Archive for category Books I like

Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580

Posted by admin in Books I like on October 15th, 2008

Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580

In “Empires of the Sea”, Roger Crowley has written an enthralling and masterful overview of the battle for control of the Mediterranean sea between the Spanish Christian Empire and Ottoman Islamist Caliphate.

Written in a flowing, narrative style, he brings the main actors to life as he charts the main battles and technological developments that changed naval warfare, and the west, for ever. The struggles between these two world powers changed our world – pirates, naval warfare, slavery, and religious struggle changed the way the European nations viewed the Mediterranean and caused the ascension or destruction of many nations.

It’s a rollercoaster of a thriller that accurately reflects the harsh reality of 16th century life, and worth reading more than once!

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How to live dangerously

Posted by admin in Books I like on August 4th, 2008

How to Live Dangerously: Why We Should All Stop Worrying, and Start Living

In a similar vein to the book Freakonomics (A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything), How to Live Dangerously is a wonderful book whose power lies in making you think. It’s a “take a step back” look at modern life, and perhaps it’s most potent theme is that taking risks often makes life safer.

If you’re one of those people who gets annoyed at the “may contain nuts” warning on peanuts, or know somebody who won’t let their children out of the house in case they get kidnapped [apparantly, you'd have to lock them out of the house every day for 186,000 years before they were abducted (and even then you'd get them back within 24 hours)], you’ll want this book.

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Franco: A biography

Posted by admin in Books I like on July 22nd, 2008

Paul Preston has created a wonderful profile on Franco, and this book has become the authoritive laymans guide to the only 20c Western European dictator to die peacefully in office.

Despite it’s initial size, this is a book that concisly explains the evolution of Franco from the early, eager military cadet to the cool, absent caudillo he became.

A wonderful book that reads more like a novel than a historical text, and I devoured it.

See Franco: A Biography on amazon.co.uk

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Almeria and the Great Southern Spain Railway

Posted by admin in Books I like on July 22nd, 2008

I recently came across this little gem of a book. Written by David Gaunt, a fellow who’s been coming to Mojacar for quite some time, it’s an enthusiastic book detailing the construction of the local railways at the turn of the last century, and how they affected the local villages and populations. Lots of photos and interviews.

Well worth a read if you’re interested in the old railways or mines that litter this area. Buy it from amazon.co.uk.

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