Emma Dalby
The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers, by Gordon Weiss
Reviewed on August 27, 2012
Although not a usual choice for me, I decided to read this book because I’m planning a trip to Sri Lanka in the coming months. This tiny island known for its tea plantations, stunning beaches and friendly Buddhist people fascinates me, how can somewhere that looks so much like paradise suffer so many troubles? For [...]
People Who Eat Darkness: Love Grief and a Journey into Japan’s Shadows, by Richard Lloyd Parry
Reviewed on May 1, 2012
People Who Eat Darkness offers a compelling, compulsive and fascinating insight into a mystifying and horrific crime which caught the attention of the world. Richard Lloyd Parry investigates the disappearance of Lucie Blackman, a former BA stewardess who moved to Tokyo with her best friend Louise Phillips. While working as a bar hostess in the [...]
Bye Bye Babylon, by Lamia Ziadé
Reviewed on February 24, 2012
Bye Bye Babylon is an illustrated personal account of growing up in the midst of the Lebanese civil war. Written and illustrated by the artist Lamia Ziadé, who now resides in Paris, the part sketchbook, part diary offers a unique child’s eye view into the devastation of Beirut in the 1970’s. Lamia initially describes Beirut in [...]
One Model Nation, by Courtney Taylor-Taylor with Jim Rugg
Reviewed on February 7, 2012
The Dandy Warhols’ Frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor has produced a unique work of fiction in the form of a graphic novel. Set in Berlin in 1977 during a fascinating period of political and cultural turmoil, the novel follows the story of the art noise band One Model Nation as they become embroiled in the police hunt [...]
The Sea is My Brother: The Lost Novel, by Jack Kerouac
Reviewed on January 20, 2012
Published in its entirety for the first time, The Sea is My Brother is Jack Kerouac’s first novel. Prior to its discovery in 1992 by John Sampas, the executor of the Kerouac estate, the only evidence of the novel has been in Kerouac’s personal letters. Kerouac described the novel as being about ‘man’s’ simple revolt [...]
The Sound of Gravity, by Joe Simpson
Reviewed on December 9, 2011
Joe Simpson is mostly known for his non-fiction work Touching the Void. This classic piece of mountaineering writing recounts the tale of the former mountaineer and his struggle to survive after falling into a crevasse on a mountain in the Peruvian Andes. He landed on an ice ledge 80ft down. His right leg was badly [...]
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga
Reviewed on November 17, 2011
The Walking Dead began as an American comic book series, created by Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. The story chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a world stricken by a zombie apocalypse. A TV series premiered on October 31st 2010 on AMC in the US. This then crossed [...]
Eat, Pray, Eat: One Man’s Accidental Search for Equanimity, Equilibrium and Enlightenment, by Michael Booth.
Reviewed on October 13, 2011
Michael Booth is a journalist and food writer who contributes regularly to numerous British and oversees magazines, including Condé Nast Traveller and Monacle. He has also written for many of the UK’s broadsheet newspapers and is the author of three works of non-fiction, Just as Well I’m Leaving, Doing Without Delia and Sushi and Beyond [...]
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Gollancz 50th Anniversary Edition ), by Philip K Dick.
Reviewed on September 20, 2011
Gollancz – the UK home of science fiction and fantasy since 1961 has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. This long-established publishing line was originally an independent publisher founded by Victor Gollancz in 1928. He was succeeded by his daughter and it operated for many years from an office in Covent Garden. Its early strengths were [...]
Rule 34, by Charles Stross
Reviewed on September 4, 2011
Rule 34 is what you get when you mix Philip K Dick with Irvine Welsh. This near-future crime thriller, which has evolved from one of Stross’s earlier works – Halting State – is written entirely in 2nd person and takes you into the interesting, imaginative and at times alarming world of policing Internet porn. Add [...]
Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars, by Sonia Faleiro
Reviewed on August 15, 2011
Sonia Faleiro’s Beautiful Thing offers an insightful and unique glimpse into Bombay’s seedy underworld. This reportage-style non-fiction debut opens up a world previously hidden and often unimaginable. It follows the life and struggles of Leela, a stunning, intelligent and charismatic bar dancer with a unique story to tell. Leela introduces Sonia to a world of [...]
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The Bookgeeks Interview
Mark Oldfield
Mark Oldfield has worked in criminological research for over 20 years. He has a PhD in Criminology from the University of Kent and has carried out research in the areas of risk assessment and prediction and as well as evaluative research on policing, prisons and probation. He has also taught in various Universities on research, crime and criminal justice.
