 Generation
A by Douglas Coupland
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Generation
A by Douglas Coupland. In the near future bees are
extinct - until five unconnected individuals, in different
parts of the world, are stung. Immediately snatched
up by ominous figures in hazmat suits, interrogated
separately in neutral Idea-like chambers, and then released
as 15-minute-celebrities into a world driven almost
entirely by the internet, these five unforgettable people
endure a barrage of unusual and highly 21st-century
circumstances. A charismatic scientist with dubious
motives eventually brings the quintet together, and
their shared experience unites them in a way they could
never have imagined... more»»
Nigel
31st December 2009 [8/10] |
The History of Us by Philip Leslie
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Pamela has sent in a review for The
History of Us by Philip Leslie. A beautiful exploration
of love and obsession, based on the stories of a group
of friends growing up in Norfolk and told in reflection
focused on the incredibly close but conversely fractious
relationship of the two central characters. Told in
three parts, The
History of Us, explores the relationships between
the two and a close friend, bonded by love, but also
by a single tragic moment in their shared lives. As
the book unfolds, we hear many whispers, which shift
our understanding of that tragic day, and ultimately,
of course, our perceptions of the characters... more»»
Pamela
31st December 2009 [8/10] |
A Death in the Family by Caroline Dunford
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Amanda McDonald has sent in a review for A
Death in the Family by Caroline Dunford. In December
1909 the Reverend Joshia Martins expires in a dish of
mutton and onions leaving his family on the brink of
destitution. Joshia's daughter, Euphemia, takes it upon
herself to provide for her mother and little brother
by entering service. She is young, fit, intelligent,
a little naive and assumes the life of a maid won't
be too demanding. However, on her first day at the unhappy
home of Sir Stapleford she discovers a murdered body...
more»»
Amanda McDonald
31st December 2009 [8/10] |
The Act You've Known For All These Years by Clinton
Heylin
Average Rating [6/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Act You've Known For All These Years by Clinton
Heylin. On June 1st 2007, it was forty years to the
day since the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band by The Beatles, an LP which changed the
face of popular culture. Weaving the activities of the
Beatles in with those of their contemporaries and rivals
- notably the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and Syd Barrett's
Pink Floyd - Clinton Heylin reveals the inspirations
and explodes the myths behind this talismanic, iconic
album - and 'the summer of love' itself... more»»
Jessica
31st December 2009 [6/10]
|
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Average Rating [7/10]
(3 Reviews)
Arnab has sent in a review for The
Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, the eagerly anticipated
follow-up to The
Da Vinci Code featuring Dan Brown's unforgettable
protagonist, Robert Langdon. This book's narrative takes
place in a 12-hour period, and from the first page,
Dan Brown's readers will feel the thrill of discovery
as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and
unexpected new landscape. The
Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller.
Dan Brown's prodigious talent for storytelling, infused
with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display
in this new book... more»»
Arnab
31st December 2009 [8/10] |
1983 Part One: I Want To Break Free by Garry
Kay
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Patrick Space has sent in a review for 1983
Part One: I Want To Break Free by Garry Kay. Andrew
Leopard starts college in 1983 near London full of hope
but weighed down by his father’s low expectations. Brothers
Tom and Brian Hill befriend him. They have confidence
to spare despite having not seen their parents since
a fatal crash seven years ago. Andrew desperately wants
to meet girls, Brian desperately wants to sleep with
girls and Tom can’t make up his mind which girl to stick
with... more»»
Patrick Space
31st December 2009 [9/10] |
The Vanished by Celia Rees
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Neina has sent in a review for The
Vanished by Celia Rees. The dark stuff sent to
Fraser and Cassie's student newspaper is disturbing.
Old tales are being rewritten. Tales of plague graves,
and forbidden woods where children vanish. Hidden steps
leading to a decaying underworld. Old songs used to
ensnare the innocent. But they're just horror stories
- aren't they? Then the first child is taken... more»»
Neina
31st December 2009 [7/10] |
Could It Be this Simple? by Timothy R. Jennings
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
Lane Montgomery has sent in a review for
Could It Be this Simple? by Timothy R. Jennings,
MD. Feelings of worthlessness. Low self-esteem. Illegitimate
guilt. The inability to forgive. Bitterness and resentment.
Dependency. Unhealthy relationship patterns. These battles
rage within the minds of millions of people, including
Christians. Although these may be mistaken as private
battles, they are part of a much larger battle - the
battle between Christ and Satan, the battle for our
hearts and minds... more»»
Lane Montgomery
31st December 2009 [9/10] |
Empire of the Skull by Philip Caveney
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Empire
of the Skull by Philip Caveney. Mexico, 1924. At
his father's hacienda, restlessly waiting for adventurer
Ethan to arrive, sixteen-year-old Alec and his faithful
valet Coates head out into the wilderness in search
of an ancient archaeological site... only to discover
that Mexico is every bit as perilous as The Valley of
the Kings. Pursued by ruthless bandits, involved in
a plane crash in the middle of remote rain-forest and
finally an unwelcome guest in a lost Aztec city where
the inhabitants still practice rituals of human sacrifice,
once again Alec must use all of his skills and stamina
to survive... more»»
Chrissi
30th November 2009 [8/10] |
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
John Alwyine-Mosely has sent in a review for The
Giver by Lois Lowry. It's a perfect world, where
everything looks right. But ugly truths lie beneath
the surface! It is the future. There is no war, no hunger,
no pain. No one in The Community wants for anything.
Everyone is provided for. Each Family Unit is entitled
to one female and male child. Each member of The Community
has their profession carefully chosen for them by the
Committee of Elders, and they never make a mistake.
Jonas, a sensitive twelve-year-old boy, had never thought
there was anything wrong with his Community, until one
day... more»»
John Alwyine-Mosely
30th November 2009 [9/10] |
The Possession of Mr Cave by Matt Haig
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for The
Possession of Mr Cave by Matt Haig. Terence Cave,
intellectual, music-lover and owner of Cave Antiques,
has experienced more than his share of tragedies. His
mother's suicide and his young wife's death at the hands
of burglars left him to bring up his young twins alone.
