Stephen Bickers

#Booksof2026 71 - On The Slow Train by Michael Williams An interesting travelogue of journeys on UK branch lines and other railway lines that survived the Beeching closures. A good holiday read #BookSky

#Booksof2026 70 - Slow Horses by Mick Herron Quite good spy thriller. A good barb at a (now former) UK politician. Would have liked a bit more fleshing out of the female Slow Horses; maybe that comes in the later books. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 69 - The Collapsing Empire by @scalzi.com Fun science fiction romp where the ability of humans to travel between star systems is about to collapse. A little bit too "1st book in a trilogy" for me. #BookSky

Donkeys on Shela beach on Lamu Island on the Kenyan coast. The one on the left didn't move in over 30 minutes.

#Booksof2026 68 - China Dreams by Sid Smith Tom is a takeaway delivery driver and dreams constantly of China and his ex May. The dream sections were mostly successful at portraying how they started to takeover his life; but the ending felt rushed and too neat. #BookSky

Some Discworld suggestions The Colour of Magic Thinking Three Feet of Clay Moving Holiday Pictures Interesting Sunday Times

#Booksof2026 67 - Agent Sonya by Ben Macintyre The fascinating story of Ursula Kuczynski, one of the Soviet Union's most successful spies. Macintyre knows how to put a story together and his criticisms of MI5 in the 1940s/50s are quite amusing. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 66 - Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade Sometimes you have low expectations about a book and are pleasantly surprised; and sometimes you are not. A joke that might have made an amusing magazine article wears thin over 200+ pages. #BookSky

Played Pictures today boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

#Booksof2026 65 - Dragons' Wrath by Justin Richards. Another Bernice Summerfield novel that I haven't reread since the 90s. It mostly hangs together though the ending is hectic. Irving Braxiatel is a rather obvious stand in for The Doctor. #BookSky

My favourite moment from my favourite Discworld novel.

The soundtrack to my commute this week: We Are The Pipettes by The Pipettes. Just perfect early 00's pop (yes, it is nearly 20 yrs old) Riotbecki, Gwenno and Rosay will always be music royalty to me.

#Booksof2026 64 - Grasshopper Jungle by @marburyjack.bsky.social Austin is in love with his best friend, and his girlfriend. This is a big problem, but smaller than the swarm of six ft praying mantis taking over the world. Fun, but I would have liked more of the girlfriend's point of view #BookSky

#Booksof2026 63 - Dark Market by Misha Glenny

#Booksof2026 62 - In The Footsteps of Mr Kurtz by @michelawrong.bsky.social Snapshot tales of the last days of President Mobutu's rule of Zaire (now DR Congo). It's interesting to compare the late 90s with now. I also recommend her book on Eritrea (I Didn't Do It For You) #BookSky

#Booksof2026 60 - Men of Intelligence by Sir Kenneth Strong A slightly quirky book from the 1970s by the first Director General of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence. Interesting reflections on what military intelligence is (and isn't) and how it can be used. #BookSky

Played Carcassonne on 2026-09-05 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/822 #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com When you are hosting a games night for the first time in a while, a simple game that everyone knows and lets people chat and catch up is just what you need.

Played Mantis 2 times on 2026-09-05 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/35... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

Played No Thanks! on 2026-09-05 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

#Booksof2026 59 - The White Rose of Stalingrad by Bill Yenne An interesting biography of Lidiya Litvyak, the Soviet WW2 fighter pilot, but it is a bit baggy in parts. Might have worked better with a wider scope covering the entire Soviet female fighter pilot force. #BookSky

The year 2002 just phoned me to ask which is the best song from the film version of Chicago. Overall, I think it is this one, performed by Queen Latifah. youtube.com/watch?v=3t6_...

#Booksof2026 58 - Uganda's Transition Question I don't normally post about books read in mostly work capacity; but this set of interviews from figures across the Ugandan political spectrum was fascinating on the culture and nature of politics. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 57 - Showbusiness by @markradcliffe.bsky.social I think you would have to be a bigger fan of 70s rock music than me to appreciate this book. #Booksky

#Booksof2026 55 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien It's been about 20 years since I last this and I had forgotten how much the narrator uses humour. #BookSky

Played Quacks on 2026-08-14 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com Possibly my worst results so far with this game. Finished fourth, almost 40pts behind the winner.

Played Pictures on 2026-08-14 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

Played No Thanks! 2 times on 2026-08-14 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

#Booksof2026 54 - The Man Of My Dreams by @csittenfeld.bsky.social I quite enjoyed this tale of Hannah growing up in the 90s and 00s and the ups and downs of her love life. It is the first Curtis Sittenfeld book I've read, and I'm keen to read another. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 53 - Raft by Stephen Baxter What I liked most about this science fiction novel was that the plot was kick started by a character wanting to know more about his universe, and through the rest of the book, he never loses his curiosity and desire to know. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 52 - The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley Holland Translations of all the significant Norse myths coupled with detailed and interesting notes. I really enjoyed it. No photo as I forgot to take one before donating it. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 51 - Slavic Myths edited by Jake Jackson, intro by Ema Lakinska. Interesting collection, especially as it brings out the common themes and motifs e.g. travelling to the thirtieth kingdom #BookSky

There are two wolves inside me: One knows that flying, light pollution and excessive night noise are all bad things. The other loves landing at airports in the dark and seeing the lights of the city set below.

#Booksof2026 50 - Wellness by Nathan Hill I tried to like it. I thought the opening chapter was great; so maybe I would have enjoyed it if it had remained a simple love story. But the satire felt flat and too contrived. #BookSky

Played Terraforming Mars on 2026-08-01 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

Played Wingspan on 2026-08-01 boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/26... #bggplay via @boardgamegeek.com

#Booksof2026 49 - Something Doesn't Add Up by Paul Goodwin An informative and relatively easy to read primer on the importance of basic statistical knowledge. It was fine. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 48 - Dunstan by Conn Iggulden Historical fictional account of the life of St Dunstan (c. 909 to c. 988) Enjoyable to read, and seemed broadly historically accurate. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 47 - A London Safari by Rose Rouse. I haven't lived in Harlesden since I was 9, but this 2014 book of Rose talking to people whilst they walk around the best area of London was very evocative and nostalgic. #BookSky

#Booksof2026 46 - Men At Arms by @terryandrob.bsky.social I love this @terrypratchett.bsky.social book so much. The bromance between Detritus and Cuddy; the romance between Carrot and Angua; the other romance between Carrot and Ankh Morpork. It is just perfection #BookSky

I had the pleasure of meeting Guy Scott multiple times, both in work and personal capacity. A very interesting man with incredible knowledge about the environment nature and agriculture.

#Booksof2026 45 - Lords and Ladies by @terrypratchett.bsky.social Once a year, I get a week with my @discworldofficial.bsky.social books, so this year I re-read my favourite Witches novel. Magrat vs the Queen, the staring contest, what it takes to be the best... A completely excellent book #BookSky

#Booksof2026 44 - The Secret Listeners by Sinclair McKay The story of how the British Y Service intercepted enemy radio transmissions during WW2. It was interesting, but I would have liked more maps and a bit more of the technical details. #BookSky

Secondary school Geography teacher. Fortunately mostly teaches A Level and GCSE, so this week would only have half the usual number of lessons to suck at. Make it to Friday, and I'm fine for six weeks. But come September, it will go wrong very quickly...

#Booksof2026 42 - Lock In by @scalzi.com Fun science fiction thriller set in a world where people with paralysis can use robots for mobility and physical engagement. The plot has a few holes, but it moves at pace. A good book to read on a flight. #BookSky