The
Cursed Man by Keith Rommel
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
Paul has sent in a review for The
Cursed Man by Keith Rommel. Alister Kunkle believes
death is in love with him. A simple smile from friend
or stranger is all it takes to encourage death to kill.
With his family deceased and a path of destruction behind
him, Alister sits inside a mental institution, sworn
to silence and separated from the rest of the world,
haunted by his inability to escape death’s preferential
treatment. But when a beautiful psychologist arrives
at the institution and starts offering him care, Alister
braces himself for more killings. When none follow,
he tries to figure out whether he truly is insane or
if death has finally come to him in the form of a woman...
more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st December 2011
[9/10] |
Sanctus
by Simon Toyne
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
David Hagen has sent in a review for Sanctus
by Simon Toyne. The certainties of the modern world
are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old
conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies... A man throws
himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place
on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the
historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide
but a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed
by the entire world. But few understand it. For charity
worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others in the know,
it is what they have been waiting for. The cowled and
secretive fanatics that live in the Citadel suspect
it could mean the end of everything they have built
- and they will kill, torture and break every law to
stop that... more»»
David Hagen 31st
December 2011 [9/10] |
The Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The
Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell. The Alliance
has been fighting the Syndics for a century, and losing
badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy
territory. Their only hope is a man who has emerged
from a century-long hibernation to find he has been
heroically idealized beyond belief. Captain John 'Black
Jack' Geary's legendary exploits are known to every
schoolchild. Revered for his heroic 'last stand' in
the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But
a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival
hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance
fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics... more»»
Paul
Lappen 30th November 2011
[8/10] |
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Average Rating [8/10]
(2 Reviews)
Molly 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. Bruno’s friendship with Shmuel will take him
from innocence to revelation... more»»
Molly
Martin 30th November 2011
[8/10] |
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Chloe Lizotte has sent in a review for Into
the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Immediately after graduating
from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through
the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those
made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the
Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its
license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would
give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and ,
unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free
to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature
presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless
simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate
parents and sister, he vanished into the wild. Four
months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose
hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable
story of Into
the Wild.... more»»
Chloe Lizotte
30th November 2011 [9/10] |
The Great American Bus Ride by Irma Kurtz
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for The
Great American Bus Ride by Irma Kurtz. After more
than thirty years as an expatriate, Irma Kurtz gave
in to her growing curiosity about her American roots
and set off on a grand adventure to explore 'the most
baffling of all places' - by Greyhound bus. Taking only
the barest necessities for travel, she entered the vast
network of America's bus routes and a seething, fleeting
world of brief encounters and changing landscapes. During
the great loops of her journey back and forth across
the continent, Kurtz was as fascinated by the people
thrown up at random on each bus as by the places flashing
by outside the window. She creates a vivid and highly
entertaining portrait of America reflected in the hundreds
of characters she observes fromthe close quarters of
the bus... more»»
Ben Macnair
30th November 2011
[7/10] |
Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Hidayah Ismawi has sent in a review for Nights
of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy. In a Greek taverna,
high over the small village of Aghia Anna, four people
meet for the first time: Fiona, an Irish nurse, Thomas,
a Californian academic; Elsa, a German television presenter;
and David a shy English boy. Along with Andreas, the
old man who runs the taverna, they become close to each
other after witnessing a tragedy when a pleasure steamer
catches fire in the harbour. Nights of Rain and Stars
is the story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa
and David all have to face the particular life crisis
which first made them leave their homes and end up in
Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irish
woman who lives in the village and is now a near-native,
they each find a solution - although not necessarily
the one they anticipated... more»»
Hidayah Ismawi
30th November 2011 [8/10]
|
Quirky Kids Zoo by Pat Brannon
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Deb Hockenberry has sent in a review for Quirky
Kids Zoo by Pat Brannon. Have you ever been to a
zoo where the elephants and ants play leap frog together
and the zebras cook burgers and fries? What about goldfish
playing guitars and goats washing the visitors' cars?
I'm assuming you've never seen tigers jump rope or a
polar bear wear pink tennis shoes? Of course you haven't
because there is only one zoo where animals behave this
way-the Quirky Kids' Zoo. Did I mention the gopher races
and the giraffes playing hopscotch? Guess not. Well,
some things you'll just have to see for yourself. So,
grab Mom and Dad and jump in the car and head over to
the Quirky Kids' Zoo for an adventure you won't soon
forget... more»»
Deb Hockenberry
30th November 2011
[9/10] |
Young Flesh Required: Growing Up With the
Sex Pistols by Alan G. Parker and Mick O'Shea
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Dan Swinhoe has sent in a review for Young
Flesh Required: Growing Up With the Sex Pistols
by Alan G. Parker and Mick O'Shea. Think you know the
story of the Sex Pistols? Think again... Alan
G. Parker and Mick O Shea have spent much of their adult
lives following the Sex Pistols and their names
are almost synonymous with them. Both have previously
written bestselling books on the subject and Alan has
also directed the critically acclaimed film Who
Killed Nancy. Young
Flesh Required: Growing Up With the Sex Pistols
brings together extensive research, exclusive interviews
and personal reflections to tell the stories behind
the newspaper headlines and get to the heart of the
band. The Sex Pistols were the young flesh
that Malcolm McLaren required to satisfy his artistic
and financial ambitions. Here is their real story...
more»»
Dan Swinhoe
30th November 2011
[9/10] |
ZombieStop Parade by Richard Buzzell
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for
ZombieStop Parade by Richard Buzzell. This story
has nothing to do with zombies. It's about a young man
who places himself in conflict with his society. He
conducts an online campaign of ridicule against the
cash-grab mentality and connects with a nascent alienation
developing on college campuses, but also creates enemies
in the media. Under pressure to betray his pal, his
best friend is torn between his misgivings and his loyalty.
In the wake of the financial fiasco some of our citizens
have come into conflict with the prevailing economic
culture. This book attempts to capture the passion,
the turmoil, and the strife of that conflict... more»»
Molly
Martin 30th November 2011
[8/10] |
Yesterday's
Flight by Martyn Ellington
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Yesterday's
Flight by Martyn Ellington. When a Dinosaur fossil
is unearthed in the Badlands of America the last thing
Susan Lavey expected to see as the cause of death was
the tail section of an airliner. Now together with Bruce
Ackland, a chief air crash investigator, they must find
out why and how this could have happened and what became
of the passengers on board. William Relford was flying
to yet another meeting, but this time it was to hand
in his notice; he had worked in sales for as long as
he liked to remember and now was the time for a change.
But destiny has a way of changing things in ways we
can't imagine, and now it was about to bring them all
together in a race for the truth and for one of them:
their very survival... more»»
Nigel
31st October 2011 [8/10]
|
Pock's World by Dave Duncan
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Pock's
World by Dave Duncan. Pock's World, long settled
by humankind, is accused of being infected by humanoid
aliens. It has been quarantined and may have to be sterilized.
Five people are chosen to go there and examine the evidence:
saintly but ruthless Father Andre; Ratty Turnsole, a
muckraking reporter ripe for romance; ambitious politician
Athena Fimble; manipulative bureaucrat Millie Backet;
and shady billionaire Linn Lazuline. Some of them carry
grudges - all have their own agendas. Pock's World surprises
them all. Nothing is what they expect. Quickly entangled
in love, politics, religion, and deceit, they discover
that the clock is already ticking and the fate of humanity
itself is at stake... more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st Ocotber 2011
[9/10] |
Strong Enough to Die by Jon Land
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Hidayah Ismawi has sent in a review for Strong
Enough to Die by Jon Land. Caitlin Strong is a fifth-generation
Texas Ranger, proud to wear the badge of her father
and grandfather-until a deadly shoot-out causes her
to question her calling. Five years later Caitlin is
still trying to purge herself of guilt born of the actions
that ended her Ranger career. But a shattering discovery
will reopen old wounds and Caitlin/s renewed investigation
into the truth behind the bloody desert fire fight uncovers
a terrifying plot that reaches into every home and threatens
the very core of the country. Her only hope for success
and survival - is to team up with Cort Wesley Masters,
an outlaw who has every reason to want her dead. But
he also holds the key to the truth she desperately seeks
in the anguished brain of an amnesiac torture victim...