And now one of them has died in a grotesque accident
as a result of bullying. Bryony, the remaining twin,
has always been the family's great hope: a golden teenager,
in love with her cello and her pony, clever, sweet and
eager to please. Now that she is all Terence has left,
he realises that his one duty in life is to keep her
safe from the world's malign forces, whatever that may
take... more»»
Ben Macnair
30th November 2009 [7/10] |
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Mary Woo has sent in a review for The
Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. Willie Cooper
arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton,
New York in the wake of a disastrous affair with her
much older, married archaeology professor. That same
day, the discovery of a prehistoric monster in the lake
brings a media frenzy to the quiet, picture-perfect
town her ancestors founded. Smarting from a broken heart,
Willie then learns that the story her mother had always
told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't
the one - night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but
someone else entirely... more»»
Mary Woo
30th November 2009 [8/10] |
 The
Final Cut by Douglas Lindsay
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed The
Final Cut by Douglas Lindsay. Barney Thomson is
back in the seventh and final episode of the crime series
that has irrevocably redefined the barbershop death
junky novel. Searching for answers to his tortured,
murder-filled existence, Barney is drawn to take a job
in London, as personal barber to Thomas Bethlehem, the
head of an upcoming and trendy marketing agency. Such
is Barney's fate, that just as he arrives in the capital,
a serial killer by the name of Harlequin Sweetlips begins
to run amok among the young, go-getting executives of
Bethlehem's company. Suddenly, but entirely predictably,
Barney is once again in the middle of a multiple murder
investigation... more»»
Nigel
29th October 2009 [9/10] |
All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an
Eye by Christopher Brookmyre
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed All
Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Christopher
Brookmyre. As a teenager Jane Bell had dreamt of playing
in the casinos of Monte Carlo in the company of James
Bond, but in her punk phase she'd got herself pregnant
and by the time she reaches forty-six she's a grandmother,
her dreams as dry as the dust her Dyson sucks up from
her hall carpet every day. Then her son Ross, a researcher
working for an arms manufacturer in Switzerland, is
forced to disappear before some characters cut from
the same cloth as Blofeld persuade him to part with
the secrets of his research... more»»
Chrissi
18th October 2009 [8/10] |
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sarah has sent in a review for Gods
in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson. When Arlene Fleet
headed off to college in Chicago, she made three promises
to God: She would never again lie, she would stop fornicating
with every boy who crossed her path, and she'd never,
ever go back to her tiny hometown of Possett, Alabama
(the "fourth rack of Hell"). All God had to
do in exchange was to make sure the body of high school
quarterback Jim Beverly was never found. Ten years later,
Arlene has kept her promises, but an old school-mate
has recently turned up asking questions... more»»
Sarah
18th October 2009 [9/10] |
Flood and Fang by Marcus Sedgwick
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Meg Plummer has sent in a review for the children's
book Flood
and Fang by Marcus Sedgwick. Meet the wonderfully
weird Otherhand family and their faithful guardian,
Edgar the raven, and discover the dark secrets of Castle
Otherhand. Edgar is alarmed when he sees a nasty looking
black tail slinking under the castle walls. But his
warnings to the inhabitants of the castle go unheeded:
Lord Valevine Otherhand is too busy trying to invent
the unthinkable and discover the unknowable; his wife,
Minty, is too absorbed in her latest obsession - baking;
and ten-year-old Cudweed is running riot with his infernal
pet monkey. Only Solstice, the black-haired, poetry-writing
Otherhand daughter, seems to pay any attention... more»»
Meg Plummer
18th October 2009 [7/10] |
Broken April by Ismail Kadare
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Robin Llewellyn has sent in a review for Broken
April by Ismail Kadare. From the moment that Gjorg's
brother is killed by a neighbour, his own life is forfeit:
for the code of Kanun requires Gjorg to kill his brother's
murderer and then in turn be hunted down. After shooting
his brother's killer, young Gjorg is entitled to thirty
days' grace - not enough to see out the month of April.
Then a visiting honeymoon couple cross the path of the
fugitive. The bride's heart goes out to Gjorg, and even
these 'civilised' strangers from the city risk becoming
embroiled in the fatal mechanism of vendetta... more»»
Robin Llewellyn
18th October 2009 [9/10] |
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Katie has sent in a review for How
I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Daisy is sent from New
York to England to spend a summer with cousins she has
never met. They are Isaac, Edmond, Osbert and Piper.
And two dogs and a goat. She's never met anyone quite
like them before - and, as a dreamy English summer progresses,
Daisy finds herself caught in a timeless bubble. It
seems like the perfect summer. But their lives are about
to explode. Falling in love is just the start of it.
War breaks out - a war none of them understands, or
really cares about, until it lands on their doorstep...
more»»
Katie
18th October 2009 [7/10] |
The Silver Knight by Daniel Cure
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Ian Collins has sent in a review for The
Silver Knight by Daniel Cure. It is 1451 and Jack
Templeman arrives from France, his destiny forged by
the failure of a King and his will determined by the
desire for the glory of knighthood. As the strength
of the crown fails, the Plantagenet’s are torn between
the roses of Lancaster and York. As the country spirals
towards bloodshed, will Jack’s dream of knighthood come
to pass? From the slums of old London town, to the rolling
hills of Kent; from the halls of Westminster Palace
to the battleground of St Albans, this is the first
Templeman novel... more»»
Ian Collins
18th October 2009 [9/10] |
When to Walk by Rebecca Gowers
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for When
to Walk by Rebecca Gowers. It looks like just another
week ahead. Then out of the blue Ramble's husband ends
their marriage over lunch and disappears. With no rent
money and her world in shreds, she is forced to reconsider
everything she's ever been taught by her screwy relatives,
unreliable friends and wayward criminal connections.
Should she hide in life's slipstream, or has the moment
come to break free... more»»
Jessica
18th October 2009 [7/10]
|
Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N. D. Wilson
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Keiki Hendrix has sent in a review for Notes
from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N. D. Wilson. A visual,
poetic exploration of the narrative nature of the world
and the personality of the Poet behind it all. In these
sparkling chapters, Wilson gives an aesthetic examination
of the ways in which humanity has tried to make sense
of this overwhelming carnival ride of a world. He takes
a whimsical, thought-provoking look at everything from
the "magic" of quantum physics, to nature's
absurdities, to the problem of evil, evolution and hell.
