From Chinua Achebe to Toyin Falola – 5 essential books Nigeria’s new president should read: Golden Brown/Getty Images Not many African political leaders are known to have publicly declared their love of reading. US president Barack Obama popularised the idea of a recommended reading list and he still shares his annual choice. As a communications …
Teaching the Holocaust through literature: four books to help young people gain deeper understanding: A survey commissioned in 2019 revealed the shocking result that over half of Britons did not know that at least six millions Jews had been murdered during the Holocaust. This result was all the more surprising given the fact that the …
The best art books of 2022: The category of “art book” is vast, like art itself, but the best ones mix beautiful, interesting images with engaging and intelligent text. The books on this short list range from groundbreaking scholarly texts to dreamy, personal reflections, but all find that balance between image and narrative that makes …
How the pandemic affected our approach to reading and interpretation of books: GoodStudio/Shutterstock During the pandemic, reading took on new meaning. People turned to books for comfort. Some read to confront difficult issues, especially following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Others used reading as a way to care for their children in locked-down …
The five best fiction books of 2022: In 2022, we saw Annie Ernaux win the Nobel prize for literature for her uncompromising writing about her experiences. Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker prize for his darkly comic Sri Lankan political satire, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. There were also a series of screen adaptations and …
Happy Ada Lovelace Day! Here are our favorite tech books for kids: Happy Ada Lovelace Day! Here are our favorite tech books for kids Lauren Pritchett Tue, 10/11/2022 – 11:00 Tech is everywhere! And it’s important to remember, everyone is a beginner once. The industry is continually growing, looking for new folks to add valuable …
Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power – a guide to the expanded world of Middle-earth in J.R.R Tolkein’s other books: Amazon Studios With Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power having aired there has been a resurgence of interest in the vibrant fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien over a century ago. What many …
Five books you’ll like if you love The Odyssey: The Goddess Athena appearing to Odysseus to reveal the Island of Ithaca by Giuseppe Bottani. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA In The Odyssey, an almost 3,000-year-old epic attributed to a poet known as Homer, the soldier Odysseus narrates most adventures in retrospect. The poem, which tells of Odysseus’ …
Three Raymond Briggs books that helped make the graphic novel respectable: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Raymond Briggs, who died on August 9 aged 88, transformed the way we see and value of the strip cartoon and graphic novel in this country. Briggs’ great achievement was to make the form intellectually respectable through telling stories about seemingly ordinary …
Five books to read that bring Naples to life: Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock Napoli, or Naples for English speakers, is my favourite city. It’s a city of stark contrasts – glorious architecture competing with multi-layered graffiti, hidden piazze surrounded by piled-up rubbish. Naples might be the only place where, late in the evening, you can see a …
Five books to transport you to the Italian Riviera this summer: IgorZh/Shutterstock With its sun-drenched olive groves, sparkling waters and vivid bursts of colour, the Italian Riviera has cast its spell on tourists, painters and authors since the 19th century. Lying in the northwestern corner of Italy, the Riviera stretches along the Ligurian sea and …
Five books to read while in the Derbyshire countryside: Lukasz Pajor/Shuttertsock The Derbyshire countryside, in England’s East Midlands, is a region that has inspired writers – both classic and contemporary. The juxtaposition of rolling hills, stark moorland and craggy summits play backdrop to numerous novels in a variety of genres. The area is easily reached …
Imbokodo is a long overdue series of children’s books on South African women: Jacana Media A new series of books called Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us explores the neglected histories of South African women. Geared at younger readers, there are three books in the series: 10 Extraordinary Leaders, Activists & Protesters; 10 Inspiring Singers, Writers …
Fiction can change the world: five books that made a difference: Activist Jack Monroe recently used Terry Pratchett’s “boots theory” to explain the vicious circle for people on low incomes only being able to afford clothing that constantly wears out. Monroe has now used the Vimes index (named after a Pratchett character) of inflation to …
South Africa in the news: The wrap: Essential books of 2021: Good news, everybody! It’s still possible to travel to faraway places, from the comfort of your own couch. Put your seat back and take off with this selection of top reads.: “South Africa” – BingNews Namibia, SA draw thriller: A last second goal by …
Machines, inventions and ‘good cities’: a pick of science and tech books: Shutterstock/VMW With the year drawing to a close, many people will be wondering what books they may have missed out on in 2021. For those who prefer a heftier beach read, The Conversation Africa asked several academics to recommend the best science or …
Holiday reading: 4 books parents can use to fortify their children’s education: It's good for children to see their parents reading and for parents to read to their children. fizkes/Shutterstock Reading at home is important. Evidence of the effects of reading and a general culture of reading on adolescents in over 30 countries has shown …
Five books that will change how you think about the environment and climate change: Pexels We are constantly being bombarded with dire warnings about the environmental and climate emergency. Act now, we are told, or face an unprecedented global catastrophe. But while the solutions proposed – solar panels, heat pumps, eating less meat – are …