Kev Nickells (Author of Taylor Swift for Adults)

Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing Strict Machine by Dylan Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Thoroughly enjoyed this as an exposition on the difficulty of contemporary (and historical) systems which exhibit maddening and impenetrable outcomes. Evans' central premise is to disabuse the reader of any lingering notions of benefaction within cer ...more
Mar 22, 2026 11:35AM · like · see review
Kev Nickells wants to read Females by Andrea Long Chu	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 01, 2026 09:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Females by Andrea Long Chu. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Females by Andrea Long Chu <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kev Nickells wants to read The Transit of Empire: Indigenous Critiques of Colonialism (First Peoples: New Directions in Indigenous Studies) by Jodi A. Byrd	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 01, 2026 06:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Transit of Empire by Jodi A. Byrd. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Transit of Empire by Jodi A. Byrd <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing Warp & Weft by Lisa Fannen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've taken a wee while after finishing this to get to the review to consider where I was with it. I feel like I can't fault it but it's not really a book for me. The arguments are all clear and well-articulated; the resources and citations all compre ...more
Feb 21, 2026 02:15PM · like · see review
Kev Nickells wants to read Windows and Walls: A Life Across China’s Forty Years (1985–2025) by Yuanpu Huang	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 12:07AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Windows and Walls by Yuanpu Huang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Windows and Walls by Yuanpu Huang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kev Nickells wants to read One Man's View of the World by Lee Kuan Yew	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 12:06AM · like
Kev Nickells wants to read Black Skin, White Coats: Nigerian Psychiatrists, Decolonization, and the Globalization of Psychiatry (New African Histories) by Matthew M. Heaton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2026 07:41AM · like
Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing Hell Is Round the Corner by Tricky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I love an autobiography and I really liked this. I've seen another review criticising the editing and I can see their point but the thing I wanted to point out was how they've very carefully preserved the cadence of Tricky's south Bristolian language ...more
Jan 24, 2026 02:20AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hell Is Round the Corner by Tricky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hell Is Round the Corner by Tricky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kev Nickells wants to read Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. Scott	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 21, 2026 11:27PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond (FireWorks) by Eleanor Finley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The strapline 'from Bookchin to Rojava and beyond...' is the interesting bit for me - I'm keen to read more about Rojava on account of having a faint idea that they're doing democracy right at the moment. Bookchin I should know more about, as he's ba ...more
Jan 11, 2026 10:28AM · like · see review

Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing

Strict Machine
by Dylan Evans (Goodreads Author)

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Thoroughly enjoyed this as an exposition on the difficulty of contemporary (and historical) systems which exhibit maddening and impenetrable outcomes. Evans' central premise is to disabuse the reader of any lingering notions of benefaction within cer Thoroughly enjoyed this as an exposition on the difficulty of contemporary (and historical) systems which exhibit maddening and impenetrable outcomes. Evans' central premise is to disabuse the reader of any lingering notions of benefaction within certain systems, which he describes as 'gothic'. That is to say, where it is seductive to regard (eg) legal systems as principally capable of rationalisation, being reasoned with etc, Evans asserts that gothic systems are in fact operating precisely as designed when they obfuscate and mislead; there is no central authority or understanding or law to which the systems' antagonist may appeal.

Evans draws on a range of cultural references to assert his position - Kafka inevitably appears but so too do the likes of Lacan, Weber (ie, 20th century theorists) as well as references to contemporary TV / film / music. It gives the impression that the gothic system is very much a feature of contemporary life, and recognisable in many places.

The book is perhaps something of a counterpart to the sort of self-help books that proliferate in airports. And to be clear, this book contains nothing in the way of asinine platitudes aimed to mollify the reader - if anything Evans is seeking to share his dissatisfaction. Rather than eking out ways to negotiate gothic systems, Evans spends a lot of time advocating a kind of quietism - do not engage in a system which will drain you based on your own misapprehensions of how that system operates.

