?Blink?, by Malcolm Gladwell, better known as the author of the landmark ?The Tipping Point.? A title he is said to have scurrilously ?borrowed? from another Beantown resident, or so I was told in a scathing tone by one supposedly in the know. A great read with scintillating insights on humanity. [Long time no see, babydoll ! :) ] ?The Feud that Sparked the Renaissance? by Paul Robert Walker, in which the author makes the case for a seminal moment that led to the explosion of artistic creativity in Europe in the 15th century. The author?s research for the roots of the Renaissance leads to this moment: it is Florence, Italy in the dying days of the 14th century, a competition is held to design ornamental doors for the church of St. John the Baptist. In the contest are pitted the established Filippo Brunelleschi and the newcomer Lorezno Ghiberti. The newcomer?s design is chosen, but this merely stokes the subsequent competitive and creative fires in Filippo and Lorenzo over their professional lives. It leads to a series of technical innovations and creations that lay the foundations for what is to be the start of an era that produced architectural and artistic elegance never seen before, or since. Walker makes a plausible presentation of historical details woven into a readable narrative. For those interested in historical fiction in a similar vein, Ken Follet?s ?Pillars of The Earth? is a recommended read. A lively depiction of life in 12th century England in a tale that centres on the building of a cathedral. By an author better known for his spy novels. ?Letters to a Young Novelist? by Mario Vargas Llosa would be, I reckon, de rigueur for any aspiring novelist or anyone interested in the mysterious art of literary creation. Vargas provides an education on the technical aspects of writing in using the format of a series of imaginary letters to an aspiring writer. For cognoscenti, better armed as they will be after this read, it may serve to provide the means to further savour the finesse and skill of literary masters and graffiti artiste alike. ?Sun After Dark? by Pico Iyer, hailed as the unmatched writer of travelogues and the much discussed ?Video Nights in Kathmandu.? This series of essays records journeys, both mental and physical, in which Iyer provides a very personal glimpse of himself with his musings. It contains thought provoking insights that serve to illuminate. And, for me, to linger like a heady summer fragrance that comes to mind unbidden in the depths of snowy winter days. ?Latitude Zero, Tales of The Equator? by Gianni Guadalupi and Antony Shugaar. What drew me to this book is the gripping revelation in the introduction, an excerpt of which I present here: ?The history of the world has almost always been written from a point of view situated around forty-five degrees north latitude. Lodon lies just above fifty-one degrees, Paris is around forty-nine, Rome stands at forty-two degrees north latitude. If we consider a swath of territory bounded on the south by Cairo (33 degress N,) and the south by St. Peteresburg (60 deg. North), we are looking at the stage on which Western civilization as developed.? This is argument is cemented by another section, which states: ?Similarly, the band of territory between 30 and 60 degrees north latitude may have not had a monopoly on the world?s history, but it has had a virtual monopoly on the world?s history writing. Most of the Earth?s publishers, broadcasters, universities, and libraries look on the world from this relatively narrow swath of territory. Latitude, then, is destiny.? For those engaged in the south-south debate and the hegemony of the north, this should provide some powerful food for thought. More importantly, the events that are said to have occurred at latitude zero, or the equator, as the largest man made construct, may not have influenced history as recorded, but more likely as occurred in myths and other events. Including the travels of Chinese Admiral Zheng He. Emphatically stated in the July 2005 issue of the National Geographic that challenges the present Euro-centric timeline of history. Admiral Zheng He in 14th century China: with an armada of over 350 ships and more than 27000 soldiers he made seven voyages that originated in northern coastal China and reached as far as coastal central Africa. As a comparison in might, the celebrated Ferdinand Magellan?s ship would have comfortably been housed on the front deck of He?s flagship imperial junk nearly ten times larger and predating him !