A joy to read. A book of poetry unlike any other I have come across. Magical and realistic at once. Humanist and spiritual at the same time. Insightful, majestic, soaring and yet detailed and intricate.
Where Everything is Music
Author: Steve Harris
The Atheist’s Mass
2 devastating stories of faith and sacrifice from Balzac's panorama of nineteenth-century French life, La Comédie Humaine.
A Man’s Head
Maigret believes he has got the wrong man. But no one else is a suspect. And the convict is about to go to the gallows.....
Citizens
This book will give the reader an understanding of the tragedy of the French Revolution. A Revolution that failed to feed the population, a Revolution that failed to protect the population from outside invaders, and a Revolution that failed to protect the population from corruption and tyranny. A failure on all accounts.
Boost your Basketball IQ
by Jason Calabrese ISBN: 979-8-9911523-0-3 79 pages Publisher: authorpreneurbooks.com Cover design: Zizi Iryaspraha Subiyarta 5 / 5 Stars A great basketball book , full of good recommendations that are easily applicable and easily trainable. One of the best basketball books I have read. There are 8 chapters, Defense really does win games The Do's and… Continue reading Boost your Basketball IQ
Monkey King Makes Havoc in Heaven
by Wu Cheng'en ISBN: 978-0-241-75240-1 First published: 16th Century 104 pages Translated by Julia Lovell Publisher: Penguin Archive part of http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com 6 / 5 Stars A wonderful short extract from the longer work "Monkey King : Journey to the West". It has been compared to both Don Quixote and the Canterbury Tales. What makes the… Continue reading Monkey King Makes Havoc in Heaven
Prodigy
by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque ISBN: 978-1534-312364-51999 First published July 2019 154 pages Cover image: Rafael Albuquerque and Marcelo Maiolo (Colourist) Publisher: imagecomics.com 4.5 / 5 Stars An entertaining rip-roaring adventure across the earth - a Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones meets Nemesis meets Moon Knight. The clever guy is the hero, but… Continue reading Prodigy
Rook: Exodus
by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok ISBN: 978-1-5343-6736-4 First published: April 2025 86 pages Publisher: GhostMachinePro.com / ImageComics.com Front cover image: Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson 4 / 5 Stars An interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world, but in this case, not earth but another planet called 'Exodus'. A new world failed its terraforming, and… Continue reading Rook: Exodus
Play Better Basketball
The essential skills for player development
Bon Voyage, Mr President
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ISBN: 0-14-600035-8 First published 1992 58 pages Publisher: Penguin Books (Penguin 60's) Translated by Mondadori España Cover illustration by Rosemary Woods 5 / 5 Stars A wonderful little book. With stories short enough, and good enough, to be able to read easily in the middle of the night if you have… Continue reading Bon Voyage, Mr President
The Lion Concise Atlas of Biblical History
by Paul Lawrence ISBN: 978-0-7459-5532-2 First published: 2012 173 pages Publisher: http://www.lionhudson.com Cover image: Noam Armonn / Spaces Images / Corbis 5/5 Stars A wonderful, well illustrated, well written, well structured and narratively cohesive exploration of the geography of the Christian bible. The maps are well drawn, colourful and easy to digest. However, there are… Continue reading The Lion Concise Atlas of Biblical History
A Crime in Holland
Outsiders are viewed with suspicion in the small Dutch town of Delfzijl. Unable to speak the language, Maigret must unearth the sins at the heart of this seemingly respectable community.
Rogue Moon
A disquieting and original psychological study. Rogue Moon is the story of monstrous scientific ambition matched by human obsession.
The Madness of Nero
Nero has seized control of Rome and the crown. He is willing to destroy anyone that gets in his way. no one is safe - not even his scheming mother.
The Men Who Were Sherlock Holmes
In 1839, young army officer Cecil Hambrough was murdered, unleashing one of the most gripping court cases Victorian Britain had ever known.
