LEIGH FORBES: Books of all Sorts

5th October 2018
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Histories of Nations: How Their Identities Were Forged

Histories of Nations: How Their Identities Were Forged

by Peter Furtado. A “History of the Political Revisionist Histories of Nations” would be a more accurate title for this book, which comprises a selection of essays, written by natives of each country, on some (necessarily limited) aspect of their … Continue reading

9th May 2018
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Algorithm of Power

The Algorithm of Power

by Pedro Barrento. I really wanted to like this book – the premise was clever, and Barrento creates a convincing fantasy world. But I struggled with the writing, which I found incessantly “tell-y”. And it was so long (the equivalent … Continue reading

29th September 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Your Brain Knows More than you Think: the new frontiers of neuroplasticity

Your Brain Knows More than you Think: the new frontiers of neuroplasticity

by Niels Birbaumer. Niels Birbaumer writes about his research in the field of neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to learn new things), and the application of neurofeedback (learning to ‘shape’ the brain by using thought/reward techniques), to investigate such issues as … Continue reading

13th August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on A Soldier’s Best Friend: the canine heroes of Afghanistan

A Soldier’s Best Friend: the canine heroes of Afghanistan

by Stephen Paul Stewart. In A Soldier’s Best Friend, Stephen Paul Stewart provides an insight into the lives of police and military working-dogs, both present and past – focussing on the role of explosives-tracking dogs on tour with UK forces in … Continue reading

4th September 2016
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Map Addict

Map Addict

by Mike Parker. I should have loved this book, and its early moments of laugh-out-loud recognition certainly boded extremely well. But the author soon began imposing his acerbic opinions – about anything from middle-England Tories to Julie Burchill, via Lewis … Continue reading