If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, this psychological thriller by K.L. Slater (https://klslaterauthor.com/about/) will provide an entertaining read. The summary is as follows. Anna lives a solitary existence, taking solace in order and routine. Thirteen years previously someone had injured her very badly. Her only friend is the lonely old […]
Not many human civilisations, or their seats of power, last thousands of years. Byzantium is one of them. This major place of power and cultural influence has had three instantiations: Byzantium, Constantinople, and Istanbul. In this book, historian Bettany Hughes (https://www.bettanyhughes.co.uk/) describes the bitter clashes of civilisation that have occurred where Europe meets Asia —
It might surprise and horrify you to learn that your whole body is crawling with parasites. This is nothing about not having washed your hair properly! Most of the micro-organisms are beneficial, indeed necessary, to the proper functioning of ‘your’ body. I parenthesise ‘your’ because the organism you prefer to call ‘you’ is really an
It’s a good time to re-read Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel ‘The Remains of the Day’. First published in 1989, the novel can be read as an elegy for England. Much of what made England great derived from her empire (including Scotland). When that receded, her power, wealth and influence in the world declined. It was the
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Read More »
Well known as a TV presenter, Alice Roberts (http://www.alice-roberts.co.uk/) has travelled the world – from Ethiopian desert to Malay peninsula and from Russian steppes to Amazon basin – in order to understand the challenges that early humans faced as they tried to settle continents. On her travels she has witnessed some of the daunting and brutal
The Incredible Human Journey Read More »
It wasn’t so very long ago that mankind congratulated itself on being on a world which was the centre of the Universe. The stars and heavenly bodies were a mere backdrop to the human drama which was played out in front of a creator deity. It has taken courage and enormous patient observation to break
Mapping the Heavens Read More »
In this book Denis Feeney (http://www.princeton.edu/classics/people/display_person.xml?netid=dfeeney) argues that the creation of a Roman literature on Greek models was not just a matter of time, something that was bound to happen sooner or later, but instead one of the strangest and most unlikely events of Mediterranean history. Authors whom we read every day – Virgil, Ovid, Cicero
Ross Armstrong (http://www.hamiltonhodell.co.uk/cv/client_ross-armstrong_id_100030.htm) is a British stage and screen actor who has performed in the West End of London, on Broadway and in theatres throughout the UK. He has acted in Hamlet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Deep Blue Sea. His TV appearances include Foyle’s War, Jonathan Creek, Mr Selfridge, DCI Banks
In this book a leading psychologist reveals how the emotion of pride has shaped our minds and our culture, and shows how we can harness its power. Long understood to be a powerful drive in the self-conscious human animal, it has been classed as first in the list of seven deadly sins by religion. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins) Why
Take Pride by Jessica Tracy Read More »
Nicholas Carr’s Utopia is Creepy: and Other Provocations is significant for the questions it raises about our relationship with technology. Such as, how is the Internet affecting our powers of concentration? Can personal technology seduce us away from things we find pleasurable or fulfilling? Can we have the peace and prosperity technological enthusiasts promise without an accompanying
Utopia is Creepy by Nicholas Carr Read More »
We regard our British countryside as precious and ‘natural’. After all, that’s where we find ‘nature’. In truth, almost the entire landmass of the British Isles above the geology is an artefact of human intervention. It all starts, in this context, with the European climatic spasm of 9,700BC and the end of the last ice age.
The Making of the British Landscape Read More »
Polly Toynbee (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_Toynbee) turned 70 a few weeks ago. The celebrated Guardian columnist has got more sensible things to say than dozens of hair brained media pundits put together. To enjoy a book length exposition of her thoughts I’d start with Unjust Rewards, co-authored with David Walker. It concerns the obscene level of riches that
Unjust Rewards by Polly Toynbee Read More »
Lies, distortion, ignorance and falsity now saturate our culture. A fresh acme was reached during the US Presidential Trump campaign in late 2016 when ‘post-truth’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth_politics) became celebrated. Fact checkers couldn’t keep count of the lies which were being spewed out. Thank goodness the cool voice of reason and a love of truth still exist.
Skeptic by Michael Shermer Read More »
Even something as quotidian and seemingly inconsequential as swearing can be subject to theory. Why do we swear, and what function does it fulfil? Can we infer anything from cultural or historical variations in the practice of swearing? Is it, for example, always intemperate behaviour, and always (in some form) aggressive? Is it always offensive?
What the F by Benjamin K. Bergen Read More »
Fancy a gripping suspense thriller you could read straight through on a cold afternoon? Turn to an author who is fast gaining a reputation for serving up the goods – Ruth Ware. Her latest title is The Woman in Cabin 10. The summary is as follows. Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine is
The Woman in Cabin 10 Read More »
