In the early 1830’s Charles Darwin was a young man, scientifically inclined, with a general interest in the natural world and particular interests in botany, zoology and geology. He had gained a BA from Cambridge, and would have progressed naturally … Continue reading →
Just about everything I would want to say about this excellent book is in JT’s review in the Travel Literature blog, but I will just add one thought. As a Persian scholar and someone who has travelled widely in the … Continue reading →
If you are interested in the questions central to this book – how and why human minds have evolved – but are not closely in touch with the latest academic and scientific thinking on the subject, be warned: this book … Continue reading →
For many British people there is a blank period of history covering the decade and a half from the end of the Second World War. In south-east Asia the Federation of Malaya, as it was then, gained independence in 1957; … Continue reading →
What do you know about Bhutan? Probably not very much, apart perhaps from it being a Himalayan kingdom somewhere up around Nepal and Tibet. Even now Bhutan is a remote and inaccessible corner of the world. There is no British … Continue reading →
Reading Ishiguro’s novels out of sequence – this is the second to be published – possibly makes it harder to give a fair assessment, as expectations are already set. The acclaimed quality of his writing is as evident here as … Continue reading →
Fifteen years after it won the Booker prize I finally got round to reading this book. It is an impressive achievement: amusing, exciting, and entertaining; complex and mysterious. Intertwined stories are reflected and echoed in each other. It’s a post-modern … Continue reading →
The high standard continues in the third book. If anything the "detection" takes second place to the stories of the characters: one leading player is effectively sidelined for the whole of the book while others take a more prominent role. … Continue reading →
The second book in the series continues Mma Ramotswe’s story and is as delightful as the first. Maintaining the format there is one investigation which is pursued through the book, interspersed with shorter "cases" and development of the principal characters.
Continue reading →A self-confessed grumpy old git walks and cycles from Land’s End to John O’Groats with a mixture of good humour and bad temper. Interesting enough for a quick read, but the book needs something more to stand out from the … Continue reading →