Master List of Books Read in 2021

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment
  1. Give Great Presentations by Lucinda Becker.
  2. Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay.
  3. Avoid Plagiarism by Thomas Lancaster.
  4. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji.
  5. Choose Your Own Adventure: Mountain Survival by Edward Packard.
  6. Manage Your Stress by Clare Wilson.
  7. Forged by Benedict Jacka.
  8. Think Critically by Tom Chatfield.
  9. Slough House by Mick Herron.
  10. Good Girls Die First by Kathryn Foxfield.
  11. Small Dreams Of A Scorpion by Spike Milligan.
  12. A Book Of Milliganimals by Spike Milligan.
  13. The Case For A Four Day Week by Anna Coote, Aidan Harper and Alfie Stirling.
  14. Agatha Oddly – Murder At The Museum by Lena Jones.
  15. Teachers vs Tech? The Case For An Ed Tech Revolution by Daisy Christodoulou.
  16. Silly Verse For Kids by Spike Milligan.
  17. Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley.
  18. What Is At Stake Now: My Appeal For Peace And Freedom by Mikhail Gorbachev.
  19. Game Changer by Neal Shusterman.
  20. Silence Is Not An Option: You Can Impact The World For Change by Stuart Lawrence.
  21. This Careless Life by Rachel McIntyre.
  22. The Enduring Kiss: Seven Short Lessons On Love by Massimo Recalcati.
  23. The Daughter Of Time by Josephine Tey.
  24. Genesis: On The Deep Origin Of Societies by Edward O Wilson.
  25. The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne by Jonathan Stroud.
  26. Trampled By Unicorns: Big Tech’s Empathy Problem And How To Fix It by Maëlle Gavet.
  27. The Maker Of Monsters by Lorraine Gregory.
  28. The Black Friend: On Being A Better White Person by Frederick Joseph.
  29. Look Out, Leonard! by Jessie James and Tamara Anegon.
  30. My Daddies by Gareth Peter and Garry Parsons.
  31. Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt.
  32. High-Impact Tools For Team by Stefano Mastrogiacomo, Alex Osterwalder, Alan Smith and Trish Papadakos.
  33. The Barbizon: The New York Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren.
  34. Poison In Jest by John Dickson Carr.
  35. Murder On The Home Front by Molly Lefebure.
  36. Carter by Ted Lewis.
  37. Essaying The Past: How To Read, Write And Think About History by Jim Cullen.
  38. The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson.
  39. Up In The Air: Butterflies, Birds And Everything Up Above by Zoë Armstrong and Sara Ugolotti.
  40. The Renegades: Defenders Of The Planet Flames Of Amazonia (Vol 2) by Jeremy Brown, Katy Jakeway, Ellenor Mererid, Libby Reed and David Selby.
  41. Diary Of A Brilliant Kid: Top Secret Guide To Awesomness by Andy Cope, Gavin Oattes and Will Hussey.
  42. Making Wolf by Tade Thompson.
  43. Serving Face: Lessons On Poise And (Dis)grace From The World Of Drag by Felix Le Freak.
  44. Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo.
  45. Above The Law by Adrian Bleese.
  46. Jaz Santos Vs. The World by Priscilla Mante.
  47. The Little Book Of Results: A Quick Guide To Achieving Big Goals by Jamie Smart.
  48. Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein.
  49. Modern Languages: Why It Matters by Katrin Kohl.
  50. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons.
  51. Augmented Reality by Mark Pesce.
  52. The Crossing by Manjeet Mann.
  53. When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke.
  54. Nature Needs You! by Liz Gogerly and Sr. Sanchez.
  55. Kitty And The Kidnap Trap by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie.
  56. A Girl Called Justice: The Ghost In The Garden by Elly Griffiths.
  57. The Place For Me: Stories About The Windrush Generation by Black Cultural Archives.
  58. No More Babies! by Madeleine Cook and Erika Meza.
  59. Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin.
  60. The Liar Of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater.
  61. Slow Rise: A Bread-Making Adventure by Robert Penn.
  62. Kitticorn by Matilda Rose and Tim Budgen.
  63. News 2.0: Journalists, Audiences, And News On Social Media by Ahmed Al-Rawi.
  64. Tiger Warrior: Attack Of The Dragon King by M. Chan.
  65. Back On Track by Matthew Burton.
  66. An Emotion Of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi.
  67. The Worries: Jaz And The New Baby by Jion Sheibani.
  68. The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays To Be Privileged by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison.
  69. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
  70. Seven Lives From Mass Observation by James Hinton.
  71. Now You See by Max Manning.
  72. Novacene: The Coming Age Of Hyperintelligence by James Lovelock and Bryan Appleyard.
  73. Kitty And The Starlight Song by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie.
  74. You Will Be Okay by Julie Stokes and Laurène Boglio.
  75. Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.
  76. Twice As Hard by Opeyemi Sofoluke and Raphael Sofoluke.
  77. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman.
  78. What Is African American Literature? by Margo N. Crawford.
  79. Splinters Of Sunshine by Patrice Lawrence.

