# literary criticism (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 5 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover literary criticism. Page: Feed: --- ## [Curious Computation](https://biophilic.blogspot.com/2026/08/curious-computation.html) _2026-08-22 · Burk · Biophilia_ A biologist and former employee of IBM visits the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, California. Walking into the Computer History Museum , it seems unassuming enough- a slightly clean aesthetic, some open space, an early Waymo. But it is one of the most intense religious shrines I have been to. If Silicon Valley is a religion, one of industry, hope, and salvation, this is its interpretive… ## [From Booker-listed Marlon James to a memoir by Michael Douglas – the biggest books this autumn](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/22/new-autumn-fiction-nonfiction-marlon-james-emma-cline-michael-douglas-dustin-hoffman-judi-dench-yiyun-li) _2026-08-22 · Guardian Staff · Books | The Guardian_ Midlife meditations from Barbara Kingsolver; musical portraits by Jonathan Coe and Yiyun Li; plus memoirs from Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench – all among the coming season’s highlights The Disappearers by Marlon James Hamish Hamilton, 3 September After a detour into mythic fantasy, the author of the Booker-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings returns to Jamaica. This account of a brutal… ## [The best recent translated fiction – review roundup](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/the-best-recent-translated-fiction-review-roundup) _2026-08-21 · John Self · Books | The Guardian_ The Red Book of Farewells by Pirkko Saisio; Short Circuit by Wolf Haas; Cosmos by Lucia Odoom; The Fallen Trees Are Also the Forest by Alejandra Kamiya The Red Book of Farewells by Pirkko Saisio, translated by Mia Spangenberg, Penguin Classics (£14.99) Following Lowest Common Denominator and Backlight, this book completes Finnish author Saisio’s autofictional trilogy. It covers her young adulthood… ## [Alice Roberts: ‘By the time I’d finished Richard Dawkins I’d left faith behind’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/alice-roberts-by-the-time-id-finished-richard-dawkins-id-left-faith-behind) _2026-08-21 · Alice Roberts · Books | The Guardian_ The TV presenter and author on the evolutionary biologists who inspired her, the genius of George Eliot – and fun with Frog and Toad My earliest reading memory The first books I remember were from The Village with Three Corners series Sheila K McCullagh. I loved the – literally – colourful characters, like Johnny Yellow Hat. I was reading with my Grandma, in her garden perhaps, sitting on a small… ## [Life of M by Rachel Cusk review – is this story of a film star based on Natalie Portman?](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/21/life-of-m-by-rachel-cusk-review-is-this-story-of-a-film-star-based-on-natalie-portman) _2026-08-21 · Clare Clark · Books | The Guardian_ A teasing tale of the friendship between a writer and an actor explores the fallout from fame, and the blurring between pretence and reality M is a celebrated film actor. A star since childhood, now the face of a major fashion brand, she has been famous all her life. That her career closely resembles Natalie Portman’s has been gleefully seized upon by the press, something Rachel Cusk must surely… ## [Ukrainian publishers call for support after Russian attacks destroy 10m books](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/help-ukrainian-publishers-russia-attacks-books) _2026-08-20 · Emma Loffhagen · Books | The Guardian_ The country risks ‘the collapse of the entire book ecosystem’ following destruction of warehouses in July and August, say Ukrainian publishers The Ukrainian Book Institute has called on the international publishing community to support Ukrainian publishers after Russian attacks in July and early August destroyed about 10m books and a significant share of the country’s book production capacity. The… ## [All of Us Atoms by Holly Dawson audiobook review – an extraordinary self-portrait](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/all-of-us-atoms-by-holly-dawson-audiobook-review-an-extraordinary-self-portrait) _2026-08-20 · Fiona Sturges · Books | The Guardian_ Helena Bonham Carter narrates the playwright’s impressionistic memoir, written as she was experiencing the loss of her memory Playwright Holly Dawson’s memoir tells of memory lapses and a series of seizures that signal something isn’t right. Before visiting a doctor, she had been muddling up words, forgetting people’s names and flooding the bathroom. The book finds Dawson in conversation with her… ## [The best books to read in August: new paperbacks from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Salman Rushdie and Werner Herzog](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/20/the-best-books-to-read-in-august-new-paperbacks-from-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-salman-rushdie-and-werner-herzog) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Books | The Guardian_ Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a short story collection by a literary great to razor-sharp criticism \*\*\* Continue reading... ## [How I’ve Tried