WorthyRead

Redemption Falls

2007-08-12T02:46:00.001Z

By Joseph O'ConnorThe year is 1865. The American Civil War is ending. Eighteen years after the famine ship Star of the Sea docked at New York, the daughter of two of her passengers sets out from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a walk across a devastated America. Eliza Duane Mooney is searching for a young boy she has not seen in four years, one of the hundred thousand children drawn into the war. His

Face of Britain

2007-02-25T18:34:00.000Z

By Robin McKie Written into our facial features is a story going back generations. It is the story of who we are and where we are from - the history of Britain through war and conquest, migration and racial integration. The Channel 4 series, The Face of Britain, begins with the largest ever research project into the genetic make-up of the British public. The Welcome Trust has given a GBP2million

Holbein in England

2007-02-15T23:16:00.000Z

By Susan Foister Hans Holbein (1497-1543) is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the sixteenth century. His prolific production of precise and realist portraits of the great figures of this period, including, most famously, King Henry VIII, earned him an international reputation in his own time. "Holbein in England" allows the reader

Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans: A Brief History

2007-02-15T21:58:00.000Z

By Charles KhanIt is hard to let go of Pythagoras. He has meant so much to so many for so long. I can with confidence say to readers of this essay: most of what you believe, or think you know, about Pythagoras is fiction, much of it deliberately contrived. Did he discover the geometrical theorem that bears his name? No. Did he ponder the harmony of the spheres? Certainly not: celestial spheres

The Glass Books of The Dream Eaters

2007-02-05T21:54:00.000Z

G. W. Dahlquist A spy, a killer, and an impostor - this book features three extraordinary heroes. Miss Temple didn't come to the city for an adventure - she came to find a husband. But when her fiance, Roger Bascombe threw her over for no apparent reason, Miss Temple decided to find out why. Yet, following Roger to a masked ball (one with a most sinister purpose) will take Miss Temple very far

The Italian Job

2007-01-23T00:03:00.000Z

Gianluca Vialli Gabriele Marcotti Football lies at the heart of popular culture in both England and Italy. It is played, watched, written about and talked to death by millions virtually every day of the year. But how do the characteristics of England and Italy affect the game in these two footballing nations? Do the national stereotypes of Italians as passionate, stylish lotharios and the

Shadow of The Silk Road

2007-01-13T02:30:00.000Z

By Colin Thubron There was never one Silk Road - but several. The route chosen by Colin Thubron passes through China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, taking in the most sterile desert on earth (the Taklamakan) and the strife-torn mountain valleys of today's conflicts, as he travels from the tomb of the Yellow Emperor (the mythic progenitor of the Chinese people) to the

Sea of Thunder

2007-01-10T22:59:00.000Z

By Evan Thomas In 1943, American sailors and soldiers entering the harbor at Tulagi, the front-line U.S. Navy base in the South Pacific, passed a billboard telling them to Kill Japs, kill Japs, kill more Japs! The billboard was signed by Adm. William F. Halsey, Jr., their commander. As the war progressed, newspapers quoted Halsey as saying about the Japanese, "We are drowning and

Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment

2007-01-10T22:54:00.000Z

By James GainesIn one corner, a godless young warrior, Voltaire's heralded 'philosopher-king', the It Boy of the Enlightenment. In the other, a devout if bad-tempered old composer of 'outdated' music, a scorned genius in his last years. The sparks from their brief conflict illuminate a turbulent age. Behind the pomp and flash, Prussia's Frederick the Great was a tormented man, son of an abusive

Utopian Dreams

2007-01-10T22:44:00.000Z

By Tobias JonesThe original Utopia, Sir Thomas More’s, was a refuge from poverty. Modern readers find its regulations authoritarian. But the starving, homeless peasants More had in mind when he wrote it would have gladly accepted them in exchange for shelter and a full stomach. Tobias Jones, by contrast, is a refugee from affluence. Consumerism saddens and sickens him. His possessions do not

Alexis De Tocqueville: Prophet of Democracy in the Age of Revolution

2007-01-10T00:28:00.000Z

By Hugh BroganIn 1927 Paul Valéry wrote that Europe dreams of being ruled by an American Commission, and for many Europeans America is still seen as having an enviable freedom from the burdens of the past. There may be few who would now want to be subject to American rule but there are still many who see America as standing for a kind of freedom and equality to which Europeans can still only

In the Line of Fire: A Memoir

2007-01-09T23:42:00.000Z

By Pervez MusharrafIf there is a single consistent theme in Pervez Musharraf’s memoir, it is the familiar military dogma that Pakistan has fared better under its generals than under its politicians. The first batch of generals were the offspring of the departing colonial power. They had been taught to obey orders, respect the command structure of the army whatever the cost and uphold the

