Julian Walker

The decade 2010-19 was a period of change and colour in Reading’s bus services. Many routes and liveries changed, not just for Reading Buses but also the other operators that ran longer-distance services into the town. It was a period of expansion as Reading Buses took on the services of other operators in the middle of the decade and new operators appeared in the town – some more enduring than others. In this book author and photographer Julian Walker traces the development of the bus network in Reading, the vehicles being introduced and the changes to the liveries as the decade progressed. Starting with an introduction to the history of Reading Buses prior to 2010, the important ‘Premier Routes’ concept is also covered. This had been conceived and rolled out during the previous decade to give each main core route its own identity and colour, albeit to a corporate template. It was this that set the scene for the ‘change and colour’ of the 2010s, as routes changed – or were acquired from other operators - and the style of the branding evolved, with new names, colours and styles being introduced. Each year of the decade is covered separately to give a brief account of how it reflects the changes that were going on at the time. A postscript chapter gives a brief outline of events post-2019, and the future for Reading’s buses is considered. This photographic survey of the bus scene in Reading in the decade 2010-2019 will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of road transport in this area.

Conspirituality takes a deep dive into the troubling phenomenon of influencers who have curdled New Age spirituality and wellness with the politics of paranoia—peddling vaccine misinformation, tales of child trafficking, and wild conspiracy theories. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disturbing social media trend emerged: a large number of yoga instructors and alt-health influencers were posting stories about a secretive global cabal bent on controlling the world’s population with a genocidal vaccine. Instagram feeds that had been serving up green smoothie recipes and Mary Oliver poems became firehoses of Fox News links, memes from 4chan, and prophecies of global transformation. Since May 2020, Derek Beres, Matthew Remski and Julian Walker have used their Conspirituality podcast to expose countless facets of the intersection of alt-health practitioners with far-right conspiracy trolls. Now this expansive and revelatory book unpacks the follies, frauds, cons and cults that dominate the New Age and wellness spheres and betray the trust of people who seek genuine relief in this uncertain age. With analytical rigor and irreverent humor, Conspirituality offers an antidote to our times, helping readers recognize wellness grifts, engage with loved ones who've fallen under the influence, and counter lies and distortions with insight and empathy.