Some good news from Heffers bookshop in Cambridge: apparently my book Einstein & the Art of Mindful Cycling has remained in their top ten non-fiction bestsellers throughout November. Great credit is due to the publishers, Ivy Press, who did such a lovely job with the book's design.
Elsewhere, a nice review has cropped up on the website of the excellent Boneshaker Magazine.
Unfortunately, every rose has its thorn, and a rather horrible but amusing review has appeared on a Dutch website. I put the review through Google translate, and the dreamily weird, insulting results are so funny I pasted them below. The author seems to have an oddly scatalogical take on the book. It takes one to know one, I suppose...
Something too good to see how the content of this book together gescharreld is. And I was there some of giggly. Every writer has indeed tricks. There is nothing wrong with that. Only, those tricks are not already on the first pages clear.
Everything in Albert Einstein & the Art of Mindful Cycling hinges on a single observation of the great man. Ever Einstein namely let slip that he invented the Theory of Relativity on the bike.
From there Ben Irvine argues that cycling for everyone over there a similar utility may have. The British philosopher and publicist sure. Cycling leads to mindfulness, as it is known today with a good Dutch word. And this state of lucid attention is a great luxury in this for everyone so busy times. Cycling calls so then because the rhythmic motion relaxes and makes merry. And who are receptive can also input still see everything.
Go therefore especially cycling. Without purpose or hurry.
Now there are more circumstances in which people get good ideas. What there unconscious all brewing, may present at the oddest moments. Some get their best ideas in the shower. Others during the wash.
Not surprising that people get ideas while shitting [1]. I have even been a scientific statement read - it presses doing anything with the blood pressure in the head, and so.
Ben Irvine and had now a book to someone who hung a scientific breakthrough came in the toilet, it was probably a more interesting text delivered. For me.
I was been curious combination of a hagiography of a great thinker, a history of the poop, and explain why good shit is good for a man.
There was at least some originality spoken.
The biography of Einstein was not me strangely, and therefore struck me that Irvine a rather clean polished version has that story. Moreover, there was too much, and his life to the very dragged, just because that one aside.
About the history of the bicycle, which is also a large part of the book takes, I was already a thing known.
And I still long for this publication was expecting an optimistic story to American self-help to get cut, it was not. Perhaps because Ben Irvine itself is not very present in the book. Already, the reader is to know that he turned back to the bike converted after a drunken night with consequences in 2009.
In short, this is indeed a finely designed book, and Irvine has some fun for me unknown quotes about cycling found, but otherwise was quite against this issue.
A little writer should so someone can explain what it has to go cycling. Or walking. Or signs. Or sculpting. Or call the occupation but in which not only the head or chat used to something to bring. That is the life of Einstein not necessary. The analogy with what look bikes for Albert Einstein would have done, even lavishly pretentious, and therefore laughable.
And well, then I learned that there still exists a phrase that describes how it is that with a big grin through the rain to bicycles. A downpour epiphany "called according to Irvine. That the phenomenon relates to the relief there is, as a cyclist realizes that the weather nothing can be changed.
So looking at the perspective. That is the main message of this book. An online who also had a postcard appropriate.
Decent effort. But this is what I call a proper bad review...
