📖 Book Review ~ Celebrating All Creatures Great and Small : For the Love of the Yorkshire Dales written by James Steen

 

Michael O’Mara Books
17 December  2024

Thanks to the publisher and Alison Menzies for my copy of this book

Featuring hundreds of spectacular shots from all four series, plus an in-depth look at the characters and real-life inspiration for the show, this book tells the fascinating story of the programme’s main character : the Yorkshire Dales.

Packed full of heartwarming photographs of the landscape, the set and the characters, as well as soundbites from the cast, this is everything you need to know about James and Helen Herriot, the beloved setting of Skeldale House and, of course, the animals.

Lavish, celebratory and richly detailed, this is an unmissable and sumptuous guide to All Creatures Great & Small, which showcases how Darrowby and its inhabitants have paid homage to such an incredible heritage. The perfect book for anyone with an interest in the Yorkshire Dales and James Herriot.

Foreword written by Rosie Page, James Herriot’s daughter.

📖 My Review..

I’m old enough to remember the original series of All Great and Small and living in Yorkshire at the time I had various spin off touristy type books which I used to explore the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. It was such a treat therefore when Channel 5 decided, in 2020, to launch a new adaptation of the books which were originally published by James Herriot, pen name of vet Alf Wight, in the 1970s. Whilst this new version is different from the original stories it still has all the charm of the original TV series, which ran from 1978 to 1990. With a new cast and sumptuous production, the charming tales of life in a country veterinary practice were once again brought to life and set to charm a new generation of fans by showcasing the beautiful Yorkshire Dales countryside.

Having watched all five of the Channel 5 series I consider myself to be something of a fan as not only have I thoroughly enjoyed this latest production but to have this official companion has been a real treat to read. With its beautiful glossy pages and stunning photographs it is definitely a book to treasure and re-read. Nicely divided into five distinct sections we are whisked away to the fictional village of Darrowby and meet those well loved characters who call this lovely place ‘home’. With lots of background information about the making of the series and vignettes of the cast there is a sense that this is a close knit community of talented people who really care about what they are producing and it shows in the popularity of the series which continues to grow and grow.

Just as James Herriot’s original novels were a love story to the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and its people so this companion book is a love story to the TV series and to all the talented cast, including the animals, and amazing crew who bring All Creatures Great and Small to life in such glorious detail. 

If you’re  a fan of the series as I am or if you love the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, then treat yourself  by pre-ordering this lovely book in time for Christmas, and then just sit back, read and enjoy.

X @OMARABOOKS #AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall

📖 Book Review ~ Detox Your Culture by Colin D. Ellis

Bloomsbury Business
August 2024

Thanks to Midas for my copy of this book

 

In an era where stories of toxic workplaces dominate headlines—from public institutions like police forces and healthcare trusts to high-profile companies such as Twitter and ITV’s This Morning — Ellis’ Detox Your Culture arrives as a timely and critical resource.

Ellis draws on a wealth of experience and a global range of case studies throughout the personable and engaging guide, including insights from the CBI, London Fire Brigade, Uber, Sony Music, and Amnesty International. He provides leaders with practical actions to create positive cultural conditions, emphasising the importance of a work environment characterised by belonging, inclusivity, flexibility, and value creation.

Detox Your Culture is an indispensable read for any leader or manager committed to safeguarding their organisation's reputation and performance, and for any employee looking to avoid the detrimental effects of a toxic culture. Even the most comfortable in their role will be able to learn how to avoid falling down the slippery slope into a hostile work environment.

📖My Review..

This is an interesting look at work place culture and the toxicity which exists and what can be done to avoid the pitfalls when managing a team of people. It’s a well organised resource which looks at eleven specific areas, from explaining in Chapter One What is toxic culture? through to the final section which explains What to do if you work in a toxic culture now? I found the book to be well written and informative and it gave me much to consider about attitudes and behaviour and how we all play a part in workplace culture be that in positive or negative role. 

Detox your Culture gets the message across in a succinct manner which makes it an easy book to dip into and out of and the case studies help to put certain key issues into perspective. In today’s work based environments this is an informative book for anyone, be they managing a company, a team or indeed being part of a team, as it reiterates the importance of having safe working environments for everyone and provides an understanding of how to avoid the toxicity of a work place culture which benefits no-one.

About the Author

Colin D Ellis is an award winning international speaker and highly sought after culture consultant, who works with a global client base across a wide range of sectors to help them build and maintain vibrant working cultures that deliver results.

X @MidasCampaigns

Review ~ Bloom by Ruth Kassinger

Elliot & Thompson
4 July 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

...From Food to Fuel, The Epic Story of How Algae Can Save Our World...

There are as many algae on earth as stars in the universe, and they have been essential to life on our planet for aeons. Algae created our oxygen-rich atmosphere, abundant oceans and coral reefs. Crude oil is made of dead algae, and algae are the ancestors of all plants.

Today, seaweed production is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with algae hard at work to make your sushi, beer, paint, toothpaste, shampoo and so much more. Delving into science and history, in this revelatory book Ruth Kassinger takes readers on an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes, and into-the-kitchen tour. We'll meet the algae innovators working towards a sustainable future: from seaweed farmers in South Korea, to scientists using it to clean the dead zones in our waterways, to the entrepreneurs fighting to bring algae fuel and plastics to market.

What did I think..