Tokyo Express
by Seichō Matsumoto ISBN: 978-0-241-43908-1 First published 1958 149 Pages Publisher: Penguin Cover illustration: Japan Government Railways Poster 1937 by Munetsugu Satomi 5/5 Stars Any book with a map, you know it is going to be good. But train times and schedules? And using them to solve a crime of murder? A great story by… Continue reading Tokyo Express
The Tombs of Atuan
by Ursula K. Le Guin ISBN: 978-0-241-95687-8 First published 1972 131 pages Publisher: PENGUIN Fiction Designed by Edward Bettison 6 / 5 Stars The second book of the quartet, written 3 years later. An intriguing story, different from the first book, 'A Wizard of Earthsea'. Less chasing, less fighting, we see less of the world.… Continue reading The Tombs of Atuan
A Wizard of Earthsea
by Ursula K. Le Guin ISBN: 978-0-241-95687-8 First published 1968 167 pages Publisher: PENGUIN Fiction Designed by Edward Bettison 5 / 5 Stars Ursula K. Le Guin started with a map, before writing. The titular hero of the book then visits many of these islands. The world Ursula creates is one where ocean covers most… Continue reading A Wizard of Earthsea
Satori à Paris
by Jack Kerouac ISBN: 978-2-07-296188-5 First published 1966 Translated from the English by Jean Autret 224 pages (112 English / 112 French) Publisher: folio-lesite.fr Cover photo by Giovanni Coruzzi / Leemage 4 / 5 Stars An interesting book, about Jack Kerouac trying to find his descendants in Brittany, France. This copy is part of the… Continue reading Satori à Paris
More Tales of the Unexpected
by Roald Dahl ISBN: 978-014-0056-068 First published 1954 (1,2) 1960 (3,4) 1977 (5) 1980 (6,7,8,9) 127 pages Publisher: Penguin Group Cover illustration N/A 4 / 5 Stars A collection of 9 weird stories from Roald Dahl, some of them filmed for Television, as below. Poison Series 2, Episode 5 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28912885/ The Sound Machine Series 4,… Continue reading More Tales of the Unexpected
The Short Reign of Pippin IV
by John Steinbeck ISBN: 0-330-02163-X First published 1957 159 pages Publisher: Pan Books in association with William Heinemann Cover illustration N/A 4 / 5 Stars A strange type of book by John Steinbeck, 'Winner of the 1962 Novel Prize for Literature'. Part satire, part comment, the book asks the reader the question, what would you… Continue reading The Short Reign of Pippin IV
The First World War
by A.J.P. Taylor ISBN: 978-0-140-02481-4 First published 1963 287 pages Publisher: Penguin Books Cover photograph: British soldier at Ypres (Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images) 5 / 5 Stars Very interesting book, and a very useful book if you are to visit the battlefields, cemeteries and graveyards of World War in Northern France or Türkiye. And there are… Continue reading The First World War
The Cat Who Saved Books
by Sosuke Natsukawa ISBN-13: 978-1529081480 First published 2021 217 pages Publisher: http://www.picador.com Cover illustration by Yoko Tanji Translated by Louise Heal Kawai 4 / 5 Stars Interesting book about a journey of self-discovery using the concept of a labyrinth to help guide us and the protagonist towards their goal. But on a deeper level it… Continue reading The Cat Who Saved Books
The Basque History of the World
by Mark Kurlansky ISBN: 978-0-099-28413-0 First published 1999 359 pages Publisher: vintage-books.co.uk Cover illustration by Nikolai Punin 5 / 5 Stars The story of a people that has never had its own nation-state and yet has thousands of years of history. They sailed the Atlantis, not only the Bay of Biscay. They could have found… Continue reading The Basque History of the World
The Children of Green Knowe
by Lucy M. Boston ISBN: 978-0-571-300347-2 First published 1954 198 pages (The Children of Green Knowe) Publisher: http://www.faber.co.uk Cover illustration by Peter Bailey Story illustrations by Peter Boston 5 / 5 Stars A wonderful children's story, entertaining and heart-warming. The author describes an old house with a gardener/caretaker and a great-grand mother whom is excited… Continue reading The Children of Green Knowe
The Royal Game
by Stefan Zweig ISBN: 978-1-78227-826-9 First published: 1941 Translated from the German by Alexander Starritt 105 pages Publisher: pushkinpress.com Front cover image: Supawat Bursuk / EyeEm / Martin Barraud 5/5 Stars A page turning novella full of intrigue and drama. Written during the Second World War in the age of the great ocean liners. This… Continue reading The Royal Game
Before the coffee gets cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ISBN: 9781529029581 90500 First published 2019 Translated from the Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot 213 pages Publisher: http://www.picador.com Cover illustration courtesy of Sunmark Publishing Inc. 7 / 5 Stars Very rarely, perhaps once every two or three years, there comes a book that transforms your outlook on what writing can be. The possibilities… Continue reading Before the coffee gets cold
History Of The Cathars
A really interesting introduction to the history of the Cathar movement.
