This year will hopefully be the most normal for a while after a crazy few years.
To help make sense of it all we’d like to recommend some great books to make you think and understand the world a little bit better.
Affluenza – Oliver James
We all need money, and to get that we all need jobs. But what’s it for and what’s the best way to spend it. Here, psychiatrist Oliver James looks across different nations at how extreme wealth won’t help if we don’t know why we’re making it.
Faith in Fakes – Umberto Eco
What are things? Is a cup a cup, or a chair a chair and what do films mean in our subconscious? Renowned cultural critic Umberto Eco discusses the symbolism of the things in our lives and helps us understand the experience of being human.
On the Shortness of Life – Seneca
Scrolling through social media? Watching reality TV?
Both are great for a brief distraction, but every hour wasted is one we’ll never get back.
This isn’t a modern trend, with Roman philosopher & statesmen Lucius Annaeus Seneca making similar comparisons to over-attendance of theatre and wasting time sat around in the senate.
In this timeless classic, he tells us how we can get the most from life and understand how to live better, which is crucial in a time when our opportunities have been limited.
A Mouthful of Air – Anthony Burgess
It would be remiss of a company specialising in language services to not include a book on language itself.
Here Anthony Burgess, a linguist better known for writing A Clockwork Orange, discusses all elements of speech and slang, so that we better understand what we are saying, how, and why we do it.
Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe
Ever wanted to write the great British Novel but lacked the motivation to follow it through?
Well, you could just read it.
The argument over the best book of all time will never end, but this book can claim to be the first ever novel in English, and among the best. So that’s a talking point.
So why should you choose this book?
It’s the fictionalised account of a real-life Scotsman who was stranded on a desert island and had to learn to survive, communicate with people in other languages and deal with solitude and anxiety.
If you found lockdown tough, this book will be of great comfort.
Still not got enough to read?
Want a better understanding of what we do?
Why not check out our CASE STUDIES to understand how our interpreting & translation services can help you offer a better service for everyone.
Holly Dodd
