Rouan's and my mother had a great-uncle who went off to the Klondike Gold Rush. Like many others, he was never heard from again.

I just picked up Jared Diamond's latest book The World Until Yesterday. He writes books that fit into this category. While I do not agree with everything he says, he always intrigues me with his ideas and conclusions. Tom (DH) will be reading it first, since I already have a stack of books awaiting my attention. I probably don't read as many of these books as Vee does, but I like them very much when I do.

Rosefolly

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Why are lovers quicker to forgive their partners for infidelity than for leaving dirty dishes in the sink?⢠Why will sighted people pay more to avoid going blind than blind people will pay to regain their sight? ⢠Why do dining companions insist on ordering different meals instead of getting what they really want? ⢠Why do pigeons seem to have such excellent aim; why canâÂÂt we remember one song while listening to another; and why does the line at the grocery store always slow down the moment we join it?In this brilliant, witty, and accessible book, renowned Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert describes the foibles of imagination and illusions of foresight that cause each of us to misconceive our tomorrows and misestimate our satisfactions. Vividly bringing to life the latest scientific research in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics, Gilbert reveals what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine the future, and about our capacity to predict how much we will like it when we get there. With penetrating insight and sparkling prose, Gilbert explains why we seem to know so little about the hearts and minds of the people we are about to become.

I read this book a couple of years ago and loved it. Actually I read it twice and saw a film that was based on it.

I've just placed a request to the library for that book, Siobhan. It sounds like it would be both fun and enlightening to read.

This will sound like an strange choice, but I recommend David Burton's The Raj at Table. Part cookbook, part social history, Burton discusses the experience of the English in India (particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) through what they ate, and how it was prepared. It sounds like a weirdly specific subject, but the book is very engaging.

I second Timallan's choice. I think it's a pity Burton hasn't written much else (one other book I know of), because that book is a joy to read (as a matter of fact, I started rereading it a couple of days ago). I read Plain Tales from the Raj: Images of British India in the 20th Century by Charles Allen around the same time and found those two books complemented each other nicely.

Another book that fits the heading is London, a Biography by Peter Ackroyd. It's long and somewhat overwritten, especially the second half of it, but because it isn't a linear history of London you can basically just open it a random and dip in. Each chapter covers a particular subject, e.g. food, crime, hygiene, living conditions etc. and each chapter is liable to lead you to half a dozen other books on the chapter's subject.