Corrected: Five Books Newsletter 31
This week's interview
http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/free-will-and-responsibility-on-paul-russell http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/free-will-and-responsibility-on-paul-russell
Paul Russell on Free Will and Responsibility
Many philosophical theories try to evade the uncomfortable truth that luck and fate play a role in the conduct of our moral lives, argues philosopher Paul Russell. He chooses the best books on free will and responsibility.
Books of the Week
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/uncle-albert-and-quantum-quest-by-russell-stannard“There is a character loosely based on Albert Einstein and a child character, his niece, who asks a lot of questions.”
Alice Bell on Science Books for Children (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/alice-bell-on-science-books-children)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/ali-and-nino-by-kurban-said“The book is full of humour and very easy to read. It’s a real adventure full of heroism and love.”
Nigar Hasan-Zadeh on Azerbaijan (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/nigar-hasan-zadeh-on-azerbaijan)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/tales-ovid-by-ted-hughes“Hughes’s voice and his poetic ear are just so wonderful. I remember reading the whole lot of them out loud to myself and thinking 'Wow! This is how they were meant to be heard!'”
Lucy Coats on Greek Myths (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/lucy-coats-on-greek-myths)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/mandela-by-anthony-sampson“If I have to go to a desert island and take one Mandela book with me it would be Sampson’s.”
John Carlin on Understanding Mandela and South Africa (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/john-carlin-on-understanding-mandela-and-south-africa)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/golem-by-gustav-meyrink“Meyrink's novel is just one version of the Golem story, there are dozens. But I like it best because Meyrink was a mystic.”
Andrei Codrescu on Fantastical Tales (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/andrei-codrescu-on-fantastic-and-magical-tales)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/secret-chanel-no-5-by-tilar-mazzeo“This is a brilliant idea, to look at the 20th century through the prism of this one very special perfume.”
Denise Hamilton on Perfume (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/denise-hamilton-on-perfume)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/economics-microfinance-by-beatriz-armendáriz-and-jonathan-morduch“This is the book I would love to have had when I was in those shanty towns in Managua.”
Stuart Rutherford on The poor and their money (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/stuart-rutherford-on-poor-and-their-money)
http://fivebooks.com/recommended/yacoubian-building-by-alaa-al-aswany“The Yacoubian Builiding is celebrated, possibly even notorious, for being such a bestseller.”
Humphrey Davies on Egyptian Writing (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/humphrey-davies-on-egyptian-writing)
Quote of the Week
"Speaking as an early Christian historian, I don’t think we have any idea whatsoever about what time of year Jesus was actually born.”
Brent Landau on The Real Christmas Story (http://fivebooks.com/interviews/brent-landau-on-real-christmas-story)