Book Reviews
There’s a reason book clubs are popping up everywhere at the moment. There’s nothing like an intelligent online conversation with your friends. |
| Here is an opportunity to join our book club and share your views on some of the books you’ve read. More to come on this page. Click the book reviews and comments link below to begin the conversation. |
We feature one book per month in this place of prominence. Older reviews can be found by scrolling down the page and clicking on the appropriate writer’s name
Book Review February 2023 – Road to Jonestown – Review by Stephen Kearney
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn Review by Stephen Kearney It could be something straight out of Hammer Horror or an off-beat American cinema company to earn one line reviews like “They don’t come much weirder than this”. The story starts with some young guy from...
Book Review – January 2023 – Healing The Soul Wound – Review by Barry Goddard
SHAMANISM, PSYCHOTHERAPY AND THE HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE It is an axiom of modern psychotherapy, that who we are is to a large extent shaped by our parents and by our upbringing. It is a cause-and-effect relationship that you can spend years exploring in therapy....
Book Review – December 2022 – My Father’s Daughter – Review written by Stephen Kearney
My Father’s Daughter A story of family and belonging by Hannah Pool -review by Stephen Kearney “They’re all going to Bangladeshi families”, asserted my Dublin born neighbour as we gazed down on the mini-estate of social housing under construction from the vantage...
Book Review – November 2022 – Ten Global Trends Every Smart person should Know – Review written by Barry Goddard
THINGS ARE A LOT BETTER THAN THEY ARE MADE OUT TO BE I've spent my whole adult life living under an apocalyptic, pessimistic narrative about the future of the world, which has only intensified in recent years. It seems that humans are hard-wired to take more note of...
Book Review – October 2022 – The Psychology of Psychedelics
PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH Here is a great interview about current psychedelic research, using psilocybin, at John Hopkins University in the US. It is remarkable that it is happening at all, after decades of being demonised. One of the strengths of the academic approach is...
Book Review – September 2022 – Post -Tribal Shamanism
Post-Tribal Shamanism: A New Look at the Old Ways by Kenn Day It is well written and presents a perspective of Shamanism and Shamanistic techniques for the Western world; not part of a traditional tribal community. The book is a good introduction to Kenn's techniques...
Book Review – August 2022 – Flase Alarm
We are in the midst of a climate panic, fuelled by the media and by politicians, rather than by the science. Global warming is real, but it ain't Armageddon. Did you know that there aren't more wildfires and flooding, just more houses in the way? That polar...
Book Review – July 2022 – The Sleeping Beauties
28th May MYSTERIOUS CONDITIONS I deal daily in mysterious conditions – ongoing physical and other soul body conditions that continue to entangle the subject. These invariably have physical symptoms, but do not yield to ordinary medical treatment. In the past many of...
Book review – June 2022 – The Night Watchman
THE BATTLE AGAINST 'TERMINATION' Louise Erdrich writes on Native American themes, and is of Ojibwe descent. She is one of my favourite novelists. She combines the nitty gritty of daily life on the reservation, with a closeness to her characters, endless original...
Stephen Kearney – Book Review December 2021- Normal People
Normal People by Sally Rooney review by Stephen Kearney How do we get to hear about a new publication, film or television series? There’s probably a thousand and one answers but for the most part, at least in my case, the first awareness just seems to appear...
I have discovered ‘Exercise’! There is no mention in any of the Lifestyle headings about ‘Exercise’. This should be part of 50plusonlinecafe topics. So important!