Six Easy Pieces
by Richard Feynman ISBN: 978-01402-7666-4 First published 1995 138 pages Publisher: Penguin Science Cover illustration by Andy Bridge Star rating unavailable A star rating is unavailable for this book. In its introduction Feynman describes how the book's intended audience is Physicists, specifically those commencing an undergraduate degree in Physics, but really for any physicist that… Continue reading Six Easy Pieces
The Scarlet Pimpernel
by Baroness Orczy ISBN : n/a First published 1937 192 pages Publisher: University of London Press Ltd Illustrations by Richard Kennedy 5/5 Stars A 1966 impression of this English classic, first published in 1937. The Scarlet Pimpernel was the first masked hero, ahead of Zorro or the Lone Ranger and late incarnations such as Batman.… Continue reading The Scarlet Pimpernel
Asterix and the Missing Scroll
by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad ISBN: 978-1510-100466 First published 2015 48 pages Publisher: http://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk 4 / 5 Stars At first you might think 'an underwhelming title', until you realise that the book references Caesar's great work 'Commentaries on the Conquest of Gaul' Then you realise this 'comic' book addresses the real question, what would… Continue reading Asterix and the Missing Scroll
Wasp
by Eric Frank Russell ISBN: 978-0-575-12904-7 First published 1957 180 pages Publisher: Gollancz / http://www.orionbooks.co.uk / http://www.gollancz.co.uk Cover illustration by Dominic Harman 3.5 / 5 Stars A different type of science fiction book. Although an interstellar war is the backdrop, all the action takes place on one planet, and a single region on that planet.… Continue reading Wasp
The Yellow Dog
by Georges Simenon ISBN: 978-0-141-39347-6 First published 1931 134 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics Cover photograph: Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Photos 5 / 5 Stars A splendid novel, with more action than other Maigret novels. This novel was such a success that it was the first of the Maigret's stories to be filmed, directed by Jean… Continue reading The Yellow Dog
The Book With No Pictures
by B. J. Novak ISBN: 978-0-141-36179-6 First published 2014 45 pages Publisher: puffinbooks.com 6 / 5 Stars Ha ha! A well deserved 6 stars out of 5 for such a great idea. Not just for being a picture book without pictures.... B J Novak realised that when you read a book outload - you read… Continue reading The Book With No Pictures
Félicie
by Georges Simenon ISNB: 978-0-241-18866-8 First published 1944 152 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics Cover photograph: Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Photos 4/5 Stars Each Inspector Maigret story has its own idiosyncrasy, its own theme which runs through the short book. Is it summer? Is it in Paris? Is it set in the countryside? Here the 'theme'… Continue reading Félicie
Moon Knight
Crazy runs in the family by Max Bemis (Writer) and Jacen Burrows (Penciller) ISBN: 978-1-302-90937-6 First published 2017 193 pages Publisher: marvel.com Cover illustration: Jacen Burrows 4 / 5 Stars A great introduction to Moon Knight. A billionaire with a split personality, 3 of them actually; Steven Grant - Wealthy and stylish entrepreneur (think Bruce… Continue reading Moon Knight
Factfulness
by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund ISBN: 978-1-473-63749-8 First published 2018 329 pages Publisher: sceptrebooks.co.uk Designed by Steven Seighman 5 / 5 Stars A truly ground-breaking book. Momentous in its scale and purview. The world has developed faster than you can imagine. That is the first take-away. The second is that… Continue reading Factfulness
Inspector Cadaver
by Georges Simenon ISBN: 978-0-241-18847-7 First published 1944 170 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics Cover photograph: Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Photos Translated by William Hobson 5 / 5 Stars Maigret doesn't so much solve crime as allow the truth to seep from the characters involved and therefore the 'crime' to solve itself... Often he is no… Continue reading Inspector Cadaver
Asterix and the Chariot Race
by Jean-Yves FERRI and Didier CONRAD ISBN: 978-1-5101-0500-3 First published 2017 46 pages Publisher: http://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk Cover by Didier Conrad Translation by Adriana Hunter 5 / 5 Stars A really great Asterix book, with a new country (Italy) to explore, a mission, great escapades, friends and enemies and suspense. The suspense is not who will win… Continue reading Asterix and the Chariot Race
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein ISBN: 978-0-06-025665-4 First published 1964 52 pages Publisher: http://www.harperchildrens.com Cover illustration : Shel Silverstein 5 / 5 Stars A really simple children's book, with a great premise. What would life be like with a friend to stay with you, all through the ages? That is what the giving tree is. Some pages… Continue reading The Giving Tree
How I learned to understand the world
Hans Rosling was a public health educator, speaking at conferences and events across the world. When he found out he had cancer he immediately started the process of gathering his notes and starting an autobiography, which was published after his death in 2017.