These frequently humorous and uniquely beautiful portraits
express reality unknown to many Christians - the reality
of God's story unfolding around and among us... more»»
Keiki Hendrix
18th October 2009 [7/10] |
BrainBomb by Mark Fleming
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Dave Lett has sent in a review for BrainBomb
by Mark Fleming, a novel telling the lurid story of
bi-polar illness from the inside. It is related as an
ongoing blog, with flashbacks, and deranged fantasies
instigated by insomnia. It details the manic highs and
terrifying lows of a condition that is much commoner
than society would like to think. Most importantly,
it is about the light at the end of the tunnel... more»»
Dave Lett
18th October 2009 [9/10] |
Heaven's Hell by E.A.Gray
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
C. Redfield has sent in a review for Heaven's
Hell by E.A.Gray. What do you do when your ex is
sabotaging your working life, your current girlfriend
isn't quite what your loyal subjects were expecting,
and you discover there's a coup d'etat planned right
under your nose? Did I mention your ex is Lucifer, your
current is only newly dead, and the coup d'etat is from
the Amazons? Your allies are really your enemies, your
mother expects absolute perfection, and there's a darkness
waiting to explode into brilliance. Being God isn't
working out like you thought it would. Welcome to the
Heavens... more»»
C. Redfield
18th October 2009 [7/10] |
Hubble Bubble by Christina Jones
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Hubble
Bubble by Christina Jones. Mitzi Blessing is on
the scrapheap: forced into a very early retirement,
a lifetime of organising the church flower rota and
making cricket teas seems to loom gloomily ahead of
her. With her two daughters seemingly happily settled,
Mitzi is determined not to dwindle quietly into serene
old age and sets about organising and revitalising Hazy
Hassocks, the small rural community she has lived in
all her life. However, with the discovery of her grandmother's
cookery book in the attic, life for Mitzi and her friends
and family starts to get very interesting... more»»
Chrissi
27th September 2009 [8/10] |
Stranger to History by Aatish Taseer
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Stranger
to History by Aatish Taseer. What does it mean to
be a young Muslim in the twenty-first century? When
Aatish Taseer receives a challenging letter from his
estranged father in Pakistan, he decides to set off
on an expedition across the Islamic world in search
of his own Islamic heritage, as well as to discover
how other young people across the Middle East felt about
theirs. In a post-9/11 world Aatish is forced to confront
himself and his relationship with the religious and
secular worlds... more»»
Jessica
27th September 2009 [9/10]
|
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Time
Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford.
Aloysius ‘Spider' Webb is in status quo, repairing broken
time machines, rebuilding his life and avoiding the
lunatic antics of his boss, until he discovers inside
a broken second-hand time machine, the corpse of a brutally
murdered woman from the future. The Department of Time
and Space steps in to manage the situation - leaving
Spider asking a lot of questions that only lead to more
questions; unsettling evidence, brewing trouble, and
the knowledge that Spider himself might be involved
in an epic battle for control of time itself... more»»
Paul
Lappen 27th September 2009
[9/10] |
Tarizon: The Liberator by William Manchee
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Tarizon:
The Liberator by William Manchee, Volume 1 of the
Tarizon Trilogy. When a teenager discovers his father
is working on a secret government project with aliens
from the planet Tarizon, the project is compromised
and Peter Turner must accept exile or be killed. Tarizon
is recovering from a series of super volcanic eruptions
that nearly destroyed all life on the planet. It is
slowly recovering ecologically but the political situation
is volatile. The fight is between the Purists who want
to rid Tarizon of a growing mutant population and eliminate
all non-human intelligent life-forms, and the Loyalists
who want to restore the Supreme Mandate that guarantees
freedom and basic rights for all humans and other sentient
beings... more»»
Molly
Martin 27th September 2009
[9/10] |
Tarizon: Civil War by William Manchee
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has also sent in a review for Tarizon:
Civil War by William Manchee, Volume 2 of the Tarizon
Trilogy. Leek Lanzia, who many believe is 'the Liberator'
mentioned in the Prophecy, is given command of the remnants
of the mutant army after it is decimated by the TGA's
seemingly invincible hovertanks. He must reorganize
and rebuild the army if there is going to be any chance
of stopping the TGA from marching all the way to Rigomol
and overrunning the capital city. After losing a bid
to becoming chancellor, Lorin aligns herself with Leek
in order to preserve the organization she and her father
have so painstakingly built and to save the Nanomites
from Videl Lai's ordered genocide... more»»
Molly
Martin 27th September 2009
[9/10] |
Woodenface by Gus Grenfell
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for the children's story
Woodenface
by Gus Grenfell. Meg is a Maker, pouring life into the
wooden dolls she carves. Accused of witchcraft, she
flees to Halifax, only to find her father is in jail,
facing death by the gibbet. Desperate to save him, she
must first learn what being a Maker really means - and
confront the demons that stalk her. Woodenface
is an atmospheric novel set in the dark and dangerous
world of seventeeth-century England... more»»
Jessica
27th September 2009 [8/10]
|
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
Sarah (2) has kindly sent in a review for Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer. When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves
to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects
that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in
spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she
finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale,
dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the
Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters
obviously prefer their own company and will make no
exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward
Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange
attraction to him... more»»
Sarah(2) 27th
September 2009 [9/10] |
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Average Rating [7/10]
(2 Reviews)
Nigel and Chrissi have reviewed The
Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, the eagerly anticipated
follow-up to The
Da Vinci Code featuring Dan Brown's unforgettable
protagonist, Robert Langdon. This book's narrative takes
place in a 12-hour period, and from the first page,
Dan Brown's readers will feel the thrill of discovery
as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and
unexpected new landscape. The
Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller.
Dan Brown's prodigious talent for storytelling, infused
with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display
in this new book... more»»
Nigel
16th September 2009 [6/10]
Chrissi
15th September 2009 [8/10] |
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Katie has sent in a review for The
Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Nine-year-old
Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust.
