When colonial Britain seized Hong Kong from China in the mid-19th Century, the government of the day complained that it was a ‘barren rock with nary a house on it.’ Since then, Hong Kong’s skyline has become a glittering cityscape of tall buildings, stunning views, hustle, bustle, ships trade, deal-making and, in past year or […]
Read MoreEvents
Book of the Month with Humphrey: Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The phrase Kafkaesque has taken its place in the English language to describe bewildering situations brought about by some distant illogical authority. We have no control, and our lives are nightmarishly impacted. Does anyone feel like that now? In our April Goldster Book Club we will be discussing Franz Kafka’s masterpiece of a novella, Metamorphosis in which salesman, Gregor […]
Read MorePurpose, Passion, Grit with Humphrey: Tracy Walder
When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would be recruited by the CIA. Or that she would fly to the Middle East under an alias identity. The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder’s tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high- […]
Read MoreInside Story with Humphrey: Peter Popham
India Be Damned is an epic thriller set during the last days of Britain’s colonial rule of India and the first dreadful, blood-ridden months of independence. The author is legendary foreign correspondent, Peter Popham, who has turned his forensic journalist’s eye to fiction in a work that both vividly entertains while prompting us to think more […]
Read MoreInside Story with Humphrey: Jane Thynne – Live from Riverstone
Widowland and Queen High are a publishing phenomenon and among the most critically-acclaimed novels of recent years. Widowland, set in 1953, has been described as the most important feminist novel for decades and tells of an alternate history where instead of Nazi defeat, there has been a Grand Alliance between Great Britain and Germany. The […]
Read MoreInside Story with Humphrey: Monique Roffey
Monique Roffey is a writer, lecturer, professor of contemporary fiction and founding member of Writers Rebel which combats climate change. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Monique has had life-long links to the Caribbean region and has set four of her six novels there. Her latest The Mermaid of Black Conch won the 2020 Costa Book of […]
Read MoreInside Story with Humphrey: John Hands
John Hands is a scientist, novelist, creative writing tutor and the author of substantive and much-lauded non-fiction works Cosmosapiens: Human Evolution from the Origin of the Universe and The Future of Humankind: Why We Should be Optimistic. After teaching physics for Britain’s Open University devoted more than ten years to evaluating scientific theories about how we evolved from the […]
Read MoreInside Story with Humphrey: Danièle Cybulskie
Danièle Cybulskie has been making the Middle Ages fun, entertaining, and accessible for over a decade. She is the author of four books and hundreds of articles on medieval history. The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast, Danièle brings expertise and a sense of humour to the airwaves to dispel common myths about the […]
Read More