Here Comes A Chopper To Chop Off Your Head
The dark side of childhood rhymes and stories
Maigret and the Old People
By Georges Simenon ISBN: 978-0-241-30389-4 First published 1960 155 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics Cover photograph: Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Photos Front cover design: Alceu Chiesorin Nunes 4/5 Stars A trip into the labyrinthine world of the late 1950's French aristocracy. Old people, no longer holding any real power, but still indulging in forced marriages, affairs… Continue reading Maigret and the Old People
The Two-Penny Bar
by Georges Simenon ISBN: 978-0-141-39417-6 First published 1932 149 pages Publisher: Penguin Classics Cover photo: Harry Gruyaert/Magnum Photos Cover design: Alceu Chiesorin Nunes 4 / 5 Stars A great 'whodunit' mystery by the great Georges Simenon. Set in Paris, on the banks of the Seine, in the heat of the summer, before WWII. Can Inspector… Continue reading The Two-Penny Bar
The Dwarves
by Markus Heitz ISBN:978-1-84149-572-9 First published 2003 736 pages Publisher: orbitbooks.net Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer Cover image : Unknown and not specified 4 / 5 Stars Great book, vast in scope but with attention to detail. Interesting idea to have lands that contain magic and lands that don't. Great characters. Good versus Evil.… Continue reading The Dwarves
Rivers of London
by Ben Aaronovitch ISBN: 978-0-575-09758-2 First published 2011 390 pages Publisher: http://www.gollancz.co.uk Cover illustration: Stephen Walter Cover design: http://www.patrickknowlesdesign.com 3.5 Stars An enjoyable 'holiday' read of a Constable investigating supernatural crimes. Loosely based on the old 'Punch and Judy' puppet shows, it is a fast paced dash through London. Each of the rivers of London… Continue reading Rivers of London
The Last Day
Subtitle: Wrath, Ruin, & Reason in The Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 by Nicholas Shrady ISBN: 978-0-14-311460-4 First published 2008 228 pages Publisher: penguin.com Cover design: Gabriele Wilson Cover art: The Earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, November 1, 1755 coloured wood engraving The Granger Collection New York 4/5 Stars Lisbon was one of Europe's leading cities… Continue reading The Last Day
Raft
by Stephen Baxter ISBN: 978-1-473-22405-6 First published 1991 245 pages Publisher: gollancz.co.uk / sfgateway.com 4.5 / 5 Stars Great book, in the classic sci-fi tradition. This book actually forms part of the Xeelee sequence of books by Stephen Baxter, although it can and should be read as a stand-alone book. There are so many great… Continue reading Raft
Modern Times
by James Harvey Robinson, Ph.D. First published 1902, this version 1925 790 pages Publisher: Ginn and Company Ltd, Queen Square, London WC1 5/5 Stars A history book and a historical book, newly revised to include the Great War, 1914-1918. The book is intact with full colour maps, such as this of Europe after 1815. The… Continue reading Modern Times
47 Degrees
by Justin D'Ath ISBN: 978-0-14-378907-9 First published 2019 246 pages Publisher: Penguin.com.au Cover design by Branco Herfst 4/5 Stars A semi-autobiographical account of the devastating bushfires of the 2009 Victoria Black Saturday bushfires. Justin even includes photos of his own burnt down home and possessions. The descriptions of the heat of the fire, how it… Continue reading 47 Degrees
Time Out Of Joint
by Philip K. Dick ISBN: 978-0-547-57258-1 First published 1959 232 pages Publisher: Mariner / http://www.marinerbooks.com Cover design by Christopher Moisan 5/5 Stars Science Fiction only done the way Philip K. Dick can do it..... Outwardly normal scenes, suburbs, children, neighbours. But underneath there is that nagging sense of doubt. What is wrong with the neighbours?… Continue reading Time Out Of Joint
Slow Bullets
by Alastair Reynolds ISBN: 978-1-616-961930 First published 2015 192 pages Publisher: Tachyon Publications / http://www.tachyonpublications.com Cover art: Thomas Canty 4/5 Stars Good, solid, science fiction space opera. Baddies and goodies, an interesting universe and a problem to solve. Life and Death in space with well-drawn characters and challenges to overcome. Big enough to tell the… Continue reading Slow Bullets
Off the Map
by Alastair Bonnett ISBN: 978-1-78131-257-5 First published 2014 310 pages Publisher: Aurum Press / aurumpress.co.uk Cover image: Egbert L. Viele, David Rumsey - Historical Map Collection 4/5 Stars Interesting book about 'Lost Spaces, Invisible Cities, Forgotten Islands, Feral Places, and What They Tell Us About the World'. There are some sad stories, Twayil Abu Jarwal,… Continue reading Off the Map
Lost Capital of Byzantium
by Steven Runciman ISBN: 978-1-84511-895-2 First published 1980 144 pages Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbooks Cover image: Hagios Nikolaos, Mistra Cover image by Vanni/CORBIS 5/5 Stars Take a trip into the past, into the last flourish of the Byzantine culture. The last cultural outpouring of a people that traced their lineage back through thousands of years,… Continue reading Lost Capital of Byzantium
The Sicilian Vespers
