The Woman Before Wallis by Andrew Rose
This is a fascinating non-fiction story excellently written and explained. The book details the life of Marguerite Alibert, a high class Parisian courtesan who famously…
Non-Fiction
The House That Joy Built by Holly Ringland
Holly Ringland is the author of two of my favourite books: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding. It…
The Luminous Solution by Charlotte Wood
This is a series of essays, many previously published in magazines and newspapers, but brought together in this one volume. As each essay is complete…
Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper
When Chloe Hooper’s partner, Don Watson, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, she turns to children’s literature to find a way to communicate…
Papyrus: The invention of books in the ancient world by Irene Vallejo
If I had to choose a favourite book among all those read in 2022 (the list is long, believe me), I would not hesitate to…
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
In Entangled life Sheldrake explores the unsung role fungi has and always will play in our lives. This book may seem quite esoteric at first…
Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski
In this gem of a book, Kapuscinski, as a matter of introduction, starts telling us how, at the University of Warsaw, he first ever heard…
Improbable Libraries by Alex Johnson
Libraries are purposed to house books. Some books are, in reverse, written about libraries. Improbable Libraries by Alex Johnson is one such book.
The Final Days of EMI: Selling The Pig by Eamonn Forde
The Final Days of EMI: Selling the Pig by Eamonn Forde, is not a yarn about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Instead, it is…
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Woohoo – what a ride! City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert is Vivian’s life, told in flashback, and what a life it is! Chapter one…
The Worst Woman in Sydney by Leigh Straw
The Worst Woman in Sydney: the life and crimes of Kate Leigh by Leigh Straw peaked my curiosity.
Engineering in the Ancient World by J. G. Landels
Engineering in the Ancient World is a detailed but easy to read work that was published in 1978, written by Dr Landels of the University…