Interview with Niall Harbison, author of Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life
Niall Harbison, author of Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life recommends a super selection of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Niall's book:
Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life
Most people think I save dogs, but really they saved me.
Niall Harbison is a dog hero based in Thailand. He spends his days feeding, caring for and rescuing the many street dogs he comes across. With every rescue there’s a story. Like the sweet gentle McMuffin who was found with many tumours and hours from death, only to be nursed back to health. She now lives with Niall and is a popular member of the pack. Then there is King Whacker – who escaped a vicious attack and is now ruling the nest living up to his name as the king of the all good dogs. And who could resist the puppy eyes of little Rodney, the beautiful dog with big paws who is melting millions of hearts around the world.
Originally from Dublin, Niall was the owner of a successful advertising company. After selling it, he moved to Thailand where his addictions – drugs and alcohol – almost got the better of him. One day he woke up in hospital, close to death, and realised that something had to change. And that was what spurred him on to start saving and helping street dogs. His aim is to help 10,000 street dogs.
This is his story.
Buy On:
Easons €13.99
Bookshop.org UK £18.04
Bookshop.org US $30.68
Blackwells £14.52
Waterstones £16.99
Wordery $23.44
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timonthy Ferriss. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
It's very old now and the rules have probably changed but I loved 4 Hour Work Week when it came out. It just made me think completely differently about productivity and how I use my time.
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
History is not a prerogative of the human species, Edward O. Wilson declares in Half-Earth. Demonstrating that we blindly ignore the histories of millions of other species, Wilson warns us that a point of no return is imminent. Refusing to believe that our extinction is predetermined, Wilson has written Half-Earth as a cri de coeur, proposing that the only solution to our impending “Sixth Extinction” is to increase the area of natural reserves to half the surface of the earth. Half-Earth is a resounding conclusion to the best-selling trilogy begun by the “splendid” (Financial Times) The Social Conquest of Earth and “engaging and highly readable” (Times Higher Education) The Meaning of Human Existence.
Buy On:
Easons €17.91
Bookshop.org UK £15.19
Bookshop.org US $23.24
Blackwells £15.99
Waterstones £15.99
Wordery $19.74
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Atomic habits. To be honest like a lot of books these day I found it repetitive and It could have been a good long essay or blog post.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
The deep sea is the last, vast wilderness on the planet. This is the story of how we imagine, explore and exploit it. For centuries, myth-makers and storytellers have concocted imaginary monsters of the deep, and now scientists are looking there to find bizarre, unknown species, chemicals to make new medicines, and to gain a greater understanding of how this world of ours works. With an average depth of 12,000 feet and chasms that plunge much deeper, it forms a frontier for new discoveries.
The Brilliant Abyss tells the story of our relationship with the deep sea – how we imagine, explore and exploit it. It captures the golden age of discovery we are currently in and looks back at the history of how we got here, while also looking forward to the unfolding new environmental disasters that are taking place miles beneath the waves, far beyond the public gaze.
Throughout history, there have been two distinct groups of deep-sea explorers. Both have sought knowledge but with different and often conflicting ambitions in mind. Some people want to quench their curiosity; many more have been lured by the possibilities of commerce and profit. The tension between these two opposing sides is the theme that runs throughout the book, while readers are taken on a chronological journey through humanity’s developing relationship with the deep sea. The Brilliant Abyss ends by looking forwards to humanity’s advancing impacts on the deep, including mining and pollution and what we can do about them.
Buy On:
Easons €17.99
Bookshop.org UK £17.09
Bookshop.org US $25.11
Blackwells £17.99
Waterstones £14.99
Wordery $22.21
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
The Famous Five Collection 1: Books 1-3 by Enid Blyton. Description from Bookshop.org: (All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)
I used to be obsessed with the Famous 5!!
The Famous Five Collection 1: Books 1-3
Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog find excitement and adventure wherever they go in Enid Blyton's most popular series.
Five On A Treasure Island
A shipwreck off Kirrin Island! But where is the treasure? The Famous Five are searching for clues - but they're not alone ... Someone else has joined the treasure hunt.
Five Go Adventuring Again
A thief at Kirrin Cottage! Who can it be? The Famous Five think they know - but they need proof! Then they find an old map and an unusual hiding place...
Five Run Away Together
Who's been on George's Island? And what is locked in the mysterious trunk hidden on Kirrin Island? The Famous Five think they're on the trail of smugglers - until they hear a child scream...
This 70th anniversary edition features the Classic editions of the first three Famous Five adventures in one volume and contains the original cover art and inside drawings by Eileen Soper.
Buy On:
Easons €9.49
Bookshop.org UK £10.44
Blackwells £8.16
Waterstones £10.99
Wordery $13.57
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
Always paper. I had drifted over to Kindle as it was easier to carry around but nothing beats paper if you ask me.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
Waterstones
I love Waterstones. Something about the classic layout and the sheer number of books and that it is clearly a bookshop for book lovers.
Many thanks to Niall for recommending a super selection of books! Please don't forget to check out Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: HarperCollins Publishers (Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life), Ebury Publishing (The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich), Avery Publishing Group (Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones), Hachette Children's Group (The Famous Five Collection 1: Books 1-3).
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