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Category Archives: Nonfiction
The most enjoyable ‘collected letters’ I’ve ever read: 84, Charing Cross Road (and the Duchess of Bloomsbury street)
From 1950 to 1970, an American scriptwriter, Helene Hanff, embarked on self-education by book with the aid of some British secondhand booksellers. 84, Charing Cross Road is a collection of the letters which passed primarily between Hanff and the shop’s … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, American, British, Diary, General adult audience, Letters
Tagged American, books, British, criticism, epistolary, friendship, literary criticism, literature, rationing, trans-Atlantic, travel
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Apologetics Updated for our Age and My Favourite Christian Book of 2019: Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion was probably my favourite Christian book that I read in 2019. Using an engaging mix of research, anecdote and personal story, McLaughlin gives nuanced answers to some of the big … Continue reading
Insightful, practical, wise and biblical: Untangling Emotions by Groves and Smith
Untangling Emotions is a helpful exploration of feelings and what to do with them from a Christian perspective. Solidly biblical and extremely practical, it challenges some of our unhelpful approaches to emotions and unpacks what different emotions actually tell us. … Continue reading
Inventor of the post box and novel-making machine: Autobiography is the self-told story of one of my favourite Victorian novelists, Anthony Trollope
Autobiography by Anthony Trollope was an easy and amusing read. It focuses on Trollope’s two careers – as post office official and author – with only brief forays into personal life, although Trollope-as-a-person comes through on every page. Part of … Continue reading
Posted in Biography/Autobiography, British, General adult audience, Nonfiction, Victorian
Tagged autobiography, British, hunting, novel writing, postal service, work
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Radio plays that were The Mark Drama of the 1940s: The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers
As I read The Man Born to be King I found myself thinking, this was the Mark Drama of the 1940s! A series of twelve radio plays about the life of Jesus Christ, they were written by Dorothy L. Sayers … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Biography/Autobiography, Christian, Christian Non-fiction, General adult audience, Nonfiction, Script/Play
Tagged 20th Century, ascension, British, character-driven, Christianity, Christmas, crucifixion, disciples, Dorothy L. Sayers, drama, Easter, good for spiritual health, good out loud, Gospels, historical, holiday reading, Jesus' ministry, radio plays, resurrection, The Inklings, wartime
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Is it possible to have a high powered job and a functioning family? It’s a lot easier if you have a ‘Wife’, according to discussion-provoking book, The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb
The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb is an intriguing look at work, home, family balance and gender in modern Australia. Why do men, on average, work an extra four hours a week after the birth of their first child? Why … Continue reading
Posted in Australian, Contemporary, General adult audience, Nonfiction, Social Commentary/Analysis
Tagged 21st Century, Australian, child-raising, childcare, conversation-starter, culture, engaging with culture, family, feminism, glass ceiling, having children, men and women, politics, relationships, society, women, work
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A book doing justice to a complex place: Darwin by Tess Lea
Darwin by Tess Lea is an intriguing, beautifully written exploration of the unique history, geography, beauties, tensions and contradictions of Australia’s smallest and remotest capital city. It’s been on my bookshelf for awhile, read, recommended and bequeathed by my father … Continue reading
Posted in Australian, Contemporary, General adult audience, Nonfiction, Travel and Geography Non-Fiction
Tagged 21st Century, Aboriginal history, Australian, Australian Armed Forces, Australian history, colonialism, crocodiles, Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, geography, history, insects, modern Australia, Northern Territory, social policy, Top End, White Australia Policy, WWII
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Spending time with a delightful dead guy: The Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb
I was curious about Charles Lamb after references to him in Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I was surprised at how enjoyable The Essays of Elia and The Last Essays of Elia actually were. Published in magazines … Continue reading
Posted in 18th Century, Arts Criticism, Biography/Autobiography, Essays, General adult audience, Miscellaneous Non-Fiction, Social Commentary/Analysis, Travel and Geography Non-Fiction
Tagged 19th Century, authors with day jobs, British, character sketches, classic, criticism, essays, exam period friendly, humour, semi-autobiographical, society
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Letters from England by Karel Čapek
Letters from England by Karel Čapek is a book I picked up for $5 in New Zealand, one of those high points of secondhand-bookshopping. As suggested by the title, it’s a collection of letters from the Czech author’s travels in … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Biography/Autobiography, General adult audience, Letters, Social Commentary/Analysis, Travel and Geography Non-Fiction
Tagged 20th Century, culture, Czech, England, epistolary, exam period friendly, external viewpoint, humour, illustrated, observations, out of print, society, translated, travel
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Universities and uni students are changing: Lukianoff and Haidt provide a compelling argument for some of the fundamental beliefs that are driving the changes in The Coddling of the American Mind
What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. If you feel it, it must be true. People are either good or evil. In The Coddling of the American Mind Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff argue that belief in these three ‘Great … Continue reading →