Rather than providing a matter-of-fact account of what she has done and when, Hurston mixes together fiction to create an origin story for herself. That said, the book was first published in 1942, and it shows many signs of its time. Continue reading Zora Neale Hurston “Dust tracks on a road”- book review
Naturally I was very excited to find that Joseph Conrad visited Mauritius too – and that he wrote about it. Continue reading Joseph Conrad’s “A Smile of Fortune”- book review
What better time to read Jared Diamond’s Upheaval? After all, the world is having a crisis of some sort at the moment. Sadly, the book doesn’t lay out a ten-step-plan to get ourselves out of the COVID-19 crisis, as it was published in 2019, a world away from what is actually going on now. Still. Jared Diamond’s Upheaval is a case study of 7 nations … Continue reading Jared Diamond’s “Upheaval” – book review
Known to quite a few people as “the other Booker winner (not the Atwood)”, Evaristo’s book recently came out in paperback with a lovely very tempting cover. Girl Woman Other chronicles the lives of black British women who are linked either by family relations (the book covers several mother-daughter pairs) or tangential connections. Be warned though, the novel uses no formal sentences. Apart from commas, … Continue reading Bernardine Evaristo’s “Girl, Woman, Other” – book review
I have a history of not receiving feedback terribly well. When I was little and my Mum had the audacity to say that I was not vacuum cleaning in the corners, I would cross my arms and reply “You can do it yourself if you don’t like it”. The slightest criticism was a risk of me either giving up or bursting into tears. Obviously, as … Continue reading Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen “Thanks for the Feedback” – book review
If this was a realistic novel about spies in suits, I’d be so happy… Continue reading Jason Matthews “The Red Sparrow” – book review
Did I really ‘read’ William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy?
I let it waft around me, listening on Audible as I cooked dinner and I cleared the kitchen. That is surely not the reading it deserves. Continue reading William Dalrymple’s “The Anarchy” – book review
This is not a story of a hero. This is a story of a man who did the best he could. We need more like him. Continue reading Jack Fairweather’s “The Volunteer” – book review
Cryptography, by necessity, is a complex subject. If it were simple, it wouldn’t serve its purpose. Continue reading Fred C. Piper and Sean Murphy “Cryptography: A very short introduction” – book review
It took me half a year- but I finally did it! I finished reading Les Liaisons Dangereuses ! Continue reading Choderlos de Laclos “Les Liaisons Dangerouses” – book review
