The Rag
I like literary magazines. I read a lot of them, although I don’t review them on here too often. I just read a new one called The Rag (well it’s new to me, but this is Issue 5 so I…
Meditation by James Hewitt
Meditation is a difficult subject for a ‘how to’ guide, because ultimately it doesn’t really matter how you do it. This is a pretty good attempt, though. James Hewitt gives the basic advice on posture, breathing, etc., and then takes…
The Almost Lizard by James Higgerson
James Higgerson’s debut novel follows a teenage boy whose habit of imagining himself in television soap operas develops from harmless fantasy into a cause for suicide. In a striking opening chapter, Danny Lizar announces that today is his 21st birthday…
A Primer of Freudian Psychology by Calvin S. Hall
I'd recommend this short, 120-page book to anyone who wants a lucid introduction to Freud's main ideas.
Bottled Air by Caleb Klaces
I read this book twice in quick succession. It’s only a short collection, 70 pages of generously-spaced poems and a few pages of notes, so it didn’t take long. Interestingly, the two readings were very different. The first time, I…
Giveaway: Granta Best of Young British Novelists 2003
The announcement this week of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists 2013 reminded me that I have a spare copy of the collection from 2003, featuring young talents like Zadie Smith, Monica Ali, Adam Thirlwell, Hari Kunzru and David Mitchell.…
How to Improve your Foreign Language Immediately
How to Improve your Foreign Language Immediately is a very slim book – just 95 pages – and yet it comes with a big promise in the title and big endorsements from Shekhtman’s former students in places like The New…
The Quiddity of Will Self by Sam Mills
This book is unlike any other I’ve read. That, in itself, is a reason I’m glad I read it. In a world in which too many books are reminiscent of other books, this one is truly unique. It may sound…