Mr Favourite Books

I was asked the other day for some book recommendations to pass on for use as Christmas presents. Naturally this made me think of books I have read and enjoyed over the years. Now being the type of person that I am, I rather like lists so I thought I would compile a list of my 10 favourite books. Although this list will appear as a numbered list, it does not particularly reflect the ranking of the book within the list. As the title of the blog suggests, it's more of a stream of consciousness and the titles are noted down as they occur to me. So without further ado:

1. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming. Bond has been a life long passion for me. I love just about everything about it and this book was the starting point. Ian Fleming sat down to write the best spy story ever written and this is the result. Whether it is the best Bond book or not is a subject for discussion another day but as the start of something wonderful it deserves a place.

2. Looking for Trouble - General Sir Peter De La Billiere. I am a huge fan of the military autobiography genre and there are many books that have a good case to be on this list. I picked this particular for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because it is so incredible. The truth really does beat fiction in some cases and this is one. If some of the feats achieved in this book were shown in the cinema, audiences would scoff at how utterly impossible they were. Secondly, the narrative throughout the book is fantastic. Not only is the author an excellent storyteller, recounting events from his own life, he expertly puts them in a wider social and military context.

3. Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. Again I love the genre of crime fiction and I had to be quite strict with my self to stop myself picking more than one "whodunit". Sherlock Holmes was picked because, in my opinion, he was one of the best and no doubt has subtle influences on contemporary crime fiction. Most lifeguards will secretly (or drunkenly) admit that Baywatch played a part in them becoming a lifeguard and likewise I'll bet most crime novelists will give Conan-Doyle some of the credit.

4. Chart Throb - Ben Elton. I think this is a fantastic comic novel (but from the man who wrote Blackadder do you expect much less?) For those of you who haven't read it, it's an amusing satire on Britain's got Talent/X-factor style programmes. Elton has written a lot of satirical novels in the past where current affairs of the day are only thinly disguised by the characters however I think this one is one of the best.

5. Schott's Whisky Miscellany. As you may have guessed I love lists, trivia and wondering off on interesting little tangents. This book provides all three in buckets and combines them with a vast amount of fascinating information about whisky... something about which I'm passionate. There is the perfect balance between basic knowledge, detailed technical stuff, funny asides and misty heather-strewn hillsides.

6. Whisky Kitchen. Continuing the whisky theme, this book is my favourite cook book. Even if the recipes didn't contain whisky, the food suggested is incredible, easy to prepare but still challenging if even one feels like pushing one's boundaries. Having learned a lot of basic techniques from this book I have gained confidence to start experimenting.

7. Vander's Human Physiology. My degree was in Human Biology and I still remain fascinated by the subject. This is one of the text books that I used throughout my degree and for that alone I view it with a great deal of fondness. But even stripping away the nostalgia I think it's a great book. It's clear, well laid out and explains most complex concepts now.

8. The Witches - Roald Dahl. When I was younger I absolutely adored pretty much anything which emerged from Dahl's pen. The Witches was one of my favourites (although trying to pick an out and out favourite from his work is like trying to pick the most adorable puppy in a litter). This one was chosen also because it was a personal milestone for me. When I was younger I had this as a talking book. My young self was terrified by the spooky theme music until one day I decided to face my fears and listen to the rest of the tape. Naturally I found out that the rest of the story was rather good and for a long time afterwards I felt rather proud of myself for daring to listen.

9. Five go to Billycock Hill - Enid Blyton. Enid Blyton was another favourite childhood author and contributed greatly to my love of books. She is probably also directly responsible for my love of crime fiction. This particular tome was chosen for no other reason that I can remember the title and vaguely remember the plot.

10. My 10th book I really struggled with; not because of my lack of inspiration but because there are so many I would love to put in this post. I will settly for Billy by Pamela Stephenson. A book about a comedian was always going to be funny but this is a book about a comedian by his wife who is also a comedian. As you can imagine, it's hilarious; even the bits that aren't meant to be. An example of this was when I was on the bus reading about the child abuse he suffered when he was younger... with tears of laughter running down my face. There are times when his wife puts on her psychiatrist's hat too giving one a fascinating insight into Billy's consciousness.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my ramble through what I would consider as some great books. If you have read/are thinking of reading any of them, let me know what you think of them.

JR

Living the James Bond Lifestyle

It's almost upon us. Skyfall is a mere weeks away from being released. The James Bond franchise has been with us for fifty years. All in all this is something of a momentous year in history. As you can probably guess, I'm rather excited by the whole thing.

Now to the point of the post; a quick guide to living the James Bond lifestyle. There have been several books written on this subject by terribly knowledgeable authors. They are all well worth a read. Each one offers a slightly different perspective and slightly different advice. None are what I would call definitive; but then again the following paragraphs won't be either. The main reason for this is that Bond himself was written to be a blank canvass. Someone to project yourself on to rather than the other way round and as such the interpretation of his lifestyle is almost endlessly variable. But let's have a go anyway.