In a sense then it's a pretty bleak book - by way of critique of large and complex systems Evans is less offering concrete means of navigation and more offering a reason for abjection. Though that is perhaps over-stating the case somewhat - there is plenty of succour to be retrieved from his careful and astute observations on the operation of gothic systems.

Evans is also very capable of explaining tricky subjects while neither condescending nor baffling the reader; his rendering of Lacan is particularly effective.

Definitely one for your systems theory library, though it sits distinctly to one (profoundly critical) side of typical systems theory. ...more

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Females
by Andrea Long Chu

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Kev Nickells wants to read

The Transit of Empire: Indigenous Critiques of Colonialism (First Peoples: New Directions in Indigenous Studies)
by Jodi A. Byrd

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Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing

Warp & Weft
by Lisa Fannen

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I've taken a wee while after finishing this to get to the review to consider where I was with it. I feel like I can't fault it but it's not really a book for me. The arguments are all clear and well-articulated; the resources and citations all compre I've taken a wee while after finishing this to get to the review to consider where I was with it. I feel like I can't fault it but it's not really a book for me. The arguments are all clear and well-articulated; the resources and citations all comprehensive and insightful. I don't doubt this has a wide application to a load of people working in healthcare and psychiatric-adjacent fields. I think for me I'm used to going in the deep end, and Fannen is quite resolutely keen to keep this book open and accessible.

What it covers is broadly a set of ideas, frameworks, epistemologies, to help create a kind of holistic therapeutic understanding. Rather than dissociating the body from its broader social context, the two are seamlessly and strongly bound. Rather than regarding the individual's 'madness' as a mechanical failing, it's brought into a wider fabric of social relations. Within that, it's worth saying that whatever about this is 'radical', it's not in the sense of (say) the NSK - madness, disability, wellness (etc) are spoken of as antagonisms to normativity but rather than an individual's being has many touchpoints and frictions embedded within its community(s).

It's also worth saying that it takes careful consideration of non-Western approaches as well - there's a real danger in contemporary 'wellness' cultures that the root cultures aren't well-respected and this book is careful to seek out perspectives outside of the writer's ken. I wouldn't say this was a replacement for seeking out less-well-received voices but it certainly points at places one could investigate.

I think the 'problem' I had with this (if you could call it that) is that I've come across a lot of these ideas elsewhere - in post-colonial thinking and in disability theory particularly. My hesitation in getting to this review is that my perspective isn't necessarily that helpful - I can't fault this book for being an exhaustive realisation of a raft of ideas in that realm and it's well-written and entirely approachable. I'm also not a health practitioner of any measure so this doesn't necessarily fall within my remit. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a bounty of ideas to explore and ways to integrate what is essentially (and essential) political thinking into a realm that too-often depoliticises itself and disconnects the body from its community. ...more

Kev Nickells wants to read

Windows and Walls: A Life Across China’s Forty Years (1985–2025)
by Yuanpu Huang

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Kev Nickells wants to read

One Man's View of the World
by Lee Kuan Yew

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Kev Nickells wants to read

Black Skin, White Coats by Matthew M. Heaton

Black Skin, White Coats: Nigerian Psychiatrists, Decolonization, and the Globalization of Psychiatry (New African Histories)
by Matthew M. Heaton

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Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing

Hell Is Round the Corner
by Tricky

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I love an autobiography and I really liked this. I've seen another review criticising the editing and I can see their point but the thing I wanted to point out was how they've very carefully preserved the cadence of Tricky's south Bristolian language I love an autobiography and I really liked this. I've seen another review criticising the editing and I can see their point but the thing I wanted to point out was how they've very carefully preserved the cadence of Tricky's south Bristolian language without making it grammatically (ahem) tricky. I grew up in the West and lived for a few years in South Bristol so I can quite viscerally hear Tricky's use of a very Bristolian English. However, there's plenty of idioms that can't ironed out - I can't prove it but there's plenty of places where someone would say something idiomatic like 'he's come in and said' that is rendered as 'he came in and said'. But critically not all of the Bristolian is blanched out. Sadly no "where's that to".

