“The idea that exercise is ‘mindless’ derives from the mind-body dualism bequeathed to us by Descartes, and by Christianity’s distaste for the flesh. In the spirit of the School of Life’s practical approach to philosophy, Damon Young advocates a return to the holistic approach of the ancient Greeks, who believed exercise could be virtuous and character-building, as well as pleasureable. There’s the satisfaction that comes from pushing ourselves to our limits, humility as we face up to these limits, a new understanding of pain and the ‘agreeable horror’ of the sublime that teaches us to ‘savour the precariousness of life.’ Through the rituals and rules of competitive sports we learn the meaning of sacrifice without real loss. In pithy, accessible prose, Young offers up a new mantra for intelligent exercise – not ‘just do it’ but ‘just become it’.”
Author Archive | wordadmin
Anis Mojgani’s ‘Songs From Under the River’, Reviewed by Stanton Hancock, Pank Magazine
“Songs From Under The River contains so many wonderfully woven strands of wordplay that it is impossible to do it justice in as few words as these. Mojgani has the rare gift of being able to create inspiring works that spring to life on the page with the same passion and fervor as when he takes them to the stage.”
Ruth Reichl’s ‘Delicious!’, Reviewed by Kate Christensen, NY Times
“Now, once again employing her ability to convey the comforts of food in prose both specific and enchanting, Reichl has written a novel, Delicious! Its title strikes me as perfectly apt, coming as it does from the woman who wrote: ‘Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious!'”
Eleanor Catton’s ‘The Luminaries’, Reviewed by Lucy Daniel, The Guardian
“‘How opaque, the minds of absent men and women! And how elusive, motivation!” So exclaims the narrator of Eleanor Catton’s irresistible second novel. Four years ago her debut, The Rehearsal, about a sex scandal at a New Zealand high school, won her a cache of nominations and prizes, but hardly foretold the startling gear shift that has given us this historical suspense novel, which won her this year’s Booker prize, aged just 28.”
