Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom, by James Danckert and John D. Eastwood Randy Malamud admires a distinctly engaging account of an energy-sapping emotion By Randy Malamud 25 June
American Niceness: A Cultural History, by Carrie Tirado Bramen Book of the week: Behind a veneer of amiability, Randy Malamud finds discord, cruelty and a ‘cultural charade’ By Randy Malamud 17 August
A scholar in Svalbard An academic conference in the world’s northern-most human settlement was a profoundly unsettling – and enlightening – experience for Randy Malamud By Randy Malamud 6 April
Righting America at the Creation Museum, by Susan L. Trollinger and William Vance Trollinger, Jr. Book of the week: Randy Malamud on two scholars’ exploration of a temple of Christian fundamentalist belief By Randy Malamud 21 July
One big yawn? The academics bewitched by boredom Randy Malamud examines the fascination in a fringe academic topic By Randy Malamud 14 July
American Zoo: A Sociological Safari, by David Grazian This perceptive ethnography takes Randy Malamud behind the scenes at the penguin pool to ask if the institutions are scientific and educational enterprises or just commercialised animal spectacles By Randy Malamud 3 September
