What I'm Reading
"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."
- Richard II, William Shakespeare
 This is an extraordinary book. First of all, it is a heavyweight, large format hardback, with a vivid, bright yellow cover that depicts an ancient map illustration on the front. Best read with the book on a desk as this really is weighty. It needs to be a big book as the many authentic maps are very detailed and some are quite difficult to decipher. Most are simply worth having a large format to truly take in the information they offer. The cities are varied, from Liverpool and Edinburgh, to classical cities such as Rome Athens and Babylon and modern places that are yet to be built. The images are original with many being very colourful displaying brilliant artwork. The text is informative, historically astute and significant. The introduction states 'The history of mankind is the history of the city' and explains that each of the maps (more than sixty) demonstrates 'a key moment in the development of urban life'. This is a fascinating theme that runs throughout and includes the influence of military locations, industry, trading, sacred places, agriculture and the effects of war. Some cities are no longer here, having failed to survive, like Babylon, others have reinvented themselves, like Beijing. Each chapter is titled as an indication of how the city evolved: 'A City Forged in Fire' (London, 1680, following the Great Fire), 'The End of the Enlightenment' (Berlin, 1773) and 'A Capital Deposed' (St Petersburg, 1753). A beautifully produced book, too, one that can be dipped into as there is a lot to take on, or simply to gaze at the intricate illustrations. However, the pull of this is such that you may well sit down to read and absorb all that is between the sturdy covers and not lift your head until it is all consumed. As I did. Fabulous book for anyone interested in history, civilisation, travel and maps, or simply finding an enjoyable way to expand your mind.    Published by Collins on 26 September 2024.
Advance review copy supplied by the publisher. |
Book Search
1815 to 2025
February 2025
A
Abbott, Rachel The Sixth Window
Abdullah, Kia Truth Be Told
Adams, Max The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria; In the Land of Giants: Journeys Through the Dark Ages
Adams, Richard The Plague Dogs; The Ship's Cat
Alexander, Claire Meredith, Alone
Amherst, Michael The Boyhood of Cain
Amory, Cleveland The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Andrews, Jessica Saltwater
Andrews, Rosie The Leviathan
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Atwood, Margaret Cut and Thirst
Austen, Jane Emma
B
Baddiel, Skinner & Lightning Seeds Three Lions: Football's Coming Home
Banville, John Snow; April in Spain; The Lock-Up
Barclay, Linwood Take Your Breath Away; I Will Ruin You
Barker, Pat The Ghost Road
Barnes, Julian The Sense of an Ending
Barstow, Stan A Kind of Loving
Beard, Mary Emperor of Rome
Benchley, Peter Jaws
Benedict, Alexandra Murder on the Christmas Express
Berneries, Louis de Light Over Liskeard
Bennett, Robin Fantastic Football
Benson, Jen and Sim Great British Walkies
Berridge, Vanessa Garden Heaven: Inspiration and Escapism for Every Gardener
Bilston, Brian 50 Ways to Score a Goal and other poems
Black, Maggie The Medieval Cookbook
Blake, Matthew Anna O
Bloomsbury Yearbooks Writers' & Artists' Yearbook
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Borgh, Kate van der And He Shall Appear
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Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451
Bradley, Nick The Cat and the City
Brandon, Nathaniel The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Bridges, Chris Sick to Death
Brittain, Vera Testament of Youth
Brolly, Matt The Running Girls
Bronte, Charlotte Jane Eyre: An Autobiography
Brownlie, Ali & Woolf, Alex Why Do People Fight Wars?
