Genre: Non-fiction

Review – The Animals Among Us

Posted June 16, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – The Animals Among Us

The Animals Among Us: The New Science of Anthrozoology

by John Bradshaw

Genres: Non-fiction, Science
Pages: 371
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

The bestselling author of Dog Sense and Cat Sense explains why living with animals has always been a fundamental aspect of being human

Pets have never been more popular. Over half of American households share their home with either a cat or a dog, and many contain both. This is a huge change from only a century ago, when the majority of domestic cats and dogs were working animals, keeping rodents at bay, guarding property, herding sheep. Nowadays, most are valued solely for the companionship they provide. As mankind becomes progressively more urban and detached from nature, we seem to be clinging to the animals that served us well in the past.

In The Animals Among Us, anthrozoologist John Bradshaw argues that pet-keeping is nothing less than an intrinsic part of human nature. An affinity for animals drove our evolution and now, without animals around us, we risk losing an essential part of ourselves.

I found John Bradshaw’s The Animals Among Us initially quite interesting, but ultimately there were a couple of problems: it’s very repetitive, it’s very gender essentialist, and he keeps saying things “cannot be a coincidence” when they can, anything can be a coincidence. Just saying something cannot be a coincidence does not constitute any kind of proof whatsoever that it is not, in fact, coincidence.

He’s also got a pretty cavalier attitude to a number of things, typified by the one I picked up on: he claims that it’s — and I quote — a “fable” that there’s a link between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis. Not only is it not a fable, but there are also links between Toxoplasma gondii infection and suicide risk, bipolar disease, anxiety, ADHD and OCD. And more! Now I’m not saying all of those are well evidenced, mostly I see stuff like odds ratios and hazard ratios that are suggestive without being conclusive, and we could use more clear-cut explanations of how that’s supposed to be caused and elucidations of stuff like whether it’s infection at any time in your life or infection at a critical period or only if you have both a toxoplasmosis infection and another risk factor… But the point is, it should not be lightly dismissed as a fable.

And sure, it’s a relatively minor point, except he refers to it multiple times and he’s wrong every time. What’s going on here? Has he just decided it’s not a risk and declared that to be the case in spite of the evidence we have? Is he referring to a paper to rule all papers that has disproven all the ones before and after it? Why is he saying this?

This kind of thing always makes me a bit suspicious, and of course, I know my parasitology pretty well (I have an MSc in Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one of the top universities for the study of infectious disease in the world — or I will after it’s been officially conferred upon me — and I studied parasitology in the course of that degree) and this jumped out at me. What was there that wasn’t jumping out at me, but is nonetheless equally wrong, dismissive, misguided, etc?

So… read with care, I suppose.

Rating: 2/5 

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Review – Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife

Posted June 15, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women

by Hetta Howes

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 298
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories?

Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. But remarkably, there are at least four extraordinary women who did. Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a "no-good wife". In their own ways these four very different writers pushed back against the misogyny of the period. Each broke new ground in women's writing and left us incredible insights into the world of medieval life and politics.

Hetta Howes has spent her working life uncovering these women's stories to give us a valuable and unique historical biography of their lives that challenges what we think we know about medieval women in Europe. Women did earn money, they could live independent lives, and they thought, loved, fought and suffered just as we do today.

This mesmerizing book is an unforgettably lively and immersive journey into the everyday lives of medieval women through the stories of these four iconic women writers, some of which are retold here for general readers for the first time.

Hetta Howes’ Poet Mystic Widow Wife does a pretty good job at discussing the lives of medieval women in general, while reflecting specifically on Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. If considered as intending to shed light on those lives specifically, it feels pretty disorganised and lacks detail on Marie de France and Julian of Norwich — which is in part due to lack of sources and in part due to choosing poorly (though there may not be many good choices).

Overall, it didn’t quite work for me. I think it was the general feeling of it not being super organised, for a start; each section would jump around slightly in time and place, trying to touch on the four women regularly, but not always managing to link them in to the chapter’s themes very well.

