The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History – Edward Brooke-Hitching
The Madman’s Library delves into its darkest territories to hunt down the oddest books and manuscripts ever written, uncovering the intriguing stories behind their creation.
From the Qur’an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the gorgeously decorated fifteenth-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the most enormous book ever created, The Madman’s Library features many long forgotten, eccentric, and extraordinary volumes gathered from around the world.
Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle and books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered. Spell books, alchemist scrolls, wearable books, edible books, books to summon demons, books written by ghosts, and more all come together in the most curiously strange library imaginable.
Featuring hundreds of remarkable images and packed with entertaining facts and stories to discover, The Madman’s Library is a captivating compendium perfect for bibliophiles, literature enthusiasts, and collectors intrigued by bizarre oddities, obscure history, and the macabre.
Adulthood often arrives without warning. One day you’re sitting in university lectures, and the next you’re picked to lead a team project at your first job. Challenges, big and small, come at you from every direction: academic deadlines, workplace dilemmas, financial independence, and shifting social responsibilities. At the heart of thriving in these situations lies one essential duo: problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
For young adults stepping into independence, cultivating these abilities can be the difference between feeling overwhelmed and confidently navigating life’s complexities. Read on to dive deep into what these skills truly mean, why they are so important in school and early career life, and how you can actively cultivate them to build a strong foundation for adulthood.
What Are Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking Skills?
Problem-Solving Skills: Problem-solving is the ability to identify challenges clearly and develop effective solutions. It is not about avoiding problems but rather transforming them into opportunities for improvement and growth. A good problem-solver is analytical, creative, and resilient enough to test different strategies until finding the best fit.
Key components of problem-solving include:
Identifying the problem: Understanding the real issue rather than reacting to the surface-level symptoms.
Analysing causes: Digging deeper into why a challenge exists in the first place.
Brainstorming alternatives: Thinking creatively to generate multiple possible solutions.
Choosing solutions thoughtfully: Weighing pros and cons before making a decision.
Implementing and evaluating: Acting on the chosen solution and adjusting as needed.
Critical Thinking Skills: Critical thinking goes hand in hand with problem-solving. It is the ability to evaluate information objectively, avoid being misled by biases, and form well-thought-out judgments. Instead of accepting things at face value, critical thinkers ask why and how, and they use logic and reasoning to assess information.
Elements of critical thinking include:
Questioning assumptions: Not blindly accepting perceived truths.
Evaluating evidence: Looking at facts, statistics, and sources before forming opinions.
Connecting ideas logically: Making sense of how concepts link together.
Considering different perspectives: Understanding that issues often have multiple sides.
Making reasoned decisions: Drawing conclusions based on evidence, not emotions alone.
Together, problem-solving focuses on what to do about challenges, while critical thinking ensures you’re making those decisions with accuracy and fairness.
In University Life: University is often the first testing ground for independent problem-solving and critical thinking. Professors don’t just hand you the right answers; you’re expected to research, evaluate, and form conclusions on your own. Common university scenarios include:
Managing time and priorities: Balancing coursework, part-time jobs, and social life requires constant decisions about resource allocation.
Academic assignments: Research papers and presentations demand evaluating sources, building logical arguments, and solving subject-specific challenges.
Group projects: Navigating clashing opinions and finding consensus requires both thinking critically about team dynamics and approaching problems with solutions that work for everyone.
In the Early Career Stage Once stepping into the professional world, young adults quickly notice that employers highly value these skills. Consider the following workplace realities:
Decision-making responsibilities: Even entry-level positions require making daily judgments that affect workflow.
Complex projects: Many jobs involve ambiguity, and employers look for employees who can handle uncertainty while still delivering results.
Innovation and growth: Companies thrive when employees can spot problems, propose improvements, and think creatively about solutions.
Conflict management: Workplace disagreements are inevitable, and resolving them effectively requires a mix of reasoning and diplomacy.
In Everyday Life Beyond school and work, critical thinking and problem-solving skills prove invaluable in everyday decisions, whether it’s budgeting, resolving disagreements with roommates, or choosing the right career opportunities. These are not abstract academic skills but real-world survival tools that reduce stress and improve outcomes.
Building and Cultivating Problem-Solving Skills Problem-solving can feel overwhelming, but like any skill, it strengthens through practice. Here are ways young adults can develop stronger abilities:
Break Problems Down: A large, complex problem is easier to tackle when broken into smaller parts. For example, if you’re struggling with poor grades, instead of panicking about the entire picture, analyse individual courses, identify weak areas, and devise targeted solutions.
Use a Structured Approach: Methods like the IDEAL model (Identify, Define, Explore, Act, Look back) or design thinking can provide structure. These systems encourage systematic analysis rather than hasty guesswork.
Embrace Creativity: Sometimes solutions won’t be obvious. Allow space for brainstorming unconventional ideas. Creativity might help you innovate beyond traditional approaches.
Learn from Mistakes: Not every attempt will succeed, and that’s essential. Reflecting on what didn’t work helps you refine your strategy for next time.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills Critical thinking, much like problem-solving, is a lifelong pursuit. Below are actionable strategies:
Ask More Questions: Instead of taking information at face value, challenge yourself to ask, “What evidence supports this?” Who benefits? What alternatives exist?
Diversify Perspectives: Expose yourself to different viewpoints: read books and articles on both sides of debates, talk to people with different opinions, and stay open to adjusting your perspective.
Practice Reflection: Journaling can help critically process daily experiences. Writing down what happened, how you felt, and why it mattered sharpens your ability to analyse situations.
Evaluate Information Sources: In an age of social media algorithms and misinformation, being discerning about where your information comes from is crucial. Learn to spot biases, verify data, and prioritise credible sources.
Pause before reacting: Often, emotional reactions cloud judgment. Taking even a short pause allows space for rational thought.
