Cranlana’s Faculty represent a broad range of backgrounds and expertise. What they all have in common is their enduring curiosity and a love for learning; it makes them great Moderators and Facilitators and it’s why their compilation of recommendations is eagerly anticipated each year.
Recommended by Christine Wallace:
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
“Such a good read for anyone trying to successfully navigate complex workplace dynamics (so most of us!). Some of the academic materials and books on complex adaptive systems are a bit much for holiday reading, but this one covers the subject in a way that’s engaging, easy to relate to and full of ideas to expand your thinking. I will never think of a slinky the same way.”
The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris
“This book is a good one if you want to launch into 2026 with a more positive mindset. Dr Harris encourages us to get better at noticing our thinking patterns while offering practical strategies to unhook from thoughts that are unhelpful. At the same time, the book urges us to create more meaningful lives true to our individual values. Hard to argue with that. This book has definitely been useful for me personally this year, giving me some new tools to reset my own inner narrative when negative thoughts crept in!”
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
“My favourite book genre is definitely fiction, and I especially love an imaginative and immersive read. The prose is gorgeously written, and the charming story is full of magical twists and turns. If you want something fun and escapist for the holidays, this one’s a winner!”
Write something yourself!
“My final recommendation… don’t just read, write! The benefits of writing are endless, and the start of a new year is a great time to embed a new journalling habit. Wonderful for creativity, goal setting, reflection and helping to process what’s happening in your life, writing is a powerful practice to take you forwards next year. So splash out on some new stationery in the sales, and get writing!”
Recommended by Dr Cressida Gaukroger:
Radical Help: How We Can Remake the Relationships Between Us and Revolutionise the Welfare State by Hilary Cottam
“This year I read Radical Help by Hilary Cottam and it really opened my eyes to how services could be reimagined to really help the people they are meant to serve. This engaging book shares the stories of several new service approaches, from connecting unemployed young people with employers from their local area, to building networks for elderly people to help them build greater social connection, all from the starting point of supporting people to design their own paths to better welfare.”
Podcast Episode: “More Money Was Supposed to Help Poor Kids. So Why Didn’t It?”
“This episode discusses findings from a long-term study that tracked the academic development of poor children whose families had received modest unconditional payments. To the surprise of researchers, the results appear to show that the monthly payments have not in fact had an impact on outcomes for these kids. What I love about this episode, though, is not so much the discussion of the results, (noting that it includes a discussion of possible confounding factors). Rather it gets listeners to think about what we do when empirical findings appear in conflict with our moral intuitions.
It also gets you thinking about what the purpose of poverty interventions (and really all public goods) should be. Was an improvement in the measured outcomes needed for the program to be successful, or could the fact that families were finally able to buy winter coats for their kids be enough?”
Recommended by Peter Mares:
Hopeful Pessimism by Mara van der Lugt
“2025 has been a grim year, and it is easy to despair. But philosopher Mara van der Lugt advises “hopeful pessimism” instead. This might sound like a contradiction in terms, but pessimism is not fatalism. The hopeful pessimist hopes to avoid the bad outcome through action, making it a far more productive approach than ungrounded optimism that everything will turn out okay. One of van der Lugt’s intellectual heroes is Albert Camus, and she draws on his novel The Plague to argue that the best defences against despair are participation and action, combined with the virtues of courage and intelligence. In this way, hopeful pessimism gives rise to meaning and moral responsibility in an absurd world.”
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
“Translated from the French, and shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize, Small Boat is the fictionalised retelling of the 2021 tragedy that took the lives of 27 asylum seekers trying to cross the English Channel in an inflatable dingy. Despite numerous distress calls, French authorities failed to mobilise a rescue mission. Philosopher and novelist Vincent Delecroix recounts the story from the perspective of the French naval officer who took the emergency calls but failed to act. Through her reflections, he asks searing questions about moral responsibility that go far beyond the actions of any individual.”
Recommended by Carl Murphy:
The Masters by Ursula K. Le Guin
“My suggestion is a short story by Ursula Le Guin, whose name will be immediately recognisable to anyone who has completed the Colloquium. It is called ‘The Masters’ and is included in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters (Vol 1). It was her first published genuine science fiction story. As she says in introducing the story, ‘the theme of this story is one I returned to later, with considerably better equipment’. That theme is, of course, whether to walk away. It is quite different to Omelas, not least in what drives people to walk away, but is similarly thought provoking.”
Recommended by Rebecca Cody:
On Friendship by Andrew O’Hagan
“Incredible insights regarding a salve in this world – friendship.”
Mother Mary Came to Me by Arundhati Roy
“Exquisitely written and breathtakingly honest about parenting and its intergenerational influence.”
Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life by Edith Hall
“This is an accessible read for those of us who marvel at the resonance of Aristotle’s ancient wisdom in contemporary times.”
Recommended by John Fenwick:
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gardner
“I haven’t read too many novels for a few years, so I thought it was time to get back to a few. Two of the books I read this year stand out for their attempts to tackle philosophy through fiction.
I was reminded by my brother of the book, ‘Sophie’s World’ by Jostein Gardner. It is a gentle introduction to many of the concepts of philosophy through history; an enjoyable romp through major concepts in a light to read novel. I recommend it for the younger crowd wanting an introduction to the place of values and ethics in thinking.”
The Stranger by Albert Camus
“The second book of this year that stood out for me was ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus. An interesting read, whose concepts I did not fully appreciate until reading a bit more on the existentialists from other sources. For me, this showed the value of a novel, which can be the gateway to further understanding by sending you to explore the concepts elsewhere.”
Across our Flagship, online and custom programs, our Faculty contribute their expertise to bring the Cranlana methodology to life.
Find out more about this group of people, their motivations and the experiences that have made them a great fit for our unique purpose.