I must admit that reading a book about algae was never on my list of 'must reads' and yet once I started to delve into this fascinating book I was constantly surprised at how how important algae is, not just to our environment, but also just how much is in our food , fuel and household products.

The author is a scientist and absolutely knows her subject and there is a definite scientific approach to how the book is divided but it is no less readable for that, in fact, I was pleasantly surprised at just how easy to understand it was and I never felt bamboozled by too much intricate and unfathomable detail but rather became absolutely fascinated to learn how algae visionaries are working towards a sustainable future using  algae and its many components.

The book is divides in four sections which cover:

I) In the Beginning

II) Glorious Food

III) Practical Matters

IV) Algae and the Changing Climate

Each are equally interesting but I think that Glorious Food and its subsections fascinated me the most with perhaps the chapter entitled Welshman's Delight which is about the use of seaweed in cooking.  Who knew that 25 million tons of Seaweed are harvested every year world wide - there are recipes at the end of the book if you want to try !!

Bloom is not a book to rush through, rather than flip through at top speed I chose to read slowly and became increasingly fascinated by just how much algae has been influencing my world. Algae's reach is huge and it will be interesting to see just how much in this book comes to pass, indeed much of it is already happening. One thing is guaranteed though, I will never look at a piece of seaweed again without contemplating its importance.

Imagine that there are as many different algae on earth as there are stars in the night sky - now I know that algae isn't anywhere near as pretty as a twinkling star but after finishing this book I have a whole heap of respect for just how poor a place our world would be without algae!

Twitter @RKissinger #Bloom

@eandtbooks 

@HMHbooks

©Jaffareadstoo 

Review ~ 1,423 QI Facts To Bowl You Over

Faber and Faber
October 2017

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

The eye-popping, gob-smacking, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI serves up a brand new selection of 1,423 facts to bowl you over.

Christmas isn't complete without one of these intelligent and immaculately researched little books. I love the downright obscure, the amazingly factual, and the mind boggling stupendousness of the variety of facts which never fail to entertain.

It's a great book to have on stand by for that lull in the Christmas proceedings, you know the one, it's after the main course, and before the pudding, when guests are girding their loins for the next onslaught of calories. So stop and digest a while and keep everyone entertained with 1,423 facts that you never knew you needed to know.

Here's a little appetiser:

No centipede has ever been found with exactly 100 legs...

The most misspelled word in the English language is seperate .....oops, Separate...

Dragonflies can see directly behind themselves...

And after that little snippet you can go off and discover the other 1420 QI facts for yourselves...go on, treat yourself, it's a perfect gift for Christmas.

Easy to read in just a couple of hours, with the added inclusion of a source finder so that all the facts can be verified, make this an ideal resource for anyone who has an interest in discovering just a little bit more about any of the facts contained in the book.

Go to qi.com/1423

Website

Follow on Twitter at Quite Interesting @qikipedia 

1,423 QI Facts To Bowl You Over is complied by John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller

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Review ~ The Science of Food by Marty Jopson

Published by Michael O'Mara Books
7 September 2017
224 pgs

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy of this book

What's it all about ...

Ever wondered what modified starch is and why it's in so much of the food we buy? What do instant mash and freeze-dried coffee have in common? What's the real truth behind the five-second rule? And as the world population grows and the pressure on agriculture to produce more cost-effective and sustainable products increases, what could the future hold for both farmers and consumers?

From mind boggling microbiology to ingenious food processing techniques and gadgets, The Science of Food takes a look at the details that matter when it comes to what we eat and how we cook, and lays bare the science behind how it all works. By understanding the chemistry, physics and biology of the food we cook, buy and prepare, we can all become better consumers and happier cooks!

Here's what I thought about it...

Food preparation is something I do everyday without thinking and yet, I never give any conscious thought to the science of food and even in my dim and distant past, Domestic Science lessons at school mainly involved making cherry scones and Shepherds Pie with no thought at all about the actual science of what was happening to the ingredients as I shoved them into the oven.

The Science of Food is a nifty little book which looks at some fascinating topics and answers all those questions you never knew you needed to know about food science, and does so in a fun and informative way.

 Divided into five topics, the book covers;

• Essential Technology
• The Magic of Processed Food
• Critical Kitchen Chemistry
• Sharing our food with Bugs
• The Future of Food

I really enjoyed dipping into and out of the book and learning something I didn't know, like the size of bowl really does matter when you are beating eggs, the bigger, the better apparently, and that whipping egg whites in a copper bowl makes your egg whites stiffer...who knew ?

The really clever science bits are all there for those who like the technical stuff and yet, it's written in a way that makes it fun and interesting and not like those interminable science books at school, which in my case were usually filled with flower doodles and boy's names!

There's a few pages entitled, 'Knowing when to eat your food' which is all about use by and sell by dates, something which always confuses me and I know that I often throw food away that's perfectly edible and not going to do me any harm.

If you're a foodie, or have a foodie in the family or even if you are just like me and quaintly curious then The Science of Food is one of those books that will sit quietly on your recipe book shelf, just waiting for the right moment to astound you with it's brilliance.

About the Author

Marty Jopson has a PhD in Cell Biology and is the resident scientist on BBC One's The One Show. Marty has been working in television for eighteen years since his first job building props and has been performing stage science around the UK for twenty years.

Follow the author on Twitter @martyjopson

Visit his website 

Find the book on Amazon

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