A year ago I did a review of 2016 based on the books I read, and thought it would be interesting to do again. Here are all the books I read in 2017, and the top 5 you should definitely read.

Why do we associate well cultivated lawns with social status and prestige? It's something we absolutely take for granted every day as just a permanent fact of life. However, by examining the history of things like this, we can come to understand the real value of studying history as a whole.

"The achievement of one courageous man will awaken the courage of an entire generation" - Stefan Zweig

I recently discovered the story of Ferdinand Magellan - the famous explorer who captained the first expedition that successfully circumnavigated the globe. The story as told by the excellent Stefan Zweig had me completely captivated from start to finish, and I’ve had it on my mind ever since.

In the 1930s, a Hungarian born journalist named George Mikes moved to London. However, even after a decade or so living and working in London Mikes discovered, as I imagine many others have done since, that the British have a peculiar set of behaviours, rules and customs that make it near impossible for someone not born here to blend in completely.