The anomeric effect is a well-defined and much studied example of a deep- seated and very general effect in organic chemistry. It involves a fundamental interaction between the lone pair electrons of oxygen and the antibonding orbitals of adjacent bonds, which can control not only conformation but also reactivity in suitable systems. So the heart of this book is a consideration of the properties of non-bonding pairs of electrons, and the influence of orbital- orbital interactions on structure and reactivity. I have been lucky in recent months to be able to discuss various matters arising in...

'Deafening' is a terrifying and tragic tale of music and silence. Gabe lives with his father in a claustrophobic world which is constructed and defined by classical music. But when Gabe's father begins to lose his sense of hearing, this world begins to crumble. Without music, the world loses its colour and its stories. Eventually music creeps back into their lives in strange and sinister new ways. Characters from some of Gabe and his father's favourite suite - Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' - begin to materialise. They haunt the shadows. They want to draw Gabe out. They want to...