My (Not So) Perfect Life

by Sophie Kinsella
My (Not So) Perfect Life cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 5054
  • Added: 2025-10-22
  • Updated: 2025-10-22
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
thepeoplesfriend.co.uk · Unknown · 2018-05-16
good 4.50

The reviewer found the book to be super readable and not overly technical, with a good explanation of topics in multiple ways. They appreciated the inclusion of further reading and the pictures, diagrams, and tables. The reviewer would recommend this book to anyone interested in a basic overview of cryptography.

The reviewer really liked this book because it did a really good job of explaining topics in multiple different ways, which helped with their comprehension. They also appreciated the pictures, diagrams, and tables included in the book. The reviewer liked that the author included a further reading section, which they plan to look into. Overall, the book is super readable and not very technical. When things get a bit complicated, the author describes the topics very well. The reviewer would recommend this book to anyone who wants a basic overview of cryptography from the very beginnings of the field to 1999. The reviewer found the book to be informative and enjoyable, with a good balance of history and theory. They appreciated the accessible and digestible way the information was presented.

Quick quotes

    I really liked this book because it did a really good job of explaining topics in multiple different ways. I think that really helped with my comprehension of each topic. I also really liked the pictures, diagrams, and tables.

    I also like that the author included further reading section, because I think I will look into some of the other books on there and potentially read them.

    Overall, this book is super readable, and it's not very technical. When things get a bit complicated, the author describes the topics very well.

guardianbookshop.com · Unknown · 2017-07-13
excellent 4.50

The Code Book by Simon Singh is a highly readable and engaging history of cryptography, tracing the evolution of secret codes from ancient times to the digital age. The book highlights the role of prime numbers in modern cryptography and the transformation of the field by digital computers. Singh's approach of attaching abstract ideas to historical figures makes the subject accessible and compelling.

Simon Singh's The Code Book offers a fascinating journey through the history of cryptography, from ancient ciphers to the complex algorithms of the digital age. The book is notable for its ability to make abstract mathematical concepts understandable and engaging. Singh's method of tying these concepts to historical figures, such as Mary Queen of Scots and Blaise de Vigenère, adds a human element to the story. The narrative is well-paced and skilfully told, making it accessible to both experts and general readers. The book also explores the role of prime numbers in modern cryptography and the impact of digital computers on the field. Singh's work is a testament to the importance of keys in the science of secrecy, highlighting how the security of codes often depends on the complexity and length of the keys used. Overall, The Code Book is a compelling read that sheds light on the evolution of cryptography and its significance in the digital age.

Quick quotes

    The Caesar shift is an example of a monoalphabetic cipher, all of which, as Arab mathematicians demonstrated in the tenth century, are easily broken because letter frequencies are consistent across texts in a given language.

    The cipher's weak point, it turned out, was not its encoding strategy, but the length of the key (usually a single word or phrase) which has to be repeated many times until it covers the message if it's to designate an alphabet for each plaintext letter.

    The resulting cipher, known as a 'one-time pad', is indeed unbreakable, but the problems of generating and securely distributing enough keys has restricted it to situations combining low use with the highest security, such as traffic on the White House-Kremlin hotline.

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