December ‘21 because of its Christmas theme. I was pretty confident that if the author could more than hold my interest after 15 books, he should do so with the first in the series – and so it was. I REALLY like this. I was already most impressed by Colbeck's abilities from my earlier introduction to him and his world and here he hit the ground running as he, and the inevitable solid side-kick, began the investigation, ran down clues and closed in on the miscreants behind the diabolical scheme. I was also hoping that we’d be introduced to Colbeck’s wife who I fell in love with in the 15th novel. Luckily, she did indeed appear – although both were single here – so we got to see how they met and why their difference in social standing didn’t come between them (Colbeck might be a highly education Inspector, but he actually came from more humble origins). The baddies were equally well-drawn and interesting and their motivations for their crimes were understandable. Being ‘baddies’ they had few redeeming qualities, which was quite funny at times, and I was convinced that at least one of them would end up twilling his moustache menacingly at some point! Overall, this was a well-paced, intriguing and highly entraining historical mystery/crime novel and I’m SO glad that its part of a LONG running series. I’m not 100% sure if I can get around to reading all 22 of them, but I’m definitely looking at trying. Very highly recommended for all crime, historical and railway buffs. 

[Highest page count of the year so far: 348pp][+22pp]

Happy World Book Day! Go READ something, or better still.... Go BUY something. Treat Yourself to a Book!

Ok, not exactly sure of the PRACTICALITY of such a thing.... But I still WANT one!! [lol]

Just Finished Reading: Spying on Whales – The Past, Present and Future of the World’s Largest Animals by Nick Pyenson (FP: 2018) [256pp] 

Whales are strange creatures, which is probably one reason why they fascinate us so much. For one thing they’re the largest mammals on the planet – by far – and are, indeed, the largest animals to have ever lived, including the dinosaurs. Another thing that often surprises is that they were once (much smaller!) land mammals before they returned to the world's oceans around 50 million years ago. In the first section of this intriguing and often fascinating work the author, who is a Palaeontologist, looks at how evolution has shaped whales for their environment, including reasons for their gigantic size in several species as well as the development of the baleen system of feeding, echolocation especially in dolphins and, of course, how whales ‘sing’. 

The second section looks at present day whales – those who through luck or for other reasons escaped the cull of the last few centuries and who have started to recover in numbers (some more than others). Much is made of, as you can imagine, the problems of pollution, global warming – and how it impacts things such as food supply, ocean currents and so on. Likewise, the drop in species diversity – caused by so many being taken out of the picture by hunting – is recognised as a problem going forward. 

The last section looks at the future of whales. Although recovery is underway, it's not entirely certain that some species of whales will survive much longer. Two in particular might already be extinct (actually somewhat difficult to prove conclusively) or be close to it. Even those apparently in more favourable circumstances may not be out of the woods yet. Their environment is changing, and quickly, due to our influence. Not only is the chemical nature of the oceans changing – with chemical run-off, plastics and the gradual acidification of sea water – but global warming is threatening both krill populations (a primary food source of the baleen whales) and their breeding grounds. Their survival is not guaranteed. 

As you might imagine, this was a much more scientific book than my previous read and I probably enjoyed it more because of that. I certainly learnt a lot about the life cycle of whales and how they fit into the oceanic ecosystems. I learnt quite a bit about Orcas (killer whales) too, much of which was completely new to me – which I really liked! This is a must read for anyone interested in these mammoths of the sea and will give you both insights and plenty to mull over. Definitely recommended. 

Special mention of the impressive line drawings throughout by Alex Boersma. 

Well, THAT didn't take long..... [lol]