Reviews and Comments

Putting this down for a bit as it rather heavy going and I fancy something a bit lighter to kick off the year.

It would be preferable to stab a fork in my eyeballs than to keep trying to read this...

While you could consider this book to be a continuation of Tibetan Foothold and just more of the same, it both is and isn't. There's less about working with the refuges, but more about what's wrong with the way the aid is being supplied and distributed. It's obvious now with the passage of time, that some of the issues that Murphy raises and their consequences have come to pass. It's still an interesting read though, especially as you get the feeling that this is a Nepal that no longer exists, due to the increase modern development and tourism. Just like Tibetan Foothold though, the bits I enjoyed the most were ho her travels, especially the trek at the end of her stay.

Picking up where Full Tilt left off, I was initially unsure about how much enjoyment I'd get from this book, as there was less cycling and more refugees. Having been aware of the whole Free Tibet thing while growing up in the eighties, and having a father who ran a medical missionary charity later in his life, I found lot in Murphy's account that is sadly still relevant today. While the recounting of the trails and tribulation of life in the camp which make up most of the book, are enjoyable and enlightening, I preferred the bits where Murphy was off exploring; either on her bike or on foot. Well written and engaging, you can't help but think and evening in the pub with her would've been highly entertaining.

Having read a few books on psychedelics recently, I did wonder just how much new information this book would contain, lots, as it turned out. While it touches on some of the same bits as say, This Is Your Mind On Plants by Michael Pollan, it goes far, far deeper into the the history and origins of mescaline usage. While Pollan, especially in the Netflix TV show, comes to conclusion that we should leave mescaline via Peyote to the indigenous populations, Jay doesn't really make any similar statement, leaving it up to the reader to decide. A fascinating book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Full Tilt, although I do think the multiple usages of the n-word and some of other casual racism could've been edited out in this printing; having said that I get the feeling the Murphy wouldn't have tolerated such changes. It reminded me in some ways of the Himalayan mountaineering books I read as a teenager; Bonington, Scott, Messner, et al. It also reminded me that I used to dream of travelling to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Tibet and wandering through, and up, the mountains.

Just like the Rough Stuff Fellowship, it's amazing where you can take a bicycle if you set your mind to it. It also makes a mockery of all the kit we take for a weekend bike packing locally, let alone cycling across continents.

If you like reading travelogues, especially those from a bygone era, then this is a must read.

The title and sub-title may give the impression that this is some sort of new fangled business manual, it isn't. Essentially, it's the story of how a bunch of misfits came together to take the track cycling world by the scruff on the neck. I was sort of expecting a bit more detail, or outlines of actual process, but it turned out to be more autobiographical, with lots of stories from other fields to emphasis points. I found it an enjoyable and engaging read and it was probably for the best that it wasn't an attempt at a prescriptive business process.

Split into three parts, this book breaks down how we've got to where we are and charts a path to a better future. One where all of us are engaged, our opinions valued and working together for a better future. It's not the kind of book that I normally read, but I found plenty in it that resonated and was though provoking.

I find Michael Pollan to be a really engaging writer, with the prose easy and enjoyable to read. The fact that I learn so much while reading one of his books is just a bonus. The only real issue, which also relates to books like Ayelet Waldman's A Really Good Day, is that I want to try these drugs to see what effect they have on me; but I'm far too risk averse to try wandering down to the bad area of town to try and score some.

I found the section of Opium to be particularly interesting, as I have Oriental poppies growing in my own garden. The section on mescaline was also very interesting, especially the cultural issues around it's growing areas and usage.

If you enjoyed How to Change Your Mind, this is more of the same, and worth your time.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this "diary", of the authors adventures in micro-dosing LSD. Part diary, part history lesson, part manifesto, there's a lot to get your teeth into. While I knew a lot of the LSD story, having previously read Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind, it was interesting to revisit it all from someone else's perspective.

While the contents of the book are still relevant, thee tech world moves fast, so fast that some of the contents felt woefully out of date. It's pretty much the same cast of characters that seem to pop up in lots of books and podcasts at the moment, all of whom were inspired by reading The Sovereign Individual; think Peter Thiel and Co. The book deal with how these tech start up went from small and insignificant, to become the monopolies they are today, and the practices they keep so it stays that way.

While the contents are at times enlightening, it's been five years since publication, and things have only got worse.

This is not a book that details how to fit yourself to your bike, nor is it a training bible. Instead, Phil Cavell has written a manifesto about why you should cycle through middle age, the pros, the cons, with a heathy dose of his personal and professional experiences. You could be cynical and think it's essentially a 288 page advert for getting a professional bike fit from his company, but it's not, not really.

There's plenty of info in there about thinks that can go wrong, why people ride the way they do, and I gleaned numerous insights that I then applied to my own cycling. If you're older, and a cyclist, then it's a worth while read.

The book is a collection of short articles about various aspects of cycling, rather than a full length coherent piece. As such, there's always going to be some that you resonate with and some that you don't, and so it proved. As a keen cyclist, I could relate to some of the tales, but not to others. It was also a shame that it doesn't include some of his bikepacking related shenanigans. Overall it was an enjoyable (ish) read, but unless you're proper into cycling and want to read about someone else's though /on their/ cycling, then I wouldn't bother.

Not a fan of having multiple books on the go at once, but as I got this one out of the library, I need to get through it quickly.