schopflin's reviews
694 reviews

The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

fast-paced

4.0

Very entertaining and much more than just a list of facts. Much of it was observant, even biting, and very funny indeed. 

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths

fast-paced

3.5

This has had some quite sniffy reactions but I enjoyed it. I found the plotting clever, the awful characters funny and liked the lovable ones. It's not mind-blowing but a very enjoyable read 

Burning The Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack by Richard Ovenden

medium-paced

4.0

Highly intelligent and readable. I learned a lot about historical instances of knowledge loss. And I loved the fact he looked at different facets: censorship, deliberate destruction, the effect of war, poverty and neglect, personal choice and complacency. 

Flesh and Blood: A History of My Family in Seven Sicknesses by Stephen McGann

fast-paced

4.0

This was surprisingly good.  Alongside well-researched medical content and family history, there is observation about the social and historical factors which form families and individuals. Sometimes it's a little overwritten, but then he is an actor, darling. 

A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

This is a very good Maeve Kerrigan book, lots of surprises, tense plotting. I can never quite see what Maeve sees in Josh, but I did believe in the attraction. 

Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence by Gavin Francis

medium-paced

4.5

Intelligent and compassionate read. Francis has a day job so this is 'The Warden'- sized not 'Last Chronicle of Barset'. I feel some of the topics could have been dealt with in more depth but then I am also grateful as I am struggling to read at the moment. 

A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer

fast-paced

4.0

A re-read for me for the first time in many years. Sometimes I think she is a little cruel to poor Jenny but it's nice to have a main character who isn't beautiful. 

The People on Privilege Hill: And Other Stories by Jane Gardam

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I'm not a fan of short stories as a genre but I am a huge fan of Jane Gardham's. Her writing is so clever, somewhere between human observation and uncanny weirdness, that I couldn't not enjoy this. 

Index, a History of The: A Bookish Adventure from Medieval Manuscripts to the Digital Age by Dennis Duncan

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

I've read a lot of books on the topic of how we organise our knowledge to make it manageable and this is without doubt the most entertaining book I have read on the subject. Part of me felt a pang as it's a version of a book I would like to have written myself. But better - full of reflective insights that go beyond the book history (and the humour). My one complaint is that he skates slightly over subject headings - how they are chosen, how people decide to divide up the world (in technical terms, he doesn't touch on thesauri and taxonomies). But that is probably another book. 

The Explorer's Daughter: A Young Englishwoman Rediscovers Her Arctic Childhood by Kari Herbert

medium-paced

3.5

This isn't a beautifully-written book, but it's an honest testimony to the author's experience. She captures both the lives of the Polar inhabitants and also her own reactions, wishing they conformed to her childhood memories and her fears for their future. I learned a lot, including about a 1957 nuclear accident, and it's worth remembering that these people noticed ice thinning decades before climate change was accepted as real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Suicide