by Steven Runciman ISBN: 978-1-107-60474-2 First published 1958 356 pages Publisher: Cambridge University Press Cover image by Savushkin Cover design by Andrew Ward 4/5 Stars Easter 1282 a rebellion broke out on the island of Sicily against the rules of the French overlords. Within a short period all the French on the island of Sicily… Continue reading The Sicilian Vespers
The Bus under the Leaves
by Margaret Mahy ISBN: 0 14 03 0721 4 First published 1974 72 pages Publisher: Puffin Books Cover and illustrations by Margery Gill 5/5 Stars A wonderful children's book about summer holidays. Holidays are spent meeting new people and doing new things. Margaret Mahy captures the mood of tranquil summer in the countryside away from… Continue reading The Bus under the Leaves
Blitzed
Drugs in Nazi Germany By Norman Ohler ISBN: 978-0-141-98316-5 First published 2015 281 pages Publisher: Penguin RandomHouse UK 5/5 Stars A rather remarkable book, translated from the German by Shaun Whiteside. This book focuses on the pharmacological underpinnings of the Third Reich. With the ascent of the Nazi Party to power in 1933, recreational drugs… Continue reading Blitzed
The Haunting
by Margaret Mahy ISBN 0-14-036325-4 First published 1982 135 pages Publisher: Puffin Books Cover illustration by Alun Hood 5/5 Stars An Australian ghost story. A boy plagued by dreams, by a ghost, by a particular ghost. The book is set in small town Australia, a boy has lost his mother and his father has… Continue reading The Haunting
12 Rules for Life
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson ISBN: 978-0-241-35164-2 First published 2018 368 pages Publisher: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books Cover design by Lisa Jager 3/5 Stars 2 / 5 Stars downgraded upon review 1 / 5 Stars downgraded upon sequel release. A interesting read, spanning religion and mythology and psychology and… Continue reading 12 Rules for Life
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead
by Tom Stoppard ISBN: 0-571-08182-7 First published in May 1967 119 pages Publisher: Faber and Faber Limited Cover illustration by Pentagram 4/5 Stars A cleverly worked story, taking two minor characters from the play Hamlet, and allowing us to see what they get up to outside of the action in hamlet. Which, as it turns… Continue reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead
The Kingdom of Acre
A History of the Crusades III : The Kingdom of Acre By Steven Runciman ISBN: 978-0-241-29877-0 First published 1954 401 pages Publisher : Penguin Classics Cover illustration: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris 6/5 Stars A wonderful end to the trilogy of books written about the crusades. The attention to detail and fast pace reminded me of Stieg… Continue reading The Kingdom of Acre
The Two Towers
by J.R.R.Tolkien ISBN: 0-04-823186-X First published 1954 442 pages Publisher: Unwin Paperbacks 4.5/5 stars A thrilling continuation of the saga first started in The Fellowship of the Ring. Each chapter has its own story arc, and has a self-contained plot. This book contains the original stories Book III: The Treason of Isengard Book IV:… Continue reading The Two Towers
The Story of Ferdinand
by Munroe Leaf ISBN: 0-448-42190-9 First published 1936 30 pages Drawings by Robert Lawson Publisher Grosser & Dunlap 5/5 Stars A wonderful book that is a children's classic, (outselling Gone With The Wind when published in 1936). It is the drawings that elevate the book, based on Ronda in Andalusia, Spain. The book… Continue reading The Story of Ferdinand
The Women Who Got Away
by John Updike ISBN: 978-0-141-03293-1 First published 1953-75 106 pages Illustration by Victoria Sawdon Cover design by David Pearson Publisher: penguinclassics.com 4/5 Stars A collection of short stories by one of America's most important authors of the 20th Century, John Updike. Sexually explicit, tasteful, intriguing, realistic, poignant, Updike never stands in judgement of his characters.… Continue reading The Women Who Got Away
Leaf by Niggle
by J.R.R.Tolkien ISBN: 978-0-00-820553-9 First published 1964 58 pages Cover design by Iain Craig Publisher: http://www.tolkien.co.uk 4/5 Stars A fascinating story by Tolkien, one that came to him in a dream. Dreams come from the unconscious mind, and the conscious mind is an observer of them. To write the story of a dream must mean… Continue reading Leaf by Niggle
Riders of the Purple Sage
By Zane Grey ISBN: 978-0-340-92287-3 First published 1913 298 pages Publisher: http://www.hodder.co.uk 3.5/5 Stars Slip into the world of cattle rustlers, mormons, cowboys and riders. The scene is breathtaking, beneath the mountains and valleys, plateaus, rivers, creeks and gorges of Utah. A tough existence is brought to life by Zane Grey. The most memorable chapter… Continue reading Riders of the Purple Sage
A Study in Scarlet
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ISBN: 9-780143-570325 First published 1887 162 pages Publisher: popularpenguins.com 5/5 Stars A fantastic book, the first adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. This tells the brief tale of how they met, how they lived together and how they cracked their first case together. It is written is an easy… Continue reading A Study in Scarlet
GOD IS NOT GREAT
How religion poisons everything By Christopher Hitchens ISBN: 978-1-74175-572-5 First published 2007 341 pages Publisher: http://www.allenandunwin.com 3.5/5 Stars An interesting read.