more»»
Hidayah Ismawi
31st October 2011 [7/10]
|
Disciple
of a Dark God by Edmund Glasby
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Disciple
of a Dark God by Edmund Glasby. Assassin, cultist,
zealot; his sole aim in life is to serve the evil god
who enabled him to exact his revenge. Satiated by this
act, but forever bitter and cynical, Everus does whatever
is required by the cult, and more importantly by Xethorn,
who contacts him directly. As far as Everus is aware,
he has already killed those responsible for his downfall
and asks only to repay his deity. To this end, and with
assistance from a grave-robbing thief with his own agenda,
he seeks the wards which will allow Xethorn to gain
supremacy over the world. Arrogant, charismatic and
cold-hearted, Everus begins to realise that even his
cynical view of people is not dark enough, as he eventually
discovers the true extent to which he has been manipulated...
more»»
Nigel
30th September 2011
[8/10] |
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Hidayah Ismawi has sent in a review for The
White Queen by Philippa Gregory. Internationally
bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings the tumult
and intrigue of The Wars of the Roses to vivid life
through the women of the House of Lancaster and the
House of York, beginning with the story of Elizabeth
Woodville, the White Queen. A woman who won the love
of a king and ascended to royalty by virtue of her beauty,
Elizabeth fought tenaciously for the success of her
family - her daughter who would one day unite the warring
dynasties, and her two sons whose eventual fate has
confounded historians for centuries: the Princes in
the Tower... more»»
Hidayah Ismawi
30th September 2011 [7/10]
|
Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois
Lelord
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for Hector
and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord. What
is the secret formula for love? Hector, our intrepid
psychiatrist, sets off on a new globe-trotting mission
and this time he is looking for Love. One of the world
s largest pharmaceutical companies has employed him
to track down their brilliant scientist, Professor Cormorant,
who has disappeared abroad with the secret of a modern-day
love potion. Leaving behind his troubled relationship
with girlfriend Clara, Hector s adventure takes him
to the Far East and into the arms of beautiful Vayla,
forcing our hero to think deeply about what love really
is/means... more»»
Ben Macnair
30th September 2011
[7/10] |
Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly
Average Rating [8/10]
(2 Reviews)
Jessica has sent in a review for Chasing
the Dime by Michael Connelly. A searing thriller
about a simple wrong number that opens a line into terror...
Henry Pierce has a whole new life - new apartment, new
telephone, new phone line. But the first time he checks
his messages, he discovers that someone had the number
before him. The messages on his line are for a woman
named Lilly, and she is in some kind of serious trouble.
Pierce is inexorably drawn into Lilly's world, and it's
unlike any world he's ever known. It is a nighttime
world of escort services, websites, sex, and secret
identities. Pierce tumbles through a hole, abandoning
his orderly life in a frantic race to save the life
of a woman he has never met... more»»
Jessica
30th September 2011 [8/10]
|
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Chloe Lizotte has sent in a review for The
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The
Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the "roaring
twenties", and a devastating expose of the "Jazz
Age". Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the
reader is taken into the superficially glittering world
of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore in
the 1920s, to encounter Nick's cousin Daisy, her brash
but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the
mystery that surrounds him... more»»
Chloe Lizotte
30th September 2011 [9/10] |
The
Ascent of Isaac Steward by Mike French
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The
Ascent of Isaac Steward by Mike French, the remarkable
and extraordinary debut novel from the senior editor
of the prestigious literary magazine, The View From
Here. Written with a literary, lyrical voice, the
book follows Isaac Steward in an emotional and original
tale as he struggles to deal with the resurfacing of
a suppressed memory of a car crash a year ago which
killed his wife, Rebekah, his son, Esau, and left his
other son, Jacob, in a coma. Isaac becomes increasingly
dysfunctional and delusional as the story unfolds in
a hypnotic and startling way bringing into play childhood
memories of a Punch and Judy show and the revelation
from his half-brother, Ishmael, that in order to be
reunited with Rebekah he must be brought to a tree from
his father's wood called The Dandelion Tree... more»»
Chrissi
31st August 2011 [8/10]
|
The Ashes of Worlds by Kevin J. Anderson
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The
Ashes of Worlds by Kevin J. Anderson. Galactic empires
clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems,
and the factions of humanity are pitted against each
other. The allied factions of humanity, along with the
waning Ildiran Empire, the powerful water elementals
and sentient trees, have defeated the near-invincible
race of the hydrogues, driving them back into the depths
of gas-giant planets. But before peace can heal the
wounds between the races, two ancient enemies return:
the capricious fiery elementals, the faeros, who mean
to burn all those who fought alongside their enemies;
and the lost hive race of the Klikiss, who intend to
reclaim the worlds they inhabited 10,000 years earlier,
worlds that are now home to many human colonies... more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st August 2011
[9/10] |
The Radleys by Matt Haig
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for The
Radleys by Matt Haig. Meet the Radleys: Peter, Helen
and their teenage kids Clara and Rowan. An everyday
family who live in a pretty English village and juggle
dysfunctional lives. So far, so normal. Except, as Peter
and Helen know (but the kids have yet to find out),
the Radleys happen to be a family of abstaining vampires.
When one night Clara finds herself driven to commit
a bloodthirsty act of violence, her parents need to
explain a few things: why is their skin is so sensitive
to light, why do they all find garlic so repulsive,
and why has Clara's recent decision to go vegan had
quite such an effect on her behaviour... more»»
Ben Macnair
31st August 2011
[8/10] |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Average Rating [9/10]
(3 Reviews)
Hidayah Ismawi and Mihir have each sent in a review
for A
Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Mariam
is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the
troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her
senior. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows
between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong
as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban
take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against
starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a
person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome
the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism...
more»»
Hidayah Ismawi
31st August 2011 [8/10]
Mihir
31st August 2011 [9/10]
|
The Royal Dragoneers by M. R. Mathias
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for The
Royal Dragoneers by M. R. Mathias. After struggling
for more than two centuries to tame the inhospitable,
dragon infested Islands where they washed up, the descendants
of the survivors of a lost passenger ship are now striving
to tame the Mainland they have found. But the Goblin
King has a different plan for the men who are invading
his territory. He and his Nightshade are rallying the
trolls to defend their lands. With the help of the dragons,
goblins, and orcs they plan on rendering the wall the
humans have built useless, so that they can drive man
back to the islands from where they came. When stubborn
King Blanchard finally accepts that the kingdom really
is under attack it may be too late, and the only ones
who can save the people on the Mainland have been locked
away in the dungeon... more»»
Molly
Martin 31st August 2011
[8/10] |
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Chloe Lizotte has sent in a review for Cleopatra:
A Life by Stacy Schiff. The Pulitzer Prize-winning
biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman
in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen
of Egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and
gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.
Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and
an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer
than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient
world. She was married twice, each time to a brother.
She waged a brutal civil war against the first when
both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately
she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest
and assassination were family specialties... more»»
Chloe Lizotte
31st August 2011 [9/10] |
American Weather by Charles McLeod
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Megan Martin has sent in a review for American
Weather by Charles McLeod. Meet Jim Haskin. He's
forty years old. He's worth around thirty-five million.
He runs his own San Francisco ad firm, American Weather.
AmWe's image is green, modern and forward-looking: if
your product is upcycled or hydro or vegan, they'll
make you an ad. But behind the scenes, Jim manufactures
ways to support the old captains of American industry;
bleach, beer and guns. Orphaned at 14, Jim and his three
closest friends grew up at Mr Hand's Home for Well-Behaved
Boys. All have profited from the American dream. In
2008, on the brink of the Presidential election, the
quartet finds themselves short on cash and look to Jim
for a solution. The scheme he devises involves a Death
Row inmate, pay-per-view television, and most of America's
major corporations. Everything is set for it to be his
greatest achievement yet... more»»
Megan Martin
31st August 2011
[9/10] |
Stormchaser by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Average Rating [9/10]
(3 Reviews)
Nadine has also sent in a review for Stormchaser
by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell, the second book
in The Edge Chronicles. Since his childhood
in the Deepwoods, young Twig has always longed to soar
above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a lowly
crew-member on his father's sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser,
his dream seems fulfilled. Their quest is to collect
stormphrax - a valuable substance created inside the
heart of a Great Storm, at the very instant it unleashes
its most intense power. But only a sky ship such as
the Stormchaser could risk entering the storm. But a
much higher destiny awaits Twig as plots and treacheries
from many years ago bring the lofty city of Sanctaphrax
- home of the Edgeworld's most learned academics - to
the point of disaster... more»»
Nadine(2)
31st August 2011 [9/10] |
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The
Echo Maker by Richard Powers. On a winter night
on a remote road in Nebraska, twenty-seven-year-old
Mark Schluter's truck turns over in a near fatal accident.
