Subtitled ‘A new author’s guide to publishing and marketing for success’ this book was recommended to me by another writer, who thought it might be of use to me. It is! First, I’m a published writer, both self-published and published with a small indie publisher, so, on the face of it, this book could seem …
Subtitled 'Forget General Knowledge, here's the right stuff!'In common with the other books in this series, this isn’t a volume to sit down and consume in one go. It’s a pleasurable source of entertainment combined with education that deserves to be savoured so each tasty morsel provides the full flavour and nutrients to the knowledge …
This 500-page encyclopaedic tome is one of a set of art books I was given by a kind and generous stranger, a woman neighbour from a nearby village. I’m conducting research for a novel, and the visual arts feature significantly in the story. Whilst I have some knowledge of the art world, working as a …
Continue reading What Great Paintings Say, by Rose-Marie & Rainer Hagen: #BookReview.
Subtitled Pre-history to Avante-garde. The 28 contributors to this encyclopaedic tome are listed inside the book. All specialists in their fields.As the subtitle notes, it deals with art from pre-history through to the avante-garde, with the final dated entry from 1986. At the end of the beautifully illustrated set of sections, is a collection of …
Continue reading The History of Art, by Blitz Editions: #BookReview.
Subtitled ‘Humanist Ideas and Philosophies to Live By’, this collection of thoughts from thirty-one intelligent, experienced, and fascinating people has been compiled from Andrew Copson’s podcasts with over sixty such individuals between 2020 and 2024. It was initially inspired by essays from Bertrand Russell in 1925 and E.M. Forster in 1938, and a separate collection …
Continue reading What I Believe, Edited by Andrew Copson #BookReview.
Our planet, the only one we have, has been around for 4.54 billion years (4,540,000,000,000 years). The very first proto-humans emerged around 2,000,000 years ago, and human civilisation (such as it is) has been around for under 6,000 years. Only for 0.00001% of the history of the Earth have modern humans been around. And look …
Continue reading Our Fragile Moment, by Michael Mann #BookReview.
At a little over 600 pages of fascinating text, this book by Bill Bryson kept me turning those leaves. That there are, in addition, 32 pages of bibliography, suggests the author has done his research, and done it thoroughly.The Book is subtitled ‘A Short History of Private Life’ and takes the form of an inspiring …
Continue reading At Home, by Bill Bryson: #BookReview.
Much more archaeology has been done since this book was published in 1999, and that will inevitably render some of the observations here less certain, but the bulk of the text is clearly based on sound academic research. One thing I must question, however, is the title. It’s either favouring the wealthy landowners or perhaps …
Continue reading The Golden Age of Roman Britain, by Guy de la Bédoyère: #BookReview.
Mark Millicent You’re all cordially invited to join in the fun of the Massive Autumn Book Launch Event (#MABLE) organised by my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing. The books in the event are hugely discounted, so it’s a great opportunity to try some new and exciting fiction. It began on 17th September and runs to 31st …
Continue reading #MABLE: Author Interview with Mark Millicent
Stuart Aken You’re all cordially invited to join in the fun of the Massive Autumn Book Launch Event (#MABLE) organised by my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing. The books in the event are hugely discounted, so it’s a great opportunity to try some new and exciting fiction. It begins tomorrow, 17th September, and runs to 31st …
Continue reading #MABLE: Author Interview with Stuart Aken
275 pagesScience & Scientists Humour/Automatic Control/Sherlock Holmes Mysteries Subtitled: Some Personal Reflections on Science and Society. Whether a reader can empathise with the writer of a book essentially driven by personal ambition, hopes, or dreams, depends on how that reader feels about those aims. I confess I’m definitely with the author here. Given the chance …
Continue reading Why You Can’t Catch a Rocket to Mars, by Prof Lyndon Neal Smith PhD: #BookReview.
150 pagesEnvironment, Climate, Extinction. Subtitled ‘The Life (or Death?) of Planet Earth’, this extensively researched book was written by a man who has worked for 35 years at the BBC Natural History Unit, often working with David Attenborough. So, someone who has personally witnessed the decline of nature all over the world.The nineteen chapters are …
Continue reading Planet Crunch, by Richard Brock: #BookReview.
Subtitled, Extracts from the Diary, this is a selection of Pepys’s diary entries over the years from 1660 to 1669, when his eyesight deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer spend the time needed to write in secret by candlelight. There is a useful introduction by the editor, explaining the way he …
Continue reading The Illustrated Pepys, Edited by Robert Latham: #BookReview.
This is history, obviously. I generally enjoy reading about the past, learning about life long before I was born. Unfortunately, this book, a scholarly work, was just a little too dry for my tastes. For those seeking the statistics, fine details that are available, and the names of those involved in the various landgrabs that …
Continue reading The Lost Villages of England, by Maurice Beresford: #BookReview.
332 Pages Nonfiction Hardback Subtitled ‘Quest for the Lost Civilisation’, this book led to a major TV series on the UK’s Channel 4 network. Published in 1998, some of the content may now be a little out of date, as archaeological work is constantly updating information based on finds. The book is an attempt to …
Continue reading Heaven’s Mirror, by Graham Hancock & Santha Faiia: #BookReview.
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Stuart Aken 