The Uninvited

2007-01-09T21:32:00.000Z

Geling Yan This is the fantastical tale of Dan Dong, an unemployed factory worker whose life takes a series of unexpected twists upon his discovery that simply by posing as a journalist he can eat exquisite gourmet meals free of charge at state-sponsored banquets. But the secrets Dan overhears at these events eventually lead him down a twisted, intrigue-laden path, and his true and false

The Naming of The Dead

2007-01-09T21:24:00.000Z

Ian Rankin July 2005, and the G8 leaders have gathered in Scotland. With daily marches, demonstrations, and scuffles, the police are at full stretch. Detective Inspector John Rebus, however, has been sidelined, until the apparent suicide of an MP coincides with clues that a serial killer may be on the loose. The authorities are keen to hush up both, for fear of overshadowing a meeting of global

2007-01-09T21:02:00.000Z

By John Stubbs John Donne's life story is inextricably tied up with the fabric of a society in the throes of religious persecution. His family had long been subject to the terror inflicted upon Catholics under the reign of Elizabeth I, and while his brother languished in prison, and his mother and uncles fled to exile in Europe, Donne was consumed by the question of his own faith and by trying to

The Thirteenth Tale

2007-01-09T20:41:00.000Z

Dianne Setterfield Vida Winter, a bestselling yet reclusive novelist, has created many outlandish life histories for herself, all of them invention. Now old and ailing, at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to biographer Margaret Lea - a woman with secrets of her own - is a summons.Vida's tale is one of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family: the

The Penguin Freud Reader

2006-07-07T11:45:00.000Z

By Michael Wood In 1936 Freud wrote a letter to Romain Rolland, offering him a speculation about a particular memory as a 70th birthday gift. The memory concerned a trip Freud took to Athens with his brother, and his own ‘curious thought’ at the sight of the Acropolis: ‘So this all really does exist, just as we learned in school!’ Freud describes himself as two people, one making the comment and

The Secret

2006-07-05T21:51:00.000Z

By Michael Berg The real secret of a happy and fulfilled life, revealed by renownedKabbalist Michael Berg, author of the acclaimed and bestselling book, TheWay. Containing a simple truth, simply explained through moving tales, thisbook cuts across religions and has a powerful and inspirational message -for the whole of humanity. Like a jewel that has been painstakingly cut andpolished, The Secret

Balderdash and Piffle

2006-03-11T16:05:00.000Z

By Alex Games(Buy this book and any other 5 of your choice, for just $1)'Balderdash and Piffle' looks into words and phrases, their origins and usage and how they have developed over time. The beginnings of speech - who spoke first and what did they say? How are words connected to thought, how does irony add meaning to words. What are people?s favourite words? Dr Johnson?s dictionary was 250

A Better Way

2006-03-11T16:02:00.000Z

By Delvin DresserRalph Mosco often felt different from the other children his age. The son of a preacher, Ralph lived his life a little differently than many of the other teenagers his age with whom he went to school. While he always had the support of his girlfriend, Cherie, punks such as the unruly Desmond often tried to make trouble with Ralph. And the drunken principal and science teacher

Richard Dawkins: A biography

2006-03-11T11:41:00.000Z

by Alan Grafen & Mark Ridley PUBLISHED TO COINCIDE with the 30th anniversary of The Selfish Gene, this sparkling collection explores the impact of Richard Dawkins as scientist, rationalist, and one of the most important thinkers alive today. Specially commissioned pieces by leading figures in science, philosophy, literature, and the media, such as Daniel C. Dennett, Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker,

Why the West is Losing the War on Terror

2006-03-06T23:02:00.000Z

By Michael Scheuer Cyber and television jihad are parts of the war that the former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer believes bin Laden is winning. Scheuer, whose Cassandra-isms as head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit went unheeded by the Clinton and Bush administrations before 2001, is still trying to warn America. ‘No one,’ he writes, ‘should be surprised when bin Laden and al-Qaida detonate a weapon of

The Untouchable

2006-03-05T19:27:00.000Z

By John Banville A brilliant, engaging and highly literate espionage-cum-existential novel, John Banville's The Untouchable concerns the suddenly-exposed double agent Victor Maskell, a character based on the real Cambridge intellectual elites who famously spied on the United Kingdom in the middle of the 20th century. But Maskell--scholar, adventurer, soldier, art curator and more--respected and

The Planets

2005-11-26T22:31:00.000Z

By Dava SobelAfter the huge national and international success of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel tells the human story of the nine planets of our solar system. This groundbreaking new work traces the lives of each member of our solar family, from myth and history, astrology and science fiction, to the latest data from the modern era's robotic space probes. Whether revealing what

Onion Ad Nauseam , Vol 16

2005-11-26T22:28:00.000Z

More award-winning journalism, fresh from America's Finest News Source[trademark] Every week, three million readers turn to the world's most popular humour publication for a much-needed dose of Onion satire. In a history spanning 15 years, six popular books and 10 Webby Awards, with stories like 'U.S. Inspires World With Attempt At Democratic Election' and 'Debbie, By The Time You Read This I'll