His older sister, Karin, his only close relative, returns
reluctantly to their hometown to nurse Mark back from
a traumatic head injury. But when he emerges from a
protracted coma, Mark believes that this woman - who
looks, acts, and sounds just like his sister - is really
an identical impostor. Shattered by her brother's refusal
to recognise her, Karin contacts the cognitive neurologist
Gerald Weber, famous for his case studies describing
the infinitely bizarre worlds of brain disorder. Weber
recognises Mark as a very unusual case of Capgras syndrome
and is keen to investigate. But what he discovers in
Mark begins to undermine even his own sense of self....
more»»
Jessica
31st August 2011 [9/10]
|
Malta Surrendered by Joe Scicluna
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Vincenzo has sent in a review for Malta
Surrendered by Joe Scicluna. Ever since the Great
Siege of 1565, Malta became known as the impregnable
island. It was the home of the Knights of St John, that
highly admired Christian army formed of the upper crust
of Europe's nobility. And yet, when Napoleon's fleet
turned up at its shores in June 1798, the knights were
in a state of disarray. They were incapable of planning
or executing a credible defence strategy, much to Europe's
amazement. It was difficult to conceive how centuries
of glorious victories could culminate in the disgraceful
banishment that followed the surrender of Malta. These
are the memoirs of Pierre-Jean Doublet who was then
the Grand Master's secretary for the French Langue.
He witnessed the events as they unfolded and left a
detailed account of what took place and what, in his
view led to such an unpredictable outcome... more»»
Vincenzo
31st August 2011
[9/10] |
The Pumpkin Field by Linda Nance
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Deb Hockenberry has sent in a review for The
Pumpkin Field by Linda Nance. On this journey through
the pumpkin field there are strange, ominous, mysterious,
and even magical things that occur. Was it real or was
it a dream? Could that be why it is requested even now
into a new generation? I hope that my illustrations
will bring this tale to life and just as my children
and grandchildren and so many others have loved this
tale, it will bring a special smile and create memories
shared by all who read or receive it. This book is my
gift to be passed on and shared, that can live on and
reach out beyond the pages leaving delighted smiles...
more»»
Deb Hockenberry
31st August 2011
[8/10] |
The
Mayan Conspiracy by Graham Brown
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The
Mayan Conspiracy by Graham Brown. Former CIA-agent
Hawker has been black flagged by his own government
and Interpol and the State department have issued a
warrant for his arrest. All Hawker wants to do is find
a way back home that doesn't involve a prison sentence
or a body bag. Government operative Danielle Laidlaw
is his way out. She needs a pilot and a security consultant
for her mission to discover the lost Mayan city of Tulan
Zuyu. In return for his services, she promises Hawker
his life back. But as an unseen enemy stalks the rainforests,
leaving battered corpses in its wake... more»»
Chrissi
31st July 2011 [8/10]
|
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather
O’Neill
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for Lullabies
for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill. Baby is
twelve. Her mother died soon after she was born so she
lives with her father - and his heroin addiction. She's
grown up in Montreal's red-light district, never staying
anywhere long enough to call it home, and now Baby is
losing the only constant in her life: her father. He's
been sent to hospital and she's been forced into foster
care. She longs for his return; other people's families
are no substitute for her own. Starved of affection,
Baby is attracted by all the wrong people. And when
her father betrays her and she is sent to a juvenile
detention centre, she is more at risk than ever... more»»
Ben Macnair
31st July 2011
[8/10] |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Maia Sherwood Rogers has sent in a review for A
Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Mariam
is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the
troubled and bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years her
senior. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows
between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong
as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban
take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against
starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a
person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome
the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism...
more»»
Maia Sherwood Rogers
31st July 2011
[9/10] |
Haint Blue by Carl Linke
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Haint
Blue by Carl Linke. In 1986, a novice businessman,
Kip Drummond, rescued a sentimental landmark - the Lady's
Island Oyster Factory - in Beaufort, South Carolina.
But six years later, he finds himself pressured by corporate
greed and paralyzed by Low Ccountry desperation. On
one side, a trio of predators from Philadelphia, spurred
by plans to replace the rundown factory with a mega-million
dollar waterfront development, enlists the aid of a
local mole and an Italian connection to deliver a no-holds-barred
squeeze for the sale. On the opposite side, fuelled
by rumours of the undisclosed sale of the factory, the
restless Gullah workers prod their ex-Marine foreman,
"Gunny" Brewer, to go head-to-head with Kip
in an effort to squelch the deal... more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st July 2011
[9/10] |
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Average Rating [8/10]
(2 Reviews)
Lexie Moonstone 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»»
Lexie Moonstone
31st July 2011 [8/10] |
The Silmarillion by by J. R. R. Tolkien
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Finchen has sent in a review for The
Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, an account of
the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien's world.
It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The
Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events
some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.
The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when
Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth,
and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery
of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light
of Valinor... more»»
Finchen
31st July 2011 [9/10] |
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Chloe Lizotte has sent in a review for The
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the ultimate
novel for disaffected youth, but it's relevant to all
ages. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-
year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his
fourth school. Throughout, Holden dissects the 'phony'
aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the
headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of
the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using
sickly-sweet affection. Lazy in style, full of slang
and swear words, it's a novel whose interest and appeal
comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues
- in conventional terms, there is hardly any plot at
all... more»»
Chloe Lizotte
31st July 2011 [9/10] |
Unrequited by James Bennett
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Unrequited
by James Bennett. Aaron Edgeway lives in a ramshackle
house in a provincial English town with his sick and
abusive father. When he meets Victor, their romance
quickly becomes an escape from the dreary prospects
of his life. An escape that, unbeknownst to Victor,
Aaron will do almost anything to protect. Aaron has
secrets: a scandalous videotape unwittingly recorded
at a drug dealer's party, and the unwanted affections
of Alex Clay, his unruly best friend. Alex tries to
free Aaron from blackmail and harassment, building a
pressure-cooker atmosphere of desire and deceit... more»»
Molly
Martin 31st July 2011
[8/10] |
Anglesey: A Megalithic Journey by Neil McDonald
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Geoff Ward has sent in a review for Anglesey:
A Megalithic Journey by Neil McDonald. The extraordinary
wealth of ancient and historical sites on the Welsh
island of Anglesey represents a microcosm of British
history, from the deep Neolithic past to the Roman occupation,
through the rise of the Welsh princes to the heyday
of the Victorian resort of Beaumaris. It was on Anglesey
that the ancient Druids took their last stand against
the Roman invaders. Neil McDonald is an expert on the
mythic and historical geography of Anglesey. In this
fascinating book, he explores the island's heritage
and countryside, providing vivid descriptions and rich
historical backgrounds for its landmarks and culture...
more»»
Geoff Ward
31st July 2011 [9/10] |
Bad Ground by W. Dale Cramer
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Gina Hendrix has sent in a review for Bad
Ground by W. Dale Cramer. Poignant and thought provoking,
this is a down-to-earth, sometimes humorous novel filled
with suspense, action, redemption, and even romance.
Seventeen-year-old Jeremy Prine decides to honour his
mother’s dying wish and seek out his estranged uncle
who was badly burned in the accident that killed Jeremy’s
father. He finds the man working as a hard-rock miner
in the south, an extremely dangerous occupation. His
uncle seems a bitter and lonely man, but Jeremy senses
more beneath the surface... more»»
Gina Hendrix
31st July 2011
[9/10] |
Feasting the Wolf by Susan Price
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Feasting
the Wolf by Susan Price. A sweeping dramatic story
of courage and honour set in the merciless and cut-throat
Viking world. Farm boys Ottar and Ketil love to hear
stories about the Great Army; the ruthless warriors
ruled by pirate kings, the glory and riches won in blood-soaked
battles. They can only dream of such adventure until
a Viking ship comes to port and the boys decide to join
the raiding party. As blood brothers, they have sworn
to protect each other. But now the arrows of war threaten
to pierce their loyalty, the axes to sever their friendship.
