This link opens in a pop-up window
For a book that's intended as the coursebook for an MA module, this turned out (with the exception of one chapter) to be surprisingly enjoyable and accessible. Perhaps a bit more coverage of Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries than I'd have liked, but still a good read.
This diary style book by Bram Stoker continues to put fear into the hearts of …
I'd forgotten just how much fun Dracula is, and how wonderfully creepy it is in places, despite the rather forced epistolary style and the somewhat anti-climactic ending.
A perceptive analysis of the rise of Thatcherism, and the failure of the left to successfully combat it, this book reprints 19 essays that Hall wrote between 1978 and 1988. A couple of the essays around the middle of the book seemed a bit misplaced, including an analysis of the decline of liberalism around the turn of the 20th century, but so much of the rest of the book could, rather depressingly, have been written last week rather than 40 years ago. In particular, the emphasis on narratives and culture over policies, seems still hugely relevant. Also refers to his concept of "Authoritarian Populism" which, again, seems rather pertinent...
32-year old Tar feels like a Non-Player Character in their own life. They’ve been utterly …
A host of likeable, though varied, characters, good representation and a fun plot. Highly recommended.
Apart from a brief survey of Fevre's distinction between 'sentimental' and 'cognitive' individualism, and the (short) concluding chapter, the book mostly consists of a narrative of the last forty years of UK politics, though through the lens of the Conservative party (i.e., there's no discussion of the internal struggles in the Labour party during the Thatcher/Major years, but there is coverage of the various Conservative leaders during the Blair/Brown years). Thus, it doesn't feel as if there's much/any room for discussion of the thesis that the party is in structural decline, though the narrative did serve to remind me just how incredibly awful they are.
Maybe this is just my inner science nerd, but I was hoping for more of an explanation of how attribution science works. Instead, this is more the story of the creation of the World Weather Attribution project, and their ongoing work. Not a bad book, as such, but a bit unsatisfying.
'This diary chronicles the turning of my world, from spring to winter, at home, in …
Diary of a year in the life of a Northern Irish teenager, describing his (and his family's) close connection with the natural world, his keen observations, and their various expeditions, primarily in Fermanagh and County Down, interwoven with stories from Irish history and mythology. Also talks about his internal experience of autism in a remarkably evocative way. Highly recommended.
Provides a somewhat academic approach to a discussion of the main elements of fiction using …
Admittedly I'm probably not part of the target audience for this book; it was recommended to me by someone with a BA in English Lit, though I never went past O-level, and that was quite some time ago. Still, this felt like hard work. There's a phrase in English something like "wears its learning lightly" and, to be frank, this book isn't it.
It has become impossible to deny that the planet is warming, and that governments must …
This book has been quite hyped, and the reviewer quotes from the back cover certainly sing its praises, but I'm struggling to see how this sets itself apart from the other books that have come out more recently, inspired by the idea of a Green New Deal. If anything, the litany of tales of corruption and regulatory capture just felt rather disempowering, and the concluding chapter, which might have been a chance to pull it all together, just felt a bit all over the place.
I started reading this as I thought Schumacher College sounded somewhat interesting (perhaps in part because I'd conflated it with CAT) and the book includes contributions from Ann Pettifor and Kate Raworth, among (many) others. As it's a celebration of 30 years of the college, though, practically every essay starts with a lengthy bit of praise for the college which, if I'm honest, starts to wear after a while. I have to confess to some misgivings about the content, too. While I can see the value in a more spiritual connection with the natural world, and can also see how that might be of value in forming/supporting an ecological outlook, the book felt far more apolitical than I really feel comfortable with. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it also felt dangerously much like it was heading into pseudoscience at some points (and, to be honest, I …
I started reading this as I thought Schumacher College sounded somewhat interesting (perhaps in part because I'd conflated it with CAT) and the book includes contributions from Ann Pettifor and Kate Raworth, among (many) others. As it's a celebration of 30 years of the college, though, practically every essay starts with a lengthy bit of praise for the college which, if I'm honest, starts to wear after a while. I have to confess to some misgivings about the content, too. While I can see the value in a more spiritual connection with the natural world, and can also see how that might be of value in forming/supporting an ecological outlook, the book felt far more apolitical than I really feel comfortable with. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it also felt dangerously much like it was heading into pseudoscience at some points (and, to be honest, I can't really be bothered with going back to re-read it and find the bits that made my uncomfortable). So, all in all, can't recommend. Still, I at least discovered that Dartington is in Devon -- previously my brain had auto-corrected that to Darlington, which is in County Durham. :)
In Indigenous Writes, Chelsea Vowel, legal scholar, teacher, and intellectual, opens an important dialogue about …
Fantastic introduction to Indigenous issues in Canada, structured as 31 relatively self-contained essays, each of which has lots of endnotes/references for those who want to take it further. The author has lots more resources at apihtawikosisan.com
When Noah Lau joined the Vampire Hunters Association, seeking justice for his parents’ deaths, he …
Very good autistic representation and a sweet relationship between the two leads. Enjoyable read.
