Make My Friends Wealthy: One Of Two

A quick glance at the column to the right will show the name Stevyn Colgyn, and regular readers will know that I've linked to comments and stuff on Steve's blog before (and he's reciprocated). What I haven't directly drawn your attention to yet is the fact that Steve has a book out, called Joined-Up Thinking. Though you might well have guessed that from the picture.

Yes, a real book, with a hardcover and a dustjacket and everything. And I can confidently - and honestly - say that it's a corking read, as I just finished reading my copy last night; Steve was kind enough to give me a signed (and indeed cartooned) copy a day or so ahead of publication, and even with my slow, finger-across-the-page reading style, I rattled throught it at a good old rate, because it's fun and addictive stuff, showing all sorts of connections between things which you'd never have known about otherwise (as a huge fan of Twin Peaks, I was delighted to see it connected to Les Miserables, to give but one example).

It's a lively read, and I heartily recommend it. Try not to be swayed by my bias - Steve's a thoroughly nice chap, and a friend - because it's good fun, and Steve writes well, especially when explaining the background to things. Oh, and one short chapter does a great job of debunking a number of urban myths, which I found particularly enjoyable (though maybe that's because I'm always the first one to hit 'Reply All' and type 'Urban Myth' when I get one of those e-mails warning me of some unlikely peril, or claiming that I'll get a gazillion pounds from Bill Gates if I forward it to ten people I know).

You can buy it online - here, for example - and in all good bookshops (yes, and some otherwise shoddy ones as well).

Go on, buy a copy (or more than one), and see why one reviewer referred to the book as 'Trivia Porn' (though that's a better pastime than Porn Trivia - after all, few of us can remember the names of the lighting crew on Naughty Gym Instructors I - VII)...