If they cannot stand strong together, their bodies may
be left on the battlefield to feast the wolves.... more»»
Jessica
31st July 2011 [7/10]
|
Filth by Irvine Welsh
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Steven Lomax has sent in a review for Filth
by Irvine Welsh. With the festive season almost upon
him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down
at work and gearing up socially - kicking off Christmas
with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are
irritating flies in the ointment, though, including
a missing wife, a nagging cocaine habit, a dramatic
deterioration in his genital health, a string of increasingly
demanding extra-marital affairs. The last thing he needs
is a messy murder to solve. Still it will mean plenty
of overtime, a chance to stitch up some collegues and
finally clinch the promotion he craves. But as Bruce
spirals through the lower reaches of degradation and
evil, he encounters opposition - in the form of truth
and ethical concience... more»»
Steven Lomax
31st July 2011 [9/10] |
Singing the Psalms of the Brokenhearted by
Bill Crowder
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Gina Hendrix has sent in a review for Singing
the Psalms of the Brokenhearted by Bill Crowder.
Nowhere are the personal depths of grief and the cry
of the broken heart more clearly revealed than in the
Psalms. Through their honest, gut-level responses to
their real-life circumstances, the psalmists show joy,
anger, bitterness, guilt, resentment, vindictiveness,
and most of the other emotions all of us feel at some
time in our lives. In looking carefully at Psalms 6,
12, 13, 22, 32, 39, 42, 56, 69, and 73, the author explains
how they reveal the truth about our own grief, despair,
defeat, guilt, fear, desperation, hate, stress, unfairness,
and sin... more»»
Gina Hendrix
31st July 2011
[9/10] |
Blue
Fire Burning by Hobb Whittons
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Blue
Fire Burning by Hobb Whittons. In the dead of night,
a covered wagon driven by a hooded, faceless being is
careering through the forest at breakneck speed. Inside
the wagon, sit two jittery Goblin men: Grot and Mouldy.
Suddenly, the contents of the sack they are staring
at begin to glow... Meanwhile, unaware of the planet's
'ticking clock', the cosmopolitan human population of
the walled naval port of Bellana are busy getting their
wondrous Mermaid Stadium ready for the grand Argia Final.
Throughout this magical and marauding tale, love, trust
and a craving to belong do battle against prejudice,
religious fanaticism and the lust for power - and the
stakes could not be higher... more»»
Chrissi
2nd July 2011 [8/10]
|
Heretics: Past and Present by Brian Allan
Average Rating [6/10]
(1 Review)
Geoff Ward has sent in a review for Heretics:
Past and Present by Brian Allan. The occult, the
paranormal, UFOs and aliens, the weird and wonderful
are all covered in this remarkable and insightful book
with new angles on the old and ideas that are only just
coming to the fore in modern science. Brian Allan has
spent decades going where other researchers fear to
tread and asking difficult questions. Now in this all-encompassing
book he discovers the depth of those our religious ancestors
once called heretics. There was more to their often
seemingly strange language; there was insight in those
peculiar rituals; there was truth locked away in those
arcane ideas... more»»
Geoff Ward
30th June 2011 [6/10] |
Kaï-ro by Graham Marks
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Kaï-ro
by Graham Marks. In the year 2499, a strange new
city has risen, hot and dusty, dotted with half-built
pyramids and ruled over by a dark army. Beneath it all,
forgotten statues of ancient gods lie waiting to wreak
their power on an unsuspecting world. One boy will stand
up and become a hero. When the Gods go to war, it is
always the mortals who suffer. And when the sun rises
on a world where once again Stekh, God of Chaos, and
Horus, God of the Sky, walk the land, then battle is
inevitable... more»»
Jessica
30th June 2011 [8/10]
|
If I Never by Gary William Murning
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for If
I Never by Gary William Murning. Price is used to
living within the shadow of threatening friend George
- forever in the fear that not to follow his lead with
will end with a beating. However, new developments mean
his life finally seems to be moving from the dormant
and gaining some positive development. Before long,
though, George is back and Price finds himself following
his friend once more. But this time it is different
- secrets are discovered, decisions are to be made and
life and perspective will never be the same again...
more»»
Ben Macnair
30th June 2011
[7/10] |
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Harry Zoltaire Craig has sent in a review for Across
the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. In his black-walled
fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord, Iida Sadamu,
surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with
exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human
foot. No assassin can cross it unheard. Brought up in
a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive
and spiritual people, Takeo has learned only the ways
of peace. Why, then, does he possess the deadly skills
that make him so valuable to the sinister Tribe? These
supernatural powers will lead him to his violent destiny
within the walls of Inuyama - and to an impossible longing
for a girl who can never be his... more»»
Harry Zoltaire Craig
30th June 2011
[9/10] |
Rivers
of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Average Rating [9/10]
(2 Reviews)
Chrissi and Nigel have both reviewed Rivers
of London by Ben Aaronovitch. My name is Peter Grant
and until January I was just probationary constable
in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking
people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth
to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how
to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we
do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding
a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously
perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of
a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement
from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable,
and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale,
the last wizard in England... more»»
Chrissi
31st May 2011 [9/10]
Nigel
31st May 2011 [8/10]
|
Hell Can Wait by Theodore Judson
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Hell
Can Wait by Theodore Judson. In a bid to claim his
soul, an angel and a demon argue over the fate of an
ancient Roman soldier. The decision is made to bring
him back to life, not in Ancient Rom, but in modern
day Colorado. Here he must complete the seemingly impossible
challenges laid out before him, under the watchful eyes
of the celestial duo. Without a sword and shield to
protect him, the warrior must rely on his new-found
ability to read, and a little bit of divine inspiration
in this humorous tale of the power of a second chance...
more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st May 2011
[9/10] |
Avery’s Treasure by Kate Dolan
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Avery’s
Treasure by Kate Dolan. Pirates don't make good
bedfellows. Or do they? Edward Talbot isn't inclined
to accept the global pardon offered to pirates by Nassau's
new governor. Being a pirate is the only thing he's
ever succeeded at. Fate, however, has other plans, and
as one misadventure leads to another, all of them seemingly
involved with Arleigh Avery and her putative treasure
map, he discovers there may be more to recommend the
life of an honest man than he thought... more»»
Molly
Martin 31st May 2011
[8/10] |
A Mathematician's Apology by G H Hardy
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
John Finch has sent in a review for A
Mathematician's Apology by G H Hardy, one of this
century's finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among
his contemporaries as a 'real mathematician... the purest
of the pure'. He was also, as C. P. Snow recounts in
his Foreword, 'unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready
to talk about anything'. This 'apology', written in
1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers
a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very
much more than a science; when it was first published,
Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James's notebooks
as 'the best account of what it was like to be a creative
artist'... more»»
John Finch 31st
May 2011 [8/10] |
The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Harry Zoltaire Craig has sent in a review for The
Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Anand
wants his life to change. He was a happy 12-year old
before he was forced to go and work on the streets of
his home in India. His chance comes, the day he meets
a strange and ragged old beggar. Who is he? What does
he want? The old man needs help returning a stolen possession
of immeasurable value, and he reveals a tiny, beautiful
shell. But this is no ordinary conch, it has a potent
power of its own and must be taken to a place of safety
many hundreds of miles away. Anand and the old man set
out and are soon joined by Nisha, a headstrong but resourceful,
young sweeper girl... more»»
Harry Zoltaire Craig
31st May 2011
[8/10] |
Dog
Walks Man by John Zeaman
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Gina-Louise has sent in a review for Dog
Walks Man: A Six-Legged Odyssey by John Zeaman.
This is a touching, witty and thought-provoking exploration
of the metaphysical aspects of the simple dog walk.
