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This is my favourite book on the mechanics of creative writing. Published by the Open University, and used initially as a course book. Its exceptionally practical.

The trouble with true crime books is the way they often focus on the worst of humanity, killers, men who usually assault and murder women. With victims often relegated to poorly described helpless silhouettes. In this book, Hallie Rubenhold doesn’t mention the killer. She has done an amazing research job, reconstructing the lives of the five women murdered by Jack the Ripper. Placing them in the social context of the time with so much skill, their lives are easy to imagine. I loved this book, it honours the women who are so often only remembered as a footnote to the killer.

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From the back of the book; “Kim Moore, in this lively debut, sets out her stall, firmly in the North amongst ‘My people:’ “who swear… without knowing they are swearing” A poetry collection rooted in the poet’s working class background. I wanted to like this book a lot, and I understand the impulse to write about her background. They are people often ignored, but there isn’t a whole lot of analysis of the context of class itself. The misogyny, racism and homophobia of white working class life is missing. I bought this book as part of my own effort to improve as a writer, and I’m glad I did, she has a nice eye for capturing feeling and moments, despite the absences mentioned.

This has been one of my favourite books on being transgender and the politics of being transgender. Patrick Califia-Rice is a trans man with an impressive record of writing LGBT erotica before this book. He writes in an engaging and humane way. Would thoroughly recommend this book to everyone.

This is a collection of science papers, that make the case solidly for man made global warming. I bought it in 2011 when the climate change denial movement seemed to kick into high gear, I naively thought that I could change deniers minds if I had a good grasp of the science. I learned wuite quickly that they aren’t interested in the science, or engaging in good faith. I did however gain a lot from reading this, and it helped me to be much more aware of the need for us to change if we want the planet to remain habitable.