Arts & Music Books > Literary Criticism & Theory Arts & Music Books > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Fascinating window into another's life; pleasant prose style
Disadvantages: Helps to have read the books; feels like publishers' sociopolitical agenda

...same day that I finished Reading Lolita in Tehran, I had noticed a small leaflet pasted to the clear plastic of the bus-stop outside my home, a short walk from London's Central Mosque. It called for Muslims to join a protest outside 10 Downing Street against the West's gross misrepresentation of Islam in the media, in the attack on the faith that has stemmed from the hysterical reaction to the actions of extremists. And it's undeniable that now must ...
...but would I even be reading it if not for the current climate of fear and suspicion around Islam? If not for America's defensive need to know that the lifestyle of its citizens is so much better than that of the countries of the Middle East? Perhaps not, but then I should consider myself lucky, for if not for the sensationalistic aspects surrounding this book's release, I would perhaps never have heard of it. And I must state that it was primarily ... Read review

Advantages: Attain Happiness, Tranquility and Ultimate Success
Disadvantages: Nil

The book "The Magic of Thinking Big" was given to me as a gift by one of my colleagues. At first I thought, at this age, what achievements I can accomplish by reading this book, as I have already reached the evening of my life. But I was proved wrong, as I started to read the book, I got deeply engrossed in it. It put me in a mode of self analysis and I started to evaluate my life in terms of what I read in those pages. I got convinced that I was ...
...Magic of Thinking Big' in the year 1959. This classic has been read by millions of readers and has helped them in selling better, managing better, to earn more money and consequently attain greater happiness, peace and tranquility. The author gives methods which are very practical. He expresses his ideas and techniques with utmost originality and uses very simple language to convey them to the readers. He explains each technique with a dramatic illustration ... Read review

Advantages: very original concepts
Disadvantages: non

There has been a flux of books in recent times presenting a new angle on the evolution man, his rise to civilization and the steps that took him there. Some are very off the wall and offer massive re-thinking in our veiw of the past, often relying on extra-terrestrial interference or lost lands such as Atlantis. Others are more reserved in the ideas they present, David Rohl and his new chronologies of ancient Egypt for example, ideas that are able ...
...of fuss in the grand scheme of things. What Knight and Lomas offer us here is something close to the later, but a book that takes loose ends from sources as varied as the Book of Enoch, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Kenniwick Man and uses them to lead to a yet undiscovered use of Technology in prehistoric times. Firstly I must point out that by technology we are not talking about the machinary and mechanisms that the word counjours in the modern mind, ... Read review

Advantages: Engaging and fun to do.
Disadvantages: none

...to discover their creativity,and in the process of doing so,discovering themselves. The author is particularly good at encouraging her readers to believe in their own creativity regardless of whether they think they are creative or not, which brings hope to us all! The book is divided into twelve sections/weeks and has the feel of being on a course because of this structure in place,it helps the reader to stay focused. Each section has various writing ...
...'true self'. I found the suggestion of doing "morning pages" each day a very helpful tool for discovering and becoming aware of thinking patterns. I also appreciated and enjoyed the inclusion of what the author described as "artist days out". overall It's a lovely,well organised book with the feel of having a friend on the journey. I also like the good size print and overall size of the book,which is a little larger than A5. I highly recommend ... Read review

Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...granted that todays society is the most progressive and reactionary that it has ever been. Protests, strikes, religious reform and the the move away from traditional ways are all taken for granted and seen as the result of a free society. There was a period in English history that was a time of radical moves against the establishment, a time when new ways of thinking were championed, a time of great change. Subtitled "Radical Ideas During The English ...
...and the years immediatly afterwards from the point of view of the changes in thought, normally a period that is studied for its action. The World Turned Upside Down is a book that charts the changes in the society brought about by a radical underground movement. The English Civil War is often regarded as a clear cut conflict between the monarchy and parliament over who ran the country. What this book does is lays out the complex range of reforms ... Read review