Walking Pete (a standard poodle named after a Ghostbuster)
opens the author up to different way of looking at the
world. As he discovers more about his neighbourhood
- its wild fringes, its natural wonders and the characters
within it - so he becomes more aware of man's connections
to his environment. Each chapter is a meditation on
the wisdom derived from dogs and dog walking... more»»
Gina-Louise 31st
May 2011 [8/10] |
Collected Stories by John Cheever
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Cristina Frincu has sent in a review for Collected
Stories by John Cheever, the complete collection
of award-winning stories from one of the finest American
writers of the last century . This outstanding collection
by Pulitzer prize-winning novelist John Cheever, show
the power and range of one of the finest short story
writers of the last century. Stories of love and of
squalor, they include masterpieces such as The Swimmer
and Goodbye, My Brother and date from the time
of his honourable discharge from the Army at the end
of the Second World War... more»»
Cristina Frincu 31st
May 2011 [7/10] |
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Freak
the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. Max is used to being
called Stupid. And he is used to everyone being scared
of him. On account of his size and looking like his
dad. Kevin is used to being called Dwarf. And he is
used to everyone laughing at him. On account of his
size and being some cripple kid. But Greatness comes
in all sizes, and together Max and Kevin become Freak
the Mighty and walk high above the world. Extraordinarily
powerful, uplifting and memorable, the story of Freak
the Mighty explores an unlikely friendship, and
finds optimism and humour in a story of great poignancy...
more»»
Jessica
31st May 2011 [8/10]
|
Blood
Lust 2.5: L'Hunch Est Dos by Rhys Wilcox
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Blood
Lust 2.5: L'Hunch Est Dos by Rhys Wilcox. Father
and daughter vampire hunters have found themselves unemployed.
With time on their hands, they decide to forge their
relationship by retreading their nostalgic footsteps
in their home city of Paris. Unfortunately, their arrival
coincides with a series of mysterious deaths that have
something to do with a code, a church and a famous Italian's
painting of a do-gooder's final meal. A mix of frenetic
action, gratuitous violence and self-disparaging humour
- all wrapped up in array of cultural, literary and
cinematic references - that puts the 'trite' back into
'poltergeist'... more»»
Nigel
30th April 2011 [9/10]
|
Love
Potions by Christina Jones
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Love
Potions by Christina Jones. When aromatherapist
Sukie Ambrose starts using her cottage garden as inspiration
- and raw ingredients - for her products, she thinks
she's just hit on a good way of saving money while offering
her clients a way of de-stressing and relaxation. However,
Sukie lives in a village where strange things have been
known to happen. She discovers that her new improved
lotions and potions are making her massages distinctly
magical - and producing more star-crossed lovers than
Shakespeare could ever dream of... more»»
Chrissi
30th April 2011 [7/10]
|
The Magus of Freemasonry by Tobias Churton
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
John Finch has sent in a review for The
Magus of Freemasonry by Tobias Churton. Elias Ashmole
(1617-1692) was the first to record a personal account
of initiation into Accepted Freemasonry. His writings
help solve the debate between operative and "speculative"
origins of Accepted Freemasonry, demonstrating that
symbolic Freemasonry existed within the Masonic trade
bodies. Ashmole was one of the leading intellectual
luminaries of his time: a founding member of the Royal
Society, an alchemists, astrological advisor to the
king; and the creator of the world's first public museum.
Tobias Churton's compelling portrait of Ashmole offers
a perfect illustration of the true Renaissance figure
- the magus... more»»
John Finch 30th
April 2011 [8/10] |
Sky
Burial by Xinran
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Sky
Burial by Xinran. As a young girl in China Xinran
heard a rumour about a soldier in Tibet who had been
brutally fed to the vultures in a ritual known as a
sky burial: the tale frightened and fascinated her.
Several decades later Xinran met Shu Wan, a Chinese
woman who had spent years searching for her missing
husband who had been serving as a doctor in Tibet; her
extraordinary life story would unravel the legend of
the sky burial. For thirty years she was lost in the
wild and alien landscape of Tibet, in the vast and silent
plateaus and the magisterial mountain ranges, living
with communities of nomads moving with the seasons and
struggling to survive... more»»
Nigel
30th April 2011 [7/10]
|
The
Cursed Man by Keith Rommel
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed The
Cursed Man by Keith Rommel. Alister Kunkle believes
death is in love with him. A simple smile from friend
or stranger is all it takes to encourage death to kill.
With his family deceased and a path of destruction behind
him, Alister sits inside a mental institution, sworn
to silence and separated from the rest of the world,
haunted by his inability to escape death’s preferential
treatment. But when a beautiful psychologist arrives
at the institution and starts offering him care, Alister
braces himself for more killings. When none follow,
he tries to figure out whether he truly is insane or
if death has finally come to him in the form of a woman...
more»»
Nigel
31st March 2011 [9/10]
|
Seeing
Stars by Christina Jones
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Seeing
Stars by Christina Jones. When city-girl Amber arrives
to spend the summer in a small village, the only stars
she recognises are the ones she reads about in her glossy
celeb magazines. So she is stunned to find herself surrounded
by a new neighbours who organise their entire lives
around constellation customs and the astral calendar.
More scarily, Amber finds that the villagers actually
believe that the stars and moon can work magic. Amber
remains loudly sceptical, but as she's grown very fond
of her new friends - especially the gorgeously enigmatic
Lewis - and assuming that it's all a bit of harmless
fun, she hurls herself into the star-ceremonies and
moon-myths on the grounds that if you can't beat 'em,
join 'em... more»»
Chrissi
31st March 2011 [8/10] |
Catch by Simon Robson
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Katie.B has sent in a review for Catch
by Simon Robson. Catharine wakes to an empty bed. Her
husband Tom, a human rights lawyer, is away on business
and it’s the first time she has woken alone in their
cottage since they moved there from London five months
ago. She is, as she confesses, a serious woman; realistic
and practical. She has relinquished her hold on past
ambitions, her music and her career, in preparation
for family life. Now, without distraction, she wonders
what she is to do. Time progresses, and in encounters
both real and imagined - with the village’s inhabitants,
with her best friend Maria and with Tom - Catharine
plucks at the fabric of her life until it is threadbare
... more»»
Katie.B
31st March 2011 [7/10] |
A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Scott has sent in a review for A
Week in December by Sebastian Faulks. London, the
week before Christmas, 2007. Over seven days we follow
the lives of seven major characters: a hedge fund manager
trying to bring off the biggest trade of his career;
a professional footballer recently arrived from Poland;
a young lawyer with little work and too much time to
speculate; a student who has been led astray by Islamist
theory; a hack book-reviewer; a schoolboy hooked on
skunk and reality TV; and a Tube train driver whose
Circle Line train joins these and countless other lives
together in a daily loop... more»»
Ben Scott
31st March 2011 [910] |
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for The
Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan. Gwenni Morgan
is not like any other girl in this small Welsh town.
Inquisitive, bookish and full of spirit, she can fly
in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a
neighbour mysteriously vanishes, and no one seems to
be asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct
her own investigation. She records everything she sees
and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the
real truth? And what will be the consequences of finding
out, for Gwenni, her family and her community... more»»
Ben Macnair
31st March 2011
[8/10] |
The Dark Man by Deborah Wells
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Geoff Ward has sent in a review for The
Dark Man by Deborah Wells. From the beginning of
time a dark spectre has walked beside the human race.
People have known this spectre by many names, such as
the Shadow, Hades, the Bogeyman, the Devil or Death.
And the misunderstandings and falsehoods surrounding
this entity have resulted in an unfathomable amount
of misery and suffering. In The
Dark Man we look at the confusion and mystery surrounding
this phenomenon and tease out the stories into one coherent
whole. We consider, amongst other things, who or what
the dark man may be, the forms he can take, the environment
in which he is found and the 'job' he performs... more»»
Geoff Ward
31st March 2011 [8/10] |
Astronomy for Beginners by Jeff Becan
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Astronomy
for Beginners by Jeff Becan, a friendly and accessible
guide to our universe, our galaxy, our solar system
and the planet we call home. Each year as we cruise
through space on this tiny blue-green wonder, a number
of amazing and remarkable events occur. For example,
like clockwork, we’ll run head-on into asteroid and
cometary debris that spreads shooting stars across our
skies. On occasion, we’ll get to watch the disk of the
Moon passing the Sun, casting its shadow on the face
of the Earth, and sometimes we’ll get to watch our own
shadow as it glides across the face of the Moon. The
Sun’s path will constantly change across the daytime
sky, as will the stars and constellations at night...
more»»
Paul
Lappen 31st March 2011
[8/10] |
Angel of Vengeance by Trevor O. Munson
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Tamurile has sent in a review for Angel
of Vengeance by Trevor O. Munson. The novel that
inspired the TV series Moonlight puts a twist
on the classic Dracula vampire tale and blends it with
Chandler hardboiled P.I. detective fiction. LA-based
P.I. and vampire Mick Angel has been hired by a beautiful
red-headed burlesque dancer to find her missing sister.