to Change the World by Alexei Sayle review – does protest make a difference?](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/20/how-ive-tried-to-change-the-world-by-alexei-sayle-review-does-protest-make-a-difference) _2026-08-20 · Andy Beckett · Books | The Guardian_ The comedian charts his life in demos from 1960s Liverpool to 2020s London in this fiery and addictive book At 74, the comedian Alexei Sayle is approaching a dangerous phase for veteran British leftists: becoming a national treasure. Once described by special branch, in a surveillance file gleefully quoted in this memoir, as an “intellectual thug” who made “foul-mouthed comments about the royal… ## [Library of Congress National Book Festival!](https://thisbookisbanned.com/the-art-of-reading/library-of-congress-national-book-festival/) _2026-08-19 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ The Library of Congress' National Book Festival takes place on August 22. Can't make it in person? Be sure to check out the online options.... Read More The post Library of Congress National Book Festival! appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [Stream Torrents and IPTV Instantly (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/TaXm02bZTpkb) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Search, index, and play music, movies, books, and live TV in your browser. ## [The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore review – an ominous warning of tech takeover](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/19/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-artificial-state-by-jill-lepore-review-an-ominous-warning-of-tech-takeover) _2026-08-19 · Farrah Jarral · Books | The Guardian_ A historian charts the emergence of a democracy-crushing dystopia that is – in some ways – already with us Pulitzer prize-winning US historian Jill Lepore’s new book addresses the threat posed to liberal democracy by artificial intelligence. According to Lepore, the extraordinary power of private tech companies led by men whose priorities may not align with the wellbeing of the Earth or its… ## [Where Are the Kings by Donal Ryan review – a timeless tale of family sorrows and joys](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/19/where-are-the-kings-by-donal-ryan-review-a-timeless-tale-of-family-sorrows-and-joys) _2026-08-19 · Beejay Silcox · Books | The Guardian_ A teenage boy navigates adolescence and the traumatic loss of his mother in this poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural Ireland Something is happening to literary time. In the last fortnight I’ve read new or forthcoming novels about a mirror universe where history runs backwards (The Understory, Chloe Benjamin), an agency that offers appointments with the past (Time Travel for Beginners, Jaclyn… ## [Philip Pullman and Maggie O’Farrell among authors urging Burnham to cut business rates on bookshops](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/philip-pullman-and-maggie-ofarrell-among-authors-urging-burnham-to-cut-business-rates-on-bookshops) _2026-08-18 · Emma Loffhagen · Books | The Guardian_ After pubs and clubs get rates relief, authors back open letter calling for similar support for bookshops, described as the ‘beating hearts’ of high streets Maggie O’Farrell, Philip Pullman, Katherine Rundell and Elif Shafak are among the authors supporting a campaign by independent booksellers who have urged Andy Burnham to extend business rates relief for pubs, clubs and live music venues to… ## [Christopher Berry-Dee dropped by publisher after allegations of abuse made against him](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/christopher-berry-dee-dropped-publisher-allegations-abuse) _2026-08-18 · Ella Creamer · Books | The Guardian_ Bonnier Books will no longer publish UK’s top-selling true crime author following Guardian investigation The main publisher of the bestselling true crime writer Christopher Berry-Dee has dropped the author after a Guardian investigation into allegations of violence and sexual abuse against him, which he denies. Waterstones has also removed his books from sale. “We are shocked and appalled by the… ## [‘The truth about Diana’: Charles Spencer to publish book about late sister](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/charles-spencer-diana-book-swan-song) _2026-08-18 · Ella Creamer · Books | The Guardian_ Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’ Charles Spencer is to publish a book about his sister Diana in September. In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his… ## [Sunrise by Téa Obreht review – secrets and myths in the American west](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/sunrise-by-tea-obreht-review-secrets-and-myths-in-the-american-west) _2026-08-18 · Nina Allan · Books | The Guardian_ Set across three interwoven timelines, this absorbing tale of an abandoned mining town explores courage, cowardice and how history is recorded Téa Obreht’s novels teem with conflicting narratives, treacherous landscapes and speculative fictions. Her 2010 prizewinning debut, The Tiger’s Wife , examined themes of death, miracles and outsider status in the midst of a fictional Balkan war. Her fourth… ## [Ukrainian Lessons by Charlotte Higgins review – when art and war