Dr Paul Murray arrived back yesterdday from his six month stay in England to a lovely surprise on his desk.  It was a copy of a book written by Miles Maskell (1953O).  He immediately wrote back to Miles to say thank you for gifting the book to the ODU.  In his message to Miles he wrote:

So far, as you will see, I have only made a start to the book, but look forward to sitting in the Board Room reading the rest, over Tea or break-time.  Skimming through the book, however, I already see such gems for me to read

The Telegraph wrote a nice background piece on Miles where they describe him as a man who has lived a varied and adventurous life, and has travelled widely as amply demonstrated in his anecdotes.   The piece includes details of his amazing life.  Here is an excerpt:

He has been a City of London wine merchant, owned two restaurants and a champagne bar, and eventually created a company letting top-of-the-range properties in southern France on behalf of their owners.He has climbed mountains, shot wild boar in Poland, piloted a 4-seater aircraft of which he was a part-owner, parachuted in New Zealand, and ridden the Cresta Run in St Moritz.

He is also a sculptor.  Written as a lighthearted and easy-to-read series of anecdotes, this is his autobiography and recounts some of the more entertaining experiences of his life to date, as well as a number of amusing incidents encountered by his relations and closest friends.He was born in London where he continues to live, having been at school in Cape Town and then at Cambridge University.

https://books.telegraph.co.uk/Product/Miles-Maskell/My-Wifes-Canary/28265893

About the Author

• Miles Maskell was born in London, where he has lived for most of his adult life.
• He moved to Cape Town with his family at an early age, only returning to London upon leaving school.
• After Cambridge University, he purchased a firm of wine merchants in the City of London, opened a champagne bar and two restaurants.
• He then created a business letting houses in France on behalf of their owners.
• He retired in 2018, and has spent part of his time since then writing this, his first book.

https://www.amazon.com/My-Wifes-Canary-Miles-Maskell/dp/1398443026

Review comments of his new book have been very positive.  The following review was done by Sophia Ward:

Absolutely enjoyed reading My Wife's Canary. It has many interesting and funny stories which I loved. My favorite memoir was definitely "Trying to Book a Table" even though it was very hard to choose a favorite! The layout of the book was not too complicated and was easy to understand, it also had a perfect font size. I can recommend that you read it.

Thank you once again for adding to our bookshelf.