Brown, Michael A Guide to Medieval Gardens: Gardens in the Age of Chivalry; Medieval Plants and their Uses
Budewitz, Leslie The Christmas Stranger
Bukszpan, Daniel Rush at 50
Burgess, Anthony A Clockwork Orange
Burns, Anna Milkman
Butler, Octavia E. The Parable of the Sower
Butterworth, Nick One Snowy Night: A Percy the Park Keeper Story; Amanda's Butterfly
C
Campbell, Michele A Stranger on the Beach
Camus, Albert The Outsider
Candlish, Louise The Swimming Pool
Carle, Eric The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Carrisi, Donato The Whisperer's Game
Carver, Martin Sutton Hoo: Burial Ground of Kings?
Castillo, Javier The Snow Girl
Christie, Agatha And Then There Were None
Clark, Anne Wyn The Shadows of Hill Manor
Cleeves, Ann The Heron's Cry
Cline, Ernest Ready Player One
Coeur, James Dance of the Rainmakers
Coleman, Keith J. The Afterlife of King James IV
Colgan, Jenny The Christmas Book Hunt
Collins Michelin I-Spy Guides I-Spy Castles: Spy It! Score It!
Compton, Benjamin The Retreat
Cornwell, Bernard The Last Kingdom; Sword of Kings; Uhtred's Feast: Inside the World of the Last Kingdom
Cowper, Frank Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk
Cummins, Fiona When I Was Ten; Into the Dark
D
Dalgliesh, J.M. Homewrecker
Dean, Abigail Girl A; The Death of Us
Dean, Will First Born
Deary, Terry Terrible True Tales: Romans; Terrible True Tales: Egyptians; A History of Britain in Ten Enemies; Terrible True Tales: Stone Age
Denzil, Sarah A. Silent Child
Diamond, Katerina The Teacher
Dickens, Charles A Christmas Carol; The Signalman; The Chimes; The Cricket on the Hearth; The Haunted Man
Dolman, Gary The Eighth Circle of Hell
Dorricott, Fran The Lighthouse
Doyle, Arthur Conan The Hound of the Baskervilles
Duffield, Kit Pretty Little Thing
E
Eastham, Kate The Liverpool Nightingales
Edwards, Mark The Magpies; What You Wish For; Follow You Home; The Devil's Work; Killing Cupid; Here To Stay; The House Guest; The Hollows; Keep Her Secret; The Wasp Trap
Eisler, Barry The Killer Collective
Elborough, Travis Atlas of Vanishing Places
Ellis, Bret Easton American Psycho
Ellis, Joy An Aura of Mystery
Erdrich, Louise The Sentence
Esiri, Allie (Editor) A Poem for Every Night of the Year
F
Farrell, Matthew I Know Everything
Faulks, Sebastian Birdsong
Fenton, Reuven Goyhood
Fielder, Hugh Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall
Figes, Orlando The Story of Russia
Filer, Nathan The Shock of the Fall
Finn, A.J. The Woman in the Window
Finney, Clare Hungry Heart
Fitzharris, Lindsey The Facemaker
Flanders, Judith Christmas: A History
Flynn, Gillian Sharp Objects; Dark Places; Gone Girl; The Grownup
Ford, Richard Sorry For Your Trouble
Franchetti, Livia Shelf Life
Frances, Michelle The Girlfriend
Frank, Anita The Lost Ones
French, Dr. Ryan The Sun: Beginner's Guide to Our Local Star
Friend, William Let Him In
G
Garcia, Miki The Caribbean Irish: How the Slave Myth Was Made
Galvin, Anthony Death and Destruction on the Thames in London
Gennoe, Dan All Neon Like Love
Glasfurd, Guinevere The Year Without Summer
Gold, Robert Ten Seconds
Goldin, Megan The Night Swim
Golding, William Lord of the Flies
Gray, Daniel The Silence of the Stands
Gray, Philip Two Storm Wood
Gresham, William Lindsay Nightmare Alley
Griffiths, Elly Now You See Them
H
Haddon, Mark The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Hadley-Pryce, Kerry Lie of the Land
Haig, Matt The Midnight Library
Halsall, Rona The Ex-Boyfriend
Hammad, Isabella The Parisian
Hanington, Peter A Single Source
