https://www.stevedrice.net/ 2026-04-21T19:07:33+00:00 https://www.stevedrice.net/ https://www.stevedrice.net/_media/wiki/dokuwiki.svg text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/69 Review of 'Never the Same Again: A History of VSO' Never the Same Again: A History of VSO by Dick Bird As the author states from the very beginning of this book -- this is not meant to be an un-biased history of VSO though Bird does tend to go on with the facts to a large extent though interspersed are various anecdotes from his own, and other volunteers, lives in VSO. I found the book a bit disjointed and quite dry in many places but interesting nonetheless (not least because of my being… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/70 Review of 'Wild Swans' Wild Swans by Jung Chang This is a truly astounding book telling the story of three generations of woman who survive the tremendous upheavals in China over the past century. The level of detail is extreme and brings their lives into sharp focus. The story begins with the author's grandmother as she becomes the concubine to a warlord general then we follow her life as the relatively stable life she leads is thrown into disarray when first the Japanese then the Commun… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/71 Review of 'A Brief History of Time (From the Big Bang to Black Holes)' A Brief History of Time (From the Big Bang to Black Holes) by Stephen Hawking Hawking is truly a marvel overcoming tremendous physical obsticles as he explains to the “common man” the ins and outs of modern physics. Though a bit heavy in places, Hawking manages to keep the reader's interest throughout though I must admit his explanation of string theory I thought a bit TOO terse. Fascinating reading. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/72 Review of 'No Logo (Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies)' No Logo (Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies) by Naomi Klein Klein takes a look at the current trend of globalization and the creation of “brands” by the big corporations of our time. This is an analysis from the beginnings of what we see now as brands to the current time of companies divesting themselves of manufacturing and concentrating more on the image in the process creating sweat shops throughout Asia and the third world. Though the… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/74 Review of 'McCarthy's Bar' McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy An interesting wander through the country of his family's origin: Ireland, or specifically, the western parts of Ireland. McCarthy takes us on a journey of discovery of himself and his estranged country. Along the way we meet many strange and interesting people, experience many strange and interesting things all along with Singapore noodles and the occasional (!) drop into the local pub. McCarthy has a way of drawing the reader i… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/75 Review of 'The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection' The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection by Wendy Northcutt More tails culled from the famous Internet web site that has stories detailing how people have improved the gene pool by removing themselves from it (killing themselves). Most of the stories are true but those that are not are indicated as such (or as text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/76 Review of 'The English: A Portrait of a People' The English: A Portrait of a People by Jeremy Paxman A tedious look at the English pysche and the lack of any discernable identity of any kind. This is a book only the English (and a certain, perhaps pedantic, type of personality) would love. The chapter dealing with woman (much later in the book) is quite interesting and very disturbing as it traces the systematic repression of woman throughout English history. Though the information was i… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/77 Review of 'Why do People Hate America?' Why do People Hate America? by Merryl Wyn Davies, and Ziauddin Sardar Written just after the September 11th catastophy Sardar and Davies attempt to analyse the world-wide tendancy to look at the US as an artifact of scorn and contempt. In this book they suggest that much of this contempt is due to the US's foreign policy and how they treat others in the world text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/94 Review of 'Five Patients' Five Patients by Michael Crichton Crichton, perhaps more famous for his various action and techno-thriller books wrote this book in 1970 of some of his observations regarding health care in the US, specifically in reference to the Massachusetts General Hospital. He explores five different cases indicative of various situations in health care at the time: text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/187 Review of 'The Darwin Awards 3' The Darwin Awards 3 by Wendy Northcutt Another of Northcutts collection of Darwin Awards winners and nominees. This selection finds the normal assortment of tales about individuals who have benefited the gene pool by removing themselves from it (ie, they have died or caused themselves to not be able to reproduce text/html 2026-01-25T17:32:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/251 Review of 'Persepolis' Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi A graphic novel telling the life story of the author and her growing up in Iran in the revolution. Her coming to terms with the new Islamic regime requiring the wearing of the veil and other “repressive text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/296 Review of 'The Fugitive Game' The Fugitive Game by Jonathan Littman On February 15th, 1996 Kevin Mitnick was arrested by the FBI. Accused of every cyber-crime you can think of: Credit