Press & blog coverage archive
Rebecca Schiller
A section from my book featured in a recent post on Rebecca Schiller's website, Rebecca Schiller – The Not-So-Astute observations of a Writer & Book Reviewer.
Interview – HBL (Hufvudstadsbladet), 30 Nov 2011
Read my interview that featured in HBL newspaper here (in Swedish). This was done at my local* Starbucks in London, which is right around the corner from the Institute of Physics. (*When I am in London.)
Interview – Helsinki Times, 24 Nov 2011
This was a fun interview, which was done via Skype. The above photo of me is taken at The Rummer, in Bristol, on the very sofa on which I came up with the idea for my book two and a half years ago.
Review – CERN Courier, 23 Nov 2011
Below is the first review of my book, which apeared in CERN Courier:
Those who have been put off improving their use of the English language by pedants and coma-inducing teachers who talked of gerunds and genitive forms have nothing to fear from this book and everything to learn. As its title suggests, the English language is a joy, and the author’s enthusiasm to enable the reader to share in this is apparent from the start. There is nothing here of the chalk-tossing Latin master; this book feels like a conversation between equals, one that the reader can engage with and learn from right away.
The book is structured around a hundred common mistakes, tips and discussion points applicable to both British and American English, ranging from the truth about split infinitives to the importance of proofreading and checking over your writing. The emphasis is on style, with an examination of what works well and why, not merely on what is correct. Each point is discussed and explained in a variety of ways that suit a variety of learning styles and situations. Quick reference is aided by clearly typeset “right” and “wrong” examples that are easy to scan, for instance, while (I was tempted, by habit, to write “whilst” here!) section subheadings are designed to help you remember the core message: the subheading for the section on sentence structure, for example, is simply “Somebody did something”. Karjalainen does not shy away from plain didactic advice, either, but he offers it without sounding smug or superior.
This book is much more than a reference book. While it is entirely suited as such, it invites deeper engagement and reflection. Karjalainen should be commended for infusing it with an infectious sense of joy that leaves the reader wanting to strive towards the improvement of his or her own use of the English language.
Dan Noyes, CERN. (Review courtesy CERN Courier magazine.)
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