Hardinge, Francis Deeplight
Hardy, Thomas Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Hart, Andrew The Woman in Our House
Hawkins, Paula The Girl on the Train
Healey, Emma Sweat
Healey, Jonathan The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England
Hemingway, Ernest For Whom the Bell Tolls
Henriquez, Cristina The Great Divide
Hickey, Christine Dwyer Our London Lives
Hill, Justin Shieldwall
Hislop, Malcolm A Guide to the Medieval Castles of England
Holmes, Marianne All Your Little Lies
Horst, Jorn Lier Dregs
Hubbard, Ben Lost at Sea! Shipwrecks
Hurley, Graham Limelight
Hutchinson, Gillian Sir John Franklin's Erebus and Terror Expedition
Huxley, Aldous Brave New World
I
Iggulden, Conn Wars of the Roses: Stormbird; The Gates of Athens
Irving, Washington The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Old Christmas
J
Jackson, Shirley The Haunting of Hill House; We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Jacobson, Howard The Finkler Question
James, Henry The Turn of the Screw
James, Linh Le #Toots
James, Maggie Blackwater Lake
Jennings, Amanda The Haven
Jensen, Louise All For You; The Intruders
Jewell, Lisa The Family Upstairs; The Night She Disappeared; The Family Remains; None of this is True
Jones, Terry Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
K
Kabler, Jackie The Vanishing of Class 3B; The Life Sentence
Kane, Ben Spartacus: The Gladiator; The Shrine; Lionheart
Katz, Ani A Good Man
Kaufman, Andrew E. Twisted
Kawaguchi,Toshikazu Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Kay, Adam Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
Kay, Susan Legacy
Keegan, Claire Small Things Like These
Kelly, Erin He Said/She Said
Kent, Anna The House of Whispers
Kern, Adam I Am the Secret Footballer
Kindelsperger, Kim Creepy Kitchen
Koepp, David Aurora
Koontz, Dean The Bad Weather Friend
Kostova, Elizabeth The Historian
Kuang, Rebecca F. Yellowface
Kunzru, Hari Red Pill
Kwon Yeo-sun Lemon
L
Lake, Cathy The Country Village Allotment
Lanchester, John The Wall; Reality and Other Stories
Lawrence, D.H. The Rainbow
Lea, Zoe The Secretary
Lefteri, Christy The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Leitch, Fiona A Cornish Christmas Murder
Leky, Mariana What You Can See From Here
Levy, Deborah The Man Who Saw Everything
Leyser, Henrietta Beda: A Journey Through the Seven Kingdoms in the Age of Bede
Leyva, Jasmine The Invisible Vegan (documentary)
Lonely Planet Your Trip Starts Here: Journeys of self-discovery
Lovell, Lucy
Lynch, Paul Prophet Song
Linley, Sarah The Wedding Murders
Logan, T.M. Lies; Trust Me; The Curfew
Lonsdale, Kerry Last Summer
Lowe, Katie The Furies
Lusk, Sean The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesly
M
Maalouf, Amin On the Isle of Antioch
MacBride, Stuart The Tasting Menu
MacDonald, Elizabeth A Matter of Interpretation
Mackintosh, Clare I See You; Other People's Houses
MacLean, Alistair Athabasca
Maginn, Simon Sheep
Mancini, Ruth The Woman on the Ledge
Mark, David Suspicious Minds
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia One Hundred Years of Solitude
Marshall, Laura Friend Request
Marston, Edward The Railway Detective's Christmas Case
Martel, Yann Life of Pi
Martia, Astron Del One Against Time
Martin, Claudia Ancient Rome: Visual Explorer Guide
Matthews, David Voices of the Windrush Generation
Mayhew, Mickey House of Tudor: A Grisly History
McCann, Colum Apeirgon
McDonald, Helen H is for Hawk
McGowan, Claire What You Did; The Other Wife; The Push
Melville, Herman Moby Dick
