Reading List 2024

It's a bit of an odd time to be writing this in early March, but since I started planning this blog near the end of last year I thought I'd like to do a reading list. It's something I've seen many other people do, and I find it always gives me lots of ideas to add to my ever-expanding "to read" list. I also think it's a nice thing to be able to look back on and remember. The plan is to go through chronologically and give a short commentary and personal background to each book.

Ultra-Processed People - Chris Van Tulleken

Arguably this book doesn't really belong here given I first read it in the final week of 2023. I liked it so much though that I then re-read it a few months later, and re-read parts of it again shortly after. I've long been fans of the Van Tullekens, of their easy and accessible manner of presenting science and research to the public, and their programs have always been a family favourite. I heard about this book a few times during the year and subsequently put it on my Christmas list, reading it thereafter, and it's without a doubt one of my favourite books I've read.

Like the rest of his works, it's easy to go through, and does a very good job of explaining lots of different concepts. But above all I found it changed my relationship with and understanding of food and food systems, and subsequently that of many of those around me. Except in special occasions (when others have taken the time to cook or have invited me out to eat, gifts, and other situations where politeness comes first), I no longer eat UPFs, and more importantly no longer wish to, with the understanding of the effects they can have, and especially of how they're designed and created. The book talks through all of this, citing many fascinating and concerning examples, interviews, and research, as well as exploring what we can do to change these systems at a structural level. Of all the books on this list, this is definitely the one I would recommend most, to anyone who's interested in food and food cultures, industry, science, and change.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs - Steve Brusatte

This was a fun read. I love dinosaurs and their period of evolutionary history, but I've never known as much about it as I'd like. This was one of those books that I happened to find in a Waterstones, started reading (for probably a bit too long), and then came back to buy a few days later. Brusatte has a clear love for paleontology which comes across really well, he makes you feel like you're somehow a part of it and it's exciting and it's just nice to read about a new topic from someone who writes in this kind of style.

The book gives some context for the discovery of various of the things we now know about this era, the things we're still not completely sure about (did most of the dinosaurs have feathers?), and of course the various inaccuracies of the Jurassic Park films, all through a compelling timeline and story of the evolution of the dinosaurs from their ancestors until now, where they still make up a sizeable chunk of life on Earth! As often happens with books that I've just read through once, while I've internalised the general ideas, I've since forgotten a lot of the details, so I'll definitely need to give this a re-read at some point.

The Last Devil to Die (The Thursday Murder Club #4) - Richard Osmand

I remember when the first Thursday Murder Club book was published in late 2020. It was the best selling book of that Christmas, bought (alongside Barack Obama's runner-up A Promised Land) like many others by my family, with the subsequent entries in the series being bought every Christmas since. I can't remember who's gifted which ones to whom, but the tradition is that someone will announce when they're planning to gift it to avoid multiple copies, and then we'll take turns reading it after. Last Christmas was a departure from the usual as Osmand didn't release one. And neither was I with my family, instead opting to stay here in Madrid for the holidays. Fitting, if a little sad.

It's a bit hard to remember what's happened in each of these books - in a way they feel like a continuation of the same story, which I can keep coming back to find out what's been happening in Coopers Chase. Having just read the synopsis to jog my memory a bit, I think this was a particularly good entry. Lots of relatable and modern topics - technology problems, family relationships, social changes, and some travelling and history to tie it all up. It's surprising sometimes how a series which is so mainstream and aimed at the general public is able to layer these extra meanings onto its murder mysteries, but I'm a big fan of it. And the short chapters. Coupled with the style of writing it makes them near-impossible to put down once you've started reading one.

The History of Russia - Orlando Figes

Despite the quite generic title, this is a pretty recent book (September 2022), written by one of the most well-known historians in the field, as a sort of collection of his research and of the key parts of Russia's past 1000 years of history. Not that I knew that when I bought or started reading it. I got it at the same time as The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, also finding it by chance in the Waterstones and thinking it was something that I'd like to learn more about. And likewise, the details are hazy now, but I learnt a lot reading it, and came away especially with a much better understanding of how Russia has turned into the country and political regime it has today, and of the world in which Putin and his supporters are steeped in and indeed trying to recreate. I would definitely recommend if those are topics that interest you, especially given their (unfortunate) relevance in the return to Russian expansionism we're currently experiencing throughout our continent.

