Random Stuff

Recommended books for kids

You can find these wherever you find good books but try your library. This list is very much inspired by how much I have enjoyed reading these books with my kids, as well as how much they have engaged with them. Listed without any commentary.

1. The Nevermoor Books by Jessica Townsend
2. Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables by Tim Harris
3. How to Train you Dragon by Cressida Cowell
4. Matilda by Roald Dahl
5. The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann
6. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
7. The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin
8. Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
9. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
10. The Cherry Tree Farm Stories by Enid Blyton

Recommended books for adults

1. Emphyro by Jack Vance
Just a wonderful world building book with a great resolution.

2. Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky
The journey to publication is almost as interesting as the actual book, a soviet era Sci-fi treat.

3. The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
I should probably just have a whole list of Gene Wolfe books. This though is my favourite. Every time I read it I get something else out of it. Three loosely related stories that create a fourth story that the reader may well create for themselves.

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill
Structurally unique and dauntingly clever, a book I have forced most of my close family to also read.

Some music you might enjoy when writing

If like me you like it relaxing but mind filling

To Believe by The Cinematic Orchestra
To be honest, on my first listen I was not blown away but what a great reminder about how poor first impressions can be. Now a go to.

Through the Looking Glass by Midori Takada
I think I have written more words to these four tracks than to any other music on the planet. You may need to find other places to listen to it.

Stabat Mater by Vivaldi
There’s plenty of versions of this you can find but this is a good starter from the Israel Camerata Jerusalem Orchestra.

Una Mattina by Ludovico Einaudi
I think this is well known, the link above is to the spotify version but you can find elsewhere.

Some music for running

Note: I don’t run fast!
Just click here to see the playlist on spotify

You know when you feel like you’re stuck in a long dark tunnel…

You don’t see inch worms too often so when you do they deserve a photo shoot.

I don’t eat meat so BBQ are of limited interest to me normally. Then I saw the brie in the fridge