WHAT BOOK would novelist Wilbur Smith take to a desert island? Wilbur Smith is currently reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Novelist would take The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck to a desert island He said that anything by H Rider Haggard first gave him the reading bug By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:01 … Read more
NATURE BIRDSONG IN A TIME OF SILENCE by Steven Lovatt (Particular £12.99, 160 pp) Now that lockdown is over (if you have faith to believe our regained freedoms will last and we’re not merely in the midst of a temporary reprieve), those who last year were suddenly able to hear the birds as they took … Read more
If you were a big reader when you were a child, your bookshelf could well be worth a fortune,’ according to experts. Oxbridge Home Learning has analysed the value of hundreds of classic books, from The Hobbit to The Tale Of Peter Rabbit. The results found that if you have a True First Hardcover Edition … Read more
NATURE SHEARWATER by Roger Morgan-Grenville (Icon £16.99, 281 pp) On the island of Rum in Scotland, there is a mountain called Trollval: Old Norse for the Hill of Trolls. It’s said the name comes from the Norse seafarers who heard unearthly voices from underground, and concluded they were those of trolls. Actually the noise is … Read more
WHAT BOOK would singer-songwriter Tracey Thorn take to a desert island? Singer-songwriter Tracey Thorn is currently reading Luster by Raven Leilani She would have taken War And Peace to a desert island before Covid lockdown After only reading 10% of it in lockdown, she would take Elizabeth Taylor’s works And C S Lewis’ The Lion, The … Read more
There’s a word for it (but only in English): No other major language contains a single word that can be translated only as ‘fair’, linguist claims Capuchin monkeys proved they know the concept of fairness in an experiment In the early 2000s, they were given different treats for performing certain tasks The monkeys became mad … Read more
ANIMALS All Dogs Great And Small By Graeme Hall (Ebury £16.99, 288 pp) A dog is for life, not just for lockdown, is the new catchphrase of an elderly man with an old spaniel I often meet in the fields behind my house. He usually gives my little black Staffie a treat, while venting his … Read more
WEATHER The Secret World Of Weather By Tristan Gooley (Sceptre £20, 384 pp) Here is the local weather forecast, presented by Mother Nature: sheep are huddling together, spiders are spinning smaller webs, the scarlet pimpernel flower is beginning to close its petals and aircraft vapour trails are spreading out across the sky. After studying The … Read more
ANTHROPOLOGY THE HANDSHAKE by Ella Al-Shamahi (Profile £10.99, 176pp) David Attenborough once found himself in a ‘potentially hairy’ situation in New Guinea when a remote tribe charged at him with spears. Ever the gentleman, Attenborough calmly extended his hand and said, ‘Good afternoon’. The tribe members pumped his hand up and down. Granted, this was … Read more
WHAT BOOK would author Maggie O’Farrell take to a desert island? Maggie O’Farrell is currently reading Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina for the ninth time Author would take William Boy’s Any Human Heart to a desert island Moominland Midwinter first gave her reading bug when she was eight or nine By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:01 BST, … Read more