We Can Do Better Than This - Amelia Abraham and contributors

I picked this up at Exeter's pride fair last year. I was wandering around the stalls with some friends, shortly after (or before?) taking part in the group dance event, and we came across a few local booksellers. I can't remember the name of this one, but she was friendly and the book caught my eye. It'a compilation of essays from a large range of backgrounds (35 to be specific), and so there's a lot going on for such a short book. I liked the variety of experiences and opinions. While I can't say I'd considered all of them before, and there were definitely some which resonated with me more or which I felt were more similar to my own views, all were nonetheless interesting and enlightening. It's good for understanding and immersing yourself in all these different people's lives, struggles, and hopes, and it was a nice departure from my typical reading.

Death Comes to Marlow (The Marlow Murder Club #2) - Robert Thorogood

For those who don't know, Robert Thorogood is the creator of the BBC show Death In Paradise, indisputably my family's favourite program, which we would ritually watch every Thursday night when it airs at 9pm. (Although it's now moved to Fridays - which I'm sure is a good thing for the show, but does feel slightly off). While since departed from this show, Thorogood has kept up his murder-mystery craftsmanship. First with Death In Paradise books, and more recently with his Marlow Murder Club series.

As has been pointed out before, the series has some things in common with The Thursday Murder Club (cover designs, title, some of the character ideas), but I believe this to be mostly coincidence, especially given the nearby release dates (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here). Despite this, the series are actually quite different, with their own unique ideas, settings and humour. I think if I had to say, I'd put the Thursday Murder Club slightly ahead, but I'm a big fan of both, and of the Death In Paradise novels too, and the third and fourth entries in this series are on my to-read list. I'd also like to finish watching the TV adaption at some point as well, it was off to a good start. Speaking of which, Death In Paradise has just started airing, and it's shaping up to be a very good series, so I'll have to get back to this afterwards.

(Update: it was a great episode, although judging by the preview I think next week is going to be even better).

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins can be quite a polarising figure. There's a saying which goes something along the lines of "just because you trust someone's expertise and opinions in one field, doesn't mean you necessarily should in others". I think this applies here. I have a lot of respect for Dawkin's writing on evolutionary biology (The Greatest Show on History and The Ancestor's Tale are also very good), and religion, but there's definitely topics where I think he's, at least partially, in the wrong (see for example his recent comments on Elon Musk, or language/thinking around gender). I also think that some of the polarisation comes from his approach to treating difficult topics, which is very much scientific debate style, often without donning the expected "kiddie gloves". This works well from books and universities, although somewhat less so for social media.

Nonetheless, his writing is excellent, it explains all sorts of difficult and complex topics in clear, straightforward and always well-reasoned ways, and does so with mostly-appreciated touches of irony, humour, and tangential thoughts. The Selfish Gene (1976) is the first book he published, and the version I read was the 30th anniversary edition. In the many forewords (it's quite amusing reading them one after another), he mentions that despite (or perhaps more accurately because of) the age, he left the original text mostly untouched, and instead added a lot of footnotes. And as also mentioned, the text does definitely show its age, with a lot of older language, which was interesting, if not exactly my cup of tea. Nonetheless, I could follow it well, and it was as always a highly thought-provoking and good read, which I think anyone interested in biology and the natural-world would enjoy.

Walkable City - Jeff Speck

This book had been on my wish list for quite a long time, originating I believe from a Thomas Frank video or podcast. My parents, being town planners, couldn't understand why I'd want to read a "town planning" book, but last year they got a free Audible trial so I finally decided to download and listen to it. Contrary to town planning, I think it's more accurately described as an urban design book, and I find the topic fascinating.

