British cast members include: George Eliot, Maurice Bowra, Isaiah Berlin and Hugh Trevor-Roper.
As entertaining as Gore Vidal (also in), as witty as Saul Bellow (also in), as pretentious (at times) as Susan Sontag (also in).
British cast members include: George Eliot, Maurice Bowra, Isaiah Berlin and Hugh Trevor-Roper.
As entertaining as Gore Vidal (also in), as witty as Saul Bellow (also in), as pretentious (at times) as Susan Sontag (also in).
A perfect Oxford novel.
“Why coal, coasts, and culture matter” by Robert Allen, Jeffrey Sachs and Deirdre McCloskey.
An incredibly lucid, powerful book by the most popular philosophy professor in the world.
His three Ages – The Age of Revolution, 1789-1848; The Age of Capital, 1848-1875, and The Age of Empire 1875-1914 – were the first serious history books I read.
This book put my faith in social science back. Nothing about human interactions is obvious and social dynamics can be harder to explain than the Big Bang. But it’s an exciting time to give it a shot.
I miss reading bad books. My addiction to reviews means I end up intentionally avoiding a lot of wonderful writing. Worst of all I have almost forgotten the surprise of unearthing a masterpiece. High five-star expectations only cause bigger disappointments.
We need to read bad books to know how good they can be. We should not take good writing for granted. It is hard and it is rare.
“Life is too short for bad books and bad wine,” a wonderful LSE professor once told me. Since I hardly remember what corked books taste like, I am not even sure whether most of what I read is actually a good vintage.
A sort of book, I would have enjoyed even more if I read when I was 17.
Those I reread thrice are “After the Race”, “An Encounter” and “The Dead”.
A story of a dissident family pursued by the Argentine junta through the eyes of a child. Poignant, funny, and brilliant. Translated by Frank Wynne. Thanks to Radio 4’s Bookclub for the tip.
There are right answers to moral questions and the hedgehog knows them.
The thesis of the book is the opposite of what the title suggests, which is probably why this book is really worth reading. The data set provided on the book website is incredible.
My first Kindle book.
Possibly the last paperback classic I bought and probably because of this.