Masterpieces of Western Art

2005-11-26T22:23:00.000Z

By Robert Suckale, Manfred Wundram, Ingo F. Walther "Masterpieces of Western Art" traces the history of painting from medieval times to the present day. But unlike conventional publications, that merely illustrate a few essentials, this work places 900 paintings taken from every era squarely in the foreground. The ten chapters each feature an introductory essay profiling the age and the

Judas Unchained

2005-11-26T22:20:00.000Z

By Peter HamiltonTHE HIGH-ACTION CONCLUDING novel of the Commonwealth Saga from Britain's No. 1 Science Fiction writer. It is around the year AD2400 and a war between humans and Gaens is raging over many starsystems. Against this backdrop, Captain Wilson Kime confides to Paula Myo, chief investigator at the Intersolar Serious Crimes Directorate, his belief that humans are being manipulated. With

The Colour of Love

2005-11-26T22:16:00.000Z

by Preethi Nair A novel of painting, pretence and the strange ways in which truth makes itself known, from the author of ONE HUNDRED SHADES OF WHITE Nina's lost her job, boyfriend and faith in her guru in the space of 24 hours. Unable to tell her parents what has happened, she puts on a suit every day and pretends to go to work. What she's really doing is escaping to a studio, where she begins to

One Bullet Way: The making of a marines officer

2005-11-26T22:05:00.000Z

By Nathaniel FickIf the Marines are the few, the proud, Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Only one Marine in a hundred qualifies for the Reconnaissance Battalion, charged with working clandestinely, often behind enemy lines. Fick's training begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth, and advances to the pinnacle — Recon — four years later, on the eve

Supper With The Crippens: A new investigation into one of the most notorious cases of the 20th century.

2005-11-18T20:54:00.000Z

By David James SmithIt was at a time when Edwardian Britain seemed a golden place, basking in its imperial glory. Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen set himself up in the then fasionable business of homeopathy. His wife, a music-hall variety performer called Belle Elmore, did her best with her limited stage talents. They lived among the suburban villas of North London, renting a house at 39 Hilldrop

Ghost Riders: Travels with American Nomads

2005-11-08T21:43:00.000Z

By Richard GrantGhost Riders is Grant's justification and account of his many years on the road, as well as an attempt to analyse the nomadic impulse. It combines the history of the conquistadors, the native Americans and the white European settlers with stories of Grant's encounters with fellow drifters, hobos, rodeo-riders, cave-dwellers, tramps, buckskinners, "Geritol Gypsies" and almost

Good Natured: Origins of right and wrong in humans and other animals

2005-11-08T21:29:00.000Z

By Frans de Waal Is morality a biological or cultural phenomenon? Can nonhuman animals be humane? Primatologist de Waal (Chimpanzee Politics) explores these questions in a provocative book and makes a strong case for biology. He is convinced that social tendencies come into existence via a genetic calculus rather than rational choice. He defends anthropomorphism, noting that it serves the same

Condi vs Hillary: The next Great Presidential Race

2005-11-08T21:25:00.000Z

By Dick Morris and Elleen McGann Who will be president in 2008? Many believe that the White House is Hillary Clinton's to lose. As long-time strategists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann reveal in Condi vs. Hillary, however, Hillary's plans for higher office are vulnerable to a challenge from a most unexpected quarter: the Bush administration's secretary of state and former national security advisor

OPUS DEI: Secrets and Power Inside the Catholic Church

2005-10-22T11:20:00.000Z

By John AllenDuring the Spanish civil war, Josemaria Escriva, the founder of the controversial Catholic organisation Opus Dei, was stranded with a band of his early followers in Madrid. Escriva retreated to the bathroom daily to do “spiritual exercises” in privacy, but on one occasion a colleague was so sick that he couldn’t vacate the smallest room. So Escriva insisted that he put a towel over

Before The Beginning: Our Universe and Others

2005-10-12T11:56:00.000Z

By Sir Martin ReesSophisticated instruments and spacecraft expeditions probing deeper into space have all increased our knowlege of the universe and its place in the grand scheme of things. From the theoretical insights to experimental confirmations, this book describes the universe and our quest to understand it. Rees, the well-known cosmologist and director of Cambridge University's Institute

Baghdad FC: Iraq's Football Story

2005-10-01T15:26:00.000Z

By Simon Freeman A sports story that tells the history of a nation. With the fall of Iraq in 2003, the despotic reign of Uday Hussein, Saddam's son and sports minister, came to an end. For 19 years he had arrested, tortured and murdered footballers, athletes, officials and journalists, thrashing players with cables and forcing them to kick concrete balls until they doubled up in pain. The world