It would be easy to say that in order to live the Bond lifestyle one simply has to go for the best of everything. This is true to a point but is also a bit of an over-simplification. To start with, these days it's not quite as easy to work out what the best is. Back when Bond existed only between the pages of book and his early forays into film Rolex made the best watches, Turnbull and Asser the best shirts, Gieves and Hawkes the best suits and Rolls Royce the best cars. It was, to an extent, that simple. Dapper gentlemen such as Bond would sport these items like a uniform. Of course deviation was possible but there was limited scope and even more limited desire.

Nowadays identifying the best is getting a lot more complicated. A very simplistic idea could be to go for the most expensive but that, I think, would go against the spirit of what is trying to be achieved. Bond was in the fortunate position of never really being short of money. That said, he was most certainly not what could be called wealthy. Therefore the most expensive option may well not have been the most sensible option for him. Not only that, but expensive these days can often mean ostentatious: something which both Bond and Fleming hated.

The films could always be used as a guide however I'm sure we are all wise to the concept of product placement. That's not to say that the products used aren't good ones - they usually are - but they often lack "Bondness" for want of a better term. For example, I find it rather hard to believe Bond would write with a Parker Jotter (although conversely I think the choice of a ball pen rather than a fountain pen was a good one). Equally his choice of a BMW Z3/Z8 in the late '90s was a bit far fetched even then. Before I sound like I am having a go at the Pierce Brosnan era, the safari suits and digital watches of the Roger Moor era stretched credibility a bit too. Even if product placement is excluded, recently items have been chosen for availability rather than because they're the best. The strongest example of this is the suits worn by Bond from Goldeneye onwards. Most come from the Italian firm Brioni. Now they undoubtedly make excellent suits but the main reason they were chosen was because they had the capacity to make sufficient numbers of garments for filming. The numbers vary for each film but essentially, Bond needs several copies of the same suit to withstand the rigours of filming.

Right, that's how not to do it. How does one create one's own Bond lifestyle then?

My first piece of advice is know yourself. Bond is a man who knows what he likes and isn't afraid to ask for it (while still being open to trying new things). Therefore, you need to get to develop your own preferences based on your tastes and budget. This applies to pretty much everything from how you take your coffee (and indeed which coffee you drink) to which watch you wear and everything you can think of in between. It doesn't have to be expensive, it doesn't even have to be the one Bond himself uses it needs to be your personal preference. An integral part of Bond's character is that he takes pleasure from detail and having things 'just so'. By developing this attribute in yourself, I think you are then well on the way to creating your Bond-esque existence.

All that sounds a bit wooly and nebulous? Let me try and boil down a few key points.

Clothing. Always opt for the smarter end of the dress code whatever the event. Don't be afraid of wearing a tie (you can always take it off and put it in your pocket). Go for classic style rather than fashion a) it has more Bondness and b) it allows you to invest slightly more knowing that items purchased will have a longer lifespan.  Develop your own style be that single/double breasted, cufflinks, tie pins or a host of other little flourishes. Trainers however can stay in the shop. If you're on an extremely tight budget, have a look in both charity shops and vintage shops. Often high-end items can be picked up for fractions of their original price; go for classic styles and the fact that they are older won't show.

Accessories. As a rule go for functional elegance. Bond's gunmetal cigarette case is a case and point. It's not going to be shiny or particularly pretty but it will get the job done and it won't look out of place either in a suit pocket or in less formal settings. The same is true of his watch. Throughout the books and the first few films he wears a Rolex Oyster initially on a military canvass strap then later on a metal strap (usually stainless steel). This again lacks ostentation but is still elegant. Avoid bling at all costs. however conversely, bear in mind that just because it is useful, doesn't mean it can't look good. Think about investing in good every day items such as wallet, pen and watch which will reflect your personality (and no doubt your elegant, suave self!).

Food and drink. This is where knowing what you like and dislike will really come into play. It is also where you have to be most open to trying new things. I think the main key to this is learning the basics. For example, learning the basics of flavour combinations will allow you to look at a menu and understand a bit about what the dish will be like. This will then allow you to order confidently and, if you know the company you're in or are a good judge of people, order on behalf of others too. Similarly, knowing the basics of wine will allow you to navigate a wine list with confidence. By this I mean have a rough understanding of different regions and different grape characteristics. Learning a few key words and their real world meanings will allow you to order wines to go with situations with aplomb. Do the same for other drinks and you can be confident that you will come across as knowledgeable and sophisticated. Being aware of which drinks are appropriate in which occasions will also help meaning you avoid any faux pas. When making choices, be prepared to justify them and explain them; this will mean you don't look like you're pulling things out of mid-air and hoping for the best. The other key element here is being prepared to try suggestions made by others. Even if you don't think you will like them, give it a go and see. You might be pleasantly surprised, you might not be but try it anyway.

Right, that covers a lot of major lifestyle areas and conveys the main points. To recap, you want to look elegant and sophisticated without appearing bawdy or ostentatious and you want to appear knowledgeable and sophisticated without being geeky or overbearing. Ultimately, you want to be able to either have a valid opinion to give or be confident enough in your own tastes to form one swiftly. These principals can be carried forward to almost all situations, the key is doing some research before hand so you can go into the situation with a bit of knowledge about you. When Bond was first created a great general knowledge would have been essential together with an ability to learn things quickly. Today we are lucky... we have Wikipedia!

Hope you enjoyed.

R... JR!