If you fancy buying any of these books based on my reviews, then you can do so through Amazon UK, Amazon USA,  Bookshop.org UK or Waterstone’s.  Please note that I earn commission on any purchases made via these links.

Splinters Of Sunshine by Patrice Lawrence

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Help.

I pick up the envelope … As I rip down the sides, there’s loads of paper bursting out; stuck on flowers, dandelions, roses …

Spey recently received two surprises.  The first: his ex-prisoner dad turning up unannounced, and the second: a mysterious package containing torn-up paper flowers.

Spey instantly recognises it as a collage he made with his old friend Dee, and decides she must be in danger, but there are no clues to her whereabouts.

There’s only one person he knows who can help to track her down …

On a road trip like no other, will Spey and his dad find Dee, before it’s too late?

SPLINTERS OF SUNSHINE was released in the United Kingdom on 19th August 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order SPLINTERS OF SUNSHINE by Patrice Lawrence from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

What Is African American Literature? by Margo N. Crawford

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

After Kenneth W. Warren’s What Was African American Literature?, Margo N. Crawford delivers What Is African American Literature?

The idea of African American literature may be much more than literature written by authors who identify as “Black”.  What Is African American Literature? focuses on feeling as form in order to show that African American literature is an archive of feelings, a tradition of the tension between uncontainable black affect and rigid historical structure.  Margo N. Crawford argues that textual production of affect (such as blush, vibration, shiver, twitch, and wink) reveals that African American literature keeps reimagining a black collective nervous system.

Crawford foregrounds the “idea” of African American literature and uncovers the “black feeling world” co-created by writers and readers.  Rejecting the notion that there are no formal lines separating African American literature and a broader American literary tradition, Crawford contends that the distinguishing feature of African American literature is a “moodscape” that is as stable as electricity.  Presenting a fresh perspective on the affective atmosphere of African American literature, this compelling text frames central questions around the “idea” of African American literature, shows the limits of historicism in explaining the mood of African American literature and addresses textual production in the creation of the African American literary tradition.

Part of the acclaimed Wiley Blackwell Manifestos series, What is African American Literature? is a significant addition to scholarship in the field.  Professors and students of American literature, African American literature, and Black Studies will find this book an invaluable source of fresh perspectives and new insights on America’s black literature tradition. 

You can order WHAT IS AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE? by Margo N. Crawford from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Four unlikely friends.

A shocking new murder.

It’s the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with who she has a long history.  He needs her help.  His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer.  And if they find the diamonds too?  Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians.  Can the Thursday Murder Club find the killer, before the killer finds them? 

You can order THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE by Richard Osman from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Twice As Hard by Opeyemi Sofoluke and Raphael Sofoluke

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Twice As Hard is an exploration of Black Identity in the working world and a blueprint for success.  You will learn what obstacles limit opportunity for Black professional progress, how to understand and overcome racial stereotypes, be productive, find purpose, and ultimately thrive in business.

Authors Opeyemi and Raphael Sofoluke explore their own personal brand of ethics, the challenges they have faced in their careers, and the learnings they took from them, before inviting other successful business people in a broad range of industries to share their experiences and the practical measures they take to realise their goals, too.

Featuring tips on entrepreneurship, as well as insights on the corporate world, this book highlights the positive advancements made in recent years, and equips individuals and businesses with the tools they need to continue to progress.

Twice As Hard aims to empower and inspire Black professionals, get everyone thinking and talking about their actions, and continue the fight for a truly inclusive, understanding society.