card fraud, breaking into various web sites, etc. The person that eventually tracked down Mitnick was Tsutomu Shimomura, a text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/347 Review of 'Star Trek Memories' Star Trek Memories by William Shatner, and Chris Kreski “Star Trek Memories” is more of a history of how the original Star Trek series was made rather than specifically William Shatner's memories of the show though he does include a lot of personal comments that are often quite tongue-in-cheek (his continual barbs towards his co-star Leonard Nimoy must have particularly rankled that actor). text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/348 Review of 'Star Trek Movie Memories' Star Trek Movie Memories by William Shatner, and Chris Kreski Following on from Star Trek Memories which talked about the original “Star Trek” television series “Star Trek Movie Memories” completes the story. As with the first book Shatner and Kreski again concentrate largely on the political side of production process rather than in any great detail on the filming itself. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/349 Review of 'The Good, the Bad, and the Multiplex' The Good, the Bad, and the Multiplex by Mark Kermode The British film critic Mark Kermode lets loose on his feelings regarding the state of the film industry today from the perspective of the film goer. His various points include: text/html 2026-03-03T21:10:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/351 Review of 'Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse' Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse by David Mitchell (Comedian) I really think that David Mitchell is a great comedian. I first got to know his style through the television series “Mitchell and Webb” then I have enjoyed his appearances on various comedy shows throughout the years. His dry and quite erudite humour is often absolutely hilarious. All the more puzzling that I did not really like this book, a collection of his newspaper col… text/html 2023-06-17T15:16:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/353 Review of 'London: The Biography' London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd London is a massive city, both in terms of physical size but also in terms of history and the people that have over the years populated it. It is a city of contrasts with the rich and poor often living side by side. It is also a city that has been subjected to many floods and fires since it's disputed origins back as far as prehistoric times. In Roman times it was a major outpost of the Roman empire and surrounded b… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/356 Review of 'Rules of the NET' Rules of the NET by Thomas Mandel, and Gerard Van der Leun I remember buying this book and thinking it was rather funny that there would be any “Rules of the NET” but the authors here are at pains to point out that these are text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/359 Review of 'Release 2.1' Release 2.1 by Esther Dyson The former author of the monthly newsletter “Release 1.0”, Esther Dyson here turns her focus away from the technical industry but to talking to the public about the implications and issues regarding the Internet. Now this is somewhat dated with things moving so quickly in the intervening years but a number of things she has to say are just as relevant now as they were then. Much of the book discusses what the various individuals, groups… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/370 Review of 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig A number of years ago I was living in Canada when I heard of this book I simply MUST read with a very unusual name: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I immediately put in an order for the book from a local bookstore but since then it has sat on my shelf unread. Finally I set aside the time to read this while I was on holiday in Crete. Perhaps a good idea to give th… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/376 Review of 'The Road Ahead' The Road Ahead by Bill Gates A blast from the past. I remember when this book was released with a great deal of fanfare and now I have finally had a chance to sit down and read through it. At the time I can think that what was being discussed was like so much Science Fiction but it is surprising how much Gates says here as he predicts the coming of the Internet age when at the time people were still accessing the Internet using modems and expensive telephone con… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/380 Review of 'The Great Diamond Heist' The Great Diamond Heist by Gordon Bowers On the Easter weekend in 2015 a group of pension-age criminals broke into the Hatton Garden Safe Depository in London. Unbelievably not only did the police fail to respond even when the alarm was tripped but they were also able to continue their work unmolested for the entirety of the weekend even when they drilling a series of 17 inch holes through the concrete wall of the vault. Many customers of the depository… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/386 Review of 'And Now for Something Completely Digital: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Monty Python CDs and DVDs' And Now for Something Completely Digital: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Monty Python CDs and DVDs by Alan Parker, and Mick O'Shea text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/394 Review of 'Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age' Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham Full disclosure: I have a Computer Science degree so occasionally a book will attract my attention at a professional level as was the case with text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/405 Review of 'Inside Alcatraz: My