Unreliable narrators fascinate me and other people’s psychological states intrigue me. So it’s not surprising that when I spotted ‘Confessions of a Sociopath’ it went straight onto my wish list. What’s it about? M.E. Thomas is (apparently) a successful American law professor writing about her sociopathy under a pseudonym. Originally, she founded a blog – […]
Miserable winter weather always leads me to crank up the heating, feel guilty about it and read a book about sustainable living. Recently I re-read ‘Enough’, which could be described as a critique of our cluttered lifestyles from an evolutionary psychologist perspective. What’s it about? John Naish, lifestyle writer for The Times, argues that over human […]
It would be easy to dismiss this book as largely fearmongering, given the attention-seeking title. However, it’s much better than that. What’s it about? A few years ago, Sue Palmer, literacy expert, stepped aside from her day-to-day professional activities and began to examine a range of cultural factors that were having a growing impact on […]
I was pleased to receive this during my pregnancy as, at a mere 144 pages, it made the whole idea of having a child seem a lot more manageable. I’ve seen longer instruction manuals for putting furniture together. What’s it about? The basics of babycare. Jay starts from a position of absolute ignorance, similar to […]
Although watching my son explore our local SureStart Centre can be fun, there is definitely a finite amount of time I can bear to spend watching him play with cars. Recently, that time having long since expired, I found myself browsing the centre’s bookshelves and spotted Sally Goddard Blythe’s ‘What Babies and Children Rally Need’. […]
After spending a day at home with my eleven month old son, it’s very easy to look around me and wonder what I’ve achieved. So I’ve tidied away the toys that made the living room look like a branch of the Early Learning Centre, cleaned on, around and under the high chair for the third […]
Until very recently, I refused to join Twitter; I didn’t understand the point of it but knew that I already lost enough precious time to the lure of the Internet. Now, I’m a convert. Not only is it a great source of book-related links, but it turns out that it can be a source of […]
Sometimes, I deliberately read books I suspect I will disagree with. Why would any sane person do this to themselves? Two reasons: it’s important to know what arguments the ‘other side’ are using and it’s important to check the validity of these arguments. After all, you could be wrong. If so, better to know it […]
Visiting my lovely local bookshop, Chapter One, during Independent Booksellers week meant that they kindly provided me with free coffee, cake and the opportunity to chat with local poet A.F. Harrold. Of course, all free things have their price and so I duly felt obliged to buy a book. ‘I Don’t know why she bothers’ […]
My way of preparing for change has always been to read about relevant subjects so it was inevitable that becoming a parent would lead to an influx of parenting books. This is one I purchased online after seeing a number of positive reviews about it. The subtitle (‘the honest guide that’s on your side – […]