TeaThe eastern breakwater of Granton Harbor is approximately 1 km long, and swimmers can follow its crooked finger straight into the Firth of Forth, while benefiting from its reassuring presence. One Thursday at lunchtime, I thought: why not, let’s give it a try, and headed to its tip. I felt cold, but as I moved
Zadie Smith, Patti Smith and Mustafa are among the star names to be interviewed by Dua Lipa, as the pop star reveals her presentation of this year’s London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre. The festival, now in its 19th year, will run from October 21 to November 1, with the British award-winning singer shaping
In Grace Paley’s short story A Conversation with My Father makes a request to the Paley-like narrator. “I would like you to write a simple story once again,” her father says, “the way Maupassant wrote, or Chekhov wrote… just recognizable people and then write what happened to them next.” His effort, and his failure to
The airy, modern home shared by Val McDiarmid and Joe Sharp on the outskirts of Edinburgh is surrounded by greenery and looks as if it was designed to provide enough space for two minds to think. Both women are high achievers in their respective fields, a Scottish power couple made up of a crime queen
YYou have been a scientist and conservationist for many years, and now the author of a new book on snow leopards, drawn from your 20 years of study in some of the most remote areas of the world. What do you think a good book about ecology should do? I believe that a good book
IIt was surprising to learn that the uplands of Britain were always rocky, covered with thick grass and not suitable only for sheep. About 54,000 years ago – a blink of an eye in geological time – the island’s highlands were teeming with nature. The lushly forested peaks, cliffs and valleys were home to megafauna
To celebrate being halfway through 2026, I sent out a survey to see how you all are doing so far in the Read Harder Challenge. I have already shared some results on how many books you all have read on average, how many tasks you have completed, and which tasks you found the hardest and
Some genres of books generate more controversy than others, even though it seems that in the current era any type of book can fall victim to criticism. Novels that are designed to distort the reader’s perception of reality or a series of events within a narrative, such as horror, thriller, or mystery (or all of
TeaAI ethicist Eleanor Dredge believes that in order to move forward with artificial intelligence, humans need to recognize the “humanity” of AI. He means that while we often talk about AI as if it were some mysterious, formless thing, it is the product of hours of human labor in silicon and quartz mines, microchip factories,
IIn 1974, I invested in what I was assured was a wonderful opportunity, an exciting Canadian venture called Aquablast, which was presented to me by the vice-president of the Bank of Boston. It turned out to be a disaster for all of us who had invested in it. I lost my house, I stood down