The Da Vinci Code (2003)

Dan Brown (2003). The Da Vinci Code. New York: Anchor.
My rating: **
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
What irritated me about this book was not so much the much fêted hilariously bad writing style, nor the erratic pacing which meant nothing much happened until the middle of this lengthy tome, but the presentation of [...]

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Professors as Writers (1990)

Robert Boice, Professors as Writers. A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing, Stillwater: New Forums Press, 1990.
My rating: *****
Professors As Writers by Robert Boice
I have read quite a few books on writer’s block and Robert Boice’s work on this subject is by far the most helpful and practical. Even if this particular book is [...]

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Foucault and writing

Posted on my site michel-foucault.com
No-one is forced to write books, or to spend years elaborating them or to claim to be doing this kind of work. There is no reason to make it obligatory to include footnotes, bibliographies and references. No reason not to choose free reflection on the work of others. It is sufficient [...]

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‘Public Intellectuals 2.0′ (2008)

Daniel W. Drezner, ‘Public Intellectuals 2.0′, Chronicle of Higher Education, v 55 n12, Nov 2008, p. B5
My rating: ***
Link to article (word doc)
Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the USA and has run his own blog for about seven years. [...]

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Imaginative Writing (2007)

Janet Burroway, Imaginative Writing. The Elements of Craft. New York: Penguin Academics, 2007.
My rating: ***
Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway
This is a large and detailed book on how to engage in creative writing. Each chapter contains explanations of various elements such as ‘image’, ‘voice’, ‘character’. It covers techniques of fiction writing, [...]

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Searching for the Secret River (2006)

Kate Grenville, Searching for the Secret River, Melbourne: Text Publishing Company, 2006.
My rating: ***
Searching for the Secret River by Kate Grenville
In this book the Australian writer Kate Grenville explains the process – both in terms of research and creative composition – that she went through in the writing of her award winning novel The [...]

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The Writing Book (1990)

Kate Grenville, The Writing Book. A Workbook for Fiction Writers. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 1990.
My rating: ****
The Writing Book: A Workbook for Fiction Writers by Kate Grenville
This is a really excellent work book for people who want to write or who are currently writing fiction. It is also an incredibly useful book for [...]

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Foucault, identity and writing

Posted on my site michel-foucault.com

If identity becomes the problem of sexual existence, and if people think they have to ‘uncover’ their ‘own identity’ and that their own identity has to become the law, the principle, the code of their existence; if the perennial question they ask is ‘Does this thing conform to my identity?’ then, [...]

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Academic blogging

Joy Wattawa (2008) ‘Can Academic Blogging Advance Wisdom Research? Defining Wisdom project.
My rating: ***
I have just found another useful article on the benefits of academic blogging. From the references it appears to have been written this year (2008). In case you were wondering, given this is my second post on academic blogging, I wouldn’t really [...]

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Peer review

My rating: ***
Continuing on with the same theme…

For those of you came in late, ‘lolcats’ is a phenomenon that really took off on the net early in 2007 – although it dates back to around 2005. It involves photos – usually of cats – with funny captions in broken misspelt ‘Engrish’ in a sans serif [...]

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