CW (from the publisher's website): Ableism, graphic violence, allusions to past emotional abuse, abduction, hate groups
I'm afraid this seems to be a common theme in the books I'm reading on the topic of climate change. There's some good stuff earlier in the book, particularly on the importance of a more active form of hope, on critiquing techno-optimism, on different types of worldviews, and even on how to relate to people we don't agree with. Where it all starts to fall apart is towards the end where Homer-Dixon appears to be offering solutions. He critiques anti-capitalism approaches, though in a pretty strawman-like way (in particular by complaining about the former communist countries, without considering that the common factor is growth, and without engaging with the idea that capitalism requires growth in order to function), then goes on to advocate for a particular worldview (which he calls "Renew The Future" as opposed to "Mad Max") but then, unless I'm missing something, just leaps over the whole question …
I'm afraid this seems to be a common theme in the books I'm reading on the topic of climate change. There's some good stuff earlier in the book, particularly on the importance of a more active form of hope, on critiquing techno-optimism, on different types of worldviews, and even on how to relate to people we don't agree with. Where it all starts to fall apart is towards the end where Homer-Dixon appears to be offering solutions. He critiques anti-capitalism approaches, though in a pretty strawman-like way (in particular by complaining about the former communist countries, without considering that the common factor is growth, and without engaging with the idea that capitalism requires growth in order to function), then goes on to advocate for a particular worldview (which he calls "Renew The Future" as opposed to "Mad Max") but then, unless I'm missing something, just leaps over the whole question of how we get people to think like that. After all, isn't that the real challenge? Sigh.
I'm not sure if this quite qualifies as a biography as so much is left out. In particular, Bookchin's marriages and children feature only fleetingly. It does, however, provide a terrific account of his political and intellectual development, the creation of the ISE, his involvement with the German Greens, and his many, many books and other writings. Exciting to see the role of autodidacticism in his life, plus funny (and revealing) to see an account of Sanders as mayor of Burlington. Once Biehl actually becomes part of his life, the book takes on a different (and, for me, a rather less comfortable) tone, and the latter years of his life seem to consist of a descent into isolation and recriminations. Definitely worth a read if you want an overview of Bookchin's work and development, and some coverage of radical politics more generally in the US. I finished the book with …
I'm not sure if this quite qualifies as a biography as so much is left out. In particular, Bookchin's marriages and children feature only fleetingly. It does, however, provide a terrific account of his political and intellectual development, the creation of the ISE, his involvement with the German Greens, and his many, many books and other writings. Exciting to see the role of autodidacticism in his life, plus funny (and revealing) to see an account of Sanders as mayor of Burlington. Once Biehl actually becomes part of his life, the book takes on a different (and, for me, a rather less comfortable) tone, and the latter years of his life seem to consist of a descent into isolation and recriminations. Definitely worth a read if you want an overview of Bookchin's work and development, and some coverage of radical politics more generally in the US. I finished the book with a list of 'future reading' that's two sides of A4, and that's not including his own books!
After being in a bit of a slump over the last few books, either because they required far more academic background than I have or... just because... it was such a relief to find a book I could engage with. Still pretty challenging stuff, but also plenty to get into.