Seek mentorship: Learn problem-solving approaches from professors, managers, or more experienced peers.
Learn decision-making frameworks: Tools like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) can make decisions more systematic.
Use feedback wisely: Constructive criticism should be seen as an opportunity to test and refine your critical thinking.
Embrace uncertainty: Not every challenge has a clear answer. Sometimes the skill lies in moving forward confidently despite ambiguity.
The Long-Term Benefits of Mastering These Skills
Problem-solving and critical thinking are not just about handling situations today; they are investments in your entire adult future. Cultivating these abilities pays off by:
Improving employability: Employers consistently rank these as top skills sought in new hires.
Enhancing adaptability: Life is unpredictable, but with strong critical thinking and problem-solving, you can adjust more easily.
Boosting independence: Confidence in decision-making reduces reliance on others for solutions.
Strengthening relationships: Whether with colleagues, friends, or partners, being able to think through disagreements fosters healthier interactions.
The journey of adulthood is lined with both opportunities and obstacles. Young adults in university or entering the workforce are uniquely positioned to grow into resilient, thoughtful individuals by sharpening their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. These are not abstract academic theories; they are practical tools for making better academic, professional, and personal choices.
By practising questioning, evaluating information, exploring creative solutions, and learning from mistakes, you cultivate habits that prepare you for the complexities of the real world. As you step into independence, mastering these skills won’t just help you survive adulthood; it will empower you to thrive.
The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers 1804 – 1999 – Misha Glenny
This unique and lively history of Balkan geopolitics since the early nineteenth century gives readers the essential historical background to recent events in this war-torn area.
No other book covers the entire region or offers such profound insights into the roots of Balkan violence, or explains so vividly the origins of modern Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania.
Misha Glenny presents a lucid and fair-minded account of each national group in the Balkans and its struggle for statehood. The narrative is studded with sharply observed portraits of kings, guerrillas, bandits, generals, and politicians. Glenny also explores the often-catastrophic relationship between the Balkans and the Great Powers, raising some disturbing questions about Western intervention.
Happy New Year! It’s the first Monday of the new year, and here’s wishing everyone a fantabulous 2026! May this year be the year when all your wishes come true and all your aims and dreams come to fruition!
Happy New Year! Here’s to a year of new opportunities, adventures, and memories that last a lifetime. May 2026 be our best year yet.
The week between Christmas and the New Year always feels a bit funny, especially when the holidays come in the middle of the week. I keep thinking that it’s the weekend, and then the weekend comes in, and I am thrown out of balance.
This week’s quote is from former Canadian professional ice hockey player Reggie Leach, nicknamed The Riverton Rifle. His quote today reflects the relentless drive and self-motivation that defined his career and is a blunt, no-nonsense take on what achievement actually requires. It strips away the fantasy that success just happens to lucky people at the right moment. There’s no magic spark from the outside. The fire has to start within you. Leach is talking about intentional intensity. Success demands commitment, urgency, and emotional investment. You don’t drift into meaningful outcomes. You choose them. You show up when motivation is low. You keep going when progress feels slow. Setting yourself on fire isn’t about burnout or reckless obsession. It’s about deciding that what you’re pursuing matters enough to deserve your full energy and attention.
The quote also calls out passivity. Waiting for the perfect time, the perfect conditions, or external validation is just another way of delaying responsibility. Leach reminds us that effort precedes momentum. Passion often follows action, not the other way around. When you act with purpose, belief and confidence grow alongside it. There’s also an implied warning here: success without effort is usually shallow and short-lived. The things we work hardest for tend to shape us the most. The discipline, resilience, and self-trust built along the way become part of the reward. You don’t just reach success; you become someone capable of sustaining it.
One of my goals for 2026, among other things, is to read the Bhagavad Gita. I do not know Sanskrit, so I will read an English translation. I will also share interesting verses from the book each week. Part of the epic, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita is not a religious rulebook; it’s a philosophical conversation about how to live when life feels complicated. One can think of the book as an ancient self-inquiry guide that blends psychology, ethics, and practical philosophy. It takes place during a crisis. One person is overwhelmed by fear, doubt, and moral confusion. The other doesn’t judge or command; he listens, questions, and offers perspective. The setting happens to be a battlefield, but the struggle is deeply internal.
Today’s quote is my favourite from the epic. When I used to work full-time, I always had this verse pinned to my desk. This verse is the heartbeat of the Gita’s philosophy of purposeful living. Krishna isn’t telling Arjuna, or us, to stop caring about life. He’s telling us to stop clinging to outcomes we can’t control. When we obsess over results, fear creeps in. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough. That fear doesn’t produce excellence; it produces hesitation. By shifting attention from “What will I get from this?” to “How can I show up fully for this?” we step into our real power. We work with clarity instead of anxiety. We move with intention instead of desperation. When you detach from results, you aren’t becoming aloof; you’re becoming free. Free to experiment, free to fail, free to evolve. And ironically, people who operate this way often produce better outcomes because their minds aren’t hijacked by worry. The deeper message? Life is a partnership. You are responsible for the effort. Life handles the rest. Your job is to sow, water, and nourish. Whether the seed blossoms today or ten seasons later is not your burden to hold.
And I haven’t forgotten my weekly motivation. This week, it’s about hopes and relief. Even in the smallest of things, you can find relief from life’s struggles. Stop obsessing over what you’re going through. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Slowly work through that sense of vulnerability you’re feeling right now. You’ve managed to overcome harrowing moments with a lot of grace. You navigated the dark days with a smile on your face, even though you were on the verge of tears. Take things moment by moment. Let a sense of joy and hope enter your heart.
That’s all I have for you this week. Here’s to a fantastic, fun and amazing 2026!
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Memories and Such 