Arthur’s Last Stand
by Alan Coren ISBN: 0-80651-027-1 First published: 1977 64 pages Publisher: Robson Books Illustrations by Alan Coren 4/5 Stars The last in the wonderful 'Arthur' series by Alan Coren, written in the mid-seventies. Brief and easy to read, the books contain good characterization, surprises, battles and dressing up - all things kids will love.… Continue reading Arthur’s Last Stand
The Boxer Rebellion
The events of 1900 laid the foundations for a modern state and any analysis of modern China must first look book at the events of 1900.
The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Rings
by J.R.R.Tolkien ISBN: 0-04-823185-1 529 pages Publisher: Unwin Paperbacks Cover illustration: Unknown 6/5 Stars A wonderful book that defines what a 'fantasy story' is. We follow a party of Hobbits from the Shire to Rivendell, and then a party of all the races of Middle-Earth on an epic quest. The book covered two volumes, originally… Continue reading The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Rings
Eugénie Grandet
by Honoré de Balzac ISBN: 978-0-19-955589-5 192 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press / http://www.oup.com/worldclassics Cover illustration: detail from A Girl Seated outside a House, 1867 by Jacob Maris 4/5 Stars "One of the earliest and most famous novels in Balzac's great Comédie humaine" begins the blurb on the back cover. The characters are well drawn and… Continue reading Eugénie Grandet
The Family From One End Street
By Eve Garnett ISBN: 978-0-141-35550-4 303 Pages Publisher: puffinbooks.com Cover illustration by Eve Garnett 5/5 Stars A wonderful book of the Rosie and Josiah Ruggles and their 7 children. A dustman and a laundry woman making a life and a family among the working class of England. Each chapter concentrates on an adventure of one… Continue reading The Family From One End Street
Beatles ’66
The Revolutionary Year By Steve Turner ISBN: 978-0-06-247558-0 419 pages Publisher: HarperCollins Cover photograph: Bob Whitaker / Camera Press / Redux 3/5 Stars A well researched and authoritative book about the magical year of 1966 when the Beatles wrote and recorded their first studio album, 'Revolver'. As special extras, we have a 'Jukebox' playlist from… Continue reading Beatles ’66
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
By Joan Aiken ISBN: 978-0-099-57287-9 223 pages Publisher: worldofstories.co.uk (Random House) Cover illustration by Rohan Eason Illustrations by Pat Marriott 5/5 Stars The start of the 'wolves' sequence of novels, that Joan Aiken would write until her death in 2004. Wolves are at loose in Britain. They have come through via the great channel tunnel,… Continue reading The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Tally’s Corner
A Study of Streetcorner Men By Elliot Liebow ISBN: 978-0742-528963 166 pages Publisher: http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com Cover photo: AP/ Wide World Photos Cover design by Jeffrey W. Talley 6/5 Stars An anthropological study, written in a literary style. At its root this is a story, a story rooted in a moment, the year 1967 in Washington D.C. (It… Continue reading Tally’s Corner
Invisible Planets
13 visions of the future Edited and translated by Ken Liu ISBN: 9-781786-692788 383 pages Publisher: http://www.headofzeus.com Images: Shutterstock 3-5/5 Stars 13 stories and 3 short essays covering a variety of science fiction genres - from 'hard' or 'Golden Age' science fiction (similar to Asimov and Clarke) to more dream-like visions or dystopian futures. The… Continue reading Invisible Planets
World of Tiers
Maker of Universes By Philip José Farmer ISBN: 0-7221-3514-9 158 pages Publisher: Sphere Science Fiction Cover illustration: Mark Harrison 4/5 Stars A 'Golden Age of Sci-Fi' story written by a master storyteller. The World of Tiers is the private creation of a 'Lord', his own playground. However, this 'Lord' has gone missing, to be replaced… Continue reading World of Tiers
HUSH
By Jeph Loeb ISBN: 9-781401-22317-5 First published 2002/2003 (single comic format) 320 pages Publisher: DC Comics Penciller: Jim Lee Inker: Scott Williams 5/5 Stars A well thought-out and well crafted murder mystery, beautifully drawn and inked by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Batman as detective, Batman as super-hero. With a wonderful assortment of characters. Poison… Continue reading HUSH
Software Runaways
