Grant

For devotees and students alike, here you can disect for study an acorn of what became the mighty oak who was; poet, priest, prophet, philosopher, writer of prose and the king of the rhyming couplet, the late, the great Leonard Cohen. Here you can feel inside the workings of the mind and heart that gave us all Songs of Love and Hate and So Long Marianne. Ahead of his time, as he always was, he manages this through a narrative of the sometimes traumatic yet always rewarding work involved in caring for an elderly relative as well as coping with an ever dying love affair. There are also some rather absurd intervals, twists and what is now recognised to be a very dated view of masturbation portrayed in a rather comical manner that made me giggle a little. So long Leonard, an uncompromising workaholic to the end. You will be deeply missed by many; your works revealed by generations to come.

A fascinating work. For me, on reflection, marvellous because Burton observes that, on melancholy, he and his peers,were no further forward in methods of treatment than the Ancient Greeks. Furthermore, in terms of medicine in general, practitioners in the 1600's were neither consistent nor successful at healing the sick. Doctors could rarely agree on the nature of ailments, prognosese or availability of service. Little wonder then perhaps, that the populace of the day were likely to seek help from the available Wickens (those with ancient knowledge) also known as Witches. The work also caught my attention as Burton wonders whether a better run nation is likely to be a happier one. He compares the wonderful society that was Israel pre 70ad when, due to persistent sedition, the rather unfortunate Jews seriously fell out with the powerful Romans as defined in the rather gruesome reading that is "The Life and Works of Josephus Flavious". The lesson to be learned from this second point for me anyway, is don't take the mickey mouse out of those more powerful than me.

In Illuminations Alan gives some important lessons to any thinking of taking up creative writing. First of all start with short stories rather than an epic such as his wonderful Jerusalem or his opus of simile, metaphore, alliteration and assonance that is his Great When. Second, as TS Elliot once put it " writers plagiarise, great writers steal"" Note how the writers in Moore s Illuminations recycle comics. The same is true of much literature. Finally, in the first story see how similar the imagery, and plot sits as a wonderful tribute to Ray Bradbury. Highly enjoyable and masterly crafted as is most of Alan s work.

Call me old fashioned; but with over thirty years commitment to an inner city local authority and a genuine aptitude for operating an equal opportunities and valuing diversity policy I genuinely do not like either PG Woodlouse (any of it) or the word "coloured" as used WITH a PG Woodhouse genre The beauty of this book is it's ability to be wpd' d (placed strategically in a waste paper bin) Or at the very best, recycled. Oh well, back to Alan Moore.

I have been enthralled to read the following: a) Homo Deus ( Yuval s history of humanity ) b) Sapiens ( Yuval s history of consciousness ) c) 21 things to know about the 21st century ( Yuval s appreciation of the true value of the algorithm) and finally d) Nexus ( Yuval s analysis of the very delicate AI environment we have not only created but also rely on simply in order to survive ) . Somewhere amongst this Mr Harari suggests that no one is infallible and there is no such thing as a genius. Well it is on this last point, and only on this last point, that I would beg to differ with him. My personal definition of a genius is first of all ,someone who is in the right place and second, not only that but also there at the right time. Yuval ticks both of these boxes for me. And finally, Mr Harari, rather than making simple things complicated, makes complicated things simple. And that sirs and ladies, is the true proof of genius to me. Mr Harari is , therefore to me, a true genius.

In case you know a young adult who thinks there was no such thing as magic in literature before Harry Potter, then this is a vital addition to his or her bookshelf. With the use of magical lyrical imagery and narrative any young potential wizard of wordsmithery shall surely earn their spurs after delving into the world of Earthsea and beyond. Ursula s work has not dated at all with time; older and better read connoisseurs may even note some concepts used hailing back to the Mabinogion. This is classic storytelling at its finest; and most magical.

This is a marvellous work of genuinely original contemporary English literature. The genuine novel is of the highest calibre and identifies The New Jerusalem alive right here in England's green and pleasant land. It stretches both in time and space : 1) time? between Anglo Saxon England to virtually up to the day the work went to press and; 2) space mostly around " the boroughs " of Northampton but occasionally commuting down to London where there is work. The New Jerusalem is populated by ghosts of consciousness; some famous or infamous, but others very ordinary but who possess no less compelling characters. Unmissable and delightful. Do not read if you are at all queamish about our shared horrible histories.