Going For The Laugh

2005-09-15T17:05:00.000Z

ByMartin Zuckerman “Going for the Laugh” is a story about people, their weaknesses, their strengths, the futility, the frankness, the philosophy and the tragic-comedy that is the human condition and includes the beliefs and philosophy of the central character, Manny. The story traces Manny’s interactions with family and friends and delves into the philosophies of his life that were structured as

Chainsaw's Justice

2005-09-15T16:47:00.000Z

By Allen Roth Allen “Skip” Roth, an accomplished chainsaw artist, was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of his son’s abuser in 1996. After spending three years in a maximum-security prison Roth wrote his autobiographical tale, which exposed the holes in his defense and eventually set him free. Chainsaw’s Justice is a chilling true story about those who fall through the holes in our justice

The Pied Piper of South Shore, Toys and Tragedy in Chicago

2005-08-29T08:22:00.000Z

By Caryn Lazar AmsterWhen Manny Lazar was murdered by a gang member in 1970, he died in the place he loved best: the Wee Folks toy store that he and his wife, Belle, had run for 25 years in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. "The Pied Piper of South Shore, Toys and Tragedy in Chicago" is the true crime story of the tragic death of this beloved retailer, told in gritty detail by his elder

ARTICLE OF INTEREST: The Nazca Lines

2005-08-25T12:07:00.000Z

The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs (drawings on the ground) located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches 37 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the pampa (a large flat area of southern Peru).The drawings include a hummingbird, monkey, spider and lizard, to name only a few of the over 300 drawings. They were created during the Nazca culture in the area, between 200 BC and

White Gold

2005-08-25T12:02:00.000Z

By Giles MiltonA mere few centuries ago, both Islam and Christianity, which proclaimed themselves models of righteousness and compassion, were involved in the African slave trade, destroying the lives of millions. The history of the slaves and the slavers has been told many ways since then. Less well known is another form of slavery, the capture of about a million Europeans and Americans by

One of the Best

2005-08-25T09:18:00.000Z

By Robert P. SchochOne of the Best tells the story of a dedicated cyclist who is cut short from achieving his dreams when he has an encounter with God. The book explores life-priorities, and how life changing Divine revelation can be from a Christian perspective. Yet, rather than making him an unwilling prisoner in his faith, in One of the Best, the hero's faith in the end, works to his own good

It's a Sprawl World After All

2005-08-23T17:38:00.000Z

By Douglas E. Morris Suburbia has twisted the American dream into a nightmare. The US now has the most rapes, assaults, murders and serial killings per capita, by a wide margin, than any other first-world nation. It's a Sprawl World After All is the first book to link America's increase in violence and the corresponding breakdown in society with the post WWII development of suburban

The Wilderness Trail

2005-08-22T16:25:00.000Z

By George Hunt“The Wilderness Trail”, is the journey of George “Bubba” Hunt. He is the son of Frank Hunt, the Legendary Government Hunter and Trapper. It is a true story of a kid who grew up in the mountains of California. It is the story of the struggles and adventures of a wide-eyed kid who dreamed of far away mountains and places that he had never seen. It is a quest to find the “Pioneer

Undertow

2005-08-22T16:17:00.000Z

By Warren AdlerThis explosive novel centers around a U.S. senator with presidential aspirations and the trauma he faces when his girlfriend drowns during a weekend tryst. It dramatically details the action taken by the senator and his staff in a desperate attempt to manipulate the media and preserve his political viability.Here is a gripping and fast-paced story that unlocks the mystery of today

The Mayan Glyph

2005-08-19T18:01:00.000Z

By Larry Baxter A team of archaeologists in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula accidentally triggers a viral epidemic. Medical researcher Robert Asher uncovers a mysterious glyph, chiseled into a stela in Uxmal in the ninth century, hinting that the ancient Maya may have been decimated by an identical virus. This leads to the possibility of a cure that could be the key to saving millions of lives. Asher

A History of The Blues

2005-08-19T17:57:00.000Z

By Francis DavisIn honor of the Year of the Blues, the long-awaited reissue of a myth-shattering examination of a most enduring form of American music. Francis Davis's The History of the Blues is a groundbreaking rethinking of the blues that fearlessly examines how race relations have altered perceptions of the music. Tracing its origins from the Mississippi Delta to its amplification in Chicago

The Warrior Prophet

2005-08-16T10:17:00.000Z

By R. Scott Bakker"Book Two of The Prince of Nothing" finds the Holy War continuing its inexorable march southward. But the suspicion begins to dawn that the real threat comes not from the infidel but from within...Steering souls through the subtleties of word and expression, Kellhus strives to extend his dominion over the Men of the Tusk. The sorcerer Achamian and his lover, Esmenet, submit

The Explorer's Eye

2005-08-15T17:20:00.000Z

By Fergus Fleming and Annabel Merullo As a boy Michael Palin was enthralled by tales of the great explorers — set upon by cannibals or tortured by frostbite. So he just had to follow in their footsteps.It was not until I was 12 OR 13 that I finally gave up hope of becoming an explorer. Since about the age of 8, I had been aware of a strong, and at times almost desperate, need to see parts of the