But the apparently simple case of a teenage runaway
is soon complicated by drug dealers, persistent cops,
murder and Mick’s own past. Mick must learn the hard
way what every vampire should know - nothing stays buried
for ever, especially not the past... more»»
Tamurile
31st March 2011
[9/10] |
Adam
Lyal's Witchery Tales
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Adam
Lyal’s Witchery Tales. Adam Lyal is fast becoming
one of Edinburgh's most famous characters. No mean feat
considering he was executed for highway robbery in the
city's Grassmarket on the 27th March 1811. His book
comes to us 177 years after his demise and is based
on his well-known nightly Old Town 'Witchery' walking
tour. Inside you will find many authentic stories from
Edinburgh's long and gory past. There are dark accounts
of violence and crime, vivid descriptions of hangings
and executions, information on plagues and disasters,
and finally haunting tales of witchcraft and the supernatural.
As on his tour, Mr Lyal uses these stories to bring
some of the character and atmosphere of the Old Town
back to life... more»»
Chrissi
31st March 2011 [8/10] |
Mary Ann & Miss Mozart by Ann Turnbull
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Mary
Ann & Miss Mozart by Ann Turnbull. Mary Ann's
greatest wish is to become an opera singer and she's
thrilled when she gets the chance to see child prodigy
Mozart perform with his sister in Chelsea. But when
her father loses his fortune, she fears her singing
dreams may be shattered. This second 'Historical House'
title from award-winning author, Ann Turnbull, is an
enchanting story of dreams and determination, set in
the colourful world of eighteenth century London and
referencing true events... more»»
Jessica
31st March 2011 [8/10]
|
Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
GeneJosie has sent in a review for Tamburlaine
Must Die by Louise Welsh. London, 1593. A city on
edge. Under threat from plague and war, strangers are
unwelcome, suspicion is wholesale, severed heads grin
from the spikes on Tower Bridge. Playwright, poet and
spy, Christopher Marlowe walks the city's mean streets
with just three days to find the murderous Tamburlaine,
a killer escaped from the pages of his most violent
play. Tamburlaine
Must Die is the searing adventure of a
man who dares to defy both God and the state and whose
murder remains a taunting mystery to the present day...
more»»
GeneJosie
31st March 2011
[7/10] |
The Network by Richard Heller
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Felix has sent in a review for The
Network by Richard Heller. The long awaited sequel
to Richard Heller's highly-regarded cricket novel A
Tale of Ten Wickets. Teenage pace bowler Steve
is the only child of a disintegrating marriage. He's
just left a sink school. He has no social life, no girlfriend
and no career prospects. The only thing holding him
together is his dream of becoming a fast bowler. But
his lonely pursuit of his dream brings him a network
of new relationships and a new life. Narrated by its
principal characters in vivid dialogue, by turns richly
comic and highly sentimental, The
Network is a rich tribute to the power
of sport ... more»»
Felix
31st March 2011
[7/10] |
You Can’t Save Them All by Jeanette Michelle
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for You
Can’t Save Them All by Jeanette Michelle. The story
is centered on an Attorney out of Chicago where a paralegal,
Lisa decides to go searching for the perfect case for
her colleague Ethel to take in order to obtain fame
and recognition. Lisa stumbles across what she calls
the perfect case, which is in a town her colleague,
Ethel despises. Trusting Lisa’ s judgment, Ethel accepts
although she is unaware of the specific details of the
case. This suspense novel not only depicts the life
of an attorney in the court room, but her personal life
and calamities that evolves her... more»»
Molly
Martin 31st March 2011
[9/10] |
Millicent Quinones by Jeanette Michelle
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Millicent
Quinones by Jeanette Michelle which opens as the
now pregnant Mycall pushes Angel’s stroller through
the flower garden. It has been a difficult time for
Mycall following the death of Saul; his murder had shaken
her badly. Leaving Minneapolis to spend time grieving
the loss of the man she hoped to marry had brought Mycall
some peace. Millie’s arrival helped fill some of Mycall’s
lonely hours as she pondered the marriage proposal proffered
by Saul’s brother Angelo. With the arrival of a letter
for Millie revealing that a family member has been grievously
injured Millicent boards a plane for Chicago to be with
her family ... more»»
Molly
Martin 31st March 2011
[9/10] |
The Whisperers by John Connolly
Average Rating [4/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Scott has sent in a review for The
Whisperers by John Connolly. Charlie Parker returns
in the chilling new thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling
author of The Lovers. The border between Maine
and Canada is porous. Anything can be smuggled across
it: drugs, cash, weapons, people. Now a group of disenchanted
former soldiers has begun its own smuggling operation,
and what is being moved is infinitely stranger and more
terrifying than anyone can imagine. Anyone, that is,
except private detective Charlie Parker, who has his
own intimate knowledge of the darkness in men's hearts.
But the soldiers' actions have attracted the attention
of the reclusive Herod, a man with a taste for the strange...
more»»
Ben Scott
31st March 2011 [4/10] |
Will's Elf by Pepys Blake
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
John Goode has sent in a review for Will's
Elf by Pepys Blake. Will, instinctively knew what
was behind him; he did not need to see its fiery image
reflected in the wide eyes of his two friends. Nevertheless,
as though in slow motion, Will pivoted himself to face
the wide expanse of chill water and the great creature
that had risen soundlessly from its depths. "...dragon."
Beside the lake there now stood a creature of unfathomable
dimensions and incomparable design. The dragon was vaguely
serpentine in appearance, a large flattened head projecting
out from one end of a long neck, which broadened only
to taper again to a thin, seemingly never-ending tail...
more»»
John Goode
31st March 2011
[7/10] |
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Average Rating [6/10]
(3 Reviews)
Martin Reiter 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»»
Martin Reiter 31st
March 2011
[4/10] |
Sanctus
by Simon Toyne
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Sanctus
by Simon Toyne. The certainties of the modern world
are about to be blown apart by a three thousand year-old
conspiracy nurtured by blood and lies... A man throws
himself to his death from the oldest inhabited place
on the face of the earth, a mountainous citadel in the
historic Turkish city of Ruin. This is no ordinary suicide
but a symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is witnessed
by the entire world. But few understand it. For charity
worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others in the know,
it is what they have been waiting for. The cowled and
secretive fanatics that live in the Citadel suspect
it could mean the end of everything they have built
- and they will kill, torture and break every law to
stop that... more»»
Chrissi
28th February 2011 [8/10] |
Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar by Craig Smith
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Zoolin
Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar by Craig Smith.
A thief in the night. A missing sacred artefact. An
evil warlord from ancient history, out to rule the world.
These are only a few of the problems facing Tennen,
the newly appointed Lord Protector of Melin. Thrown
into a desperate race against time, Tennen, his dragon
friend Berrinn, and his men chase the thief and his
mysterious companion over land and sea to a cursed island
where they try to wrench the Chalice of Ringtar from
the enemy's hands before it's too late. All while under
the watchful eye of a mysterious black hawk... more»»
Paul
Lappen 28th February 2011
[8/10] |
Smoke Screen by Bernard Ashley
Average Rating [6/10]
(1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Smoke
Screen by Bernard Ashley. Ellie has been scared
of water since her mum drowned, so when her dad decides
to move to a pub by a canal in East London, Ellie is
afraid. But she soon thinks there's something more disturbing
about the pub than just its setting. Something is going
on at the weekly music night and Ellie and new friend,
Flo are determined to find out what, despite warnings
to back off. The music night is clearly a smokescreen
for something, but what? Bundled from country to country
on a harrowing journey from a tiny Chinese village with
the false promise of a better life in England, Song
Fang Yin knows the truth. If she can escape her captors,
she could help Ellie expose it... more»»
Jessica
28th February 2011 [6/10]
|
Nix
Ex Machina by Christian Cook
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Nix
Ex Machina by Christian Cook. Having humbly set
himself apart as one of life's great thinkers, Tarko
rejects the menial tasks offered to him by the job agency
and quickly reaches the conclusion that selling snow
to the Eskimos is well within his capabilities. Not
put off by a few holes in his business plan – a complete
lack of funds, no guaranteed supply of snow and not
one hint of commercial interest from his intended market
– he establishes snowbrokers.com,
an online brokerage service to facilitate snow sales
to the Inuit tribes of Alaska. Inevitably shunned by
investors and ridiculed by the media, Tarko is as shocked
as anyone when a mysterious foreign backer steps in
and offers to turn his whimsical publicity stunt into
a multi-million dollar reality... more»»
Nigel
31st January 2011 [9/10] |
Red Serpent: The Prophet's Secrets by Delson Armstrong
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Red
Serpent: The Prophet's Secrets by Delson Armstrong.
