Books
Galley Cat Book Reviews
For you literature lovers – Galley Cat has a daily book review (of books of any genre) and a monthly digest of the best review content. It also includes links, Twitter directories and recommendations. Explore the reviews via Scribd.
The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist
The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist relates how the two very different parts of the human brain – the detail-oriented, self-centered left side and the flexible, generous right side – have shaped Western culture and thought. Read a review in The Guardian
Chick Lit Rewritten
Flavorwire suggests the new wave of chick lit might be a little less glossy and aspirational in a response to the difficult financial climate, perhaps providing titles such as: The Devil Wears Vera Wang for Kohl’s Banana Republic Brunettes The Madoff Diaries If you can’t identify the original titles, you obviously having been paying attention [...]
Vanity Book Awards
Vanity publishing got a little vainer with the advent of vanity publishing awards. The National Best Book Awards has 150 categories; every entrant is a finalist and some categories have only one entrant. Those lucky winners can then buy a gold star with which to adorn the dust jacket (for a reasonable fee of $69). [...]
Consorting with the Rockstars
Flavorwire has revealed the five rockstar “consort” memoirs you must read. They are: Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie by Angela Bowie with Patrick Carr Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone with Wendy Leigh Faithfull: An Autobiography by Marianne Faithfull with David Dalton A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of [...]
How Reality TV Changed My Life
Reality Matters: 19 Writers Come Clean About the Shows We Can’t Stop Watching by Anna David is a collection of essays by authors, such as James Frey, in which they reflect how they got hooked by reality TV – Big Brother, Survivor, The Real Housewives et al – and how it has shaped their lives [...]
Bestselling Books on the Street
If you are looking for a good book to take to the beach, but can’t decide which, take a look at the books most frequently sold by NYC’s street vendors (which may or may not be a good recommendation – are these just the books that people get rid of?). The top four are Ian [...]
The Uncomfortable Truth About Yoga
The Great Oom: The Improbable Birth of Yoga in America by Robert Love is the story of how yoga was popularized in America by Pierre Bernard. It’s a rollicking tale of sex, money, midgets and elephants. Read a review in the Wall Street Journal.
Where Good Ideas Come From
Where Good Ideas Come From: A Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson (pub: Oct 2010) asks – and answers – a series of qustions such as, ” Why have cities historically been such hubs of innovation? What do the printing press and Apple have in common? And what does this have to do with [...]
Sudden Genius
Sudden Genius: Creativity explored through ten extraordinary lives by Andrew Robinson looks at the nature of good ideas – why some people have loads and some seem to have few, if any. And how does a ‘sudden flash of genius’ happen? He explores these questions by examining the lives of five artists and five scientists [...]