The impression I get is that Tricky is just a proper south Bristol kiddy - lots of chat about going up to different parts of Bristol. I like that Tricky doesn't hold sway with much of the classic divisions in Bristol - none of the slagging off of Clifton, no slagging off the gas (North Bristol). Some great insight into central and North clubs and nightlife from back in the 80s. He's very reasonable about Knowle West, which tends not to get much love even in Bristol. It's a poor area and a lot of culture (gigs, pubs etc) happens elsewhere but Tricky rightly pulls out the sense of community there.

I moved away from Bristol about 15 years ago so there's a lot about this that's like a warm blanket. It doesn't make me want to move back but I like that you can see how his relationship to where he's from, his family and friends, changes over the years.

There's plenty about his non-Bristol life as well - I'm really chuffed that he points out a lot of stuff that seems obvious in Bristol. There wasn't a 'Bristol scene' - there are scenes in Bristol but what Tricky was doing wasn't really it, because he and the other 'Bristol scene' bands were disconnected in many ways. I'm glad he gets the point out there that Portishead aren't from Bristol, they're from Portishead. So Tricky's life as an adult and as a musician is kind of about moving around - LA, NY, Paris, Berlin. His affection for Paris ghetto kids is gorgeous. His 'son' Alex in Russia is great.

The book is shot through with interviews from people in Tricky's life as well - which reminds me of Wiley's biography from a few years back. It's a great way of adding context and not overloading the reader with a single voice. And again, Tricky's affection for the people around him is infectious.

Ultimately I came away wanting to listen to more of his music and thinking Tricky's a top bloke (mind) so that's all the ticks for an autobiography. ...more

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Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
by James C. Scott

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Kev Nickells rated a book it was amazing

Practicing Social Ecology by Eleanor Finley

Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond (FireWorks)
by Eleanor Finley

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The strapline 'from Bookchin to Rojava and beyond...' is the interesting bit for me - I'm keen to read more about Rojava on account of having a faint idea that they're doing democracy right at the moment. Bookchin I should know more about, as he's ba The strapline 'from Bookchin to Rojava and beyond...' is the interesting bit for me - I'm keen to read more about Rojava on account of having a faint idea that they're doing democracy right at the moment. Bookchin I should know more about, as he's bang in the middle of what I see of debates on ecology, environmentalism, and anarchism.

So you could say this book is a bit of a 'state of the nation' in terms of contemporary leftist practice. There's a series of imperatives at play here, and ones that are familiar - the problem of the nation state, the creation of non-national groupings, the organisation thereof, and the present climate catastrophe. Finley weaves together the subjects deftly and there's a decent heft to her case studies in specific subject areas (social ecology, eco-communities, assembly-based democracy, democratic confederalism). And if that sounds like it's going to be a book of abstract theory - it's resolutely not. While there's plenty of theory, there's a decent amount of case studies and interviews to pick out how movements like the PKK in Rojava work.

It's subtly fairly feminist as well - perhaps less overtly dealing in feminist theory but certainly dappling the importance of including minority voices. Importantly, that's not limited to demographic representation but also noting the modes of democracy - for instance, the tendency for traditional 'debate' to take a combative tone, while noting a more feminist take whereby people's perspectives are reconciled to larger projects.

Finally the case is made for democratic confederalism - a form of direct democracy that looks close to the federalism of 20th century anarchism. The key being that the studies Finley highlights are ones that seek to redress power imbalances and return land rights to natives. There's plenty here that extends beyond (traditional) political organisation - generating charters which guarantee equity among members could be taken to any organisation of people, from book clubs to event promotion.

I'd stress this is also a book which does contain theory but it's by no means dry or unreadable - I'd say it has an academic integrity but it's a long way from impenetrable theory, and perhaps most encouraging of all, it dares to be optimistic about the future of leftist organisation in the fact of climate catastrophe. ...more

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	Taylor Swift for Adults: Taking Swift Seriously 3.56 avg rating — 32 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Open Polyversity #2 by Zali Krishna (Editor), Adrian Carter (Goodreads Author) (contributor), Edmund Davie (contributor) 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2018	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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