“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?'” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
Tag: Books (page 6 of 7)
For a long time I have enjoyed reading Ink Quest which features the experiences, trials and tribulations of a fellow obsessive’s search for the perfect fountain pen ink. It made me feel so much better to realise that there others out there who are perhaps slightly more obsessive even than I.
However, I feel I may have acted rashly in sharing my latest obsession with my friend at Ink Quest for it seems obsessions may be contagious.
And what is your latest obsession I hear you ask? Why, it’s the wonderful world of typography I answer.
Having been involved in design both online and offline for literally some years I have always been fascinated by typography and fonts but only recently taken the time to learn about in any real detail. However, since doing so I have seen that interest mutate and grow into a fully fledged obsession…
Once you begin to look at and think about typography you can do nothing else but… it’s everywhere you look, and in everything you do, and it is wonderful.
I’ve just read Type: The Secret History of Letters by Simon Loxley which is a great introduction to the history of type; from Gutenberg to the most recent digital typefaces and the amazing characters that have created some of the typefaces you see every day and are reading here.
Next on my reading list is The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst which I have seen recommended by many type gurus and looks to be a suitable next step on the road to type enlightenment.
I am also looking forward to a UK screening (I hope) of Helvetica a film about one of the classic 20th century typefaces which is celebrating it’s 50th birthday this year.
To follow my Top 5 of 2005 I present my Top 6 of 2006…
Books
My reading has been dramatically affected by my no longer working in London. Where I would easily read a book a week commuting in I have read about three books since leaving my job in London in July. Not good…
1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – when I left my last employer this was a leaving present from one of my closest friends. It’s a book that was important to her and so it’s lovely for that to be shared with me. I loved the book; it’s a marvelous story and lesson for life.
2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – this was another leaving present from another good friend at my last employer. I was blown away by this book; it had me in tears on the train home. I now get what the fuss about Hemigway is all about.
3. Cobweb by Neal Stephenson – a superb book by my favourite author. As with Interface he teams up with his Uncle Frederick George for a great tale of political intrigue and wrestling
4. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote – buying this book in Phoenix Arizona seemed to somehow amplify it’s American classic status. Truman’s desire for a conclusive end to his book in the execution of the killers comes across loud and clear in this book but the writing is sublime in places. In one passage Truman describes the farm in the early morning and it is breathtaking in it’s ability to put you there.
5. The Cluetrain Manifesto – yes I know it’s been out ages but I finally got round to reading it. I wish I’d read it when it was fresh but in some respects reading it know shows just how visionary the authors were. They outline the sociological aspects of Web 2.0 well before the term was coined and blogging became the norm.
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell – OK so I haven’t actually finished it yet but I’m almost there. A fascinating book.
Music
My listening has changed also as a result of no longer commuting by train. When I was commuting my iPod kept me sane but because I was always reading I tended to listen to more mellow ‘background’ type music. Now that I commute by car, car which has a fantastic stereo I’m pleased to say, my listening has changed. I now listen to a much wider selection of musical types although that isn’t really borne out in the list below.
Also, whilst I have bought a lot of music this year most has actually been older music; I haven’t bought many of 2006’s releases so the list below took a little thinking about.
1. Breaking and Entering Soundtrack by Underworld and Gabriel Yared – my favourite band working with a classical composer on the soundtrack to a film was always going to be interesting and the results are even better that I hoped. It’s obviously quite unlike any previous Underworld album but if you know Underworld you’ll hear clear echoes and themes from their earlier work. A fantastic album which I urge you to buy now.
2. Mushaboom Postal Service Remix by Feist – a single track that I found via Jon Hicks’ blog and love. This is my most played track in iTunes by far. The original track is good but the work of Postal Service makes this song unique.
3. St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley – what can I say that hasn’t been said… great songs, great grooves… great.
4. Sole Inhabitant by Thomas Dolby – I was fortunate to see Thomas Dolby live this year at Scala in London. This CD is a recording from the American leg of the tour and is an excellent recording of the gig. Thomas plays classic tracks but updated and tweaked sometimes in front of your very eyes!
5. Love by The Beatles – see my earlier review.
6. Back in Black by Amy Winehouse – I only discovered Amy Winehouse this year through the Rehab single and love her.
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Did you see the Chili Peppers on Jonathan Ross (BBC 1 UK) on Friday night? Simply superb.
They played their new single ‘Dani California’, which is really rather good, then followed it with one of my all time favourite Chili Peppers tracks ‘Give It Away’. They were quite frankly awesome – the best live band I’ve seen on the telly for ages. Now I want to see them live when they tour this year.
I read Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography Scar Tissue earlier this year which was very interesting – how that man is still alive with the sheer quantity of drugs he’s taken I’ll never know. The current Chili Peppers line up is the quintessential and classic Chili Peppers for me and it showed in their performance – tight, full of energy and kicking musical ass with great style.
So good to see a real band as opposed to the mindless drivel that passes for popular music these days.
Yes another Top X of 2005 listing…
Top 5 Events
1. The Birth of my son
2. Celebrating 15 years with and 5 years married to my beautiful wife
3. Spending hours bobbing around in the Med with my daughter Jasmine
4. Finally buying a Mac
5. So many others…
Top 5 Albums
1. Stars of CCTV – Hard Fi
2. Employment – Kaiser Chiefs
3. Hold Your Colour – Pendulum
4. Aerial – Kate Bush
5. ‘64 – ‘95 – Lemon Jelly
An honourable mention goes to Underworld who have released their first new material for ages in the last couple of months. The River Run Project is not a new album as such; there are currently two tracks totalling almost an hour of music so they just sneak in…
Very difficult to choose 5. This is just 5 that were released in 2005; I have found so many more great albums this year – some old, some new and some revisited.
Top 5 Books Read
1. First Light – Geoffrey Wellum
2. Tail End Charlies – John Nichol & Tony Rennel
3. Pattern Recognition – William Gibson
4. Fermat’s Last Theorem – Simon Singh
5. 15 Inspector Rebus novels – Ian Rankin
Doing this really makes me think of High Fidelity by Nick Hornby – if you have read it you’ll know what I mean…