Category: Genre

On the waiting list

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I am conscious that I haven't managed to post on here for a while... Primarily because I've not managed to finish a book for a while. Now, there are a number of possible reasons for this... 1. I am just very very lazy... 2. I have been doing a lot of work for, well, work...… Continue reading On the waiting list

Whispers Under Ground, Ben Aaronovitch

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The third of the Peter Grant magical police constable books to appear on this blog. I'm beginning to feel I should write the review in the style of a police statement: Proceeding on information received via a personal contact, Police Constable Grant witnessed a person or persons unknown which he later recognised as a ghost… Continue reading Whispers Under Ground, Ben Aaronovitch

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

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Ah, Doctor Jekyll I presume! This is one of my favourite concepts for a book and, like Dracula and Frankenstein, such a hugely evocative character and concept. It is intuitively resonant that lurking within all of us, behind the mask and veneer of social mores and decency, is a rampaging, amoral, bestial, primitive, reptilian beast.… Continue reading The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch

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Jazz is cool. It's undeniable; it's super cool. As a genre of music, it lurks in the back of the iPod in a smoke filled subterranean playlist. Jazz does not wear sunglasses; jazz is born with dark tinted irises. In a politically correct world, jazz sensuously drinks and smokes itself to a hospital bed where… Continue reading Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

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I was lent this by a student at school - ironically as one of the main features in the book is that Charlie is lent books by his English teacher! It took a while to get around to actually opening it, until I ran out of time and had to read it before the kid… Continue reading The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Tsotsi, Athol Fugard Analysis

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So these are the ideas which I have been discussing with my class. Tsotsi is set in 1956, give or take, in Sophiatown, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was written by Fugard in the early months of 1960 after Sophiatown had been destroyed by the white community in Johannesburg and,… Continue reading Tsotsi, Athol Fugard Analysis

Sovereign, C. J. Sansom

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There are days, those dark days, when you sit down and realise that you've had the same meal for three days ... I've just sat down and realised that the last three books I've read are all historical fiction. Bring Up The Bodies by Mantel, Pure by Andrew Miller and now Sovereign by C. J.… Continue reading Sovereign, C. J. Sansom

Pure, Andrew Miller

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You know what it's like... Unless it's just me... You see a book on a shelf, perhaps at a Service Station, maybe on the M5. Something about the cover appeals; the blurb interests you; the historical context intrigues you.... And yet for some reason (let's call them children and imagine the reasons were at the… Continue reading Pure, Andrew Miller

Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel

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What a fabulous book! It is rare that I anticipate a book as eagerly as this one; rare that a sequel can live up to the expectations of the first book; rare that historical fiction can grip me quite so intently! But Mantel manages all this in Bring Up The Bodies which, in my opinion,… Continue reading Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel

Anthony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

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Absolutely sublime play. Re-reading it after many many years and still bowled over. A GCSE set text; an integral part of Degree level "tragedy" unit (other people got to play with dead bodies, I learned how to be miserable: thanks Cambridge!!); and a vital part of my make up! As I write, please near in… Continue reading Anthony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel

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Ooooo the adorable and lovely Mrs P has just returned from Exeter with my pre-ordered copy of Bring Up The Bodies. As a big chunky two inch thick book, released in the midst of a busy time at work, it may take a while to be able to give a full review so I thought… Continue reading Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel

Alloy Of Law, Brandon Sanderson

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I was torn between three and four stars on this but came to the view that having read through it in 4 days it was a four, but I do have reservations about this book. It is without doubt a great read, fun enjoyable and lighthearted. It evokes the atmosphere of the 1800s in the… Continue reading Alloy Of Law, Brandon Sanderson

Avengers, Assemble

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Hmmm... Thus far, this blog has been dedicated to book reviews. Patently, Avengers is not a book. Should I start a new blog? Can one, should one include it in a "book lover"'s sanctuary? Is the investment you give a 150 minute film equivalent to a book that takes a week, a month to read?… Continue reading Avengers, Assemble

Tsotsi, Athol Fugard

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Finished reading this now, waiting for students at school to catch up! If only some damn fool of a teacher just let them read it instead of teaching it and making them do work on it! Oh well! This is an outstanding book! The quality of the writing literally glitters on the page and the… Continue reading Tsotsi, Athol Fugard