He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted
on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows
is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in
Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is
nothing to do and no one to play with. Until he meets
Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence
on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who,
like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped
pyjamas... more»»
Katie
15th September 2009 [8/10] |
The Nostradamus Prophecies by Mario Reading
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The
Nostradamus Prophecies by Mario Reading. Nostradamus
wrote a thousand prophecies. Only 942 have survived.
What happened to the missing quatrains? And what secrets
did they contain to make it necessary for them to remain
hidden? And why did Nostradamus leave his daughter a
sealed container in his will? This mystery drives two
men with very different desires. Adam Sabir is a writer
desperate to revive his flagging career; Achor Bale
is a member of an ancient secret society that has dedicated
itself to the protection and support of the 'Three Antichrists'
foretold in Nostradamus's verses - Napoleon, Adolf Hitler,
and the 'one still to come'... more»»
Chrissi
31st August 2009 [8/10] |
 Complicity
by Iain Banks
Average Rating [10/10]
(2 Reviews)
Nigel has reviewed Complicity
by Iain Banks. A few spliffs, a spot of mild S&M,
phone through the copy for tomorrow's front page, catch
up with the latest from your mystery source - could
be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular
day at the office for free-wheeling, substance-abusing
Cameron Colley, a fully paid up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh
newspaper. The source is pretty thin, but Cameron senses
a scoop and checks out a series of bizarre deaths from
a few years ago - only to find out that the police are
checking out a series of deaths that are happening right
now. And Cameron might just know more about it than
he'd care to admit... more»»
Nigel
31st August 2009 [10/10] |
Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sarah has sent in a review for Stuart:
A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters. A remarkable
friendship between a reclusive writer and illustrator
and a chaotic, knife-wielding beggar whom he gets to
know during a campaign to release two charity workers
from prison. Interwoven into this is Stuart's confession:
the story of his life, told backwards. With humour,
compassion (and exasperation) Masters slowly works back
through post-office heists, prison riots and the exact
day Stuart discovered violence, to unfold the reasons
why he changed from a happy-go-lucky little boy into
a polydrug-addicted-alcoholic Jekyll and Hyde personality.
Funny, despairing, brilliantly written and full of surprises...
more»»
Sarah
31st August 2009 [9/10] |
Ghosts and Lightning by Trevor Byrne
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for
Ghosts and Lightning by Trevor Byrne. Happy or unhappy,
all families are a mystery. None more than the Cullens.
Having escaped their clutches and moved across the water,
Denny is just beginning to make a life for himself when
a call from his sister brings him back to Dublin, city
of his birth. Back to square one. As if squabbling siblings
and unhelpful childhood friends weren't trouble enough,
a ghost starts making appearances in the family home
and Denny's life starts to get a lot more complicated
... more»»
Jessica
31st August 2009 [9/10]
|
 The
Singing by Alison Croggon
Average Rating [6/10]
(1 Review)
Carie has sent in a review for The
Singing - The Fourth Book of Pellinor by Alison
Croggon. This book presents a stunning conclusion to
the epic 'Pellinor' series - four books telling an extraordinary
tale of another world. The Black Army is moving north
and Maerad has a mighty confrontation with the Landrost
to save Innail. All the Seven Kingdoms are being threatened
with defeat. Yet Maerad and Hem hold the key to the
mysterious Singing and only in releasing the music of
the Elidhu together may the Nameless One be defeated.
Can brother and sister find each other in time... more»»
Carie
31st August 2009 [6/10]
|
 Green
Eyes by Andrew O'Hare
Average Rating [8/10]
(3 Reviews)
Deighton has sent in a review for Green
Eyes by Andrew O'Hare. Set against the violence
and unrest of Northern Ireland in the 1980's this is
an adult story centring on the relationship between
Shaun and Harry. One is Catholic, the other Protestant.
Both have black sheep in their families who violently
oppose their having anything to do with each other.
As they struggle with growing up "different"
in an unforgiving culture, the tension mounts - and
tragedy ensues... more»»
Deighton
31st August 2009 [9/10]
|
 The
Project MKULTRA Compendium by Stephen Foster
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Peter McLachlan has sent in his review for The
Project MKULTRA Compendium by Stephen Foster. In
the 1950s and 1960s, the CIA undertook a series of research
and operational programs aimed at gaining control of
human behaviour, commonly known as mind control. The
most famous and notable of these was MKULTRA, which
from 1953 to 1964 spawned 149 subprojects that developed
and studied "a number of procedures for influencing
and predicting human behaviour by chemical and psychological
means." The intention for the techniques was to
"have both defensive applications... and offensive
applications... more»»
Peter McLachlan
31st August 2009 [8/10]
|
 Survive
and Thrive Series by Dr Eden P Fazel
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Ngo Netto has sent in a review for three titles in the
Survive
and Thrive Series by Dr Eden P Fazel - DIY Coaching:
Drawing Your Life Plan, Anger: A Very Healthy
Emotion and Growing Out of the Blues.
Dr Eden P Fazel travelled extensively working as an
aid worker and medical trainer. He researched and experienced
different traditions and cultural approaches to good
health to write the Survive
and Thrive Series, a comprehensive emotional health
tool kit, including books and audio-CDs... more»»
Ngo Netto
31st August 2009 [9/10]
|
Glasshouse by Charles Stross
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Glasshouse
by Charles Stross. When Robin wakes up in a clinic with
most of his memories missing, it doesn't take him long
to discover that someone is trying to kill him. It's
the twenty-seventh century, when interstellar travel
is by teleport gate and conflicts are fought by network
worms that censor refugees' personalities and target
historians. The civil war is over and Robin has been
demobilized, but someone wants him out of the picture
because of something his earlier self knew. On the run
from a ruthless pursuer and searching for a place to
hide, he volunteers to participate in a unique experimental
polity, the Glasshouse... more»»
Paul
Lappen 9th August 2009
[9/10] |
Tallulah and the Teenstars by Clare Grogan
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Tallulah
and the Teenstars by Clare Grogan. Tallulah Gosh
is Teresa Gordon - an ordinary girl living in an ordinary
street. In fact, she feels almost invisible to the world.