time on the Rock' Inside Alcatraz: My time on the Rock by Jim Quillen Jim Quillen was an inmate for twelve years at the famous maximum Alcatraz high-security federal prison -- a rocky island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. This book tells the story not only of his stay there but how he got there in the first place with a difficult family situation who eventually fell into crime at an early age. He freely admits he deserved to be in prison and talks about… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/422 Review of 'Watching the English' Watching the English by Kate Fox Kate Fox is a social anthropologist, co-director of the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) and a Fellow of the Institute for Cultural Research (thanks Wikipedia). In “Watching the English text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/426 Review of '1066 The Conquest' 1066 The Conquest by Peter Fieldman My knowledge of history is lamentable. Whether it be from my native Canada or from the UK, where I now live. So a few years ago when we visited Normandy and, more specifically, “Bayeux” home of the famous text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/427 Review of 'The Emperor's New Mind' The Emperor's New Mind by Roger Penrose This book has been sitting on my “to read” shelf for more years than I care to admit daunting in it's 581 pages (excluding references and index) I have been put off by knowing that it would be a significant effort to read. I was correct. It has taken me more than two months to read, taking much longer than I would normally take to finish as I have had to read extremely carefully. Yes, this is a dense book full of … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/435 Review of 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson An interesting turn for Bryson for those fans of his “travel” writing as here he turns his hands to popular science. The chapters each talk about a particular aspect of our physical reality then spends an equal, if not greater, amount of time talking about how this was discovered focusing particularly on the personality of those involved or on the quirky nature of how it happened. This app… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/449 Review of 'Starman' Starman by Jamie Doran, and Ralph Bakshi “Starman” tells the true story of the first man in space, Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, the triumph of his accomplishment and the tragedy of his early death. Born the son of a farming couple in rural Soviet Union, Yuri soon showed an aptitude for science and a fascination with flight. Taken under the wing of text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/450 Review of 'Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park' Station X: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park by Michael Smith This book, written to coincide with a television documentary of the same name, tells the story of Bletchley Park, the second world war site where British intelligence managed to crack the encryption codes used by the Axis powers including, notably, those generated by the Enigma machine. Starting with the early days before the war the book delves into the comings and goin… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/454 Review of 'The Making of Dune' The Making of Dune by Ed Naha I am a big fan of Frank Herbert's Science Fiction classic and when it was initially adapted for film by David Lynch I was one of the few people, it seems, that actually liked the film. Yeah, a bit baroque, details of the book were changed, and the acting a bit stilted in parts but I just liked the entire experience - The inspiring music, and the magic of it all. Watching the film again, it has not dated well with it's laughable … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/457 Review of 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari In this epic book, Harari takes the reader through a complete history of humanity then into speculation of our future. The book is divided into sections outlining the various revolutions that have made us who we are: text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/463 Review of 'The Shock Doctrine' The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein The main thesis of Klein in “The Shock Doctrine” is that there is a concerted effort to impose a system of shock to a country when it is in crisis in order for big corporations through the auspices of the World Bank and IMF to capitalize via conditions attached to the emergency aid they provide (when governments have no choice but to accept). This idea comes from the economic philosophy of Milton Friedman of the Chicago Schoo… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/464 Review of 'Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood' Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski This autobiography of one of the most well-known names in Science Fiction and Hollywood “J. Michael Straczynski” text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/468 Review of 'Around the World in 80 Days' Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin In 1988 former Monty Python member Michael Palin repeated the journey undertaken by Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's classic novel “Around the World in 80 Days” by travelling from the Reform Club in London around the world without resorting to travel by plane. Even in 1988 this was not a simple matter. His adventures were made into a television series of the same name text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/471 Review of 'Full Circle' Full Circle by Michael Palin Following on from Around the World in Eighty Days and “Pole to Pole”, former Monty Python once again hit the road, this time travelling around the Pacific Rim, starting and ending at Little