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Continue reading →: Review: The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s not often I differentiate between books I read in print, books on e-format and books which I listen to, usually via Audible. For this review it is important that I do so as this ‘book’ is actually a series of 48 one-hour lectures…
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Continue reading →: News
It has been a while since I last posted personal news and I thought I ought to as I have quite a lot now. First BIG news is that my third book – and first novel – The Pukur, has just been accepted for publication by Histria Books and will,…
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Continue reading →: Book review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
My rating: 4 of 5 stars For once, here is a book I’m not quite decided about. Is it good, or is it a pile of shite? I’m dodging between 3 stars and 4 for this review but certain parts are more like a 2 and others up at 5.…
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Continue reading →: Book review: Cold Sunflowers by Mark Sippings
My rating: 3 of 5 stars It is a remarkable testament to the way of the world right now that authors who self publish can find their books taken on an equal footing with those published through traditional mainstream houses. And so it should be. This is, to an extent,…
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Continue reading →: Book review: Factfulness by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund
My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hans Rosling’s book on how to ‘get it right’ and not allow yourself to believe or propagate what has come to be known as ‘fake news’ is now rightly considered a classic and very probably a ‘must-read’. What I didn’t expect, as I read…
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Continue reading →: Book review: The Point of Poetry by Joe Nutt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars I came across Joe Nutt’s introduction to poetry for the metrophobe – the person who doesn’t like or ‘get’ poetry – through a review from Dr Oliver Tearle’s excellent literary site, Interesting Literature. The idea of the book appealed to me. I teach poetry…
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Continue reading →: Book review: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars When I reviewed Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ I was a little damning of the literary depth. It was, of course, brilliantly written – you can tell Margaret Atwood can handle the English language with immense skill – but I criticised the fact it told…
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Continue reading →: Book review: The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ll come straight to the point: Mark Forsyth is one of my very, very, very favourite writers. He shares with another of my top favourites, Bill Bryson, two vital qualities: Firstly, he’s hilarious. I mean, not forced ‘tell a gag’ kind of humour. Just…
