This is just a very quick heads-up. I’m just about to send off four reviews to Teach Secondary magazine. I will post the reviews here once they’ve been published there (that’s the deal), but here are one-liners to whet your appetite.
A Town Without Time: Gay Talese’s New York
Talese is a master of close observation. This is a great collection that includes his seminal Frank Sinatra Has A Cold, plus many oithers I hadn’t heard of. Essential reading for any writer.
Pen Names
You probably have no idea what lies behind the adoiption of some pen names! This delightful and dip-intoable book will tell yoiu everything you need to know — and probably more than you need to!
Adaptable
This is about how people have developed different aspects of their biology/physiology in response to local conditions in their part of the world. It is the first book about biology that I’ve really understood.
The Library of Ancient Wisdom
It was burnt to the ground, but miraculously the fire itself ensured that at least some of the knowledge accrued wasn’t lost, but actually preserved. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but it’s a fascinating story so far.
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