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A Kingdom and a Village. By Simon Morrison. Knopf; 528 pages; “Do you love Moscow?” Not long after this reviewer moved there in 2004, he was asked that question by his grizzled landlord. A bit early to know, was his cautious response. “Good,” replied the landlord. “Foreigners who say they love it here soon run back to the airport—with no luggage.” Simon Morrison of Princeton University, a devotee of the carnivorous city since the last days of the Soviet Union, is less equivocal. “Moscow is hard to love,” he acknowledges, “but I love it.” His is a love without illusions,...

The Black Death: A Global History. By Thomas Asbridge. Random House; 544 pages; $38. Allen Lane; 560 pagesThe disease seems to have emerged in Asia. It soon reached Europe, ravaging Italy first. It killed millions, often quickly. Many people perished at home, or died within a few hours or days of receiving medical treatment. So large was the death toll and so great was the danger of contagion that funerary customs were disrupted. People fled cities. All this was true of covid-19. It was also true of the Black Death. As Thomas Asbridge describes in detail, the medieval plague was...

Artist Siyuan Aw's debut picture book Our Wings As One began with a solitary journey to Mongolia, and an extraordinary meeting with a boy and his eagle – who taught him the strength to let go, and the courage to begin again.The first time Siyuan Aw met Bekku, the 17-year-old was standing on top of his family’s hut somewhere in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains, phone raised skywards trying to catch a signal and frustrated by the choppy connection. And then he called out to his golden eagle, which emerged from the clouds and landed on his outstretched arm. It was a...

What if no king is truly above the law? In this deep dive into Lex Rex (1644), Scottish theologian Samuel Rutherford makes a bold biblical argument: the law is king—not the king himself. Written during a time of political upheaval, this classic work challenges absolute monarchy and lays a foundation for constitutional government rooted in Scripture. In this video, we break down: The 10 key principles of Lex Rex What the Bible teaches about government authority (Romans 13, Deuteronomy 17, 2 Samuel 5) Why rulers must be accountable to God and the people The biblical case for resisting tyranny How...

We updated this list as part of the the Best of the Best Books Reading Challenge! Join the challenge now! Very short novels have a special magic—not least because, not to be morbid, you can simply read more of them before the inevitable heat death of the planet (or similar). I previously wrote about great contemporary novels under 200 pages, but now it is time to turn my attention to my favorite short classics—which represent the quickest and cheapest way, I can tell you in my salesman voice, to become “well-read.” A few notes: Because the “contemporary” list surveyed novels...

Former President Joe Biden crashed his wife Jill’s debut book talk Tuesday, stealing her spotlight to bizarrely ask the former first lady who she loves the most in a cringe-inducing moment before aides could cut him off. Jill Biden had been wrapping up a Q&A about her newly released book “A View from the East Wing” with moderator Whoopi Goldberg at the 92nd Street Y on the Upper East Side when Biden, 83, left his seat in the audience and wandered up to the edge of the stage. Goldberg had read a comment from the audience thanking Biden for his...

The book (left) and Martin Johnes (right)This is a review and discussion of the book Wales – England’s Colony?, rather than the two part TV series that will screen on BBC2 Wales tomorrow night (Monday) at 9pm. Although I would presumes of course that the argument put forth by Professor of History at Swansea University, Martin Johnes, will be the same in both book and series, so it may well be a kind of a review of both. It’s something of a feature of books about Welsh history, that they have a lot of questions marks in their titles. We’ve...

The Corleone saga shifts to Connie as author Adriana Trigiani and Paramount revive 'The Godfather' with a new novel and film adaptation.More than three decades after the final installment of The Godfather trilogy hit theaters, the Corleone family is officially returning with a new chapter — and this time, the story belongs to the daughter, Connie Corleone. According to The Associated Press, Random House announced that bestselling author Adriana Trigiani will write Connie, a new novel authorized by the estate of Mario Puzo, with a planned release set for fall 2027. Paramount Pictures is also developing a new film adaptation...

Long before the fiery pits and pitchforks of Christian Hell haunted the religious imagination, the afterlife in ancient Hebrew thought was a muted, shadowy place known as Sheol. The Hebrew Sheol and the Greek HadesIn early Hebrew belief Sheol was not a realm of torture or glory but a land of forgetfulness—where all the dead, both righteous and wicked, shared a common fate. In many ways, Sheol resembled the Greek Hades—not in its geography or grandeur but in its indifferent stillness for humans. It was a silent cavern of shadows, where even the most luminous of biblical figures—Adam, Moses, David—drifted...