TWICE AS HARD was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order TWICE AS HARD by Opeyemi Sofoluke and Raphael Sofoluke from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Six of the biggest stars of YA bring all the electricity of love to a collection of charming, hilarious and heartbreaking tales that shine the brightest light through the dark

When a heatwave plunges New York City into darkness, sparks fly for thirteen teenagers caught up in the blackout.

A first meeting.

Long-time friends.

Bitter exes.

And maybe the beginning of something new.

When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths.  Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight. 

BLACKOUT was released in the United Kingdom on 24th June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order BLACKOUT by Dhonielle Clayton, Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas and Nichola Yoon from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

You Will Be Okay by Julie Stokes and Laurène Boglio

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

”Someone in your life has died, and they are not coming back.”  What a HUGE thing to say.

Grief can feel like a boat ride on a stormy ocean, but what if you had a lighthouse to guide you safely to shore?  You Will Be Okay will help you navigate through the hard emotions you feel when someone you know has died, with practical activities, stories from others who have been through it and tips on how to talk about your grief.  There is no right or wrong way to grieve, you just need to find your way.

You will be okay.

YOU WILL BE OKAY was released in the United Kingdom on 19th August 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order YOU WILL BE OKAY by Julie Stokes and Laurène Boglio from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Kitty And The Starlight Song by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

A magical adventure by the light of the moon.

Kitty is preparing for her school’s concern.  As a superhero-in-training with cat-like superpowers, Kitty can do all sorts of marvellous things.  But as a regular girl, Kitty is terrified to sing in front of everyone at school.  On top of that, Figaro hurts himself during a dangerous rooftop chase and his birthday plans are ruined.

Kitty will surely need the help of her fur-midable cat crew to rescue Figaro’s birthday and overcome her stage-fright.  

KITTY AND THE STARLIGHT SONG was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd September 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order KITTY AND THE STARLIGHT SONG by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Novacene: The Coming Age Of Hyperintelligence by James Lovelock and Bryan Appleyard

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

A new look at the future of life on Earth by the great scientific visionary of our age.

James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia hypothesis and the greatest environmental thinker of our time, has produced an astounding new theory about the future of life on Earth.  He argues that the anthropocene – the age in which humans acquired planetary-scale technologies – is, after 300 years, coming to an end.  A new age – the novacene- has already begun.

New beings will emerge from existing artificial intelligence systems.  They will think 10,000 times faster than we do and they will regard us as we now regard plants – as desperately slow acting and thinking creatures.  But this will not be the cruel, violent machine takeover of the planet imagined by sci-if writers and film-makers.  These hyper-intelligent beings will be as dependent on the health of the planet as we are.  They will need the planetary cooling system of Gaia to defend them from the increasing heat of the sun as much as we do.  And Gaia depends on organic life.  We will be partners in this project.

It is crucial, Lovelock argues, that the intelligence of Earth survives and prospers.  He does not think there are intelligent aliens, so we are the only beings capable of understanding the cosmos.  Maybe, he speculates, the novacene could even be the beginning of a process that will finally lead to intelligence suffusing the entire cosmos.  At the age 100, James Lovelock has produced an important and compelling new work. 

You can order NOVACENE: THE COMING AGE OF HYPERINTELLIGENCE by James Lovelock and Bryan Appleyard from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Now You See by Max Manning

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Will you look her in the eyes, just before she dies?

I, Killer has posted two photos of his first victim online – Before Death and After Death.  They’ve gone viral before DCI Fenton’s team even discovers the body.

Soon, another victim’s photo is similarly posted … and so begins the killer’s following.

DCI Fenton is determined to discover the identity of I, Killer.  Then the murderer makes the hunt personal, and Fenton’s search becomes a matter of life of death for him and his daughter.

But as I, Killer’s body-count rises, his number of online followers is growing – and he loves to give his fans what they want … 

You can order NOW YOU SEE by Max Manning from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Seven Lives From Mass Observation by James Hinton

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

What was it like to live in Britain during the second half of the twentieth century? In a successor to his acclaimed Nine Wartime Lives: Mass Observation and the Making of the Modern Self, James Hinton uses autobiographical writing contributed to Mass Observation since 1981 to explore the social and cultural history of late-twentieth-century Britain. Prompted by thrice-yearly open-ended questionnaires, Mass Observation’s volunteers wrote about their political attitudes, religious beliefs, work, childhoods, education, friendships, marriages, sex lives, mid-life crises, ageing – the whole range of human emotion, feeling, attitudes, and experience. At the core of the book are seven ‘biographical essays’: intimate portraits of individual lives set in the context of the shift towards a more tolerant and permissive society from the 1960s, and the rise of Thatcherite neo-liberalism as the structures of Britain’s post-war settlement crumbles from the later 1970s.

