Category Archives: Travel Guides
White Teeth
Zadie Smith`s White Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel on a scrambled, heterogeneous sprawl of mixed-race and immigrant family life in 20th-century gritty London.It follows the roots and the lives of three families: the Iqbals, the Jones` and the Chalfens. With an interesting concoction of cultures, ranging from the Radio-4-listening, herbal-tea-drinking Chalfens, to the
Viking Age Iceland
Medieval Iceland was unique amongst Western Europe, with no foreign policy, no defense forces, no king, no lords, no peasants and few battles. It should have been a utopia yet its literature is dominated by brutality and killing. The reasons for this, argues Jesse Byock, lie in the underlying structures and cultural codes of the
The Autograph Man
The Autograph Man is Zadie Smith`s whirlwind tour of celebrity and our fame-obsessed times. Following one Alex-Li Tandem – a twenty-something, Chinese-Jewish autograph dealer turned on by sex, drugs and organised religion – it takes in London and New York, love and death, fathers and sons, as Alex tries to discover how a piece of
Rome and Jerusalem – The Clash of Ancient Civilizations
Martin Goodman’s ‘Rome and Jerusalem – The Clash of Ancient Civilizations” is a fabulous dissection of two crucial centuries in Jewish history, providing an original account of the origins of anti-semitism and its reverberations to the present day. In AD 70, after a war which had flared sporadically for four years, three Roman legions under
The Yellow Cross – The Story of the Last Cathars 1290 – 1329
In The Yellow Cross, Renรฉ Weis tells the story a group of heretics in thirteenth century southwest France, the Cathars, and how they became a serious threat to the Catholic church. In several waves of repression, thousands of Cathars were killed. Yet so ardent was their faith that, early in the next century, the Cathars
Toujours Provence
Toujours Provence is a second helping of rural life in France from the author of “A Year in Provence”.Despite having already made a spectacle of himself in front of the locals, Peter Mayle tries to settle into the relaxed Provenรงal way of doing things. However, he finds that there is still much to divert him
The Map That Changed the World
`The Map That Changed the World`, by Simon Winchester, begins in 1815, when an extraordinary hand painted map was published in London. The first of its kind, this geological map outlined the layers of rock beneath our feet through a mixture of unfamiliar lines and patches. It was the result of the nearly twenty years`
Dark Star Safari
Embarking on another ambitious journey, Paul Theroux travels on his Dark Star Safari from Cairo to Cape Town by train, boat and cattle truck. He sets out to travel the length of Africa and to see everything in-between. Travelling through some of the most beautiful and most ravaged landscapes on earth, he revisits countries after
India In Slow Motion
In India in Slow Motion Mark Tully undertakes a journey that has no true beginning or end, seeking to unravel the mysteries lying at the heart of the country of his birth.Exploring subjects such as Hindu extremism, child labour, Sufi mysticism, the crisis in agriculture, political corruption and the problem of Kashmir, he challenges our
Paris – Biography of a City
Paris – Biography of a City is Colin Jones’ intelligently-written and entertaining new history which gives a sense of the city of Paris as it was lived in and experienced over time. The focal point of generation upon generation of admirers and detractors, a source of attraction or repulsion even for those who have never
The Pity of it All: A Portrait of Jews in Germany 1743-1933
`The Pity of It All` is a passionate and poignant history of German Jews, tracing the journey of a people and their culture from the mid eighteenth century to the eve of the Third Reich. As it is usually told, the story of the Jews in Germany starts at the end, overshadowed by their tragic
A History of Wales
This edition of John Davies` History of Wales brings this remarkable history into the new era of the Welsh Assembly.Stretching from the Ice Ages to the present day, this masterful account traces the political, social and cultural history of the land that has come to be called Wales. Spanning prehistoric hill forts and Roman ruins
English Passengers
`A big, ambitious novel with a rich historical sweep and a host of narrative voices. Its subject is a vicar`s ludicrous expedition in 1857 to the Garden of Eden in Tasmania, [as] meanwhile, in Tasmania itself, the British settlers are alternately trying to civilise and eliminate the Aboriginal population …The sort of novel that few
The Quincunx: The Inheritance of John Huffam
The Quincunx is an epic Dickensian-like mystery novel set in 19th century England, and concerns the varying fortunes of young John Huffam and his mother. A thrilling complex plot is made more intriguing by the unreliable narrator of the book – how much can we believe of what he says? First published in 1989, The
Africa: A Biography of the Continent
This is a well-written history that will challenge the way many people think about the continent. Starting from its geological formation, Reader traces the continent`s history through to the civil wars and genocide that mark it today.
Tales of the Pacific
If you know London primarily through novels like WHITE FANG, these stories will provide a new perspective. Full of intriguing characters and snippets of pidgin, they also highlight London`s concern with social issues.
The Africa House
Christina Lamb’s ‘Africa House” is a startling tale of Africa and the Empire, all ensconced within one man’s attempt to make an idyll for himself in the African bush.Stewart Gore-Brown build himself a feudal paradise in Northern Rhodesia; a sprawling country estate modelled on the finest homes of England, complete with uniformed servants, daily muster
The Painter of Signs
The Painter of Signs” is R. K. Narayan’s bittersweet novel that is as fresh and charming today as it was when originally published in 1976. It tells the tale of Raman, a conscientious sign-painter, who is trying to lead a rational life; the novel is filled with busy neighborhood life and gossip, the alternating rhythms
French Provincial Cooking
French Provincial Cooking is Elizabeth David`s classic work on French regional cuisine. Providing simple recipes like omelettes, souffles, soups and salads, it also offers more complex fare such as pates, cassoulets, roasts and puddings. First published in 1960, it is readable, inspiring and entertainingly informative. French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David is the perfect place
The “Call of the Wild”, “White Fang” and Other Stories
“The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Other Stories” collects some of Jack London`s most profound and moving allegorical tales. This “Penguin Classics” edition is edited by Andrew Sinclair with an introduction by James Dickey. “The Call of the Wild”, London`s masterpiece about a dog learning to survive in the wilderness, sees pampered pet