Except, of course, when she's in her bedroom. There
she becomes lead singer with the biggest and best band
in the world. But things are about to change - Tallulah
is about to step out of her imagination and her bedroom
and into the real world. She and her brilliant band
are about to take the school talent contest and more
by storm. A feat all the more surprising when you know
that Tallulah and her bandmates feature pretty highly
in the school's Least Likely To Succeed list... more»»
Jessica
9th August 2009 [9/10]
|
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾
by Sue Townsend
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Amina Malik has sent in a review for The
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ by Sue
Townsend, an unabashed, pimples-and-all glimpse into
the troubled life of an adolescent. Adrian Mole's first
love, Pandora, has left him; a neighbour, Mr. Lucas,
appears to be seducing his mother (and what does that
mean for his father?); the BBC refuses to publish his
poetry; and his dog swallowed the tree off the Christmas
cake. "Why" indeed... more»»
Amina Malik
9th August 2009 [9/10] |
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sayantan has sent in a review for A
Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Was there
a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the
universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These
are just some of the questions considered in an internationally
acclaimed masterpiece which begins by reviewing the
great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein,
before delving into the secrets which still lie at the
heart of space and time... more»»
Sayantan 9th
August 2009 [9/10] |
Among Thieves by Mez Packer
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Alexandra Brunel has sent in a review for Among
Thieves by Mez Packer. It's 1984. Jez, a no-good
2 Tone loving Cov lad, and Jamaican Bas are drawn into
a money laundering scam in Spain by two ambitious ex-university
dealers, Andy and Pads. These middle-class wide-boys
are locked in a feud of mysterious origin - chilly Pads
has the upper hand, and the money, whereas charming
Andy has the charisma, and the girls. But Andy takes
a step too far when he sets up a deal with IRA gangsters
and has to ask Pads to bail him out financially... more»»
Alexandra Brunel 9th
August 2009 [9/10] |
Angel's Fire, Demon's Blood to Tamela Quijas
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica S. has sent in a review for Angel's
Fire, Demon's Blood by Tamela Quijas. Lucien D'
Angel is a celebrated paranormal detective with a lucrative
television show and numerous best selling books pertaining
to the world that may exist beyond the human experience.
He's managed to keep the proverbial low profile over
the decades and has purposely stayed out of the public
eye, due to a secret that he harbours. His life was
perfect. That was, until Evangeline Keegan enters his
life and disrupts the perfect facade that he had erected
over the centuries... more»»
Jessica S.
9th August 2009 [9/10] |
Danny Gospel by David Athey
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Gina Hendrix has sent in a review for Danny
Gospel by David Athey. Once he'd performed in his
family's gospel band, but now most of his loved ones
have passed on. Still known as 'Danny Gospel', he is
living a sedate, quiet life as a postman in a small
Iowa town. Soon his tranquil existence is broken open
by - a dream, a vision, a sign? - a beautiful woman
he is sure is his 'beloved'. Logic and sense tucked
safely out of harm's way, Danny launches a quest to
find his true love. Always good-natured, he is a hero
on a journey - dreaming impossible dreams and, no matter
how much he must suffer, pursuing romance and heavenly
glory... more»»
Gina Hendrix
9th Augus 2009 t [8/10] |
Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Redemption
Ark by Alastair Reynolds. Many, many millennia ago,
the Inhibitors seeded the universe with machines designed
to detect intelligent life - and then to suppress it.
But after hundreds of millions of years, the machines
started to fail and intelligent cultures started to
emerge. Then Dr Dan Sylveste and the crew of Infinity
discovered what had happened to the long-vanished Amarantin
race... and awakened the Inhibitors. On Yellowstone,
where no one is quite who they appear, the Inquisitor
and the planet's Most Wanted War Criminal are watching
as the Inhibitors turn a small group of planets into
raw materials. Whatever they are building with those
materials is not going to be good for Humanity... more»»
Paul
Lappen 20th june 2009
[9/10] |
Gangs of Glasgow by Robert Jeffrey
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Gangs
of Glasgow by Robert Jeffrey. In the twenty-first
century, Glasgow is still a city living down a fearsome
reputation for crime. And for some citizens of the Dear
Green Place, brawling is in the blood and gang warfare
is a way of life. The stinking deprivation of the Gorbals
and the East End, deprivation that helped spawn pre-war
gangs like the Billy Boys, the Norman Conks and the
Redskins, is largely gone, but in each era new gangs
have risen to take their place. Battles over turf and
control of the drugs trade still make regularly lurid
headlines... more»»
Jessica
20th June 2009 [8/10]
|
Six Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzie
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sarah has sent in a review for Six
Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzie. Luke spots Eve
at his dad's funeral. She's hot - and she's the perfect
distraction from his messed up family life. There's
only one problem - she's got a boyfriend. Still, Luke's
not going to give up that easily... When he meets Ryan
at a party and hears about 'the Six Steps method' to
guarantee success with any girl, Luke determines to
put it to the test. Step by step, he begins to get closer
to Eve... more»»
Sarah
20th June 2009 [9/10] |
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Richard Meads has sent in a review for The
Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. 'I looked
around and people's faces were distorted... lights were
flashing everywhere... the screen at the end of the
room had three or four different films on it at once,
and the strobe light was flashing faster than it had
been... the band was playing but I couldn't hear the
music... people were dancing... someone came up to me
and I shut my eyes and with a machine he projected images
on the back of my eye-lids... I sought out a person
I trusted and he laughed and told me that the Kool-Aid
had been spiked and that I was beginning my first LSD
experience'... more»»
Richard Meads
20th June 2009 [9/10] |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Average Rating [10/10]
(1 Review)
Sarah has sent in a review for The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by
Mark Haddon, a murder mystery novel like no other. The
detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher
is fifteen and has Asperger's, a form of autism. He
knows a very great deal about maths and very little
about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the
truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being
touched. He has never gone further than the end of the
road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog
murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will
turn his whole world upside down... more»»
Sarah
10th May 2009 [10/10] |
The Last Godfather by Reg McKay
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Last Godfather by Reg McKay. No-one could rule bloody
Glasgow, they said. Arthur Thompson proved them all
wrong. From a normal working class family, Thompson
started out as a bouncer, minder and bagman. Hard, bright,
he learned young. Cross him - you were scarred. Cheat
him - he nailed you to the floor. The gangsters of Glasgow
thought it couldn't get worse. It did. For forty years
Thompson ruled Glasgow's mean streets, always devising
new terror... more»»
Jessica
10th May 2009 [8/10]
|
Accelerando by Charles Stross
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Accelerando
by Charles Stross. The year is some time between 2010
and 2015. The recession has ended, but populations are
ageing and the rate of tech change is accelerating dizzyingly.