Having grown up in a village and area with relatively poor walkability and transport links, and subsequently very high car-dependency, I've long been interested in different development patterns. Ironically I read this just after arriving in Alcalá de Henares, which is probably the most walkable place I've lived in. Unlike a lot of cities, the most affordables places to live here are actually more or less in the centre, and almost everything there is mixed-use zoning. Supermarket? 30 seconds away. Hairdressers? My street-level neighbour. Bus into Madrid? Just outside the supermarket. Train line going through the middle of the city, lovely traditional pedestrian centre, parks and pubs directly opposite my flat. Not to mention the dirt-cheap public transport (8-20€ a month for everything in the Community of Madrid. You can quite easily pay as much in a day in London). I'd hasten to add that there's issues too, but they're not really related to this topic.

Walkable City is an exploration of the many different development patterns you find, focused on the US, although taking examples for other parts of the world. It talks about what works, when and why. How to design public transport and bike infrastructure so that they're actually useful and used. How to go about choosing and creating walkable districts in cities and linking them up. And all the little things too: pedestrian crossings and safe street design (probably quite different to what you'd expect - always the human/psychological factors to consider), speed limits and dealing with traffic engineers (vs planners). Coming from a lifetime of experience working in the field, it offers insights into almost everything and makes you think a lot more about the places we make and live in. On a related note, I'd also recommend taking a look at the Strong Towns movement and the Not Just Bikes videos/podcasts if you're interested in the topic.

Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker

Also obtained during that Audible trial and read shortly after my arrival in Spain, Why We Sleep is another fascinating book. Sleep science is a topic I've long been interested in - I remember giving a (short) speech on it at 13 years old, but this book really provides all the information you could want, accurate as of 2017. There was so much useful information that I wanted to remember that I decided to make some notes on the book while listening, which you can find here.

While some parts are relatively common knowledge nowadays, there's a lot which is new and surprising, at least in the extent to which it's true. Some highlights include the fact that seemingly all unicellular life that lives more than a few days experiences some kind of active and passive stage - sleep is a necessity and perhaps pre-requisite of sorts to advanced life forms, and without it we can't live for very long. There's practically no organ, body system, or living process which is unaffected by sleep, including such parts as our immune system (prevention and recovery), reproductive systems, physical appearance, pain reception, and mental health/conditions, as well as all the more well-known ones. Another surprising finding was the effects of alcohol and of (current, with melatonin being an exception) sleeping pills. While both can stop the body from being in an awake state (acting as depressants), they do not induce a natural sleep and do not produce many of the benefits that doing so provides, especially in relation to REM sleep and memory.

I did sometimes find that the tone of the book could come off as a bit unrealistic, with Walker's head more in the science than in the real world, but the breadth and depth of the research and data is amazing, covering pretty much everything you could think of; from how our bodies naturally choose to sleep and how we can use that to help us, to the changes in sleep throughout our lives, to the similarities and differences we have other animals and species, and to how our evolutionary past has shaped our current sleep patterns.

La España de Altamira (Historia de España #1) - María L. Cerdeño & Gerardo Vega

I took this out from the uni library shortly after arriving, and I'm happy to report that it's the first foreign language book which I've read all the way through. I don't think it was actually a very good choice for this; the book is quite old, uses some complex and very specific language, and overall I didn't enjoy it loads. But nor was it bad, I found the various prehistoric periods, changes, burials and the accompanying images interesting enough, and I did learn some history and some new language from it.

To start with I made the mistake of trying to understand every word and phrase, spending far too long looking up everything I didn't know. I really don't recommend this. To be clear, it's useful to look something up if you can't figure it out and it's really bugging you and stopping you understanding, but I think it's actually a lot more helpful to go in with the mindset of just reading. Once you get into the flow of this you'll quickly realise that a lot of the words which you're not so familiar with often just fit into place in context, and so you can largely work out their meanings. And I find this is a great way of learning because instead of directly associating them with something you already know in another language, you get to properly learn about this word or phrase - which likely won't have exactly the same meaning as another you already know. Languages are messy, and to learn one well you need to use it in the same way you'd use your own, and this is a really good way of doing that. Although (as I later ended up doing), I would definitely recommend choosing something that interests you more, with language on the slightly easier and less-specific side.

Closing thoughts

So that's my first of hopefully many to follow reading lists, which in future I'll try and publish slightly closer to the end of the year (or even before it ends). I hope you liked it, and if you have any feedback, comments or recommendations please do get in touch!