Here's my pick for this week of longer articles from all over the web. If you've got a Kindle or other eReader, consult the first in this series for how to send them straight from your browser to your device to enjoy later

A few truths about Davos - Lance Knobel

An article stuffed full of fascinating insights into the World Economic Forum in Davos, from a man who used to attend it every year. As you read all the news reports of what's going on there, it's well worth bearing in mind some of Knobel's points, for instance: "If the WEF gets too far ahead of its crowd, it falls flat. The secret is to be five minutes ahead, not five months or five years."

Scotland’s bid for independence explained! - Daniel Kalder

A deliciously tongue-in-cheek take on the independence referendum, written as answers to imaginary questions from foreigners unfamiliar with the state of the union. A particular highlight comes in response to the question of what would change, should Scotland become independent; Kalder says "we’d still live on a wet rock and rival Belarus for lowest life expectancy in Europe."

We’re sorry: not all apologies are apologies - Miller-McCune

Apologising has become quite fashionable in politics of late. In this article, Tom Jacobs anatomises the different kinds of apologies we use and explores the motives behind them. Apparently, we "overestimate the value and behavioral impact of an apology". Remember that next time a lately-resigned cabinet minister says they're sorry.

Montaigne's moments - New York Times

From last year, but still good. NYT writer on the debt we owe to Michel de Montaigne, arguing that as well as a superb stylist, he was (with some reservations) the first blogger, peppering his 'essais' with quotations and being very fond of writing about himself.

The Obama memos: how Washington remade the presidency - New Yorker

One of those spectacularly long New Yorker pieces that, as well as being very good, give you an immense sense of achievement when you manage to read the whole thing. Makes the case that Obama has been a success, not a failure, but that he has been inexorably changed by the office he holds. "Mario Cuomo said that Presidents campaign in poetry and govern in prose, and Obama's shift from Keats to Keynes was abrupt."

Tags: Weekend reads