Pen Behind the Ear
Every now and then I remember this masterful postmodern drama by Tim Vine (aka the punslinger and the joke-omotive, and…
An absolute beginner’s guide to resources for learning Japanese
There is a whole universe of resources out there to help you learn Japanese. In this blog I break down…
LBB 11: A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees
I am currently in Tokyo* in the midst of the cherry blossom (sakura) season. While I didn’t have a cup…
LBB 10: on the Beach at Night Alone
This book from the Penguin ‘Little Black Classics’ series takes a small selection of poems from Leaves of Grass by…
Pooh, Taoism and Cottleston Pie
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”…
LBB9 – Three Tang Dynasty Poets
I enjoyed these collected short pastoral poems from three of China’s most famous Tang dynasty poets. Not knowing much about…
Enron: ‘Ask Why’
How did one of the world’s largest companies go caput in a matter of weeks? Before the house of cards…
LBB8: ‘A Modest Proposal’ by Jonathan Swift
Written in 1729 ‘A Modest Proposal’ is Swift’s (1667 to 1745) biting satire about how to solve famines in Ireland.…
Why I don’t like Harry Potter
Harry Potter is everywhere from in our ears to in our cooking and yet, popular as the Boy Who Lived…
Make it Stick
Ok here’s a question for you. There are two groups of children. The first group practices throwing a bean bag…
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About Me
Hi, I’m Rupert. Here you’ll find literary book reviews and some hopefully useful materials about studying English and Law at University. I have also written two study series, one on writing a Dissertation and one on Anki flashcards.
I’m currently doing a series of reviews for the 80-book Penguin Little Black Classics set.
I hope you enjoy and do let me know if there’s anything else you’d particularly like to see!
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Rupert Swallow 