The mass observers featured in the book, four women and three men, are drawn from across the social spectrum – wife of a small businessman, teacher, social worker, RAF wife, mechanic, lorry driver, banker: all active and forceful characters with strong opinions and lives crowded with struggle and drama. The honesty and frankness with which they wrote about themselves takes us below the surface of public life to the efforts of ‘ordinary’, but exceptionally articulate and self-reflective, people to make sense of their lives in rapidly changing times.

You can order SEVEN LIVES FROM MASS OBSERVATION by James Hinton from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Disliked. Bullied. Framed. But I’m not going to let that stop me …

Most of the students at Middlesfield Prep don’t look like Donte. And they don’t like him either. When Donte is suspended from school and arrested, framed for something he didn’t do, he knows it would have never happened to high lighter-skinned brother, Trey.

Terrified, and searching for a place where he belongs, Donte discovered the sport of fencing. And he’s good at it. Very good.

But when he must fence the very boy who framed him, there is far more at stake than just a trophy. Donte must fight not only his bullies, but an entire system that has never treated him fairly because of the colour of his skin.

Powerful and emotionally gripping, this is a story about one boy’s path to finding his own voice in the fight against racism.

BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER was released in the United Kingdom on 13th May 2021. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER by Jewell Parker Rhodes from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays To Be Privileged by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Politicians continually tell us that anyone can get ahead.  But is that really true?  This important book takes readers behind the closed doors of elite employers to reveal how class affects who gets to the top.

Friedman and Laurison show that a powerful ‘class pay gap’ exists in Britain’s elite occupations.  Even when those from working-class backgrounds make it into prestigious jobs, they earn, on average, 16% less than colleagues from privileged backgrounds.  But why is this the case?  Drawing on 200 interviews across four case studies – television, accountancy, architecture, and acting – they explore the complex barriers facing the upwardly mobile.

This is a rich, ambitious book that demands we take seriously not just the glass but also the class ceiling. 

You can order THE CLASS CEILING: WHY IT PAYS TO BE PRIVILEGED by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

The Worries: Jaz And The New Baby by Jion Sheibani

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

New baby, new worries …

Jazmin’s mum is about to have a baby and Jaz is so excited!  Ok, it might mean some changes to their family but Jaz is sure everything will be just fine.

So imagine her surprise when a host of furry, fretful friends arrive to cause serious mischief.  That’s right, it’s the Worries – gloomy Loner, nervous Change, pushy Jealousy and DJ Disaster, always waiting for something to go wrong.

Jaz tries to keep her worries to herself, but with her birthday party coming up fast, they see, set on turning her into the Worst Sister EVER!

THE WORRIES: JAZ AND THE NEW BABY was released in the United Kingdom on 19th August 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order THE WORRIES: JAZ AND THE NEW BABY by Jion Sheibani from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):Read More »

An Emotion Of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

I’d always carried with me a burden of conviction I could not set down.  I could not deny the beliefs that shaped me any more than I could deny the colour of my eyes.

It made for a lonely life.

It’s been several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the world has evolved.  Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever.  Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.  SHe’s too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by the loss of family and friendship.  And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart – it’s broken.  Trying to navigate her crumbling work by soldiering through, Shadi says nothing, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

An Emotion Of Great Delight is a searing look into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11.  It’s about a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity, falling in love, and finding hope in an ever-changing world … 

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT was released in the United Kingdom on 10th June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT by Tahereh Mafi from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Back On Track by Matthew Burton

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Find your mojo.

Stay hopeful.

Get back on track.

Whether facing assessments, a big change or making up for lost time, head teacher Matthew Burton is here to help students get motivated again.

From ways of managing the tough times and looking after your mental health, to skills for beating school stress and tapping into your potential, this is the one-stop guide for kids who are in need of a bit of hope, some soothing words of advice and a good old pep talk to get them going in school again.

Discover how to plan, prepare and preserve … and get back on track!

BACK ON TRACK was released in the United Kingdom on 22nd July 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order BACK ON TRACK by Matthew Burton from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Tiger Warrior: Attack Of The Dragon King by M. Chan

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Tiger Warrior.

