What I’ve Been Reading Recently: Sam (the Christmas 2021 edition)

So that’s another year of reading great books almost over. 2021 has been great in terms of variety-from a young readers’ book about red panda conservation, via a science book that uses Zen koans to teach advanced physics, to an archaeological history book about the vikings and their worldwide trade and culture links. 2022 looks to have some fantastic new titles of all kinds, so keep an eye out here and in the shop for those.

My recent reading looks suspiciously like the Mr B’s Christmas Catalogue, as I’m rushing to read lots of these titles so highly recommended by my colleagues. They’re all great, with particular emphasis on ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ which is the only self-help book I’ve read this year, and one of the few self-help books that I’ve read that really helped me! ‘Memorial’ is a masterpiece of contemporary romance writing, and as an off-catalogue book ‘Strange Beasts of China’ deserves a mention as one of the most unusual books I’ve read this year: it’s a Chinese fantasy zoology book starring an aspiring academic struggling with love and family life while studying beasts. A proper feat of the imagination, but also a propulsive read.

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas, and get some great reads in your stocking.

Sam