The first books of my 20 Books of Summer in 2020! I started it just before the kick off. It's one of the random buys I choose when bulk shopping at AbeBooks, for used bargain books. A habit I missed for months now thanks to lockdown. Our narrator is Marsha, she recalls the summer of …
Continue reading A Crime in the Neighborhood – Suzanne Berne
'It's not easy writing about nothing' That's how Patti Smith starts her book. The words uttered by a cowpoke in her dream. A kind of challenge that she accepts. Before I proceed with the review bit, I need to make a small disclaimer. I have seen Patti Smith live on All Points East in 2018, …
Another one of the accidental BookPeople buys. Sometimes I like a book that seems to be about nothing in particular. And this one looked like a good match. A book to stretch your mind and have some fun. Randall Munroe is a cartoonist and an engineer. The book combines both of his gifts seamlessly. With …
Continue reading How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems – Randall Munroe
I must admit I am a typical product of Western education, completely oblivious to almost all of Asia's history, but for the most momentous events. So when my Taiwanese-Canadian friend asked me what I would like to get for a 'not-so-secret' Santa I asked for a book about Taiwan. When she talks about the island's …
Continue reading Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan – Jonathan Manthorpe
So far I've read four books by Shirley Jackson, this one included. The first three I loved. We Have Always Lived in a Castle was an unexpected discovery for me, as I've never before heard of Jackson. Let Me Tell You a lovely holiday discovery from Barcelona. The Haunting of the Hill House could be called a …
I read this book ages ago, you could even say in a different world. I was autumn 2019 and I was happily on vacation in Crete, enjoying the amazing food, lovely weather, and beach. It feels surreal now, even though just before all the lockdowns I've also been to Tenerife enjoying pretty much the same …
I've had this book on my shelf for years, bought probably eight or nine years ago in one of the second-hand bookshops. I think it must have been the £1 one because there's no price penciled in the book. Given my black heart and lack of patience for overly involved self-exploration, you could ask why …
I got this book from my mum for Christmas I think, or my birthday. In Polish edition, it has a beautiful cover, so I was tempted to read it, but at the same time deterred by its size. Finally roaming my shelves during lockdown in April I got to it. It is an odd choice …
Continue reading Wanderlust: A History of Walking – Rebecca Solnit
It is one of the four books on city planning I got from my mum last Christmas. I have Polish editions, but where I can identify the English version I'll refer to it for convenience (it saves me re-translating the title). My mum is a civil engineer and I am an art historian by education. …
Continue reading Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design – Charles Montgomery
A book that gave me my reading mojo back during the coronavirus lockdown. Since my company decided we have to work from home from the 5th of March, by the time I picked this book from the shelf I was in the fourth week of lockdown. During those four weeks, I barely managed to finish …
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