Manfred makes his living from spreading ideas around,
putting people in touch with one another and leaving
a spray of technologies in his wake. He lives at the
cutting edge of intelligence amplification technology,
but even Manfred can take on too much... more»»
Paul
Lappen 10th May 2009
[9/10] |
The Rasner Effect by Mark Rosendorf
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for The
Rasner Effect by Mark Rosendorf. When the Duke Organization,
a group of ruthless killers, set off a violent explosion,
they wiped out Rick Rasner's life as he knew it. Many
years later, as he still struggled to remember any shred
of his former existence, he put a new life together
- as a therapist in the Brookhill Children's Psychiatric
Residence, a facility for troubled urban teens. The
Duke Organization then resurfaced, searching for Rick
Rasner... more»»
Molly
Martin 10th May 2009
[8/10] |
Jasmine's Tortoise by Corinne Souza
Average Rating [5/10]
(1 Review)
John Alwyine-Mosely has sent in a review for Jasmine's
Tortoise by Corinne Souza. On the eve of the 2003
invasion of Iraq, Children & Spies, an
operative training manual written by former KGB General
Nico Stollen, goes to the top of the Amazon bestseller
chart. The crisis it provokes reaches into a perplexing
world of 1960s politics, freemasons, diplomats, spooks
and Jesuits. Which of the superpowers poisoned the Kurdish
water supply? Why was Britain's defence secretary murdered
twenty years later? What was the sinister history of
the construction giant Fitzwilliams International, inherited
by his widow, Jasmine Fitzwilliams? Blending historical
detail with fiction, a huge cast is introduced as the
narrative tracks the abiding friendship between three
families... more»»
John Alwyine-Mosely
10th May 2009 [5/10] |
Are You Dave Gorman? by David Gorman &
Danny Wallace
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Charlotte has sent in a review for Are
You Dave Gorman? by David Gorman & Danny Wallace.
After a heavy night of tequila, flatmates Dave and Danny
set off on what turns out to be a 24,000-mile journey
to meet all the other Dave Gormans in the world. They
visit Scotland, Israel, America, France and Ireland.
They even hold a party in London where 50 Dave Gormans
attend, including two women who have kindly changed
their name via deed-poll. Silly, but engrossing, fascinating
and addictive - and a touching story of two friends
who grow to share a mutual obsession... more»»
Charlotte
10th May 2009 [7/10] |
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Simon Rowley has sent in a review for Less
Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. Clay comes home
to L.A. for Christmas vacation and re-enters a landscape
of limitless privilege and moral entropy, where everyone
drives Porsches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains
of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend,
Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian,
who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday
turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes
him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions,
seedy bars, and underground rock clubs... more»»
Simon Rowley
10th May 2009 [8/10] |
This Charming Man by Marian Keyes
Average Rating [10/10]
(1 Review)
Catherine Davies has sent in a review for This
Charming Man by Marian Keyes. Lola has just found
out that her boyfriend - charismatic politician Paddy
de Courcy - is getting married. To someone else. Heartbroken,
Lola flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will
Lola’s retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Journalist
Grace wants the inside story on Paddy de Courcy’s engagement
and thinks Lola holds the key to it. Grace knew Paddy
a long time ago. But why can’t she forget him? Grace’s
sister, Marnie, might have the answer but she also has
issues with the past... more»»
Catherine Davies
10th May 2009 [10/10] |
I Was Born Dead by David Rehak
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Amy has kindly sent in a review for the autobiographical
I
Was Born Dead by David Rehak. In this highly personal
and confessional memoir, which reads more like a novel
in the first person, Rehak tells us an engrossing and
unique life history of being born overseas under the
oppressive veil of communism, then escaping and growing
up free in democratic Canada, living briefly in the
conservative southern United States, and then making
his home in the liberal atmosphere of Europe... more»»
Amy
10th May 2009 [9/10] |
Night Work by Thomas Glavinic
Average Rating [5/10]
(2 Reviews)
Farhan has sent in a review for Night
Work by Thomas Glavinic. The radio and TV are suddenly
filled with white noise, there's no newspaper, the Internet
is down and no one's answering the phone. Jonas seems
to be the last living creature on the planet. But what
happened? And why is he still here? Thriller and philosophical
investigation wrapped up in an intensely compelling,
eerie mystery, Night
Work is compulsive and exhilarating - but don't
read it when you're all alone... more»»
Farhan
10th May 2009 [1/10]
|
Love Heals All Pain by Melissa Miller
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica S. has sent in a review for Love
Heals All Pain by Melissa Miller. A strong woman,
Rachel Connors faces the possibility of breast cancer.
Scared and alone, she keeps her fears to herself. Going
home to Tennessee for the holidays for the first time
in years, Rachel meets Kyle Landers. Kyle has decided
from the start to not like Rachel. Her absence has been
hard on her parents - two loving people who took Kyle
under their wing when he had no one. But is his anger
misplaced? Is there more to Rachel Connors than he first
thought... more»»
Jessica S.