collide](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/ukrainian-lessons-by-charlotte-higgins-review-when-art-and-war-collide) _2026-08-18 · James Meek · Books | The Guardian_ A vivid and hopeful study of how culture endures in the midst of extreme violence Towards the end of her subtly piercing book about art in wartime, Charlotte Higgins recounts an autumn visit to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, in the north-east of the country, a short drive from the Russian border. In a tranquil park, she sees a man standing in a stream, making stones balance on top of each other… ## [Aphorisms and Idioms: The More That You Read… The More Places You’ll Go](https://thisbookisbanned.com/aphorisms-and-idioms/aphorisms-and-idioms-the-more-that-you-read-the-more-places-youll-go/) _2026-08-17 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ The more that you read, the more things that you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. This aphorism may come from Dr. Seuss, but the wisdom it contains isn't just for kids. ... Read More The post Aphorisms and Idioms: The More That You Read… The More Places You’ll Go appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [The Ego Trip by Kimon de Greef review – a bizarre tale of psychedelic toads and hair-raising treatments](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/17/the-ego-trip-by-kimon-de-greef-review-a-bizarre-tale-of-psychedelic-toads-and-hair-raising-treatments) _2026-08-17 · Oliver Bullough · Books | The Guardian_ A journalist investigates the unsettling world of a charismatic shaman and the people who trusted him Which, in your opinion, is the worst current cultural trend: social media influencers; unregulated wellness practitioners; macho manosphere posturers; psychedelic bores; cultural appropriators? The good news is that, with Octavio Rettig, the central character in Kimon de Greef’s The Ego Trip, you… ## [Agrippa by Robert Harris review – persuasive portrait of rivalry in ancient Rome](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/17/agrippa-by-robert-harris-review-persuasive-portrait-of-rivalry-in-ancient-rome) _2026-08-17 · Sam Leith · Books | The Guardian_ This fictional memoir by Octavius’s right-hand man shows us bloodshed, betrayal and hectic jockeying for power If you’re one of those people who thinks about the Roman empire several times a week, Robert Harris has you covered. He follows his trilogy of novels about the life of Cicero and his one-off about the unpleasantness in Pompeii with a narrative that takes us from civil war through the… ## [Refer a Friend, Earn Rewards (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/4Cu7EH3ffa1c) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Earn rewards when a friend signs up for the Graphite Business Card ## [This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Abibliophobia!](https://thisbookisbanned.com/fun-fancy-words/this-weeks-fun-fancy-word-abibliophobia/) _2026-08-16 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Abibliophobia. It means the fear of running out of things to read. Do you suffer from this frightful word? ... Read More The post This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Abibliophobia! appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [Tom Gauld on the library of the forbidden tomes – cartoon](https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2026/aug/16/tom-gauld-on-the-library-of-the-forbidden-tomes-cartoon) _2026-08-16 · Tom Gauld · Books | The Guardian_ Continue reading... ## [‘It is not only a future certainty – the disaster is already here’: why we need climate fiction](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/16/it-is-not-only-a-future-certainty-the-disaster-is-already-here-why-we-need-climate-fiction) _2026-08-16 · Tara Menon · Books | The Guardian_ As wildfires rage across Europe and Britain swelters through its hottest summer on record, literary fiction has a vital role to play in capturing the severe consequences of climate crisis Earlier this summer, I travelled through Europe on a book tour. Everywhere I went, the heat broke records. In Italy, Germany and Spain, I sought refuge from the afternoon sun in air-conditioned hotels. In… ## [Sensing Unfolded Proteins](https://biophilic.blogspot.com/2026/08/sensing-unfolded-proteins.html) _2026-08-15 · Burk · Biophilia_ Do cells take joy in tidying? Absolutely! But how can they tell where the messes are? Any household knows that without cleaning and disposal, nothing else is possible. Things pile up, messes accumulate, everything comes to a standstill. Cells are the same, needing a constant flow of new materials in, trash out, recycling, and cleanups. One of the major kinds of mess in cells is unfolded proteins,… ## [Art Spiegelman: ‘The US needs a counter-revolution’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/aug/15/art-spiegelman-the-us-needs-a-counter-revolution) _2026-08-15 · Sophie McBain · Books | The Guardian_ More than four decades after his Holocaust story Maus transformed the graphic novel genre, Art Spiegelman discusses Trump, the shadow of 9/11 and the rise of fascism in America When the cartoonist Art Spiegelman began dating his future wife, Françoise Mouly, in the mid 70s, she would tell him not to worry about walking