27th December 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Swordfish and the Star: Life on Cornwall’s most treacherous stretch of coast
by Gavin Knight. A fascinating account of life for those on Cornwall’s far-west peninsular, this book covers fishing, art, a bit about mining and smuggling, incomers, poverty, family, feuds, fighting, alcohol, and drugs. I enjoyed this book well enough, but … Continue reading
21st December 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Sane New World: Taming the Mind
by Ruby Wax. Ruby Wax makes an excellent ambassador for mental health. She writes with clarity, humour, and detailed knowledge. The greater part of the book details the workings of the brain and the mind (as distinct entities), and gives … Continue reading
19th December 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Island on Fire: the extraordinary story of Laki, the volcano that turned eighteenth-century Europe dark
Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe. A brilliant book, which looks at the 1783 eruption of Laki, one of Iceland’s most damaging volcanoes, as well as others in Iceland and around the world. Drawing from the eyewitness account of local minister, … Continue reading
29th September 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on 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
17th September 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Me Talk Pretty One Day
by David Sedaris. While parts of this book had me crying (in public) with laughter, other sections left me cold. Me Talk Pretty One Day is not, as the blurb would have you believe, an account of the author’s struggle to … Continue reading
17th September 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Dr Johnson’s Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story Of The Book That Defined The World
by Henry Hitchings. This is a story of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary – the first comprehensive dictionary of English, which was published in 1755. We start with a brief history of Johnson’s early life: his very modest upbringing in Litchfield; his education – and … Continue reading
21st August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on When in French: Love in a Second Language
by Lauren Collins. When in French is part memoir and part study of language, as Lauren Collins journeys from being a non-french speaker to fluent. Along the way, she dips into history, philosophy, the psychology of relationships and culture, and more. … Continue reading
18th August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on A Field Guide to Getting Lost
by Rebecca Solnit. A Field Guide to Getting Lost morphs between memoir and social history, with a fair bit of philosophy along the way. Rebecca Solnit writes about growing up in California, and much of the book focusses on the … Continue reading
13th August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on 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
13th August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on What the Dog Knows
by Cat Warren. Solo, a German Shepherd, was a singleton pup, and consequently displayed “challenging behaviour” as an adolescent. In an effort to calm him, the author, Cat Warren takes us on her journey as she trains him to search … Continue reading