ARTICLE OF INTEREST: The Voynich Manuscript

2005-08-11T15:42:00.000Z

The Voynich manuscript is a mysterious illustrated book of unknown contents, written some 600 years ago by an anonymous author in an unidentified alphabet and unintelligible language. Over its recorded existence, the Voynich manuscript has been the object of intense study by many professional and amateur cryptographers — including some top American and British codebreakers of World War II fame —

God's Equation

2005-08-11T15:31:00.000Z

By Dr. Amir AczelIn a work that is at once lucid and profound, renowned mathematician Dr. Amir Aczel, critically acclaimed author of Fermat's Last Theorem, takes students into the heart of science's greatest mystery. In January 1998, astronomers found evidence that the cosmos is expanding at an ever-increasing rate--the way we perceived the universe was changed forever. The most compelling theory

Between Sex and Power: Family in the World 1900-2000

2005-08-11T15:21:00.000Z

By Gsran Therborn Review by ERIC HOBSBAWNThe family is a subject on which, for obvious reasons, there is no shortage of public or private views. Google records 368 million items under the word ‘family’, as against a mere 170 million under ‘war’. All governments have tried to encourage or discourage procreation and passed laws about human coupling and decoupling. All the global religions (with the

Tigers in Red Weather

2005-08-08T10:00:00.000Z

By Ruth PadelAfter a terrible year, the end of a five-year affair and the death of her father, Ruth Padel wants out from normal life and happens across an advert for a trip to India. She visits a tiger reserve - and so begins a remarkable journey and an obsession. She travels across the world, Bhutan to Siberia, China to Sumatra, into jungles and into myths, in search of tigers: the most

The Real Queen of France

2005-08-08T09:53:00.000Z

By Lisa Hamilton The reign of Athenais de Montespan as principal mistress of Louis XIV corresponds with the most glorious period of the Grand Siecle. Athenais was "the true Queen of France", symbol of a dazzling French culture in the 17th century. As a lover, she risked the disgrace of double adultery to conduct an affair which scandalized Europe; as a patron she supported many of the leaders of

Bad Thoughts

2005-08-08T09:50:00.000Z

By Jamie Whyte Philosopher Jamie Whyte exposes bigots, priests and politicians in this guide to the bogus reasoning used to gain our votes, money and devotion; a witty and contentious appeal for the application of reason in public and private debate.Summary from London Review of Books

Freakonomics

2005-08-06T10:38:00.000Z

Modern life can be baffling and chaotic. Is there any way of making sense of it? The answer, explains groundbreaking thinker Steven Levitt, lies in economics. Not ordinary economics, but freakonomics. It is at the heart of everything we see and do and the subjects that bedevil us daily: from parenting to crime, sport to politics, fat to cheating, fear to traffic jams.In Freakonomics Levitt turns

We Need to Talk About Kevin

2005-08-06T10:33:00.000Z

By Lionel ShriverTwo years ago, Eva Khatchadourian's son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a popular algebra teacher. Because he was only fifteen at the time of the killings, he received a lenient sentence and is now in a prison for young offenders in upstate New York. Telling the story of Kevin's upbringing, Eva addresses herself to her estranged

The Story of The Holy Grail

2005-08-02T17:28:00.000Z

By Chretien de Troyes Review by HELEN COOPER The Story of the Grail (to give it its original title) is a story about naming; about what things are. Riding out to visit his mother's labourers, the boy encounters a group of knights, whom he believes must be angels. When they ask him his name, he replies with the set by which people call him: Dear Son, Dear Brother, Good Master ' the last getting an

D-day to Berlin

2005-08-02T17:15:00.000Z

By Andrew Williams The remarkable story of the Allied struggle for survival told through the voices of the British, American and German soldiers who were there. Nightfall, 6 June 1944. D-Day is over and the Allies have carved a tenuous foothold in 'Fortress Europe'. The future of Europe hangs in the balance as Hitler's formidable SS Panzer troops threaten to drive them back into the sea. D-Day to

ARTICLE OF INTEREST: The Most Noble order of The Garter

2005-07-31T10:32:00.000Z

The Order of the Garter originates from the 14th century and is the world's oldest national order of knighthood. TheMotto of the Garter is "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (which means "Shame on him who thinks ill of it") in gold letters. This 17th century Garter spells out the motto in diamonds. The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an English order of chivalry with a history stretching back to

Understanding the Present: An altnernative History of Science

2005-07-31T10:17:00.000Z

By Bryan Applyard A science and philosophy columnist for the Sunday Times of London, Bryan Appleyard is looked upon by many as one of today's most outspoken and articulate critics of science. When Understanding the Present appeared in 1992, it topped the bestseller lists in England amid a storm of controversy. The scientific journal Nature called it "dangerous" and an "assault on reason" and