Diomede, a small island between Alaska and Russia in the Bering Straight, covering 50,000 miles and taking more than 270 days. This book covers some of the more memorable experiences he had on his travels rather than a detailed, day by day account of … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/474 Review of 'Sahara' Sahara by Michael Palin A few years after the Michael Palin BBC “Sahara” travelogue television series was broadcast on the BBC I was lucky to have been able to trace at least a portion of his route when I visited Mali in 2004 (see Mali Journal) when a volunteer in Africa. Though he had a huge crew and I was in a much smaller group of somewhat enthusiastic volunteers Palin's frankly enviable travel itinerary certainly captured our imagination and proved it could be done… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/475 Review of 'The Ikea Story' The Ikea Story by Bertil Torekull I remember as a kid always looking forward to a trip to IKEA. It was so full of ideas and wonders and at a price even my young self could afford. From a very early age I became familiar with POANG, BILLY and IVAR, soon owning items from each and sleeping in an IKEA bunk bed. I remember my first big purchase of a leather sofa from the IKEA store in West Edmonton Mall. We had made the two day trip from Winnipeg with the trip to … text/html 2025-08-16T14:58:51+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/477 Review of 'James Herriot's Yorkshire' James Herriot's Yorkshire by James Herriot I have always enjoyed James Herriot's (James Alfred Wight) Yorkshire vet series of books and the original 1978-1980 television series. It was his compassion for the animals and love of Yorkshire that really came through in the writing along with a healthy dose of humour and good nature. Seeing the countryside in the television series really added to the appreciation of his stories. In this coffee-table book … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/480 Review of 'Chaos: Making a New Science' Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick This book has sat for years on my shelf with my feeling nervous at taking it on. This nervousness was misplaced as Gleick has provided quite a readable book explaining the principles behind Chaos theory but at the same time the history of this new science. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/504 Review of 'Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die' Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die by Alex Werner The “Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived And Will Never Die” exhibit ran at the Museum of London between 17th October 2014 and 12th April 2015 bringing together a wealth of material related to the famous fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book to accompany the exhibition consists of a series of essays highlighting v… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/510 Review of 'some remarks' some remarks by Neal Stephenson “some remarks” is a collection of non-fiction and fiction works from Neal Stephenson including 1996's “Mother Earth, Mother Board” from Wired (which, at more than 100 pages dominates this book) in which Stephenson investigates the laying of the text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/522 Review of 'The Universe in the Rearview Mirror: How Hidden Symmetries Shape Reality' The Universe in the Rearview Mirror: How Hidden Symmetries Shape Reality by Dave Goldberg In “The Universe in the Rearview Mirror” Professor Dave Goldberg, a cosmologist from Drexel University in Philadelphia (USA) introduces and derives the various cosmological symmetries in nature explaining along the way the fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics, the Higgs particle and the latest thoughts on a text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/525 Review of 'Canada vs United States: How Canada is So Much Better than America' Canada vs United States: How Canada is So Much Better than America by Jeff Pearce The title of this book probably grabbed you and provoked a bit of a chuckle, particularly if you are Canadian. But despite the somewhat amusing title there are not really a lot of laughs here with Jeff Pearce going through a load of statistics, and anecdotes to convince insecure Canadians that feel somewhat inadequate against their… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/537 Review of 'How to be a Canadian' How to be a Canadian by Will Ferguson, and Ian Ferguson “How to be a Canadian” is light hearted look at what it is to be a Canadian taking in all aspects of life from language, beer, sex, history, government and sports. At times it is extremely trite (the chapter on text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/538 Review of 'The True History of the Black Adder' The True History of the Black Adder by J.F. Roberts I am a big fan of the British TV comedy classic “Black Adder” or “Blackadder” (depending on the season) that aired between 1983 and 1989 over four seasons. It is a silly show that is not quite as intellectual (!) as text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/539 Review of 'The Star Trek Interview Book' The Star Trek Interview Book by Allan Asherman In this book Allan Asherman, author of “The Star Trek Compendium”, compiles a series of interviews he made over the years with many involved in the creation of the original Star Trek series and films, here up until just before Star Trek V (The Undiscovered Country) started filming. What is impressive is the sheer number of people interviewed from, obviously, the main players such as Gene Roddenberry him… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/540 Review of 'The Making of Star Trek' The Making of Star Trek by Stephen E. Whitfield, and Gene Roddenberry In “The Making of Star Trek” Stephen