Meredith, Harry Marcus Rashford: Football Rising Stars
Michaelides, Alex The Silent Patient; The Maidens
Michallon, Clemence The Quiet Tenant
Miller, Suzie Prima Facie
Mills, Colin Bitter Passage
Minix, Sue A Murderous Plot
Moncrieff, Ada Murder at the Theatre Royale
Moore, Inga Six Dinner Sid
Moreton, Cole The Light Keeper
Morgan, Sarah The Christmas Escape
Morrison, Dorothy Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth
Mosse, Kate The Taxidermist's Daughter;
Mulrooney, Greta Never Came Home
Murray, Paul The Bee Sting
Myers, Benjamin The Gallows Pole; The Offing; The Perfect Golden Circle; Male Tears; Cuddy; Rare Singles
Myers, Dr. Rebecca Inside Job 
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Nancollas, Tom The Ship Asunder: A Maritime History in Eleven Vessels
Napolitano, Ann Dear Edward
National Geographic [Kids] Everything Anglo-Saxons: Unearth History with Facts, Photos and Fun
National Trust Britain's Landmarks and Legends; The Shell Spotter's Guide; 100 Words for Rain; National Trust on Screen: Discover the Locations that made Film & TV Magic; Garden Heaven; Great British Walkies; Book of Pies; The Great British Food Tour
Natsukawa, Sosuke The Cat Who Saved Books
Nesbo, Jo The Snowman
Netley, Rebecca The Whistling
Neuvel, Sylvain Only Human
Norman, Philip Shout! The True Story of The Beatles
Nugent, Ashleigh Locks
O
O'Brien, Anne A Tapestry of Treason
O'Farrell, Maggie Hamnet
Osman, Richard The Thursday Murder Club
Oyeyome, Helen Gingerbread
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Parker, Philip History of Cities in Maps
Parsons, Tony #Taken; The People Next Door
Patchett, Ann The Dutch House
Patterson, James Criss Cross
Paver, Michelle Wakenhyrst
Peers, Chris Offa and the Mercian Wars
Pert, Rebecca Still Water
Pinborough, Sarah Insomnia
Pine, Alex The Killer in the Cold
Pobi, Robert City of Windows
Post, Andrew Chop Shop
Postorino, Rosella The Women at Hitler's Table
Price, Rosie What Red Was
Pride, Christine & Piazza, Jo We Are Not Like Them
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Quinn, Frances The Smallest Man
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Raisin, Ross God's Own Country
Ramos, Joanne The Farm
Ramos, Kate Plant Powered Mexican
Rashford, Marcus You Are a Champion
Reagon, Carly Hear Him Calling
Reeve, Alex The Anarchists' Club
Reid, Iain We Spread
Remarque, Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front
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Richardson, Nigel The Accidental Detectorist: Uncovering an Underground Obsession
Richardson, Tim The English Landscape Garden: Dreaming of Arcadia
Rider, Claire E. & McDonald, Neil A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks: Discover 20 Routes In and Around the City
Robertson, C.S. The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
Rooney, Sally Normal People
Roper, Richard Something to Live For
Rosen, Michael Many Different Kinds of Love
Rouda, Kaira What the Nanny Saw
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Royce, Deborah Goodrich Finding Mrs Ford
Rudd, Alyson The First Time Lauren Paling Died
Russell, Kate Elizabeth My Dark Vanessa
Ryder, Richard D. Victims of Science: The Use of Animals in Research
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Sacks, Michelle The Dark Path
Sadler, John & Serdiville, Rosie Cromwell's Convicts: The Death March from Dunbar in 1650
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye
Samuels, Robert & Olorunnipa, Toluse His Name is George Floyd
Sapkowski, Andrzej Blood of Elves.
