Graham Greene was a prolific 20th century English novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist, renowned for his works that...

Robin Ince is a comedian and science enthusiast. He presents one of the world's most popular science podcasts called The Infinite Monkey...

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?' George Eliot's "Middlemarch" is a sprawling exploration of...

February 6, 2025 This is one of the best science fiction books that I’ve read. It's heavy on detail and heavy on the science, so it may...

January 22, 2025 This is a book that tries to answer a very fundamental question, How to Live?   Not how we should live, in the sense...

January 7, 2025 If equal affection cannot be Let the more loving one be me.  (W. H Auden) Some books are hard to summarise. A novel about...

Dec 8, 2024 A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, by Massimo Montanari. (Translated from the Italian by Gregory Conti) Until I...

This literary masterpiece is a reflection on simple living, a philosophical exploration of self-reliance, and a critique of societal norms.

Nov 16, 2024 This book was first published in 1989, and is an account of a year in Provence, the first year that Peter Mayle and his wife...

This espionage thriller helped reshape the genre and is widely considered one of the best spy novels ever written. John Le Carre’s true...

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the most prolific and best-loved authors in the world. He's written and contributed to more than a...

(Oct 17, 2024) The History of Ideas, by David Runciman This book, like its predecessor, Confronting Leviathan, is based on a podcast...

This is a book about the history of manned space flight told through the lives and stories, the accounts and experiences of the people...

This is a book about books, and about the best there is of this genre. A collection of letters written over a period of twenty years,...

Antoine Laurain is a contemporary French writer known for his charming novels which often blend elements of magical realism, humour, and...

This is one of our all time favourite books about books, and so we're a bit surprised it took us so long to get it on the blog. Ex Libris...

A look at some of the books we recommend on the subject of gardens and gardening...

While the Lord of the Rings is the most popular of Tolkien’s works, this is a book he never intended to write. He was first and always a...

Every once in a while, a book or a movie comes along that defines an era, and makes a mark on our collective psyche. 2001: A Space Odyssey...

Food writing is a broad term that includes cook books, restaurant reviews, memoirs about growing up in a particular culture with food...