Perhaps it’s partly a matter of style; while Howes’ style is readable, I didn’t love it. Her sources are pretty sparse, and overall this might all be explained by the fact that she’s qualified in medieval literature (which probably informed her choice of sources) rather than history. Literature was my first field of study as well and one in which she’s more qualified than I am, and medieval literature in particular has an overlap with understanding medieval history… but it’s not the same. I know a lot about the role of medieval women through that same literary lense, and maybe I was hoping for something a bit more rooted in named sources. I was also hoping for more about Marie de France, whose works I studied (in translation).

In any case, if you’re looking for an accessible, chatty sort of popular history, with reimaginings about what Margery Kemp and Christine de Pizan thought and felt, this might be more up your street. If you’re here for Marie de France or Julian of Norwich, perhaps not.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Planting Clues

Posted June 9, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Planting Clues

Planting Clues: How Plants Solve Crimes

by David J. Gibson

Genres: Crime, Non-fiction, Science
Pages: 240
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

This fascinating book takes the reader on a journey through the role of plants (including algae and fungi) in legal cases. These legal cases range from forensic applications where botanical evidence can link a suspect to a crime scene or a victim to a suspect to cases when plants themselves can be the subject of crime or misadventure. In the latter cases, plants may be poached, illegally traded and trafficked, used as poisons, or illicitly used (i.e., drugs such as cocaine). Botanical evidence has been important in bringing a number of high-profile murderers such as Ted Bundy, Ian Huntley (the 2002 Shoham Murders), and Bruno Hauptman (1932 Baby Lindbergh kidnapping) to trial. These applications of forensic botany capture the public interest; consider, for example, the fascination with Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries involving real plant poisons such as digitalis from foxgloves. The variety and value of botanical evidence including leaf fragments, woody anatomy, pollen and spores, plant toxins, and DNA, is summarized through 8 chapters. This book appeals to general readers interested in the botany underlying true crime.

At times, David J. Gibson’s Planting Clues felt just a bit too random — a string of anecdotes around forensics and botany, loosely connected at best, organised into chapters that do at least fit into coherent themes. There are some fascinating details on both botany and how botanical experts can be involved in legal cases, which at times got a bit too into the weeds for me.

The cases it discusses illustrate the points well and include some fascinating precedents, as well as discussing some big cases (like the deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, though now I’m unsure whether the author actually named them or their murderer, which in retrospect feels a bit weird), it just… I don’t know, I found it difficult to keep my attention on it.

If you’re interested in the topic, though, it’s a good pick!

Rating: 3/5

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Review – A Mudlarking Year

Posted June 9, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – A Mudlarking Year

A Mudlarking Year: Finding Treasure In Every Season

by Lara Maiklem

Genres: History, Memoir, Non-fiction
Pages: 358
Rating: two-stars
Synopsis:

For over two decades, Lara Maiklem has been scouring the banks of the tidal Thames looking for objects - lost or discarded - that tell forgotten stories. In this charming sequel to the bestselling Mudlarking, Lara widens her search beyond the river and reflects on life lived post-pandemic, reminding us that it's possible to draw meaning in the most unlikely of places.

As she searches the foreshore through the changing seasons, she is at times aided by the gentle illumination of the falling winter sun or hindered by bright summer skies and lashing rain. Yet, by working in harmony with the unpredictable terrain, she finds solace in aligning with the elements and uncovering the treasures that are bestowed by the tide. From medieval pilgrim badges and Tudor love tokens, to Georgian wig curlers and Victorian pottery, each passing day unearths ordinary and extraordinary objects that tell the rich story of London's past and its inhabitants.

I liked Lara Maiklem’s Mudlarking quite a bit, as I recall, and I was fascinated by the bits and pieces of historical information, the unfiltered nature of it all. Those same aspects felt more irritating here in this book, though — there’s no organisation to it, just the turning of the seasons, so there’s a lot of repetition.

In the end, I think the problem is that it comes out more as autobiography than history or even a discussion of mudlarking, and thus is just generally not my thing. There are still the same fascinating snippets, albeit with some info that I’m certain is repeated from Mudlarking, but… it doesn’t feel like anything new, and I don’t like Maiklem enough as a person (on this level of acquaintance, anyway) to be spending this much time with her. I especially don’t care enough about her kids, their process of going up, and how often she’ll leave them and her wife and just go down to the foreshore because she feels like it.

