Dabbler and former Middle East journalist Toby Ash reviews historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s latest book Jerusalem: The Biography. I can remember falling under Jerusalem’s spell after my first visit there some 20 years ago. It was a last-minute trip during a university holiday that turned first into a fascination, then an ... Read More...

From the August 2010 archives, Bryan Appleyard is struck by a still from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times... I was never much taken with Charlie Chaplin, too cute, I preferred the comparative austerity of Buster Keaton. But a couple of days ago I came across this picture. It is the last shot ... Read More...

Back with a bang, Dabbler foodie expert Jassy explains how to make dressed crab - beginning with murdering it... When I get nostalgic for the seaside, I fondly imagine sitting down at a rough wooden table and eating crab smeared on brown bread, wiping my fingers on a plasticky paper napkin ... Read More...

What with it being holiday time we're going to be posting a few Worth Repeating posts Monday to Friday. It's quite a treat, really. Here's Brit from ages ago, back when we'd just started this here blog (almost exactly a year ago to the day, August 3rd 2010). “I threw up ... Read More...

Becky Milligan is a reporter on Radio 4. The question is: what makes you happy? What makes you laugh so hard you’re sick on the floor? Are you happier than sadder? Or so-so, on cruise control, or just below par? And what makes you cry, sob into your sandwiches, howl into ... Read More...