Scales, Dr Helen The Shell Spotters' Guide
Scott, Anika Finding Clara
Sefton, A.J. Growing In Damp Places
Selman, Victoria Truly, Darkly, Deeply
Shabata, Motoyuki & Goossen,Ted & Taylor, Meg (editors) MONKEY volume 2 by Shibata, Kawakami, Ito, Murakami, Matsuda, Furukawa, (authors)
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Simmons, Dan The Terror
Singer, Brett The Petting Zoo
Skalietska, Yeva You Don't Know What War Is
Slaughter, Karin False Witness
Smith, Scott A Simple Plan
Smith, Wilbur Call of the Raven
Smith, Zadie Grand Union
Sphere (publisher) The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights by Collins, Bridget; Hermes Gowar, Imogen; Pulley, Natasha; Kidd, Jess; Michael Hurley, Michael; Macneal, Elizabeth; Purcell, Laura; Millwood Hargrave, Kiran; Turton, Stuart; Ward, Catriona; Shepherd-Robinson, Laura; Stokes-Chapman, Susan
Stevenson, Benjamin She Lies in the Vines
Stockham, Alison The Cuckoo Sister
Stoker, Bram Dracula
Stokes-Chapman, Susan The Shadow Key
Strang, Em Quinn
Strauss, Barry Ten Caesars
Stuart, Amy A Death at the Party
Stuart, Douglas Shuggie Bain
Swanson, Louise Lights Out
Swift, Graham Last Orders
T
Tan Twan Eng The Garden of Evening Mists; The House of Doors
Tartt, Donna, The Goldfinch
Taylor, Pamela Pestilence
Thaine, Craig Teaching and Developing Writing Skills
Tierney, Marie Deadly Animals
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Trafford, J.D. Without Precedent
Turow, Scott The Last Trial
Tyce, Harriet A Lesson in Cruelty
V
Valentine, Danielle Delicate Condition
Vatner, Jonathan Carnegie Hill
Vaughan, Sarah Anatomy of a Scandal
Vegara, Maria Isabel Sanchez Jurgen Klopp
Venning, Timothy Royal Mysteries of the Anglo-Saxons and Early Britain
Vintage (publisher) A Scandinavian Christmas by Andersen, Hans Christian; Knausgaard, Karl Ove; Lagerlof, Selma; Hjorth, Vigdis
Vonnegut, Kurt Slaughterhouse Five
W
Walker, Nico Cherry
Walker, Rosie The House Fire
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Ward, Catriona The Last House on Needless Street
Ware, Ruth The Tale of Mrs Westaway; The Woman in Cabin 10; The It Girl
Watson, S.J. Final Cut
Weston, Kate Murder on a School Night
Whitehead, Colson The Nickel Boys
Whitehead, Richard The Times World Cup Moments
Wildwood, Rob Magical Britain: 650 Enchanted and Mystical Sites
Willder, Louise Blurb Your Enthusiasm: An A-Z of Literary Persuasion
Williams, C.K. The Woman at No. 13
Williams, J. T. Portraits and Poison
Williams, Ursula Moray Gobbolino the Witch's Cat
Wilson, Antoine Mouth to Mouth
Wilson, Ryan Let That Be a Lesson
Wimpenny, Jo Aesop's Animals
Wise, Frances The Book Game
Wood, Benjamin Seascraper
Wood, Michael The Mind of a Murderer
Wood, Naomi The Hiding Game
Woods, Evie The Lost Bookshop
Woods, Hannah Rose Rule Nostalgia: A Backwards History of Britain
Woolf, Jo Britain's Landmarks and Legends
Woolf, Virginia A Room of One's Own; To the Lighthouse; How Should One Read A Book?
Y
Yuzuki, Asako Butter
Z
Zephaniah, Benjamin Talking Turkeys
Zimbardo, Philip G. & Johnson, Robert L. Psychology According to Shakespeare: What You Can Learn about Human Nature from Shakespeare's Great Plays
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Number of reviews available: 493.
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