The Guardian

2005-07-31T10:14:00.000Z

By Nicholas Sparks Since her husband's tragic death fours years before, 29-year-old Julie Barenson had been reluctant to date, but now feels ready to test the waters. Soon, she is being wined and dined by Richard Franklin, a handsome and sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen. She also suddenly finds herself entertaining romantic thoughts about Mike Harris, her best friend in the

The Grass Dancer

2005-07-30T12:22:00.000Z

By Susan Power A major talent debuts with this beguiling novel whose characters are Dakota Sioux and their spirit ancestors. Covering some of the same themes as Louise Erdrich but displaying her own distinctive voice and transcendent imagination, Power has produced an authentic portrait of Native American culture and characters who are as resilient and tangible as the grass moving over the Great

Japonisme: Cultural Crossings Between Japan and the West

2005-07-30T11:59:00.000Z

by Lionel LambourneJapan, which closed its doors on the world after 1639, left the catflap of Deshima open to Dutch merchants, so specialists on both sides could trade through it for two centuries. The material west imported low-bulk luxuries - porcelain, lacquer, a plant or two; the immaterial east imported no-bulk information. The Japanese, who were curious to the point of learning Dutch,

The Know-it-all: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

2005-07-29T16:14:00.000Z

By AJ JacobsYou go to school. You work hard. You go to university. You learn a lot. You're pretty pleased with yourself. You're erudite, well-read and know a whole bunch of obscure facts guaranteed at some point to appear in the questions on Mastermind or University Challenge. Then you get a job, and ten years later you stumble over Beckett but are eloquent about Big Brother and you discuss Kyle

Goya's Black Paintings

2005-07-28T21:29:00.000Z

ARTICLE OF INTEREST Saturn Devouring His Son (1819), one of 14 "black paintings", a series of grotesque even disturbing images produced by Goya in the later years of his lifeThe Black Paintings are a group of paintings by Francisco de la Goya done in the later years of his life (1819-1823) that portray intense, haunting themes.Goya completed many works for prominent clients in his time, including

An Archaeology of Socialism

2005-07-28T14:23:00.000Z

By Victor BuchliThis fascinating case study of Moisei Ginzburg’s Constructivist masterpiece the Narkomfin Communal House demonstrates how the architect sought to embody Socialist and feminist principles in the form and fabric of the building. In this way an iconic early Communist project functions as a metaphor for the overwhelming optimism and uncompromising espousal of newness in early

Philosophy: The Pig That Wants to be Eaten, and Ninety-nine Other Thought Experiments

2005-07-28T11:18:00.000Z

by Julian BagginiReviewed by JOHN CAREYThought experiments are little narratives that focus on a single aspect of a big problem, and clarify it. They have been around for centuries. Christ’s parables were thought experiments. So were Aesop’s fables. Philosophers find them useful because they locate something we think we know, and make us doubt it. In this brief, forceful book, Julian Baggini

Gangland Today

2005-07-28T11:14:00.000Z

By James Morton With organised gangs making increasing use of technology to expand their empires, crime is more international than it has ever been. GANGLAND TODAY charts the effects of a changing world on everything from prostitution to people smuggling, identity theft to old-fashioned robbery. Morton covers both the current activities of well-known gangs from the Mafia to the South American

The Life of Cardinal Winning: This Turbulent Priest

2005-07-26T17:16:00.000Z

The Life of Cardinal Winningby Stephen McGintyStephen McGinty tells for the first time the full life-story of Cardinal Thomas Winning, arguably the most controversial and pugnacious Archbishop in recent British history. Cardinal Winning's father was an unemployed miner in Lanarkshire, whose illegitimate birth remained a family secret Winning took to his grave. Raised in a crucible of

The Monstrous Regiment

2005-07-24T13:20:00.000Z

By Terry Pratchet It begun as a sudden strange fancy...Polly Perks had to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting off her hair and wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape took more time...And now she's enlisted in the army, and searching for her lost brother. But there's a war on. There's always a war on. And Polly and her fellow recruits are suddenly in the

150 Classic Cocktails

2005-07-24T13:17:00.000Z

By Hamlyn Publications With 150 classic recipes, tips, anecdotes and advice, this cocktail extravaganza will guarantee that your party will go with a swing. Whether Whisky is your weakness, or Tequila your tipple, there is something for everyone – even drivers and children can join in the fun with a special alcohol-free section. This recipe book includes 150 classic recipes, tips, anecdotes and

Philip's Atlas of The Universe

2005-07-24T13:13:00.000Z

By Sir Patrick Moore"Philip's Atlas of the Universe" is a definitive reference to the stars, the planets and the universe written by Britain's best-known astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore. For this new edition, the text has been fully revised and updated to include the latest discoveries made by the most recent space missions. It contains a wealth of photographs and superb star maps. It is suitable