Whitfield (with input from Gene Roddenberry) describes the technical detail of creating a television show. This book was written following the second season of the original Star Trek season just as it was renewed for it's final third season. Whitfield includes a large amount of supporting material including excerpts from interviews from key people … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/542 Review of 'Star Trek Lives!' Star Trek Lives! by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak, and Joan Winston “Star Trek Lives” is written by three authors who played significant roles in the establishment of Star Trek fandom as we know it today. Joan Winston helped organize the first Star Trek convention, Sondra Marshak wrote and published Star Trek fan fiction while Jacqueline Lichtenberg is also an author herself. This book is an interesting bit of Star Trek history having been written aft… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/551 Review of 'The Silk Roads: A New History of the World' The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan The rather long and weighty “The Silk Roads” brings to light a new way of looking at modern history in how it was largely driven by the east withthe literal and metaphorical text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/553 Review of 'Seven Brief Lessons on Physics' Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli Originally published in the Sunday supplement of an Italian newspaper, these seven short chapters begin with relativity and take us through modern thinking in Physics, rounding off the whole discussion with a chapter about text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/554 Review of 'The Dragons of Eden' The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan Carl Sagan is probably best known for his “Cosmos” television series where he attempts to explain the concepts of modern (at the time) physics to ordinary viewers. In “The Dragons of Eden text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/555 Review of 'The Book of Five Rings (Gorin no Sho)' The Book of Five Rings (Gorin no Sho) by Miyamoto Musashi Perhaps to accentuate the idea that this translation of the ancient, original work this book is subtitled “The Real Art of Japanese Management” though having read the book I am slightly horrified that some businesses would take some of these teachings to heart as it would make them quite ruthless indeed. Miyamoto Musashi lived in late 16th, early 17th century feudal Japan as a highly… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/558 Review of 'Asimov on Science Fiction' Asimov on Science Fiction by Isaac Asimov “Asimov on Science Fiction” is a collection of short essays written by Asimov, often for magazines or as book introductions, on the subject of Science Fiction covering aspects of it's history, thoughts on various writers, the art of writing and he even muses on his own work. The works are divided into themed chapters: text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/560 Review of 'The Pirates of Somalia' The Pirates of Somalia by Jay Bahadur In this book, now more than 10 years old, Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur recounts living for several months with pirates in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in the northeast of Somalia. Here he befriends Boyah who originally took part in boarding of ships has retired somewhat, preferring to invest in various pirate ventures. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/561 Review of 'Reasons to Stay Alive' Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig Matt Haig suffers from both depression and anxiety. In “Reasons to Stay Alive” he explains how he was first diagnosed and how he ended up coping with these disorders. Told with a dry whit in short chapters Haig attempts to describe exactly what it was like for him during his bouts of depression which is enlightening for those who have never had such an experience. Many may belittle or under estimate the impact of depres… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/564 Review of 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King I have always admired Stephen King's writing, the way it seems so real and honest. I find him very easy to read. Many criticise his work for being populist but what is writing if not for the masses? Surely books are meant to be read and enjoyed? text/html 2024-06-02T15:05:46+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/565 Review of 'Weaving the Web' Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee Tim Berners-Lee is often called the creator of the Internet but this is, in fact, incorrect. He is instead the creator of the World Wide Web system we use to navigate the Internet for example via a browser. He created the addressing protocol used and text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/567 Review of 'The Dark Net' The Dark Net by Jamie Bartlett A few years ago the “Dark Net” became a bit of a hot topic with tales of all the evil things that are done there. In “The Dark Net” investigative reporter Jamie Bartlett travels to various dark corners of the Internet to see what actually lurks there and what he finds might surprise you. text/html 2023-05-16T19:42:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/573 Review of 'Small is Beautiful' Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher In “Small is Beautiful” economist E.F. Schumacher argues against many of the tenants of modern capitalism. He argues that we need to shift our priorities to value the planet and the individual rather than a selective few rewarded for their greed. The focus on greed, he says, is not sustainable and threatens our very existence as it is not possible to have perpetual growth and expansion, the planet simply does not have en… text/html 