Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (2007) is a really powerful critique of neoliberal economic policies imposing in times of crisis. She argues that governments and corporations take advantage of social and political upheaval. They do so to push through free-market reforms that primarily benefit the elite. Klein traces this strategy…
I came across this German book on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in a local castle gift shop. “Die Hängenden Gärten von Babylon” was written by Stefan Schweizer, a professor of European garden design in Düsseldorf, Germany. I was intrigued by the cover and the title as I had done some research on gardens in…
According to Goodreads, I read 18 books in 2024. That’s just two short of my target for the year. I’m going to try again this year, and I’m almost done with my first one. But there is still time to look back and do a retrospective of the top five books I read in 2024….
This book explores the consequences of the rise of the digital economy and its impact on society, democracy and human autonomy. It examines how data has become the central resource of today’s economy, controlled by a few powerful tech giants. I was already aware of the data we give away so freely, but now I…
For a while now I have had the book ‘Storyworthy’ by Matthew Dicks on my ‘to read’ list. I finally read the book, which is about creating and telling stories. I was interested in it in terms of my career, as I often give talks and want to make them… well, storyworthy. In the end,…
What a year full of books! As I did the previous years, I wanted to dedicate the last post of the year to the top 5 books of 2023. They are not necessarily from 2023, but I read them in 2023. I did some reviews of them this year, but not for all. Where I can, I…
So this week I read a book about archaeology titled “Staub Steine Scherben” from a colleague working at the German Archaeological Institute. It is a book about what Archaeology is, what it means and how it can help us. I generally like books like these as they offer a glimpse into our profession not biased…
As a reader, it can be challenging to find a book that truly challenges your perspectives and makes you question your beliefs. However, “The Divide” by Jason Hickel is a book that does just that. In this book, Hickel explores the vast inequalities that exist in our world. It is not the first book that…
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. However, its existence has always been a mystery – until Stephanie Dalley’s book. In “The mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon,” Dalley presents a compelling argument for the garden’s location in Nineveh and not Babylon. Her book is a…
So with climate change coming and ever wondering why this is all happening, I sometimes read books that have nothing to do with archaeology. This time, I read Less is More by J. Hickel. It is a book about de-growth and it is soooo good. If you want to understand what capitalism does to our…