21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari

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21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Not perfect but an accessible catalyst for thought

Fans of Homo Sapiens and Homo Deus will no doubt run to buy the latest instalment: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari. Whereas Homo Sapiens dealt with the past and Homo Deus with the future, his last book – you guessed it – is about now. Harari has an enviable ability to present complex ideas, however depressing, with clarity and humour. I don’t necessarily buy into all of his theories and sometimes I wish he’d gone into more depth. The book suffers from being a collection of essays written for various publications rather than a coherently planned book. (Do I smell a faint whiff of publishers’ opportunism?) But the fact that he engages millions of people around the world in thinking about ‘big issues’ is a redeeming factor for me. Read it as an accessible catalyst for your own thoughts.

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The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

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The Silence of the Girls

A riveting recount of The Iliad, by the other half

Hot on the heels of Madeline Miller’s fabulous novel Circe comes another stunning book based on Greek myths and the Trojan War. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is a recount of Homer’s testosterone fuelled Greek epic poem The Iliad. This time, from the perspective of the other half, the long suffering women. An absolutely riveting read. Go get it!

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BookTubers for us over 21

Welcome to our occasional series of bookish delights. In Part One, we’d like to introduce you to a couple of our favourite BookTubers that we’ve been following lately. BookTube often seems like such a YA phenomenon, teeming with enthusiastic young vloggers, and we wondered what was out there for inquisitive readers over the age of 21.

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The 2018 Man Booker Prize short-list

Yesterday saw the announcement of the 2018 Man Booker Prize short-list, a huge event in the literary calendar, particularly for those who made it from the long-list. A short-list nomination usually means a significant jump in sales and the opportunity to emerge out of the shadows and into the literary limelight. So which books made it to the short-list and what did we make of them?

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Normal People by Sally Rooney

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Normal People

Wonderful old-fashioned love story with a modern twist

Sally Rooney’s much acclaimed debut Conversation With Friends just didn’t appeal to me. It felt like a book aimed at someone half my age, which it probably was (Rooney is 27). Her latest book, Normal People, on the other hand, had me utterly hooked. It’s a wonderful old-fashioned love story but with a modern twist that shows you what it’s like to be young today. It also somehow transported my back to my own fumbling first experiences with love. Highly recommended.

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Autumn book treats

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Autumn book treats

There’s only one thing that can rescue me from end-of-summer blues: the promise of some great new books for autumn. And this year’s list of has some real gems. Just have a look.

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Is this Britain’s most glamorous literary festival?

I can’t think of a more glamorous literary festival than the Cliveden Literary Festival (29-30th September) taking place at Cliveden House just outside London. Seeped in a cocktail of royalty, aristocracy, sex and political scandals, most famously the Profumo affair, Cliveden has a history few authors could dream up. And it comes with a price to match. At £105 a day, it’s probably also the most expensive. But, hey, you don’t often get a chance to be in a room with Hanif Kureishi, Sir Anthony Beevor, Alain de Botton, HRH Princess Michael of Kent (uhm…), Sarah Waters, Edmund de Waal, Norman Foster, Naomi Wolf, I could go on and on. They really have a fabulous programme. Cancel that Christmas holiday and sign up today!