Capsule book reviews in 255 characters or fewer. Ish. A reading diary (1st Jan 2019 onwards) by Eamonn Griffin.
An overview of climate change, its consequences, and a call for urgent meaningful action to be taken. A swift, accessible, though comprehensive account of the damage being done to the planet, and of the problems that this is already causing. The message is clear: the window for taking corrective action is closing fast. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The 9/11 report, distilled into a graphic novel. Excellent summary of the report, offering clarity and comprehensibility into timelining the events leading up to 9/11, into what went wrong, ongoing failures of national security, and from that what needs to be done to make different agencies work together. It’d be fascinating to read an updated version.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
This monograph – one of a new series – offers stand-up Boyle a little bit of a platform to let fly from. And it’s great stuff, too. Boyle 2.0 is a supremely effective satirist (or as much as one can be) and the craftsmanship of the gags on display here is terrific too. Lots of fun, plus I learned something about 1707.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The working class lives of a team of decorators, and the impacts of capitalism upon them and their families. Hugely entertaining, detailed and effective graphic novelisation of the early 20th century socialist classic, and a fine book in its own right. Lots to appreciate in artistic and in adaptation terms, with the messages of the original coming through clear. Recommended.
My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A writer revisits her younger life and self. Excellent autobiographical exploration of how class, gender, substance abuse, poor mental health, homelessness, poverty and related issues may intersect and inform each other. Neither sentimental nor sensationalist, but clear and compassionate throughout. Plus, a Proustian moment (involving banana-flavoured vitamin drops) for me. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
The former Labour politician’s account of his eight-stone weight loss, and the reversal of Type 2 diabetes. A scrappy book: equal parts name-droptastic autobiography, diet book (keto, basically), and Big Sugar polemic. While the core messages are sound, the scattershot approach – which reads as padding – might be frustrating for some looking for focus.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England
Three case studies of extreme wealth and power: Rupert Murdoch, the Koch brothers, Jeff Bezos. A confident blend of biography and polemic, clearly making the argument that power corrupts, and that money distorts. Lots to ponder on here, rendered in a chirpy and accessible graphic format. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A history of human interference with the world, from the birds’ perspectives. A smart, clever book with a unique angle, supported by Smyth’s in-depth knowledge, and via his facility for Stuka divebombs of sentences. Lots to think about here. Recommended.
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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A documentary record in photographs of mining communities in 1980s Northumberland. Epic and elegiac without being sentimental, the end of an era, an industry and to some extent a community captured in these compelling black-and-white images. A storming social history neither glamorizing nor criticising its subjects. Hugely recommended.
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My own books here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
A collection of short speeches made in 2018 and 2019 by the teen climate change activist. The same ideas, repeated in different ways; a series of pleas for meaningful action against global warming to be prioritised over pointless rhetoric or ignoring the issues. Clear, straightforward and accessible.
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My own books here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.
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