Reviews and Comments

The in-depth sections on neurobiology - particularly the Neurobiology 101 are very informative, as is the reminder of how rapid progress is in this area. The scope of coverage of subjects is similar, but more recent, than The Emperor's New Mind. Although I believe strongly in the importance and power of individual decisions, so disagree on a fundamental level, he puts a strong case.

To save money Thomas Shield, the fictional central character, walks from London to Stoke Newington, then a village several miles away, and meets the Reverend Bransby, who runs a school, and Edgar Allan, a pupil at the school. Interesting for me as several people in my family tree were born, lived, married or died in Stoke Newington.

Tim Marshall was on the ground as a reporter for much of the Yugoslav wars, and he tells the story as told to him, not only from armed forces on all sides, but some of the civilians, and reporters, in the war zone.

He tells of cities being bombed from afar with high technology weaponry, having much great impact on the civilian population than the military assets they were supposed to be targeting.

The large scale march to the capital after the Yugoslav election in 2000 has some resonances with the 2021 Capitol Riot - both fuelled by suspicion of a rigged election, but differ that history showed the Yugoslav one was, and the US one was not. Tim's reflections on the the current and future pressures in the region make interesting reading.

I enjoyed the bits of Italian and the Bologna setting. Another multi-threaded thriller.

Death on the air - Ngaio Marsh

Written in 1937 - still in an era where the characters are divided into the occupants of the house and the staff, while Inspector Alleyn and the family doctor are gentlemen.

I find Tim Marshall's books on geopolitics are always interesting. This one tells of the Balkan Crisis of the 1990s as someone who was there on the ground.

The police raid the brothel run by the villain, rounding up the illegally trafficked girls - but the villains solicitor produces 'proper papers and valid passports' which he claimed to have been holding for the girls, which show that they are from Bulgaria. As an EU country (as Britain was then) they are released, even though the police know (via their Bulgarian cleaner - who tried to speak to the girls), that they are not Bulgarian (they are from Dagestan). I would expect an opportunity to jail or disbar a rouge lawyer in the act would spark is own criminal investigation, but they just give up and move on.

I like the Liz Carlyle books, which are more realistic and plausible than some espionage thrillers.

(if someone has the skills, for example, to do nuclear physics, why are they being wasted working for MI6 ? - not referring to any specific fictional secret agent!)

Centres around the worrying politicisation of the American Judicial system and way it opens avenues to for 'Justice' to be bought

The Hole in the Wall - G.K. Chesterton

Another country house mystery, from 1921 - in which we learn interesting things about the history of place names.

Chapter 2 - The Final Three Minutes of a Movie

Introduces Libet's experiments measuring brain activity when an experimental subject is making a choice. I would be interested to find out how these experiments interact with the more complex types of decision as described in Thinking, Fast and Slow

Chapter 1 - Turtles all the way down

Covers the author's impressive credentials, and introduces Laplace's demon and the interrelationship between determinism and free will, and between free will and moral responsibility. He also introduces the case of Phineas Gage, as a demonstration that our thoughts are determined by our brains.

I feel as if I have Free Will - interested to see if this can change my mind (or am I pre-destined to change my mind !)

The Black Bag Left on a Doorstep - Catherine Louisa Pirkis

A country house mystery from 1893, where the disappearance from the safe of the jewels of the mistress of the house seem to implicate the French Maid - a young girl from St Omer. From a social history viewpoint it is interesting that independent young people were travelling to other countries for employment.

Received as a Christmas present, from friends who know I enjoy historical detective fiction. Written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries these are set in the society of the time, so offer in interesting window into the era.