Jack loves his grandad’s stories about the Jade Kingdom, a world of heroes, beasts and adventures.

But when Grandad gives him a magic coin, Jack discovers the kingdom is real … and he has to save it from terrible danger.

Can Jack and his new friend Princess Li stop the deadly Dragon King?

TIGER WARRIOR: ATTACK OF THE DRAGON KING was released in the United Kingdom on 8th July 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order TIGER WARRIOR: ATTACK OF THE DRAGON KING by M. Chan from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

News 2.0: Journalists, Audiences, And News On Social Media by Ahmed Al-Rawi

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Offers fresh insights and empirical evidence on the producers, consumers, and content of News 2.0

News 2.0 has forever changed the news business.  This second generation of news is made, distributed, and consumed on the internet, particularly social media.  News 2.0: Journalists, Audiences, And News On Social Media examines the ways in which news production is sometimes biased and how social networking sites (SNS) have become highly personalised news platforms that reflect users’ preferences and world views.  Drawing from empirical evidence, this book provides a critical and analytical assessment of recent developments, major debates, and contemporary research on news, social media, and news organisations worldwide.

Author Ahmed Al-Ravi highlights how, despite the proliferation of news on social media, consumers are often confined within filter “bubbles”.  Emphasising non-Western media outlets, the text explores the content, audiences, and producers of News 2.0, and addresses direct impacts on democracy, politics, and institutions.  Topics include viral news on SNS, celebrity journalists and branding, “fake news” discourse, and the emergence of mobile news apps as ethnic mediascapes.  Integrating computational journalism methods and cross-national comparative research, this unique volume:

– Examines different aspects of news bias such as news content and production, emphasising news values theory.

– Assesses how international media organisations including CNN, BBC, and RT address non-Western news audiences.

– Discusses concepts such as audience fragmentation on social media, viral news, networked flak, click bait, and internet bots.

– Employs novel techniques in text mining such as topic modelling to provide a holistic overview of news selection.

News 2.0: Journalists, Audiences, And News On Social Media is an innovative and illuminating resource for undergraduate and graduate students of media, communication, and journalism studies as well as media and communication scholars, media practitioners, journalists, and general readers with interest in the subject.

You can order NEWS 2.0: JOURNALISTS, AUDIENCES, AND NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA by Ahmed Al-Rawi from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Kitticorn by Matilda Rose and Tim Budgen

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Meet Kitticorn.

She’s cute, she’s fluffy and she LOVES to explore!  But Prince Miles doesn’t have time for adventures when he has the perfect picnic to organise and a strict schedule to follow.  Can Kitticorn show him that sometimes the best kind of fun is unplanned?

KITTICORN was released in the United Kingdom on 22nd July 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order KITTICORN by Matilda Rose and Tim Budgen from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Slow Rise: A Bread-Making Adventure by Robert Penn

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

A tale of rediscovery and a celebration of the everyday miracle of homemade bread.

Over the course of a year, Robert Penn leans how to plant, harvest, thresh and mill his own wheat, in order to bake bread for his family.  In returning to this pre-industrial practice, he tells the fascinating story of our relationship with bread: from the domestication of wheat in the Fertile Crescent at the dawn of civilisation, to the rise of mass-produced loaves and the resurgence in home baking today.

Gathering knowledge and wisdom from experts around the world – farmers on the banks of the Nile, harvesters in the American Midwest and Parisian Boulanger – Penn reconnects the joy of making and eating bread with a deep appreciation for the skill and patience required to cultivate its key ingredient.  This book is a celebration of the millennia-old craft of bread making and how it is woven into the story of humanity.

You can order SLOW RISE by Robert Penn from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

The Liar Of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Do not trust the Liar.

Do not go in the River.

Do not cross the King.

In Red Valley, California, you follow the rules if you want to stay alive.  But even that isn’t enough to protect Sadie now that she’s unexpectedly become the Liar: the keeper and maker of Red Valley’s many secrets.  In a town like this, friendships are hard-won and bad blood lasts generations, and when not everyone in town is exactly human, it isn’t a safe place to make enemies.

And though the Liar has power – power to remake the world, with just a little blood – what Sadie really needs is answers: Why is the town’s sheriff after her?  What does the King want from her?  And what is the real purpose of the Liar of Red Valley? 