2023-05-27T14:42:57+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/575 Review of 'Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli' Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli by Steve Alpert This book tells the story of Steve Alpert's 15 years at Studio Ghibli. The only “gaijin text/html 2023-09-03T16:08:04+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/581 Review of 'The Wealthy Barber Returns' The Wealthy Barber Returns by David Chilton The original “Wealthy Barber” was written in the form of a story where a rather financially savvy barber dispensed common sense personal finance wisdom. Or, this is what I have been led to believe as I did not read it. I have, however, read the follow-up text/html 2025-03-08T13:28:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/582 Review of 'what if?' what if? by Randall Munroe “what if?”, “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions” is, as it is titled, serious answers to absurd questions submitted via the website of author of webcomic xkcd Randall Munroe who just happens to have worked for NASA as an engineer. The book is structured in chapters featuring a different insane question such as text/html 2023-10-01T14:45:38+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/583 Review of 'Fermat's Last Theorem' Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh Fermat's Last Theorem tells the story of the theorem, and those who have attempted to prove it over the years as well as the story of the man who eventually did: Andrew Wiles. The theorem itself, is quite simple. It states that there is no solution for: text/html 2023-11-26T12:35:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/597 Review of 'QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance' QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance by John Mitchinson, and John Lloyd This is a fun book of interesting and unusual facts about animals from the makers of the popular British factual quiz show QI. It lists many common as well as more unusual animals ( text/html 2025-03-08T13:28:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/601 Review of 'what if? 2' what if? 2 by Randall Munroe “what if? 2” provides “Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions”, following on from the original, incredibly amusing, what if?. In this second book we learn what would happen the solar system was filled with soup up to Jupiter (nothing very good, it turns out), whether or not you can start a fire using moonlight focused through a magnifying glass (no), what a billion-billion story skyscraper would look like (… text/html 2024-02-22T21:20:26+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/602 Review of 'Starting Point 1979-1996' Starting Point 1979-1996 by Hayao Miyazaki “Starting Point” is a collection of interviews and articles of Japanese Animation director Mayao Miyazaki and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, creators of such masterpieces as “ text/html 2024-02-22T21:20:26+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/603 Review of 'Turning Point 1997-2008' Turning Point 1997-2008 by Hayao Miyazaki Picking up from where Starting Point left off “Turning Point” takes us into the new millennium with more interviews, poetry, and film proposals from Hayao Miyazaki, the famous Japanese animated film director. The book is divided into the following chapters: text/html 2024-03-01T00:41:32+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/606 Review of 'A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World' A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World by Daniel Goleman This book by Daniel Goleman is based on a series of interviews he had with the Dalai Lama as well as his experience as a psychologist and interest in emotional intelligence. Both of these aspects are critical to the thesis expressed in this book: That we can all be a text/html 2024-05-27T15:34:24+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/609 Review of 'Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World' Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World by Bruce Schneier For many years now I have subscribed to computer security expert Bruce Schneier's monthly newsletter text/html 2024-12-22T15:41:52+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/615 Review of 'Borough Market: Edible Histories' Borough Market: Edible Histories by Mark Riddaway Borough Market is a famous food market in London, near London Bridge. This is a collection of essays based on a popular column from Borough Market's “Market Life text/html 2025-03-08T13:28:07+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/621 Review of 'How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Read-World Problems' How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Read-World Problems by Randall Munroe I am a huge fan of Randall Munroe's books and, to a lesser extent, his online comic “xkcd”. Reading his books I find I am caught off guard with some absurd statement and have to laugh out loud. Perhaps it is the inner geek in me as these books are all based on scientific fact so it helps to have a bit of understanding of basic scient… text/html 2026-03-03T21:10:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/622 Review of 'Dishonesty in the Second-Best Policy' Dishonesty in the Second-Best Policy by David Mitchell (Comedian) A collection of (slightly expanded) of comedian David Mitchell's “Opinion” articles from the Guardian, “Dishonesty is the Second-Best Policy” includes articles ranging from a deep loathing of Brexit, popular culture, Artex, the social impact of the Internet, other, mostly cynical, criticisms of our world. Mitchell writes very much like he speaks: Sarcastic and often quite erud… text/html 2025-05-24T15:21:38+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/630 Review