10th May 2009 [7/10] |
Murder Capital by Reg McKay
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Murder
Capital by Reg McKay. Murder Capital of Europe,
that's Glasgow. A city more lethal than London, Paris,
Rome, Amsterdam, Dublin or strife-torn Belfast. But
what's the truth behind the headlines, the real story
on the streets of Glasgow? And who has earned the city
its shocking and brutal reputation? Reg McKay reveals
the truth about the killers, the victims and life and
death on the streets... more»»
Jessica
13th April 2009 [8/10]
|
Knowledge of Angels by Jill Paton Walsh
Average Rating [6/10]
(1 Review)
Amina Malik has sent in a review for Knowledge
of Angels by Jill Paton Walsh. It is, perhaps, the
fifteenth century and the ordered tranquillity of a
Mediterranean island is about to be shattered by the
appearance of two outsiders: one, a castaway, plucked
from the sea by fishermen, whose beliefs represent a
challenge to the established order; the other, a child
abandoned by her mother and suckled by wolves, who knows
nothing of the precarious relationship between Church
and State but whose innocence will become the subject
of a dangerous experiment. But the arrival of the Inquisition
on the island creates a darker, more threatening force
which will transform what has been a philosophical game
of chess into a matter of life and death... more»»
Amina Malik
13th April 2009 [6/10] |
 Aftermath
by Rhys Wilcox
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Aftermath
by Rhys Wilcox. Luke Robinson, an advertising sales
assistant from Camden, saved the World from an alien
invasion. That's a fact. Luke Robinson murdered a young
man after a night out down the pub. Allegedly. Charges
have been made against humanity's saviour and this special
hearing is to find out if it's right to send him to
trial. And, moreover, if he's actually mentally fit
to be tried. As the witnesses testify, the World discovers
a little bit more about Luke Robinson before, during
and after the invasion. The World will also find out
a lot more about the invasion itself. Is the World ready
for that kind of truth? Can it handle it? Who is Luke
Robinson? Does the World really want to know the truth...
more»»
Nigel
29th March 2009 [9/10] |
Once Upon a Time in England by Helen Walsh
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Once
Upon a Time in England by Helen Walsh.It's the coldest
night of 1975. A young man with shock-red hair tears
through the snowbound streets of Warrington's toughest
housing estate. He is Robbie Fitzgerald, and he is running
for his life - and that of his young family. In his
heart, Robbie knows the odds are stacked against them.
In this unbending northern town, he has married the
beautiful brown nurse who once stitched up his wounds.
Susheela is his Tamil princess, but in the real world
the Fitzgeralds have to face up to prejudice, poverty,
and naked hatred from their neighbours... more»»
Jessica
8th March 2009 [9/10]
|
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
John Alwyine-Mosely has sent in a review for The
Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. 'Once upon
a time, there was a boy who lost his mother…' High in
his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the
loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with
only the books on his shelf for company. As David takes
refuge from his grief in the myths and fairytales so
beloved of his dead mother, he finds the real world
and the fantasy world begin to blend. That is when bad
things start to happen. That is when the Crooked Man
comes. And David is violently propelled into a land
populated by heroes, wolves and monsters, his quest
to find the legendary Book of Lost Things...
more»»
John Alwyine-Mosely
8th March 2009 [7/10] |
Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Michael Savage has sent in a review for Big
Sur by Jack Kerouac. A gritty, moving take on the
destruction of his own myth, as the 'King of the Beats'
approaches middle age! Unmistakably autobiographical,
Big
Sur, Kerouac's ninth novel, was written as the 'King
of the Beats' was approaching middle-age and reflects
his struggle to come to terms with his own myth. The
magnificent and moving story of Jack Duluoz, a man blessed
by great talent and cursed with an urge towards self-destruction,
Big
Sur is at once Kerouac's toughest and his most humane
work... more»»
Michael Savage 8th
March 2009 [8/10] |
The Journal of Dora Damage by Belinda Starling
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Anne Cater has sent in a review for The
Journal of Dora Damage by Belinda Starling. London,
1859. By the time Dora Damage discovers that her husband
Peter has arthritis in his hands, it is too late - their
book-binding business is in huge debt and the family
is on the brink of entering the poorhouse. But Dora
proves that she is more than just a housewife and mother.
She resolves to rescue her family at any price and finds
herself irrevocably entangled in a web of sex, money,
deceit and the law. Belinda Starling's debut novel is
a startling vision of Victorian London, juxtaposing
its filth and poverty with its affluence... more»»
Anne Cater 8th
March 2009 [9/10] |
The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Joanne has sent in a review for The
Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. The cult classic that
can still change your life... Let the dice decide! This
is the philosophy that changes the life of bored psychiatrist
Luke Rhinehart - and in some ways changes the world
as well. Because once you hand over your life to the
dice, anything can happen. Entertaining, humorous, scary,
shocking, subversive, The
Dice Man is one of the cult bestsellers of our time...
more»»
Joanne 8th
March 2009 [9/10] |
Me, Myself & Prague by Rachael Weiss
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jerry Koliha has sent in a review for Me,
Myself & Prague by Rachael Weiss. Armed only
with a romantic soul and a 1973 guide to communist Czechoslovakia,
Rachael Weiss heads off in search of adventure, love
and her Bohemian roots in this funny, flippant and fabulous
story of her year of living and loving in Prague. In
this warm and witty tale of life in a foreign land,
Rachael, somewhat to her own surprise, finds herself
gradually creating a second home in Prague, complete
with an eccentric and unlikely tribe of extended family
and friends; and realises along the way that while she's
been striving so hard to become someone else, she has
inadvertently grown to rather like the person she has
always been... more»»
Jerry Koliha 8th
March 2009 [9/10] |
Going In Seine by Maria Anton
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Mick Stearbs has sent in a review for Going
In Seine by Maria Anton. Maria Anton is English
but has a passion for France and its language. Several
years ago, recovering from a severe emotional breakdown,
she bought a tiny Parisian apartment on the spur of
the moment. Buying a property is complicated and harrowing
at the best of times. Buying one overseas, with unfamiliar
bureaucratic procedures to deal with, can be terrifyingly
traumatic. But factor in a hyperactive daughter who
works in Paris and needs a permanent roof over her head,
an apartment that requires a huge amount of loving attention
to make it habitable and an ever-demanding bladder -
and you have the makings of a major crisis... more»»
Mick Stearbs 8th
March 2009 [9/10] |
Ears by Lehel Vandor
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Levente Toth has sent in a review for Ears
by Lehel Vandor. Ears, too many of them, catching any
accidental voicing of free thought... The tragicomedy
of spraying trees with green paint during the Leader's
visits... The deadly denial of the existence of serious
'imperialist' diseases... Three hours of TV broadcasts
per day, food rationing, power cuts... Then, the Romanian
Revolution of 1989, which replaced communism with democracy,
artificial stability with chaos, external threats with
internal tensions, power with corruption, religion with
greed... and one dread with many fears. It is a personal
journey of a Transylvanian Hungarian ethnic child of
Ceausescu's dark '70s, a teenager during the suffocating
Romanian '80s, a student during the surreal '90s and
an emigrant of recent years... more»»
Levente Toth 8th
March 2009 [9/10] |
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Ashlyn has kindly sent in a review for Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer. When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves
to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects
that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in
spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she
finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale,
dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the
Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters
obviously prefer their own company and will make no
exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward
Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange
attraction to him... more»»
Ashlyn 1st
March 2009 [9/10] |
 Lost
in Juarez by Douglas Lindsay
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Lost
in Juarez by Douglas Lindsay. When his latest book
is shelved due to government interference, Lake Weston
decides that it is time to stand up for personal rights.
