John commented on Mother Country by Jeremy Harding
Bridge players - Colin played bridge with Boris Schapiro, Terence Reese, also Graham, Maureen' previous husband, and Lord Lucan
Reviews and Comments
Retired scientist, I read a lot, fiction and non-fiction, on a wide range of subjects, though science, politics, philosophy, law, science fiction and historical detective stories are favourites.
This link opens in a pop-up window
John commented on Mother Country by Jeremy Harding
The adopting family Maureen Withcombe - Mother 2, had been married to Graham Mathieson, and they had two children, Peter and Gill. Maureen had an affair with Colin and the married him in 1951. Colin Harding - adoptive father, bridge player and stockbroker. Aunt Phillis - Colin's wealthy spinster Aunt - wanted Colin to settle down, marry Maureen and have a family.
John finished reading The skeleton road by Val McDermid
When a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a gothic Victorian building in …
Weaving together Edinburgh, Oxford and Balkan wars, although written in 2014, around a different set of wars, the theme of an unending cycle of vengeance has uncomfortable links to the conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East.
John rated Witches Abroad: 4 stars
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, Book 12)
Be careful what you wish for...Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good …
John commented on Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, Book 12)
Be careful what you wish for...Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named …
The hut in the forest on little legs could be a reference to the Hut of Baba Yaga
John commented on Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, Book 12)
Be careful what you wish for...Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named …
The small grey froglike creature is a reference to Gollum, who Bilbo encounters in The Hobbit.
John commented on Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, Book 12)
Be careful what you wish for...Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named …
'So a thousand heroes have stolen fire from the gods...' I suspect this is a reference to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Myths - and new ways of looking at them are a common Pratchett theme
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
Attila, explaining to Jean why her attempt to bring a scientific viewpoint to the subject of urban foxes had not gone well, in comparison to the simplistic solution proposed by the Mayor - based around the three words Urban, Disease, Destruction. 'The trick of politicians is to know what those are and appear to be addressing the concerns they raise, if only by making sure they repeat them often engough. The public likes to be indulged, and there are those happy to do so in the interests of their career or ambitions. But you would not indulge the listeners of the radio show. You spoke plainly, it is your job as scientist to deal with facts and it is also your nature. You treated the listeners like adults.' This reminded me of Transactional Analysis. The politician speaks in a comforting Parent-Child mode, but Jean tries to speak adult-adults, which …
Attila, explaining to Jean why her attempt to bring a scientific viewpoint to the subject of urban foxes had not gone well, in comparison to the simplistic solution proposed by the Mayor - based around the three words Urban, Disease, Destruction. 'The trick of politicians is to know what those are and appear to be addressing the concerns they raise, if only by making sure they repeat them often engough. The public likes to be indulged, and there are those happy to do so in the interests of their career or ambitions. But you would not indulge the listeners of the radio show. You spoke plainly, it is your job as scientist to deal with facts and it is also your nature. You treated the listeners like adults.' This reminded me of Transactional Analysis. The politician speaks in a comforting Parent-Child mode, but Jean tries to speak adult-adults, which is rejected.
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
Jean wonders what causes humans to want to form relationships with wild animals. I suspect this is the same ancestral drive that led to domestication of wolves into dogs, the taming of wild horses and cattle and the evolution from hunter/gatherers to farmers.
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
In discussing whether trauma might not always result in permanent negative effects Attila is describing the possibility of Survivorship bias
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
Paraphrasing Attila - In Government they are taught to treat the electorate like six year olds. If you ask them a question on any subject most of them can only come up with 3 words we identify with that thing. The words depend on what our concerns are or what the newspapers tell us our concerns are.
I believe social media is replacing newspapers as the main source. News consumption in the UK: 2024
This is a risk as it is less trustworthy - due to having fewer checks and reduced traceability.
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
In Attila's view free will was a circus horse you had to stay astride, it took every every muscle in your body and every moment of your concentration.
it was interesting to encounter, in a book with themes, amongst others, of migration both for people and for foxes, coyotes and wolves - a connection to Determined which also shows the deep connections between humans and other animals.
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
Expert witnesses duty is to the court, rather than whichever side pays them, and their payment can not be contingent on supporting a particular position
John commented on Happiness by Aminatta Forna
A fox makes its way across London's Waterloo Bridge. The distraction causes two pedestrians to …
Atilla's description of the widespread potential for evil behaviour reminded me of Corruptible, and it's discussion of the exercise of power.
John commented on Woodland crafts in Britain by Herbert L. Edlin
I inherited my copy from my father, who received it as part of the Sir Alfred Lewis Prize in 1952