John Wyndham was a master of writing dystopia science fiction from the point of view of ordinary people. I think this is one of his finest, with elements which are directly applicable to our international response to climate change.
(4 minutes read)

In these days of instant messaging, WhatsApp and texts, the pleasure of writing and receiving letters is perhaps in danger of being forgotten.
(4 minutes read)

Leo Marks was the principal code-maker for the SOE during the war. This book which is filled with wry humour and bureaucratic frustration covers his war from 1942-45. He was considered the “one who got away” from Bletchley Park, and has amazing insights into the secret war of the SOE.
(6 minutes read)

This is the true stories of seven of the SOE heroines who fought to free Nazi-occupied France. The author has taken a chronological view of events from the rise of Hitler in 1933 to the end of the war. Structurally the book has a good table of contents and index, and contains black and white photographs and maps. There is a bibliography of over one hundred books which have been used as sources.
(3 minutes read)

So I decided to re-read 1984. I first read it about thirty years ago as a teenager, and I remember it being dreary and with a bit of horror at the end. Reading it now, I see it somewhat differently…
(3 minutes read)