Just before writing this piece, I saw Gary Oldman in a London production of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape. For those unfamiliar, the play revolves around an old man listening to a series of tapes recorded by himself when he was younger, musing pompously on his hopes and dreams for the future. In his present, desiccated state, he can only scoff at his middle-aged self, before being overcome by the pathetic realization that it is all up for him and that he is doomed to a miserable, unhappy future. It is hard to think of ten people who will want...

There are a number of questions regarding the whole Odyssey saga. One is how somebody as smart as Christopher Nolan got entangled with woke nonsense in the first place. (And yes, Nolan is smart – anybody who could take a storyline as convoluted as that of Memento and make it not only comprehensible but enthralling to the average audience is no slouch when it comes to intellect.) Another is why he felt compelled to pick up wokism just as it’s collapsing in the culture at large. It’s May 1945 in the Wachenbunker and everybody else is fleeing – but here...

The posthumously released book had been previously unavailable to adaptPeter Jackson has revealed that he is in talks to adapt further works by The Lord Of The Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, including The Silmarillion. The Oscar-winner directed the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy between 2001-03, as well as splitting The Hobbit into three movies from 2012-14. These remain the only films to have been directly adapted from Tolkien’s books, with films such as The War of the Rohirrim and TV show Rings Of Power taken from information within the appendices within the books. However, in a discussion with Deadline,...

Alec Baldwin didn't take kindly to Elon Musk disparaging Lupita Nyong'o's looks over her casting as Helen of Troy in the upcoming film The Odyssey based on Homer's epic poem. The Tesla CEO grumbled that Nyong'o couldn't play Zeus's daughter, whose exceptional beauty sparked the 10-year Trojan War after she was taken to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, according to Greek mythology. Nyong'o will also be playing the role of Helen's sister Clytemnestra, who was beautiful but not enough to launch a thousand ships. Baldwin defended Nyong'o via Instagram: 'Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in...

"This is the house of Tarzan, the killer of beasts and many black men". This is how Tarzan introduces himself to Jane in Tarzan of the Apes (1914). Later in the book he rescues her from a “black ape rapist”. Tarzan started off as a character written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) in the 1912 All-Story Magazine before being edited into a series of books and films. The story charts the life of an aristocratic offspring of Lord Greystoke, who is orphaned as a child in Africa, raised by apes in the jungle, and soon becomes the King of that...

In this video, I review The Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail, and talk about how I was blown away by how prophetic it was. I was especially shocked at how it predicted so many specific things back in 1973.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has identified more than 10,000 cases of potential fraud associated with a program that allows foreign students to extend their stay in the United States after graduating from college, ICE acting Director Todd Lyons told reporters Tuesday. At a press conference with officials from ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lyons outlined some of the findings of an agency investigation into fraud associated with the Optional Practical Training program. OPT allows foreign nationals who enter the United States on a student visa to work in the U.S. for 12, or in some cases 24, months....

Paradise Lost is the first epic of English literature written in the classical style. John Milton saw himself as the intellectual heir of Homer, Virgil, and Dante, and sought to create a work of art which fully represented the most basic tenets of the Protestant faith. His work, which was dictated from memory and transcribed by his daughter, remains as one of the most powerful English poems. (Summary by Caeristhiona)

Another of his timeless hits entered the Hot 100 in May 1960.Sam Cooke made so many outstanding contributions to music history that it’s impossible to choose just one song that defines him. His smooth, lyrical and expressive voice adorned countless gems, from “You Send Me” to “Chain Gang,” “Only Sixteen” to “Cupid,” and of course the immortal “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Another of his all-time greats, “Wonderful World,” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 9, 1960. The song was written chiefly by A&M Records co-founder and hitmaker Herb Alpert with Lou Adler, but Cooke himself is credited...

New audiobook release: Mourt's Relation; or Journal of the plantation at Plymouth, by Edward Winslow Because American culture is important to celebrate and remember. In this instance, the first Thanksgiving. Mourt's Relation; or Journal of the plantation at PlymouthMourt's Relation is an account of the first year of the Plymouth Colony who arrived in Massachusetts, and is one of two books used as primary sources about the first Thanksgiving. The other is William Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation". - Summary by progressingamerica"Of Plimoth Plantation": Bradford's History of the Plymouth Settlement, 1608-1650

Death of a Salesman follows two days in the life of the Loman family, who live in Brooklyn and have, at long last, very nearly paid off their mortgage. But they have perhaps never felt more insecure. Bills are piling up. Willy’s job as a traveling salesman has stopped paying him a salary. In his 60s, he is beginning to feel his age, and as he works for scant commissions, he’s started to exhibit a faltering grasp on reality, and an increasingly vigorous drive toward self-destruction. His wife Linda — senses terrible possibilities just around the corner. Meanwhile, adult sons...