Category Archives: Books

I’ve just finished two novels that fall into the "beautiful but not stunning" category. Alan Hollinghurt’s The Line of Beauty (several reviews here) is the story of a gay man growing up in 1980s London, which won the 2004 Booker … Continue reading →

One good thing about international flights is that they do allow you to churn through a few more books than usual. Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink is about the value and limitations of snap decisions. Gladwell’s a rolicking writer, though like many … Continue reading →

Apologies for a dearth of blogging lately – Gweneth and I have been showing her parents around Sydney, Blue Mountains, Hunter and Central Coast. It’s their first visit to Australia (they’re American), and they keep saying "We’re upside down!", as … Continue reading →

I had a review essay in the Australian Financial Review yesterday, looking at a book by Alberto Alesina and Ed Glaeser – Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference. The book sets out to discover why … Continue reading →

Lest readers think that all we do all day is think about ideas for our future, I have been reading a fantastic book recently by a friend of mine, Rory Stewart, who did something that most right thinking people would … Continue reading →