Venice: Tales of a City

2005-07-22T11:17:00.000Z

by Michelle LovricElusive and fantastical, Venice is a many-layered confection of history. The writers here have captured what is most important to them in pieces ranging from the city's foundation up to the present time. The voices, entirely diverse, are both international and native: here we meet Hans Christian Andersen, Paolo Barbaro, Bernard Berenson, Mary Braddon, Casanova, Chekov, Thomas

Go: An Airline Adventure

2005-07-22T11:14:00.000Z

By Barbara Cassani and Kenny Kemp The remarkable story behind the life of GO, the no-frills airline, by the businesswoman who created the company. Brilliantly readable, this is the definitive telling of the business story of the decade. An aspirational story of a businesswoman's success and one of the best insider start up books in the business. Barbara Cassani set up the no-frills airline Go

Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to all Creation

2005-07-22T11:04:00.000Z

By Olivia JudsonIf you have ever wondered why women always bite your head off or why one guy gets all the girls, then "Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation" is the book for you. Quirky and brilliant, it takes as its starting point all creatures great and small worried about their bizarre sex lives, and the letters they write to the wise Dr Tatiana.An entertaining fusion of science and natural

The Wright Brothers

2005-07-21T14:58:00.000Z

By Ian Mackersey The conquest of the air at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on 17 December 1903 was one of the supreme achievements of the 20th century. Two unknown American bicycle mechanics, Wilbur and Orville Wright, launched that day the first successful powered aeroplane, changing the world for ever. On the centennial of the historic first flights, biographer Ian Mackersey offers this study of

The Big Questions in Science

2005-07-21T14:53:00.000Z

Edited by Harriet SwainWhat is life about? How are men and women different? How did the universe begin? We all ponder these questions from time to time but some scientists spend their lives investigating them. Are they anywhere near finding answers? In this book, leading scientific thinkers address 20 of the really big questions that people have been asking for hundreds of years. The

Cross Bones

2005-07-20T18:29:00.000Z

By Kathy Reichs 'Death by self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head' is the on-scene assessment, but the victim's relatives are adamant in their rejection of suicide as an explanation. Discovered in a closet, a full week after death, the body is barely recognisable. Extreme heat has accelerated decomposition, and Dr Temperance Brennan's forensic expertise is required. Advanced putrefaction has

Shadowmancer

2005-07-20T18:20:00.000Z

By G.P TaylorObadiah Demurral is a sorcerer who is seeking to control the highest power in the universe. He will stop at nothing. The only people in his way are Raphael, Kate, Thomas - and the mysterious Jacob Crane. Their tortured struggles lead them to a dramatic climax in the gothic church of St Mary's.Shadowmancer is the book that has been dubbed 'Hotter than Potter' and is set to give J.K.

A Song flung up to Heaven

2005-07-20T10:02:00.000Z

By Maya Angelou It is 1964 and Maya Angelou is on her way back home, leaving behind her beloved - and now seriously teenaged - son Guy, to finish university in Ghana. America is pulsing with the challenge of change, the civil rights movement is in full swing and that's where Maya Angelou wants to be, working alongside her friends Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. In this final volume, Maya

Leadership

2005-07-20T09:56:00.000Z

By Rudolph W. Giuliani The minutes and hours following the 11th September terror attacks on the World Trade Center posed the greatest challenge to governance in New York City's history. Mayor Rudoph Giuliani had barely escaped with his life in the collapse of the first tower. Fires burned furiously near the site as the other buildings verged on collapse and Air Force fighter jets criss-crossed

Fillums

2005-07-19T17:48:00.000Z

By Hugh Leonard IN 1942, WITH war raging in Europe, the playwright Peregrine Perry and his wife Babs tire of Dublin literary life and move to the small, quiet coastal town of Drane. They soon discover that Drane is the most boring town in Ireland - there is no public transport or radio and the town hall has been locked up. The only diversions from their dull lives are the shows put on by local

Cinema Today

2005-07-19T17:40:00.000Z

By Edward Buscombe A third of the entire history of cinema is represented by films produced from 1970 onwards. Cinema Today explores this history, what may be referred to as the Third Age of world cinema, and the films, people and technologies which have shaped its development. The work of film-makers who have made a significant contribution to the film industry during this period is also

A Plea of Insanity

2005-07-19T17:17:00.000Z

By Priscilla Masters ENTER THE WORLD of Greatbach Psychiatrist Unit in Stoke on Trent. A world of paranoia, madness and psychotic personalities. This is the world Doctor Claire Roget enters when she replaces her heroine Doctor Heidi Faro. But her predecessor met an untimely end at the hands of one of her own patients in the very room Claire now has to work from. Trying to put aside the history

