“Most people go through their whole lives without answering their own questions: What am I,…
mental strength

Educated by Tara Westover and how learning can change the course of a life
How do I start talking about Educated by Tara Westover? I’ll try with this: I…

“Life – her life – depended on self-discipline”: Reading Elephant Moon by John Sweeney to rediscover perseverance and wonder
I don’t think anyone’s immune from the doldrums. The same goes for loneliness. Just recently,…
To be kind and well-read: cultivating virtues in Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins
Kate Atkinson is a brilliant writer, and I admire her most when she’s writing about…
Aung San Suu Kyi and the Books That Kept Her Strong, Including John le Carré, Austen & WWI Poetry
BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs makes for intriguing listening. Each episode invites the chosen…
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes: One of The Best Thrillers Ever Written?
As I was approaching London Charing Cross on the train last month, I saw a…