of 'Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke and the Making of a Masterpiece' Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke and the Making of a Masterpiece by Michael Benson I have always been a big fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey with it's amazing special effects, fantastic soundtrack and interesting story. It is a film, like text/html 2025-08-16T14:58:51+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/638 Review of 'Dog Stories' Dog Stories by James Herriot This collection of 50 stories compiled from James Herriot's previous books focuses on the small animal side of his veterinary practice and specifically, of course, the dogs he treated over the years. This covers both the uplifting and tragic side of being a vet with some truly harrowing stories. From the sublime to the ridiculous text/html 2025-09-27T16:30:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/640 Review of 'Prisoners of Geography' Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall I find Geopolitics fascinating. How geography has effected nations and their politics over the millennia. In “Prisoners of Geography” (subtitled “Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics text/html 2026-01-10T16:33:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/647 Review of 'A City on Mars' A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith, and Zach Weinersmith You could be forgiven for believing this book to be a typical “let's go to Mars” exciting and enthusiastic narrative but if you look at the subtitle “Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through text/html 2026-01-31T17:47:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/652 Review of 'The First Showman' The First Showman by Karl Shaw This book is subtitled “The Extraordinary Mr Astley: The Englishman Who Invited the Modern Circus” and the author does a reasonably good job at convincing this is the case. Philip Astley was born in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire he grew to love horses and ended up serving as a sergeant-major in the British Army where he learned extensive horse-riding skills. Leaving the army he joined entertainment groups operating out of … text/html 2026-02-17T20:40:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/653 Review of 'Astounding' Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee Subtitled “John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction”, “Astounding” is an incredibly well researched look at the men (and, yes, women) of the so-called text/html 2026-02-21T16:02:59+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/654 Review of 'Life on Sark' Life on Sark by Jennifer Chochrane We visited Guernsey a few years ago with a highlight being a day trip to the Isle of Sark - A tiny “hunk of rock” only a short 50 minute ferry ride away from St. Peter's Port. Perched on the top of a rock promontory surrounded by steep cliffs the island has only about 500 inhabitants. Up until 2008 it was the last European feudal state with the hereditary Seigneur (lord) holding particular rights and responsibilities but now it i… text/html 2026-03-03T21:10:40+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/657 Review of 'Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens' Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens by David Mitchell (Comedian) In “Unruly” comedian David Mitchell takes us through the history of the kings and queens of England starting from the early Anglo-Saxon rulers through the Normans, the Plantagenets, then the roses (Lancaster and York) through to the Tudors up to Elizabeth I, the dawn of the Elizabethan age. He chooses this point to stop talking about kings and queens as … text/html 2026-03-08T14:43:54+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/658 Review of 'Dead Aid' Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo In “Dead Aid” (subtitled “Why aid is not working and how there is a better way for Africa”) Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo makes the argument that the long standing belief that aid would reduce poverty and increase growth has done exactly the opposite, resulting in increased poverty and declining growth with a conditioned dependence on the never-ending bucket of cash that keeps getting poured into the continent. Furthermore, this dependence has… text/html 2026-03-24T19:39:37+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/659 Review of 'The God Delusion' The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins A highly contentious book, “The God Delusion” attempts to convince readers that not only that God (any God) does not exist but that we should actively seek to reject any God-worshipping religion. He makes his point through a series of chapters: text/html 2026-04-06T15:39:45+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/660 Review of 'Undoctored' Undoctored by Adam Kay I am a fan of a live television show broadcast here in the UK called Saturday Kitchen Live where every Saturday morning they have several chefs along with a special guest. The chefs, of course, prepare various dishes while the guest participates with various conversations with the host interspersed with clips from cooking programs from the past. Recently one of their guests was text/html 2026-04-06T15:39:45+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/introduction Non-Fiction If it is a subject I am interested in, I will certainly pick up a non-fiction book and have a read. Even though it is fact it takes a truly excellent author to make it actually READABLE. I do try to read all of these I get rather than look like I am more intelligent than I am by having them decorate my book shelves (yes I am thinking text/html 2026-04-06T15:39:45+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/non-fiction/list List (by Author)