By Robert L. Glass ISBN: 0-13-673443-X First published 1998 251 pages Publisher: Prentice Hall / http://www.phptr.com Cover design: Anthony Gemmellaro 3.5/5 Stars An excellent snapshot of software development as it existed in those long-ago days of 1995. Glass has gathered some of the best anecdotes and case studies available for us to study and recount… Continue reading Software Runaways
Wicked
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West By Gregory Maguire ISBN: 9-780061-350962 First published 1995 519 pages Publisher: harpercollins.com Cover Art by Wicked LLC Illustrations by Douglas Smith 3/5 Stars An adult book with fantastical sketch board images by Douglas Smith (5/5 Stars). The first illustration is a map of Oz,… Continue reading Wicked
Moderato Cantabile
By Marguerite Duras ISBN: 978-1-84749-052-0 First published 1958 122 pages Publisher: Les Éditions de Minuit / oneworldclassics.com Translated by Richard Seaver 4/5 Stars Intriguing short novel translated from the French original. A tale of forbidden passion, unleashed by the tragic events that have unfolded at a café. Marguerite describes a little industrial french coastal town. Factories,… Continue reading Moderato Cantabile
Venice – A New History
By Thomas F. Madden ISBN: 978-0-14-750980-2 First published 2012 427 pages Publisher: Penguin.org Cover photograph: Josef Hoflechner 5/5 Stars A super history of a once great city-state. Madden reveals how Venice was formed by refugees of the fallen Western Roman Empire, and was nurtured for most of its long life by the Eastern Roman Empire.… Continue reading Venice – A New History
Ballots, Bullets & Kabulshit
By Toby Ralph ISBN: 978-0-14-357058-5 First published 2012 135 pages Publisher: Penguin Specials 3/5 Stars An interesting short read into how to run an election in a war zone. Slightly tarnished by Ralph's own pontificating "...typically I'm engaged to manipulate truth for electoral gain", and "... I could still earn four times as much ..."… Continue reading Ballots, Bullets & Kabulshit
The Kingdom of Jerusalem
A History of the Crusades II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem by Steven Runciman ISBN: 978-0-241-29876-3 First published 1952 385 pages Cover: British Library Board Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics 5/5 Stars If the 'hero' of the first was crusade was Baldwin I, the first King of Jerusalem, then the 'hero' of the second crusade (and the… Continue reading The Kingdom of Jerusalem
Cold Comfort Farm
By Stella Gibbons ISBN: 0-14-118265-2 First published 1932 233 pages Cover image: Tony Stone Images Publisher: Penguin Classics 7 / 5 Stars A beautiful, beautiful book. There are eight happy endings within it. In Flora Poste, the heroine, Stella Gibbons has created a comic character full of charm and sympathy. She rivals the greatest comic… Continue reading Cold Comfort Farm
Jehan Pistolet – Corsaire Prodigieux
Texte: R. Goscinny Dessins: A. Uderzo ISBN: 2-86497-121-6 First published 1952 47 pages Publisher: Les Editions Albert René Language: French 3.5 / 5 Stars Before Asterix and Obelix, before Oumpah-Pah, came Jehan Pistolet. One of the first collaborations between René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Jehan Pistolet lives in a small seas-side village and dreams of… Continue reading Jehan Pistolet – Corsaire Prodigieux
The Richest Man in Babylon
By George S. Clason ISBN: 978-0451205360 First published 1926 196 pages Publisher: Signet / http://www.Penguin.com 5/5 Stars A very well written, financial planning book portrayed as a series of 'stories' discovered on stone tablets recovered from Ancient Babylon. The metaphor still works well, written as it was in the heyday of the 1920's boom. It… Continue reading The Richest Man in Babylon
People of the First Crusade
By Michael Foss ISBN: 1-85479-674-7 First published 1997 228 pages Cover illustration: Detail from The Fall of Acre, Vie et Miracles de St. Louis Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Limited 3.5/5 Stars An interesting view of the crusades from those that took part in it. Relying on close personal accounts from that time - the author… Continue reading People of the First Crusade
Night Birds on Nantucket
by Joan Aiken ISBN: 978-0-099-45664-3 First published 1966 202 pages Cover design: Tracey Hurst Cover illustration: Paul Hess Publisher: Red Fox Books, a division of Random House / randomhousechildrens.co.uk or kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk 5/5 Stars Remarkably, Nantucket is a real place. It really exists off the Eastern seaboard of the United States. A 19th century whaling industry… Continue reading Night Birds on Nantucket