You can order THE LIAR OF RED VALLEY by Walter Goodwater from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

As technology races ahead, what will people do better than computers?

What hope will there be for us when computers can drive cars better than humans, do intricate legal work, identify faces, scurry helpfully around offices and factories, even perform some surgeries, all faster, more reliably, and less expensively than people.

It’s easy to imagine a frightening future in which computers simply take over most of the tasks that people now get paid to do.  While we’ll still need high-level decision makers and computer developers, those tasks won’t keep most working-age people employed or allow their living standard to rise.  The unavoidable question – will millions of people lost out, unable to beat the machine? – is increasingly dominating business, education, economics and policy.

The bestselling author of TALENT IS OVERRATED explains how the abilities that will prove most essential to our success are no longer the technical, classroom-taught left-brain skills that economic advanced have demanded from workers in the past.  Instead, our greatest advantage lies in what we humans are most powerfully driven to do for and with one another, arising fro our deepest, most essentially human abilities – empathy, creativity, social sensitivity, storytelling, humour, building relationships, and expressing ourselves with greater power than a machine mind can ever achieve.  This is how we create durable value that is not easily replicated by technology – because we’re hardwired to want it from humans.

These high-value skills create tremendous competitive advantage – more devoted customers, stronger cultures, breakthrough ideas, and more effective teams.  And while many of us regard these abilities as innate traits – “he’s a real people person,” “she’s naturally creative” – it turns out they can all be developed.  Leading business, medical clinics and even the US Army are now emphasising human interactions and empathy in their training programmes.

Meanwhile, studies have shown that our increasing reliance on technology for interaction and entertainment is not only making us less happy, trusting and likely to achieve good grades, it is also damaging our abilities to recognise emotion and harmonise with others – the very skills we will need to prosper.

As technology advances, we shouldn’t focus on beating computers at what they do – we’ve lost that contest.  Instead, we must develop our most essential human abilities and teach our children to value not just technology but also the richness of interpersonal experience.  They will be the most valuable people in our world because of it.  Colvin proves that to a far greater degree than most of us ever imagined, we already have what it takes to be great.

You can order HUMANS ARE UNDERRATED: WHAT HIGH ACHIEVERS KNOW THAT BRILLIANT MACHINES NEVER WILL by Geoff Colvin from Amazon USA Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

No More Babies! by Madeleine Cook and Erika Meza

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Sofia thinks her little brother is MESSY!  And LOUD!  And always DEMANDING Mummy and Daddy’s attention!

So when she finds out she’s going to be a big sister again, she shouts ‘NO MORE BABIES!’

Will Sofia ever feel happy about having another new baby in the house? 

NO MORE BABIES was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd June 2021.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order NO MORE BABIES! by Madeleine Cook and Erika Meza from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

The Place For Me: Stories About The Windrush Generation by Black Cultural Archives

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

”Home ain’t jus’ where you live.  Home is your heart an’ yer history.”

The Place For Me – twelve moving tales of sacrifice and bravery, inspired by first-hand accounts of the Windrush generation.  Each inspiring and authentic story helps to bring the real experience of Black British people into focus.

You can order THE PLACE FOR ME by the Black Cultural Archives from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

A Girl Called Justice: The Ghost In The Garden by Elly Griffiths

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

Super-smart by day, super-sleuth by night.

Justice Jones is on the case …

An intriguing new girl catches Justice’s attention this year.  Letitia has never been to school before and doesn’t care for the rules.  Mysteriously, the teachers don’t seem to mind!

Then, after a midnight feast in the barn, and a terrifying ghost-sighting in the garden, one of Justice’s friends disappears.  Justice has to investigate.  But why are the ransom notes torn from the pages of a crime novel?

Can Justice find the kidnapper – before it’s too late?

You can order A GIRL CALLED JUSTICE: THE GHOST IN THE GARDEN by Elly Griffiths from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »

Kitty And The Kidnap Trap by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie

I Read, Therefore I BlogLeave a comment

The Blurb On The Back:

A magical adventure by the light of the moon.

Kitty is supposed to be looking after her friend’s pet hamster, Marvin, for the weekend, but disaster strikes when he is kidnapped!

Kitty must follow the kidnapper’s trail and return Marvin to his home safe and sound, before the night is out.

It’s time for Superhero Kitty to save the day!

You can order KITTY AND THE KIDNAP TRAP by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Read More »