her home, because even the New York muggers didn’t bother venturing to where… ## [The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/14/the-best-recent-and-thrillers-review-roundup) _2026-08-14 · Laura Wilson · Books | The Guardian_ The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian; Claws Out! by Bella Mackie; Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang; Children of Wolves by Lawrence Osborne; Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian (Hutchinson Heinemann, £18.99) American bestseller Bohjalian deserves to be far better known in the UK, although, as the first line of his 26th novel points out, “It is neither virtue nor might that rules the… ## [Rebecca Perry: ‘Lorca hit me like a bolt of lightning’](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/14/rebecca-perry-lorca-hit-me-like-a-bolt-of-lightning) _2026-08-14 · Rebecca Perry · Books | The Guardian_ The poet and novelist on the power of fairytales, being inspired by Frank O’Hara and the joys of Doris Lessing My earliest reading memory Reading On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan, aged five or so, sitting on the floor of the bedroom I shared with my brother – who, in my memory, was sitting on the carpet next to me. My favourite book growing up I had a collection of fairytales in a big… ## [The Beverly Hills Housewife by James Cahill review – a trip inside Hockney’s world](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/14/the-beverly-hills-housewife-by-james-cahill-review-a-trip-inside-hockneys-world) _2026-08-14 · Ben Eastham · Books | The Guardian_ Muse Betty Freeman sits at the centre of this sun-drenched book about art, eccentricity, and the spirit of Los Angeles David Hockney was 29 years old when he came to Betty Freeman’s house to photograph her swimming pool. Scouting locations for the pool paintings that would make him a household name, he took preparatory snaps of his partner, Peter Schlesinger, emerging naked from the water. And yet… ## [Universality by Natasha Brown audiobook review – a sparkling multi-voiced satire](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/13/universality-by-natasha-brown-audiobook-review-a-sparkling-multi-voiced-satire) _2026-08-13 · Fiona Sturges · Books | The Guardian_ A magazine article about stolen gold sparks a culture war between a cast of politically polarised characters A stinging dissection of wealth, class and the media, Natasha Brown’s satire begins with a man named Jake gazing at a gold bar he has found at a farm in West Yorkshire. Outside, an illegal rave is taking place which will end in three hospitalisations and property damage. Pondering what to… ## [Can Nothing Save Us? by Irvine Welsh review – US family saga is a late-career triumph](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/13/can-nothing-save-us-by-irvine-welsh-review-us-family-saga-is-a-late-career-triumph) _2026-08-13 · Jake Arnott · Books | The Guardian_ The Scottish author focuses on gun culture and generational conflict in this darkly satirical tale about a great power in decline “Why expect unconditional love from somebody you’ve brought into a fucked, dying planet, who then has to sit around and watch you screw it up even more?” So muses twentysomething college dropout Luke Ayrton on his parental lineage as he works the Las Vegas Strip,… ## [Watch chovy live code (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/VW1Hi8zg78gQ) _2026-08-13 · **Sponsored**_ Join Mosh Coding streams with collaborative screen sharing and remote control, open source. ## [Novels are Like Layer Cake – Be Sure to Get Every Bite.](https://thisbookisbanned.com/teacher-resources/layers-give-a-book-substance/) _2026-08-12 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Stories are more than just characters and plot. They’re a collaboration between author, reader, and culture, sometimes contradictory and always symbolic. To understand them, you can’t just look at the surface—you need to dig through every layer.... Read More The post Novels are Like Layer Cake – Be Sure to Get Every Bite. appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [Something Like Happiness by Tom Newlands review – a tender take on hard times, anger and autism](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/12/something-like-happiness-by-tom-newlands-review-a-tender-take-on-hard-times-anger-and-autism) _2026-08-12 · Suzi Feay · Books | The Guardian_ A twentysomething Scottish couple care for their autistic son in the bleak follow-up to Only Here, Only Now Frazer and Caitlin have been emotionally entwined since schooldays. Now in their mid-20s, and parents of a five-year-old, they live in a grotty flat in a Scottish new town – the faded posters read “Happiness, Here” – that has crumbled into decay. Jobs are scarce and unrewarding; little… ## [A History of the Novel in Britain by Philip Hensher review – a masterpiece of criticism](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/12/a-history-of-the-novel-in-britain-by-philip-hensher-review-a-masterpiece-of-criticism) _2026-08-12 · Kathryn Hughes · Books | The Guardian_ This joyous book takes readers on a literary adventure across 300 years of fiction, from Defoe to Zadie Smith In his opening paragraph, Philip Hensher declares that a novel not only “tells a good story” but is a good story in itself. We could extend that neat formula to include this book, which is not only a masterful account of fiction since 1719, when Daniel Defoe set Robinson Crusoe down on his… ## [I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa review – Nobel laureate’s final novel is a love letter to Peru](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/11/i-give-you-my-silence-by-mario-vargas-llosa-review-nobel-laureates-final-novel-is-a-love-letter-to-peru) _2026-08-11 · Marcel Theroux · Books | The Guardian_ This fascinating, eccentric book becomes a quirky primer on Peruvian music and culture When I Give You My Silence was published in Spanish in 2023 its author, the Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, rightly predicted that it would be his final novel. He died last year at the age of 89. I Give You My Silence may have been completed with the spectre of death approaching, but there is nothing… ## [You Won’t Get Free of It by Rachel Aviv review – a subtle study of the mother-daughter bond](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/11/you-wont-get-free-of-it-by-rachel-aviv-review-a-subtle-study-of-the-mother-daughter-bond) _2026-08-11 · Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett · Books | The Guardian_ The most complex of female relationships is thrown into sharp relief in this moving series of essays Rachel Aviv has a profound interest in the vagaries of human psychology: Strangers to Ourselves, her last book, profiled five people whose psychiatric states resisted straightforward explanation, testing the limits of the mental health system. A Pulitzer finalist, Aviv has become known for… ## [Aphorisms and Idioms: Jack Of All Trades](https://thisbookisbanned.com/aphorisms-and-idioms/aphorisms-and-idioms-jack-of-all-trades/) _2026-08-10 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Jack of all trades. What does Shakespeare have to do with this phrase.? It isn't one he invented. So, what is the Shakespearean connection? ... Read More The post Aphorisms and Idioms: Jack Of All Trades appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [Is Beauty Good by Rosalind Belben review – the literary equivalent of free jazz](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/10/is-beauty-good-by-rosalind-belben-review-the-literary-equivalent-of-free-jazz) _2026-08-10 · Lara Pawson · Books | The Guardian_ Combining hilarious detail with harsh observation, this rediscovered novel takes the reader on an exhilaratingly strange journey ‘But after all, writing is nothing more than a guided dream,” wrote Jorge Luis Borges. Dreams and dreaming are fertile concerns for Rosalind Belben, too. Her fourth book, originally published in 1979 and reissued last yea r, was titled Dreaming of Dead People. It was… ## [John Berger: From Life by Tom Overton review – a vibrant biography of the pioneering critic](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/10/john-berger-from-life-by-tom-overton-review-a-vibrant-biography-of-the-pioneering-critic) _2026-08-10 · Xan Brooks · Books | The Guardian_ This multi-layered portrait is a fitting tribute to the man behind Ways of Seeing The cultural critic John Berger was still alive and kicking when he donated his literary archive – heaped boxes of letters and notepads, sketches and scripts – to the British Library in 2009. From his home in the Alps, he proceeded to liaise with the collection’s curator, Tom Overton, sorting each item and recounting… ## [This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Contronym!](https://thisbookisbanned.com/fun-fancy-words/this-weeks-fun-fancy-word-contronyms/) _2026-08-09 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Contronyms can either be fun or frustrating. They're words that have contradictory meanings depending on the context. Check out a few here.... Read More The post This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Contronym! appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [We know sleep, exercise and diet are vital for health. But why?](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/09/we-know-sleep-exercise-and-diet-are-vital-for-health-but-why) _2026-08-09 · Hannah Critchlow · Books | The Guardian_ The benefits of all three come down to a crucial piece of cellular kit Sleep. Exercise. Eat well. It’s the oldest recommendation in medicine, repeated so often it’s become a cliche. We know the advice, even if we don’t always follow it. But have you ever stopped to wonder why these three seemingly different habits have such remarkably similar effects on our brains and bodies? For generations we’ve… ## [Our Loopy Way of Learning](https://biophilic.blogspot.com/2026/08/our-loopy-way-of-learning.html) _2026-08-08 · Burk · Biophilia_ Different ways of learning go through different parts of the brain. Humans are champion learners. Other animals are smart, but we are smarter, spending more time in childhood soaking up the mysteries of the world around us, and storing them in a larger and better brain. Learning is our calling card, allowing us to adapt to any environment and defeat any foe. Indeed, we have overwhelmed the earth's… ## [The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/07/the-best-recent-science-fiction-fantasy-and-horror-review-roundup) _2026-08-07 · Lisa Tuttle · Books | The Guardian_ The Salt King by Natasha Pulley; A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett; Netherwood by Jake Arnott; Fawn by CN Vair The Salt King by by Natasha Pulley (Gollancz, £22) The latest from the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street blends an apocalyptic end-of-the-world tale with folk horror and two slowly developing love stories. Avelyn Brocken is a trainee priest at the Vatican, sent to check… ## [What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu review – how to fix the system](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/07/what-happened-to-liberal-democracy-by-daron-acemoglu-review-how-to-fix-the-system) _2026-08-07 · Steven Poole · Books | The Guardian_ The Nobel-winning economist takes aim at elites for no longer meeting the needs of the masses In 2009, the tech billionaire Peter Thiel published an essay with the portentous title The Education of a Libertarian, in which he announced: “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” Since the 1920s, he wrote, “the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the… ## [Sky City by Jacqueline Crooks review – an ambitious, lyrical portrait of trauma](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/06/sky-city-by-jacqueline-crooks-review-an-ambitious-lyrical-portrait-of-trauma) _2026-08-06 · Emma Loffhagen · Books | The Guardian_ A young woman is haunted by her childhood in this forcefully imaginative and unapologetically bleak novel from the author of Fire Rush The world of Sky City never quite settles beneath your feet. The action of Jacqueline Crooks’s second novel unfolds in a recognisable 1990s London, yet everything seems subtly untethered from reality: a council estate suspended above the city, voices drifting in… ## [We May Read For Entertainment, But Literature Isn’t Written Just To Entertain Us](https://thisbookisbanned.com/teacher-resources/the-purpose-of-literature/) _2026-08-05 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Books aren’t just meant to entertain us. They help us see from new perspectives. So take a second to think. Then read on here. ... Read More The post We May Read For Entertainment, But Literature Isn’t Written Just To Entertain Us appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [A Sense of Occasion by Brodie Crellin review – a surprising and darkly funny debut](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/05/a-sense-of-occasion-by-brodie-crellin-review-a-surprising-and-darkly-funny-debut) _2026-08-05 · Ella Fox-Martens · Books | The Guardian_ A dysfunctional family comes together for a funeral in this heartfelt, keenly observed novel Most of us come upon our family’s dysfunctions gradually, like a door that opens a little wider each year. This uncle, you find out, has had an affair; grandma has a hoarding problem. The cremation of the nuclear family illusion is a cornerstone of literature, especially when it’s hastened by one of those… ## [The Ghost of the Mountains by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi review – the secrets of the snow leopard](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/05/the-ghost-of-the-mountains-by-kulbhushansingh-suryawanshi-review-the-secrets-of-the-snow-leopard) _2026-08-05 · Edward Posnett · Books | The Guardian_ An Indian mountaineer follows in the footsteps of explorers and conservationists in search of an enigmatic animal When bored, try the following game – I call it “Purr or Roar?”. Take any feline and guess whether it can purr or roar (it cannot do both because purring and roaring require different anatomical structures). Some candidates are easy: any child knows that lions and tigers roar and that a… ## [Aphorisms And Idioms: Anyone Who Stops Learning Is Old](https://thisbookisbanned.com/aphorisms-and-idioms/aphorisms-and-idioms-anyone-who-stops-learning-is-old/) _2026-08-03 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ There’s a saying that “you only become old when you stop learning.” While often intended metaphorically, there are real biological benefits to maintaining a lifestyle of curiosity. So learn more and keep your brain young. ... Read More The post Aphorisms And Idioms: Anyone Who Stops Learning Is Old appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Autodidact!](https://thisbookisbanned.com/fun-fancy-words/this-weeks-fun-fancy-word-autodidact/) _2026-08-02 · this-book-is-banned · This Book is Banned_ Autodidact. If your curiosity brought you to this post, then you’re already well on your way to becoming one! Can you guess what it means? ... Read More The post This Week’s Fun & Fancy Word: Autodidact! appeared first on This Book is Banned . ## [Ohnologs and Paralogs: The Wages of Gene Duplication](https://biophilic.blogspot.com/2026/08/ohnologs-and-paralogs-wages-of-gene.html) _2026-08-01 · Burk · Biophilia_ Two whole genome duplications lie at the root of vertebrate evolution. Another week, another story about the power of gene duplication in evolution. While rare during normal reproduction, gene duplication happens pretty frequently over longer time scales. How else would we get a thousand olfactory receptor genes , all similar to each other? But other accidents can occur as well, like whole…