Asterix and the Chariot Race
by Jean-Yves Ferri ISBN: 978-1-5101-0401-3 First published 2017 46 pages Illustrated by Didier Conrad Publisher: Orion / hachettechildrens.co.uk Translated by Adriana Hunter 3/5 Stars A new Asterix adventure that is as fun as the old ones. The slapstick comedy, the dry humor, the witticisms and the references to popular culture are all firmly in… Continue reading Asterix and the Chariot Race
Volcanoes
by Rosaly Lopes ISBN: 978-1-85168-725-1 First published 2010 143 pages Cover design by vaguelymemorable.com Publisher: oneworld-publications.com 4/5 Stars A great introduction to volcanoes, that starts with the following words, "we could also compare volcanoes to cats: with few exceptions, they spend most of their lives asleep". For chemists and geologists the author lists the type… Continue reading Volcanoes
Alberic the Wise
by Norton Juster ISBN: 978-0-00-745568-3 First published 1965 153 pages Cover illustration: Mel Grant Publisher: HarperCollins.co.uk 4/5 Stars 3 short stories from Norton Juster the write of The Phantom Tollbooth; Alberic the Wise She Cries No More Two Kings You never know what to expect from these short stories. Clever modern fables, with a style… Continue reading Alberic the Wise
Empires of the Sea
The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580 by Roger Crowley ISBN: 978-0-571-23231-4 First published 2008 301 pages Cover image: The Naval Battle of Lepanto by Antonio de Brugada Cover design: Gavin Morris Publisher: Faber.co.uk 5/5 Stars The great empires of the 16th century, the Ottomans versus the Hapsburgs, the Spanish versus the Turk, Christendom versus… Continue reading Empires of the Sea
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman ISBN: 9-780747-590583 First published 1973 317 pages Cover illustration: Gino D'Achille Cover design: John Fordham Publisher: Bloomsbury 4/5 Stars The book of the film, or rather, the book that the film was made from. William Goldman also wrote the screenplay for his own novel. The film follows the book very closely. The… Continue reading The Princess Bride
Hannibal’s March
Alps and Elephants by Sir Gavin R. De Beer ISBN: 978-1-59416-124-7 First published 1956 89 pages Cover image: An early colour photograph of the Alps/Library of Congress Design: John Hubbard Publisher: Westholme Publishing 5/5 Stars How did Hannibal get his elephants over the alps? What route did he take? How could he proceed in hostile… Continue reading Hannibal’s March
The Forgotten Gospels
Life and teachings of Jesus supplementary to the New Testament Edited and compiled by Tim Newton ISBN: 978-11-84529-656-8 First published 2009 179 pages Cover image: Unknown Publisher: Constable & Robinson Ltd. 5/5 Stars A well-written, well-researched and well-thought out description of the beginnings of the canon of the New Testament and the passages, verses and… Continue reading The Forgotten Gospels
Indoctrinaire
by Christopher Priest ISBN: 978-0-575-12119-5 First published 1970 202 pages Cover image: Edward Parker / Alamy Cover design: Sidonie Beresford-Browne Publisher(s) : gollancz.co.uk / orionbooks.co.uk 3.5/5 Stars This is Christopher Priest's first novel. A simple story involving nuclear war, personality drugs and time travel. He focuses closely on a few main the characters, and that… Continue reading Indoctrinaire
The Hammer and the Anvil
by Dwight Jon Zimmerman ISBN: 978-0-8090-5358-2 First published 2012 148 pages Illustrated by Wayne Vansant Publisher: Hill and Wang (Farrar, Starus and Giroux) 3/5 Stars A great introduction to the lead up to the American civil war. Abraham Lincoln is well known, but not so much Frederick Douglass. This is an illustrated parallel biography of… Continue reading The Hammer and the Anvil
The Photography of Peter Dombrovskis
Sub-title: Journeys into the Wild by Peter Dombrovskis ISBN: 9-780642-279071 First published 2017 187 pages Cover photograph: Morning Light on Little Horn, Tasmania Publisher: NLA Publishing 6/5 Stars A wonderful journey into the heart of Tasmania. Carefully photographed landscapes fill the book, glorious trees, foliage, cascades, mountain-scapes and sea-scapes. Although Peter does photograph Fiji, Borneo,… Continue reading The Photography of Peter Dombrovskis
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