Red Serpent: The Falsifier was the first instalment
of a massive saga, this sprawling epic tells of a future
when exiled humans long for their home planet, but are
prevented from returning by the dominant vampires that
inhabit it. Action packed and romantic, the story of
young Alexander, destined to lead the human race back
to earth, twists through vast swathes of time, space
and metaphysics. In Part 2, Red
Serpent: The Prophet's Secrets, the journey continues
as Alex tries to unravel the secrets behind the discs
his father left him and learns to control his awesome
power as he prepares to do battle and lead his people
to war... more»»
Paul
Lappen 9th January 2011
[9/10] |
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Average Rating [8/10]
(2 Reviews)
Ben Macnair 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»»
Ben Macnair
9th January 2011
[7/10] |
Jackdaws by Ken Follett
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Katie.B has sent in a review for Jackdaws
by Ken Follett. Two weeks before D-Day, the French Resistance
attack a chateau containing a telephone exchange vital
to German communications - but the building is heavily
guarded and the attack fails disastrously. Flick Clairet,
a young British secret agent, proposes a daring new
plan: she will parachute into France with an all-woman
team known as the 'Jackdaws' and they will penetrate
the chateau in disguise. But, unknown to Flick, Rommel
has assigned a brilliant, ruthless Intelligence colonel,
Dieter Franck, to crush the Resistance. And Dieter is
on Flick's trail... more»»
Katie.B
9th January 2011 [9/10] |
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Shannon has sent in a review for Middlemarch
by George Eliot. George Eliot's most ambitious novel
is a masterly evocation of diverse lives and changing
fortunes in a provincial community. Peopling its landscape
are Dorothea Brooke, a young idealist whose search for
intellectual fulfillment leads her into a disastrous
marriage to the pedantic scholar Casaubon; the charming
but tactless Dr Lydgate, whose marriage to the spendthrift
beauty Rosamund and pioneering medical methods threaten
to undermine his career; and the religious hypocrite
Bulstrode, hiding scandalous crimes from his past...
more»»
Shannon
9th January 2011 [9/10] |
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Average Rating [8/10]
(2 Reviews)
Hallie Davis has sent in a review for
White
Teeth by Zadie Smith. One of the most talked about
fictional débuts of recent years, White
Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored
by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other
things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures
and three families over three generations, one brown
mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back
and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming,
riotous must-read of a book...
more»»
Hallie Davis
9th January 2011
[9/10] |
The Rhinemann Exchange by Robert Ludlum
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Ben Scott has sent in a review for The
Rhinemann Exchange by Robert Ludlum. David Spaulding
is the most feared and efficient Allied agent in wartime
Europe. Expert, deadly and professional, he is also
high on the Gestapo's 'most wanted' list. Now Spaulding
has been selected by the Allied Command to transact
an undercover deal in Argentina involving top secret
Nazi scientific plans. The dealer is Erich Rhinemann,
an exiled German Jew who is awaiting the end of the
war with his millions in an impenetrable retreat near
Buenos Aires... more»»
Ben Scott
9th January 2011 [8/10] |
The Crystal World by J. G. Ballard
Average Rating [7/10]
(1 Review)
Mathew Strowbridge has sent in a review for The
Crystal World by J. G. Ballard. Through a 'leaking'
of time, the West African jungle starts to crystallize.
Trees are metamorphosed into enormous jewels. Crocodiles
encased in second glittering skins lurch down the river.
Pythons with huge blind gemstone eyes rear in heraldic
poses. Most men flee the area in terror, afraid to face
what they cannot understand. But some, dazzled and strangely
entranced, remain to drift through this dreamworld forest.
There is a doctor in pursuit of his ex-mistress, an
enigmatic Jesuit wielding a crystal cross, and a tribe
of lepers searching for Paradise... more»»
Mathew Strowbridge
9th January 2011 [7/10] |
The Way of Awen by Kevan Manwaring
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Geoff Ward has sent in a review for The
Way of Awen by Kevan Manwaring. Awaken the bard
within in this inspiring journey into your creative
potential. Expanding upon the foundation of The
Bardic Handbook, this volume explores the transformations
the bardic initiate must go through to become a fully-fledged
Bard. This originally took 12 years of study in the
Bardic Colleges - but communities need bards right now,
bringing healing and hope with their words and music
and so the training process is accelerated over 12 months,
echoing the 12 years of Taliesin's journey from Gwion
Bach to the Shining Brow... more»»
Geoff Ward
9th January 2011 [8/10] |
The Great Right Hope by Mark Jackman
Average Rating [8/10]
(1 Review)
Simon Berry has sent in a review for The
Great Right Hope by Mark Jackman. In north-east
England, a monster has arisen. A vampire beast is stalking
the Yorkshire moors, mutilating and destroying everything
in its path. The vampire elders realise that the Firmamentum
has cast its shadow on the world once more - a phenomenon
which happens every few millennia, where a human and
a vampire are born ultimately powerful and destined
to oppose each other... Sid Tillsley is a forty-six
year old benefit-fraudster from Middlesbrough. He's
an overweight alcoholic, and also sexist, homophobic
and a lazy git. But one thing sets him apart from his
northern brethren; he can kill vampires with a single
punch... more»»
Simon Berry
9th January 2011 [8/10] |
Shadow Fox by Ashley J. Barnard
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Darkiss has sent in a review for Shadow
Fox by Ashley J. Barnard. Jared Bruin doesn’t know
who he is. He remembers nothing of his early childhood
before the age of seven when he was abandoned in a park
in St. Louis, left in an unfamiliar world that terrified
him. He knows only that he is driven to learn everything
he can about swordplay and sixteenth-century combat.
Almost twenty years later, as he is battling a heroin
addiction, suicidal tendencies and a violent affliction
he doesn't understand, he is hired to teach swordplay
to an enigmatic woman with secrets of her own, who somehow
provides a link to his past... more»»
Darkiss
9th January 2011 [9/10] |
The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Average Rating [9/10]
(1 Review)
Alma(2) has sent in a review for The
Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski. It's the eve of his
eighteenth birthday and Aaron is experiencing dreams
of a disturbing nature. In the darkly violent and chaotic
dreamscape, Aaron is an armour-clad warrior in the midst
of a bloody conflict. He can hear the sounds of weapons
clanging, the screams of the stricken, the pathetic
moans of the dying, and another sound he cannot quite
discern. But as he gazes upward, he suddenly understands,
watching as hundreds of armoured warriors descend on
the battlefield from the sky above... more»»
Alma(2)
9th January 2011 [9/10] |
|
The not so Brobdingnagian Update
After our now legendary (not) 2010 celebration of ten years
online some of the more observant among you may have noticed
we once again passed another milestone recently without any
acknowledgment or merriment whatsoever, our 1,000th review.
Thank you to Vincenzo for Malta
Surrendered by Joe Scicluna... no, there are not any prizes
:). Only a few reviews this month although the previous few
months have been pretty good with a respectable number posted.
As always we have the latest Top
Ten Hardback and Paperback
charts which are still being updated on a weekly basis to remain
as current as possible (I know, hard to believe). Happy reading.
Admin 31st
October 2011 |
Rants! Cost of traditional
book against Kindle version
We are not the first to raise the following observation
but it is worth repeating: Traditional
Book
- Drill for oil, transport and refine.
- Chop down some trees.
- Plant some trees (sustainable source).
- Pulp wood.
- Make packaging materials (pallets, tubes, plastic
wrapping, boxes, paper, tape, etc.).
- Transport packing materials to paper maker, printer,
book seller, etc.
- Make paper.
- Transport paper to printer.
- Make ink.
- Transport ink to printer.
- Make glue/binding materials.
- Transport glue/binding materials to printer.
