My rating: 1 of 5 stars This book by Robert Greene is, without a doubt, one of the very worst books I’ve ever read. It is ghastly on multiple levels. I do try to read an eclectic range of books and push myself to read recommended books I wouldn’t normally bother with. I can’t recall… Read More Book Review: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
My rating: 4 of 5 starsI almost never read the reviews of others before writing my own review. I don’t want to be coloured by the opinions of others and reviews are, always, merely our opinions turned into judgements. There’s no point me writing a review then if I’m just going to parrot the views… Read More Book Review: Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was fascinated by Dr Shaw’s work on false memories long before reading her books. When I decided it was time I really did read something of hers, I was distracted by her super book on evil -it just had that delicious “ooh!” factor about it which meant laying… Read More Book Review: The Memory Illusion -Remembering, Forgetting, and the Science of False Memory by Julia Shaw
My rating: 3 of 5 stars There is much to praise for Dean Burnett’s book on the brain. It is wittily written – and a good giggle is always worth the price of a book. The pace of the writing is slow enough not to bedazzle but fast enough not to be bored by the… Read More Book Review: The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been wanting to read the works of Dr Julia Shaw for quite some time now after reading about her research into implanting false memories – which was absolutely fascinating. Her book on this subject is next on my to-do list, but this one on evil – which is… Read More Book review: Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side by Dr Julia Shaw
I am delighted to announce my first formal course for writers – one based on twenty years of teaching and ten years as working freelance writer and editor. I am taking bookings to begin from July (you can join at any time) – but places are limited and many have filled already just through word-of-mouth!… Read More NEW! Psychology for Writers course
How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie My rating: 5 of 5 stars My goodness, reading this version of Dale Carnegie’s cult classic book is like meeting a long-lost friend after many years and discovering they now have a bionic body. ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’… Read More Book Review: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie
Equus by Peter Shaffer My rating: 5 of 5 stars I first came across this play in the final moments of my teens thanks to a girlfriend I was besotted with, from Eastbourne. She had studied it (if I recall correctly) for A level. The play turned out to be one of those key texts… Read More Book Review: Equus by Peter Shaffer
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself by David McRaney My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is okay as far as it goes. I think the author overstates the point – his recurring motif… Read More Book Review: You Are Not So Smart
As an ex-professional musician and music teacher, sounds are very important to me. I’ve written a review in the past about Ommwriter which I think is a wonderful writing tool thanks to both its simplicity and the range of ambient sounds it provides. You can just write with that program and do so chilling at the beach, working on… Read More How Music Affects Your Productivity – from Sparring Mind
Write Out Loud 