There are certain facts almost everyone remembers from school. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. (Or did he?) The Dark Ages were a period of intellectual, well, darkness. (But were they?) The Magna Carta was a revolutionary document that forms the basis of our modern democracy. (So why did Oliver Cromwell call it ‘Magna Farta’?) […]
When you make a decision, what influences you? You might expect that your past experiences would have an impact – and they certainly do – but are you sufficiently aware of the other factors influencing your decision-making process? From who orders first in a round of drinks to which new TV we buy, we’re constantly […]
Have you ever considered murder as a form of entertainment? How about murder as an art form? Popular cultural historian Dr Lucy Worsley has. What’s it about? ‘A Very British Murder’ is described in Worsley’s introduction as ‘an exploration of how the British enjoyed and consumed the idea of murder, a phenomenon that dates from […]
‘Can you recommend a book of spells to raise pets from the dead? Just animals you understand – not people. I don’t want my husband coming back.’ Jen Campbell, bookseller at Ripping Yarns and author of ‘Weird Things Customers say in Bookshops’ is back with, well, more weird things customers have said to some poor, […]
It’s a truth widely known that I love Jane Austen. And, as always, when I’m interested in a topic, I enjoy reading about it, so I’ve gradually built up a collection of materials on Austen. This is one of my latest finds (thank you Waterstones!) and it does exactly what it promises to do: celebrates […]
‘Every contact leaves a trace.’ This is the Locard Exchange Principle and it’s the fundamental building block of what we term ‘forensics’. In this neatly presented book, talented crime writer Val McDermid explores the development of forensic science and its applications in solving real life crime. What’s it about? McDermid explores the interaction of justice […]
Sometimes books are the main event; sometimes they’re good to keep you company. Danny Wallace’s mildly amusing ‘join me’ definitely belongs to the latter group and kept me entertained without demanding my full attention. Who is Danny Wallace and why does he want me to join him? He’s less well-known than friend and fellow funny […]
A tale of murder, madness and The Oxford English Dictionary. Such is the full title of Simon Winchester’s intriguingly titled ‘The Surgeon of Crowthorne’, a book all about, well, murder, madness and the OED, though there’s more on the latter than the former. What’s it about? Lexicographer James Murray is attempting to compile the first […]
Recently I was lucky enough to see Dave Gorman live at my local theatre. His current tour, ‘Dave Gorman gets straight to the point…the PowerPoint’, is a treat for anyone who enjoys chasing down oddities to their logically absurd conclusions, and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Afterwards he was selling and signing some of his […]
Did you know that ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was banned in China in 1931? Apparently Lewis Carroll’s novel was banned because ‘General Ho Chien thought it was offensive to depict animals talking as if they were people’. If you would enjoy reading a book full of similarly amusing information about books and bookshops then look no […]