- Print the 'digital copy' on to the paper.
- Bind the paper into a book.
- Pack the book with others.
- Transport the book to a warehouse.
- Store the book on a shelf.
- Seller takes an order for the book.
- Take the book off the shelf.
- Pack book and post to buyer.
- Transport book to buyer.
- Buyer receives and reads book... recycling packing
materials!
Kindle Edition
- Seller stores digital version on server (already
has infrastructure to sell traditional books).
- Seller takes an order for the book (already has
infrastructure to sell traditional books).
- Buyer downloads digital copy and reads book.
Now, given the above why is the Amazon Kindle edition
of The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore 7.99 when the hardback
version is 7.92 as of 16th September 2011 (See: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Six-Lorien-Legacies/dp/071815648X).
While the Kindle edition includes VAT surely it is considerably
cheaper to produce and sell a digital version. Is it me?
If you would like to post a comment regarding the above
please see the discussion on the BookLore Facebook Page
(now closed). Admin 15th September
2011 |
Rants! Are books
just to become a never ending soap?
Have authors lost the point? With the publication this
month of George R R Martin's fifth title in the A
Song of Ice and Fire epic we have a 1040 page tome
that brings the reader no nearer a satisfactory conclusion
to the tale... even after a staggering 4100 pages (total
pages of UK HB Editions 1 to 5). Now, we can only assume
Mr Martin is human so at some point he will shuffle off
this mortal coil and leave several hundred thousand, nay
millions, of pretty annoyed readers (not as annoyed as
Mr Martin one would assume... ) with a story that never
ended. If only it was the fantasy genre but the disease
seems to be spreading; whatever happened to a good old
story, with a beginning, a middle and then an end?
Goodreads
First of all I must stress I like Goodreads and heartily
recommend the site. Now tell me, why do people post scores
for books they haven't read yet? For example, take the
next Pittacus Lore title, The Power of Six, published
23rd August 2011. At the time of posting this book had
an Average Rating of 4.31 based on 214 Ratings and 88
Reviews (check out the latest figures at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8659601-the-power-of-six).
Now, being a bit obsessive I went through these posts
and while a fair number were reviews of proof copies I
could not believe the number of people saying how brilliant
it was or how bad it was when they freely admitted they
hadn't read it yet... is it me? Katie Price
This week this amazing self publicist (respect - £40 million
can't be wrong) tried to do the longest signing by an
author... tomorrow I'm going to do the longest speech
by a Prime Minister... perhaps Rebecca Farnworth can do
the longest photo shoot by a glamour model... and yes,
The Comeback Girl did go in at No.1, see Top
10 Hardbacks. Admin 31st July
2011 |
McGan's Meditations
Michael McGan, the author of Fleeting
Thoughts and The
Hamster Never Sleeps, looks to the future...
Thank
God for modern science and medicine. Breakthroughs are
coming at a dizzying pace. People are exercising more
and eating healthy. They say that 40 is the new 30 and
50 is the new 40. What the hell does all that mean?
Math always makes me crazy, but I guess it means that
many of us will probably be living longer than we ever
would have expected. If 50 is the new 40, then turning
50 would now be the point of middle age unless you die
at 60, which means you should have been more reflective
back at 30. The point is that more and more people are
living to 100 years and beyond! What do you think of
that? I believe it depends on how you view your life
up to this point. Let's say that you're fifty years
old at this moment. If life for you has pretty much
sucked up until now, the thought of another fifty years
probably doesn't exactly thrill you. You may not be
up for that.
On the other hand, you can look in the mirror and give
yourself a moving, motivational speech that will inspire
all of your different personalities - “The first quarter
was about having fun. The second quarter was about growing
up. That was the first half, and now it's over. Forget
about it. We made some bad plays, had some calls go
against us... But there's still plenty of time on the
clock. We can turn it around. The third quarter is where
we find out who we really are. Now let's go out there
and kick life's butt in the second half! (Murmured grumbling.)
OK, how about we just try to finish the game without
anymore embarrassing mishaps or serious, season ending
injuries? How does that sound? (Reluctant agreement.)
C'mon.”
But, what if you did live to 100 years of age or more?
They say that the human body was actually designed to
do this! There is one lady in the nursing home where
I've worked, who is 100 years old. She is rarely in
a good mood and complains about everything in an accusing
voice that builds to a whining crescendo at the end
of her sentences.
“I'm cold. Won't somebody get me a blannnnnnket?”
“You have a blanket on right now Edna. You're fine.”
“YOU'RE FINE! YOU'RE FINE! How can anybody be fine in
this HELL HOLE?”
I once asked her what she believed as far as the meaning
of life and all. In a stern voice, she said “It has
no meaning. If it does, I'm so old I forgot it. I have
to go to the bathrooooom!” This illustrates how illusive
the answer is, the answer we all seek. When you are
young, you don't have enough life experience and knowledge
to recognize it. When you are old, disease or disability
may chase it away. It is during middle age that you
must find it and hold onto it for as long as you can.
So, it may be safe to say, from my experience, that
people can live to be more than a hundred years old
but most of them stop being happy decades before they
are wheeled into a large room that is festively decorated
with balloons and ribbons. In the center of the room,
on a big table, is a cake with so many burning candles
on it, that the birthday person thinks it is the bright
light at the end of the tunnel.
“Am I dead?”
“No, Edna, it's just your birthday cake. You are one
hundred years old today. Isn't that great?”
“No, it's not great. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who are
all these people? They're so noisy.”
The room is loud and chaotic and the birthday person
has no idea what is going on and pretty much just wants
to go back to bed and complain.
“I'm cold. Won't somebody get me a blannnnnket?”
“You have a blanket on, Grandma. You're fine.”
“YOU'RE FINE! YOU'RE FINE! How can anybody be fine in
this HELL HOLE?”
“Hey there, birthday girl. 100 is the new 90! Isn't
that great?”
“I have to go to the BATHROOOOOM!”
“You just went to the bathroom, Edna.”
“Aaaaaiiiiieeeee!!! You're all a bunch of morons!”
I've recently read that by the year 2050 there will
be more than a million people over 100 years old living
in the US. God help us. In a recent poll, most people
responded that they would like to live into their late
80s, no longer. That seems pretty much like a good run.
If down the road it was possible, through the marvels
of research and modern medicine, for humans to experience
120 years of life, most people asked said “No, thanks.”
They feared eventually becoming sick, disabled, or a
burden to their family. I think people know when they've
had enough. If you are no longer enjoying the party,
you just want to head on home.
...but what if you could remain fit and healthy and didn't
drool? The answer is Cellular Regeneration then it is
only a matter of boredom and a serious shortfall in your
pension:)
Michael McGan 31st May 2011 |
One for Budding Authors...
Keith Rommel, the author of The
Cursed Man, is running a competition to promote the
next book in the Thanatology Series, The Lurking Man.
To enter simply go http://keithrommel.weebly.com/contest.html
(Ed. - Link no longer works 31/03/12) and follow the instructions
to answer three questions and submit a short story of
300 words or fewer. The short story must start with the
line “My brother has just married a despicable shrew...
" The story can be funny, suspenseful or on the edge
of your seat horror. Good luck to all those that enter.
As soon as we get hold of a copy of The Lurking Man
we will post a review. Admin 30th
April 2011 |
The Brobdingnagian Update!
For Lemuel Gulliver and those of you who are fans of The
Big Bang Theory the title of this month's update
needs no explaining… for the rest let's just say it is
huge. We have 17 new reviews from no less than 14 different
reviewers. Behind the scenes we have updated all the Author
Pages to provide the latest information including
useful links to Amazon Biographies as well as Wikipedia
pages where these exist. Also updated are all B, C, D
& E Review
Pages for the new format; hopefully the rest will
follow over the coming months. As always we have the latest
Top Ten Hardback
and Paperback
charts which are now consistently being updated on a weekly
basis to remain as current as possible. We also have the
new book releases for June on the Publication
Dates page. Hopefully everyone will find something
of interest. Enjoy. Admin 31st March
2011 |
Happy New Year
Well, yet another year has arrived. Happy New Year to
one and all. Let's hope it is a good one and the World
can sort itself out :) Plenty of new reviews to keep you
going along with Publication
Dates for March and the latest Top
10. Enjoy. Admin 9th January
2011 |
|