She’s mostly responsible, as mudlarks go, in relation to protection of the environment and archaeology — at the very least, she’s smarter than to say in print that she breaks the rules — and critical of other mudlarks who are less responsible, but she’s also kinda… exclusive? She seems to feel that parts of the river belong to her, and she won’t tell others where she found something, and that attitude hits wrong.

So… all in all, just not for me.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Jane Austen in 41 Objects

Posted June 4, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – Jane Austen in 41 Objects

Jane Austen in 41 Objects

by Kathryn Sutherland

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 224
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Among objects described in this book are a teenage notebook, a muslin shawl, a wallpaper fragment, a tea caddy, the theatrical poster for a play she attended, and the dining-room grate at Chawton Cottage where she lived. Poignantly, the last manuscript page of her unfinished novel and a lock of hair, kept by her devoted sister, Cassandra, are also featured. Objects contributing to Austen's rich cultural legacy include a dinner plate decorated by Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, Grayson Perry's commemorative pot from 2009, and even Mr Darcy's wet shirt, worn by Colin Firth in the 1995 BBC adaptation.

More than two hundred years after Jane Austen's death at the age of just forty-one, we are still looking for clues about this extraordinary writer's life. What might we learn if we take a glimpse inside the biographies of objects that crossed her path in life and afterward: things that she cherished or cast aside, that furnished the world in which she moved, or that have themselves been inspired by her legacy?

This is a different kind of biography, in which objects with their own histories offer shifting entry points into Jane Austen's life. Each object, illustrated in color, invites us to meet Austen at a particular moment when her life intersects with theirs, speaking eloquently of past lives and shedding new light on one of our best-loved authors.

I’m not a huge Jane Austen fan — I’ve read some of the books and did enjoy them (sorry, Mum, I know you reaaally don’t like Austen), and I can appreciate their importance as literature, but I’m no Janeite. I think that’s probably the primary audience for this book, but for me, I was attracted by the “x in y objects” format, which I always enjoy.

This is a nicely presented variation on that theme, with full colour glossy images, short descriptions of the signifiance of each, and even the ability to just dip in and out if you want (there’s no overarching narrative). I might possibly prefer a slightly more organised and deliberate style, where each object leads to another, or there’s a stronger chronological theme (though the items are somewhat in time-order).

I did find that the introduction was a bit overly scholarly compared to the actual contents, so if you find that’s bogging you down, and you’re still interested in the contents, just skip it. It’s 22 pages long and took me 15 minutes to read, compared to the 50 minutes it took me to read the other 167 pages…

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Graves

Posted June 2, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – The Graves

The Graves: Srebenica and Vukovar

by Eric Stover, Gilles Peress

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 334
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

This book is the harrowing account by Eric Stover, with photographs by Gilles Peress, of how, from a hell of mud and decomposing bodies, Haglund began to piece together the victims' identities and the terrible ways they died. Over 40,000 Muslim refugees were living in and around Srebenica when it fell to the Serbs, under General Ratko Mladic in July 1995. Of the men who fled, or were rounded up by Serb troops, many were never seen again. Stover talks to the surviving families, women and children including the women of Srebrenica still clinging to the hope that their men are alive even as Haglund's investigations prove otherwise. Mladic has since been charged with crimes of genocide. But Stover identifies a lack of political will to arrest the criminals and bring them to trial. Until then, justice will not have been done.

Gilles Peress and Eric Stover’s The Graves: Srebenica and Vukovar is, as it should be, horrifying. It’s illustrated with many many photographs, but also has a certain amount of explanatory text (especially partway through) which gives context, explains the images chosen, etc.

The main quibble I have is with the presentation, which I found annoying — I had to spin the book around, and the text doesn’t always run in the directions you’d expect. I think it’d have been better at coffee-table book size, despite the weirdness of thinking of a book like this as anything like a coffee-table book.

