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
It took me a long time to get through “Night and Day”. Continue reading Virginia Woolf’s “Night and Day”- book review
There’s not been a bookish New Year’s resolution post this year, and for good reason. Last year’s one failed spectacularly. Let’s have a look. 1. I hoped I would spend less on books. I didn’t. I hoped I would borrow more from the library. That was the case when I was unemployed, but since I’ve started working full-time the resolution has gone out the window. … Continue reading No new resolutions – and the joys of rereading
