It was the Greek philosopher Socrates who warned of the dangers of the written word. He’d doubtless be pleased that, a few millennia later, we’re moving back to authors speaking directly to their audiences, albeit via a smartphone or other listening device. Who knows, maybe in 100 years, authors will be able, as Socrates thought should be the case, to tailor their message specifically for their audience.
In the meantime, we have a range of audiobooks on all sorts of subjects, even math, narrated by their authors. These are all books that have either been recommended on Five Books, or have been narrated by Five Books interviewees or other highly recommended authors.
“This book is an achievement in several ways: as a bringing together of a number of world philosophies, as an illustration of why philosophy matters for global understanding, and as a bridge between Western and Asian thought.” Read more...
Agent Running in the Field: A Novel
by John le Carré
Agent Running in the Field is the latest spy novel from the number one New York Times bestselling author John le Carré.
In it, MI6 veteran Nat takes over the management of a London intelligence substation – the Haven, “a dumping ground for resettled defectors of nil value and fifth-rate informants on the skids.” He also befriends a solitary young MI5 agent who is both dead set against the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and convinced that the United States is locked into a descent into fascism, led by Donald Trump.
Set in Brexit-era Britain, Agent Running in the Field serves both as espionage thriller and biting take on the politics of the day; le Carré is not afraid to express his own anger over the leadership of his country, describing the UK government as ruled by “a minority Tory cabinet of 10th-raters”, and portrays Boris Johnson as then “a pig-ignorant foreign secretary”. An extract from the book has been published over on The Guardian website.
Le Carré’s editor at Viking, Mary Mount, described Agent Running in the Field as “incredibly prescient, and a very emotional book in terms of how connected he feels to the history of Britain and Europe. There’s no looking away, he addresses the very current political crisis.”
Le Carré is a very widely recommended author on Five Books, whose work turns up again and again on discussions of both literary thrillers and espionage more generally. His most recommended titles include The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
by Caroline Criado Perez
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is also available as an audiobook, narrated by the author.
“Matt Parker makes mathematics interesting by making it funny. In this book, he pokes fun at people who’ve made silly mathematical mistakes but, at the same time, he also looks at some issues that are quite serious: bridges collapsing and killing people, for example. It’s a great book. As far as I know, it’s the first math book that’s ever been a number one bestseller.” Read more...
The Maths of Life and Death
by Kit Yates
The Maths of Life and Death, by Kit Yates, a senior lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath, is an excellent popular maths book, demonstrating the many times maths plays a critical role in our daily lives—often without us even knowing it.
We spoke to the author to find out more:
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
by Bettany Hughes
A historic journey through one of the the world’s most pivotal cities. We caught up with award-winning historian Bettany Hughes when she was chair of the 2019 Man Booker international Prize to talk about the best fiction in translation.
“Andrew Yang’s book is a take on the forces fraying America’s middle class. He draws our attention to eye-popping data points about where our economy is heading.” Read more...
“People want to know about the private lives of public people; Michelle Obama obliges us by providing an insider view of life in the White House. We learn about her first kiss, about the fact that she failed the bar exam the first time she took it, about her going to couples counseling with her husband. This is not a biography that withholds the tidbits one craves when reading about a famous person.” Read more...
“This is a novel set in a part of modern life unfamiliar to most of us: a women’s prison. This novel is the one that made me feel I should go out and do something—that I should vote for prison reform.” Read more...
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Philosopher
“H is for Hawk feels like the definitive statement on hawks for the modern times, and I think its success has a lot to do with how well Macdonald tied her inquiry into the life of a hawk with her own personal experience and journey.” Read more...
Nick Pyenson, Science Writer