Still, a valuable read, if awful.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects

Posted May 27, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects

A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects

by Sally Coulthard

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 333
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

For most of human history, we were rural folk.

Our daily lives were bound up with working the land, living within the rhythm of the seasons. We poured our energies into growing food, tending to animals and watching the weather. Family, friends and neighbours were often one and the same. Life revolved around the village and its key spaces and places – the church, the green, the school and the marketplace.

And yet rural life is oddly invisible our historical records. The daily routine of the peasant, the farmer or the craftsperson could never compete with the glamour of city life, war and royal drama. Lives went unrecorded, stories untold.

There is, though, one way in which we can learn about our rural past. The things we have left behind provide a connection that no document can match; physical artefacts are touchstones that breathe life into its history. From farming tools to children’s toys, domestic objects and strange curios, the everyday items of the past reveal fascinating insights into an often-forgotten way of life. Birth, death, celebration, work, crime, play, medicine, beliefs, diet and our relationship with nature can all be read from these remnants of our past.

From ancient artefacts to modern-day memorabilia, this startling book weaves a rich tapestry from the fragments of our rural past.

Sally Coulthard’s A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects pretty much explains itself in terms of content. Each entry is pretty short, and focused on a particular item (though it may ramble around the subject before or after introducing the item). Each is included as a pen-and-ink sketch, usually at the end of the chapter.

I found at times that the objects were… not what I’d choose, or the potted histories were a bit rambly/random, but overall it’s a format I enjoy in and of itself, and I had fun reading it. I’d say take the historical accuracy with a heaping of salt, as it lacks any kind of references (not just numbered references, but in my edition, any kind of references at all). More one to read for entertainment and to see someone else’s train of thought on the matter than for information.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Fighting Fit

Posted May 22, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments

Review – Fighting Fit

Fighting Fit: The Wartime Battle for Britain's Health

by Laura Dawes

Genres: History, Non-fiction, Science
Pages: 250
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

At the beginning of the Second World War, medical experts predicted epidemics of physical and mental illness on the home front. Rationing would decimate the nation's health, they warned; drugs, blood and medical resources would be in short supply; air raid shelters and evacuation would spread diseases; and the psychological effects of bombing raids would leave mental hospitals overflowing. Yet, astonishingly, Britain ended the war in better health than ever before. Based on original archival research and written with wit and verve, FIGHTING FIT reveals an extraordinary, forgotten story of medical triumph against the odds. Through a combination of meticulous planning and last-minute scrambling, Britain succeeded in averting, in Churchill's phrase, the 'dark curse' on the nation's health. It was thanks to the pioneering efforts of countless individuals - doctors, nurses, social workers, boy scouts, tea ladies, Nobel Prize winners, air raid wardens, housewives, nutritionists and psychologists - who battled to keep the nation fit and well in wartime.

As Laura Dawes shows, these men and women not only helped to win the war, they paved the way for the birth of the NHS and the development of the welfare state.

Laura Dawes’ Fighting Fit: The Wartime Battle for Britain’s Health was a fascinating choice for me, with my interest in infectious diseases, and especially given my electives (which included a module about nutrition and infection). It’s basically the perfect case study for many of my interests, though sadly it doesn’t discuss tuberculosis at much length (and WWI and WWII were times when tuberculosis infection numbers increased after having been in decline).

As a note of caution though, I would point out that it really is about Britain, not the British Empire. It gives no picture of how things went outside of the islands that constitute Great Britain. So it is quite narrow in scope, and I suspect it’d be a less triumphant picture if it discussed the wider picture: there’s some reference to the soldiers fighting, but mostly just to the populace at home, and pretty much nothing to the wider world.

But as I’ve implied, it paints a surprisingly rosy picture of health in the UK during the war, with some bumps here and there (haha) as refugee children passed around childhood diseases rife in the cities they came from to host families in the country, or respiratory infections rippled through bomb shelters. It discusses some fascinating experiments and number crunching that led to conclusions about how to provide people with rations, and the results of rationing. It was an endeavour that seems to me very linked to the formation of the NHS, and that makes it extra interesting reading at this time, when the NHS is being eroded.

