BOOK OF THE WEEK

From We Love This Book

HALLUCINATIONS by Oliver Sacks World-famous neurologist Oliver Sacks is renowned for bringing the mysteries of the brain to life through his fascinating works such as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Sacks' latest work focuses on hallucinations, of which there are a wide variety. He looks into the influences hallucinations have had in humanity throughout history, through folk tales, aboriginal drawings and drug-induced trips. Although the word 'hallucinations' may instantly conjure up ideas of madness, Sacks assures us that this is not usually the case. He claims that a large percentage of hallucinations are a result of 'diminished external stimuli' and lack of sleep. MORE >

	BOOK REVIEWS

THE SPIES by Luis Fernando Verissimo Translated from the original Brazilian-Portuguese, The Spies has lost none of its charm. The protagonist is a publisher with a healthy disdain for his authors. More time and energy is spent among the motley crew of eccentric regulars at nearby Bar do Espanhol than his office, and by his own admission most of the manuscripts received go straight into the bin. Until one day, a mysterious cover letter accompanied by a sample chapter arrives and captures his imagination. MORE >

STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE by Ian Rankin John Rebus is back – and it’s like he’s never been away. Ian Rankin’s new novel picks up five years after we left Rebus on the eve of his retirement from the force, standing at the hospital bed of his adversary ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty. Since then he has been investigating cold cases in the Serious Crime Review Unit. But Rebus gets drawn into an active investigation when a 13-year-old disappearance case points to a serial killer – and back to his old partner Siobhan Clarke. MORE >