Around The World in 80 Treasures

2005-07-18T15:07:00.000Z

By Dan CruickshankDan Cruickshank's quest is to tell the story of civilisation through the greatest of man's achievements. It will also be the story of his travels, and who and what he meets along the way.Whether standing before the solemn heads of Easter Island, investigating the mysterious Nazca lines in Peru or the magnificent temple of Borobodur in Java, Dan is never less than fascinating

Shaman's Crossing

2005-07-18T15:05:00.000Z

By Robin Hobb The first book in a brand new trilogy from the author of the Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies. When the two-hundred year war between the kingdoms of Vania and Landsing ended the Landsingers were left in triumphant possession of Vania's rich coal and coast territories. When young King Troven assumed the throne of Vania thirty years later, he was determined to

The Gardens and Parks at Hampton Court Palace

2005-07-18T14:59:00.000Z

By Todd Longstaffe-Gowan HAMPTON COURT PALACE is famed throughout the world and regularly draws over a million visitors each year. Host to garden shows and spectacular concerts, it is a major tourist attraction, a must-see on every overseas visitor's itinerary and the subject of many school visits and weekend outings. With its stunning buildings, vistas and gardens, it is a haven for those

The Wisdom of No Escape and The Path of Loving Kindness

2005-07-17T11:58:00.000Z

By Pema ChodronMassmarket edition of this spiritual guide to making the most of life, through bad times as well as good, from bestselling author Pema Chodron. This accessible book has been on the US bestseller lists consistently for four years now. In The Wisdom of No Escape, bestselling author Pema Chodron shows us the profound value of our situation of 'no exit' from the ups and downs of life.

Encyclopedia of Whisky

2005-07-17T11:52:00.000Z

By Michael Jackson WHISKY, SCOTCH, BOURBON - one of the world's most popular drinks and enjoyed and collected by millions. In Japan some of Scotland's produce attracts an almost fanatical following and the prices for some can hit the roof. But why? That is the question author and whisky expert Michael Jackson poses in this lavishly illustrated book on the subject. Nicknamed 'The Whisky Chaser',

A Long Way Down

2005-07-16T17:47:00.000Z

By Nick HornbyIN HIS NEW novel, Nick Hornby deals with the topic of suicide in a respectful and honest way. It tells the story of four people who meet by chance at the aptly named "Toppers House" on New Years Eve. Maureen, a dowdy middle-aged woman wants to end her life as a full-time carer for her severely disabled son. Jess, a crazed teenager ends up there after being dumped by her boyfriend.

Sight Unseen

2005-07-16T17:40:00.000Z

By Robert GoddardTHE ANCIENT STONE site of Avebury in Wiltshire must have seen many comings and goings over the centuries but in 1981 it saw the abduction of a toddler and the death of young child, leaving the remaining sibling traumatised for years to come. No-one was quite sure what happened it took place so fast, and everyone who was witness to the event found their futures embroiled in the

Haw-Haw: The Tragedy of William and Margaret Joyce

2005-07-16T17:30:00.000Z

By Nigel FarndaleWilliam and Margaret Joyce - Lord and Lady Haw-Haw - became one of the most ridiculed, feared and mythologized partnerships of the Second World War. His 'Germany Calling' broadcasts delivered in an upper-class drawl, and her lesser known, though no less insidious, pro-Nazi wireless talks, were part of the very fabric of the Home Front. Yet when they were captured in May 1945,

Sneakers: The complete collector's guide

2005-07-16T17:17:00.000Z

By Unorthodox Styles The once secret world of the sneaker collector has exploded into popular culture, with a whole army of fans hungry for the rarest shoes, the latest designs or reissued classics in a never-ending myriad of colourways and materials. Sneakers is the indispensable and definitive guide to the very best and most collectible sneaker designs. It features: over 500 specially taken

A Moral Reckoning

2005-07-16T17:03:00.000Z

By Daniel Jonah Goldhagen Daniel Jonah Goldhagen cuts through the historical and moral fog to lay out the full extent of the Catholic Church's involvement in the Holocaust, transforming a narrow discussion fixated on Pope Pius XII into the long overdue investigation of the Church throughout Europe. He shows that the Church's and the Pope's complicity in the persecution of the Jews was much deeper

The Ocean Railway

2005-07-16T14:42:00.000Z

By Stephen FoxThe great transatlantic steamship lines revolutionized Anglo-American commerce and travel. In a wave of British and American entrepreneurial zeal, the ploddingly slow, ugly and uncomfortable vessels of the early 19th century were transformed into vast, swift, graceful and often luxurious ocean-going liners. Steamships became emblems of an age, of a Victorian audacity of spirit -

Welcome to WorthyRead

2005-07-15T19:41:00.000Z

WorthyRead is a literary blog, publishing short, descritpive reviews of interesting new (and old) books. Our aim is to cut out the unnecessary words, and help the reader make a snap judgement as to whether or not they will enjoy the books we showcase.