One thing I will say… if you have phobias about biting insects, there’s a whole chapter you might want to skip which discusses scabies, lice, etc. It really made me feel itchy — I even had a nightmare about it afterwards, because this is one subject that still makes me feel rather anxious. I suspect the descriptions of some of the scabies experiments would make anyone feel itchy! So, reader beware on that front.

Overall, I found it a surprisingly quick read, and definitely fascinating.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Virtues of Underwear

Posted May 11, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – The Virtues of Underwear

The Virtues of Underwear: Modesty, Flamboyance and Filth

by Nina Edwards

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 285
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Laced with illustrations of undergarments both prosaic and exotic, a global exposé of the hidden meaning of knickers, lingerie, and everything in between.

This book unravels the intimate narratives woven into the fabric of our most personal garments. From the first loincloths to the intricate layers of shapewear, the narrative explores the concealed world of underwear as a silent communicator of individual desire and societal affiliation. As an indicator of the pulse of fashion, underwear has evolved from minimalism to intricate designs with new materials. Beyond its role in denying our corporeal nature, underwear safeguards and exposes, reflecting our innermost desires and past experiences.

From clean underclothing resisting carnal urges to the protective embrace of fabric, this book illuminates the profound, often hidden stories told by the garments beneath our outer layers. It rewards the reader with historical insights into both women’s and men’s underwear and global cultures of dress.

If I look back at reading Nina Edwards’ The Virtues of Underwear, it’s hard to say quite what I took from it. I definitely found it interesting and a fun read, but it feels like the information was a bit badly structured — I wouldn’t know where to turn in the book to follow-up on and remind myself about something, even though the chapters are loosely themed. That can be fascinating to read (and it’s probably like talking to me, let’s be honest), but it makes it hard to have a structured idea of what I think of it, too.

I think it’d be a good read for a broad history of underwear and how people have felt about it, and how it’s changed over time (both the underwear worn and the attitudes toward it). I think it’s less good if you want a reference work to refer to about the history, though, because I think it’s more interested in the attitudes that informed choices of underwear, as the subtitle (“Modesty, Flamboyance and Filth”) indicates. I enjoyed it.

It has a pretty good references section, and some interesting images included, including e.g. cartoons that mention underwear, which can be very revealing about prevailing attitudes.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Blind Spot

Posted May 7, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Blind Spot

Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness

by Maud Rowell

Genres: Non-fiction
Pages: 106
Series: Inklings
Synopsis:

Two million people in the UK live with sight loss, and many more worldwide. Yet the general population knows very little about the day-to-day life of the blind, who must move through a world not designed with them in mind, from city planning and technology, to pop culture and education. What’s more, blind people often fall off the pages of our history books, despite being some of the most prolific figures in their fields.

In Blind Spot, Maud Rowell challenges readers to think differently about what they may take for granted, carrying them on a whirlwind tour through time and space - from Japanese tube stations to the 18th century museum - to showcase what the world looks like for someone who does not see. She offers practical insights based on her own experiences, as well as spotlighting incredible blind pioneers - explorers, artists, scientists, and more - through history and the current day, unearthed through her own research and interviews.

In educating us about the realities of sight loss, Maud shows us how to be aware of our own blind spots, offering the knowledge needed to become better, more tolerant members of diverse communities. Society needs to support everyone - it's time we caught up.

A while back, I was a volunteer for the RNIB (that’s the Royal National Institute for the Blind, in the UK), which means I have a bit more awareness of the accessibility options for the blind in the UK (and in general) than most. Even so, I was trained by a sighted person, and all the volunteers I knew were fully sighted. Maud Rowell’s Blind Spot makes me wonder what, in consequence, we missed.

If you’re curious about accessibility for blind people (not just in the UK, but also in Japan), about experiencing art and museums as a blind person, being a visual artist while blind, and lost blind role models, this is definitely one for you.

It’s short, like all books in the Inklings series, and thus it can’t possibly be exhaustive — but it’s a window into that world, nonetheless.

Rating: 4/5

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