He writes and anonymously publishes a scathing Animal
Farm-esque diatribe against a government which seeks
to restrict civil liberties in the name of freedom.
The book quickly achieves notoriety and within a month
is banned under an obscure paragraph of anti-terror
legislation. As the security services close in, Weston
finds his name dragged through the gutter press, and
suddenly he must run for his life... more»»
Nigel
1st February 2009 [9/10] |
Night Work by Thomas Glavinic
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Night
Work by Thomas Glavinic. The radio and TV are suddenly
filled with white noise, there's no newspaper, the Internet
is down and no one's answering the phone. Jonas seems
to be the last living creature on the planet. But what
happened? And why is he still here? Thriller and philosophical
investigation wrapped up in an intensely compelling,
eerie mystery, Night
Work is compulsive and exhilarating - but don't
read it when you're all alone... more»»
Jessica
25th January 2009 [9/10]
|
All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and
Carl Bernstein
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Rebecca has kindly sent in a review for All
the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
It began with a break-in at the Democratic National
Committee headquarters in Washington DC, on 17 June
1972. Bob Woodward, a journalist for the Washington
Post, was called into the office on a Saturday morning
to cover the story. Carl Bernstein, a political reporter
on the Post, was also assigned. They soon learned this
was no ordinary burglary. Following lead after lead,
Woodward and Bernstein picked up a trail of money, conspiracy
and high-level pressure that ultimately led to the doors
of the Oval Office... more»»
Rebecca Campbell
4th January 2009 [9/10] |
The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Sam has kindly sent in a review for The
Recruit by Robert Muchamore. A terrorist doesn’t
let strangers in her flat because they might be undercover
police or intelligence agents, but her children bring
their mates home and they run all over the place. The
terrorist doesn’t know that a kid has bugged every room
in her house, cloned the hard drive on her PC, and copied
all the numbers in her phone book. The kid works for
CHERUB. They slip under adult radar and get information
that sends criminals and terrorists to jail. For official
purposes, these children do not exist... more»»
Sam Bailey
4th January 2009 [9/10] |
|
Happy New Year
Well, the end of another year has arrived. Next year BookLore
will be celebrating its tenth year online so look out
for some exciting competitions, interesting articles and
other cool stuff we are not exactly sure about yet, other
than, in the words of one Ford Prefect, it should be Froody...
Happy New Year to one and all.
Admin
31st December 2009 |
My School Book Club
The My
School Book Club project represents the 21st century
evolution of the familiar school book club concept. This
new online service provides children with an engaging
interactive literary community, offers parents direct
access to a wide range of quality assured and competitively
priced titles, whilst also delivering a significant new
revenue stream for schools... more»»
Admin 31st August 2009 |
BookLore Site Update
Finally a decent update worth reporting with 11 new reviews
so far this month. The Publication
Dates page for forthcoming titles has been updated,
up to and including August. Also updated are the latest
Top 10 Hardback
and Paperback
charts (we are now trying to do this weekly so they show
the current charts)… and finally we have revised the Reviewers
Index page to link to the titles submitted for review
or the reviewer’s page if there is one; this was just
becoming a long list of names without reason… at least
now you can see the submissions made by each person. As
always enjoy.
Admin 10th May 2009 |
McGan's Meditations
Michael McGan, the author of Fleeting
Thoughts and The
Hamster Never Sleeps, is as topical as ever with his
latest meditation...
Looking for a New Job?
Here
are some power verbs for your resume, and some examples
of how to use them effectively.
On a daily basis: I appraised work schedules
and charted the easiest course for myself which
enabled me to spend more time getting familiarised
with an attractive co-worker who was shaped very
nicely. I asked her if she exercised and recommended
that we go out for a drink sometime but she maintained
her position and confided in me the fact that
she had contracted something that could be transmitted
and advised me to back off. Around the workplace,
I regularly communicated my general dissatisfaction
to co-workers and fabricated elaborate excuses
for not being able to perform my duties. I convinced
my boss that I had mastered my job and was always
hard at work, as I demonstrated strong acting
skills which included sustained sighs
as I improvised dialogue creating the illusion
that I was actually doing something important. Many
employees were amused by my actions. It was soon
indicated that I displayed excellent work
ethics and should be assigned to an elevated
level of responsibility. This raised a few eyebrows
around the office, which was justified, and it
was soon suggested by several people that my
work history should be investigated rather than
having my position upgraded. I was actually relieved
when it was stated that perhaps this promotion
was not properly conceptualized, and that the
whole matter should be reviewed immediately.
I was told that if these accusations were substantiated
I would be restored to my former position immediately
until my case was further scrutinised. I was
later informed that management had been enlightened,
the situation was being rectified, and that I
was being terminated. As you can see, I was an
employee that initiated action and would be a
good addition to your company if hired.
Résumés 101 - Always remember to read the whole
thing. :)
Michael McGan 4th January 2009 |
|
