Book review: “Finish – Give yourself the gift of done” by Jon Acuff

I am in two minds about Jon Acuff's 'Finish - Give yourself the gift of done' (no affiliate link). On the one hand, I find the writing style a little bit off-putting (dad jokes galore… it is a bit too much). I also think that, at £13.96 (price on Amazon, at the time of writing) this … Continue reading Book review: “Finish – Give yourself the gift of done” by Jon Acuff

Book review: Paul Silvia’s How to Write a Lot

This is a short book (only 149, A5 pages), targeted at those that need to write in an academic context – papers, books, grant proposals, etc… As promised by the book’s full title - “How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing” – this book offers guidance on how to be … Continue reading Book review: Paul Silvia’s How to Write a Lot

Recent publications

I thought that it would be a good idea to give you a quick update on what I have been publishing, recently. Hopefully, this update will make it easier for you to find something of interest or value to your own work or studies. And, who knows, you and I can find opportunities for collaboration. … Continue reading Recent publications

August and September 2016 round-up

August was taken up with conferences and time off with the family, so I decided to skip the usual monthly round up post and merge it with September’s. And, then, September flashed through, as well, with back to school matters, and dealing with various cold viruses and man-flu in the house. Here are the highlights. … Continue reading August and September 2016 round-up

10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Twitter turned 10 years old, and I, like many others, have been reflecting on what it means to me. Twitter tells me that I joined it in July 2008. I remember the day, vividly. I was following a thread on an online forum, where academics were sharing experiences of using Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, … Continue reading 10 amazing tweeps I met in 10 years of Twitter

Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

Umberto Eco died last Friday (Feb 19th 2016). You may know him as the author of great fiction books, such as 'The Name of the Rose' or 'Foucault’s Pendulum'. However, Eco described himself as primarily a ‘university professor who has found a nice way to spend his weekends’. His academic work has been … Continue reading Umberto Eco’s advice to young writers

Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday

Classes ended last week and, already, I have lost count of the number of times someone asked if / said that I am now on holidays. So, I thought I should do a “day in the life” post, to give you a glimpse of what an academic gets up to outside of term time. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #4: No, I am not on holiday