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The Kite Runner

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by: Khaled Hosseini

June 07, 2004
I picked this book up, read a couple of pages and couldnt put it down. A truly moving story of the different lives of two boys. What a fantastic author Khaled Hosseini is, he brings the story alive. I didnt want the book to end.The 2nd best book I have ever read. Caz

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The Resurrectionist

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by: James Bradley

June 19, 2008
This scared the pants off me, a brilliant old fashioned gothic tale. The characters are grim but believable, the setting is described with expertise, it makes your skin crawl and your senses tingle as only a great writer can do. It deserves all the aclaim it is recieving. Brilliant.

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A Quiet Belief in Angels

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by: R.J. Ellory

January 02, 2008
GREAT BOOK. Don't take any notice of the negative reviews. Its a very unusual "crime" novel and beatifully written. Needs time to read properly but it does grip from the beginning and the macabre content is sufficiently offbeat to make it a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who simply likes a good story.
Christine Smythe

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The Road Home

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by: Rose Tremain

June 12, 2008
This book was riveting; as with other works of Rose Tremaine I was totally absorbed in her imagined world. I felt Lev was lucky to be so well supported from back home and by chance encounters on his journey. Many others are not so lucky.
An important book in reminding us of the humanity of our migrant workers, and how lucky we are to benefit from their hard work.

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This Charming Man

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by: Marian Keyes

April 30, 2008
This is so disappointing. The bar is always high for Marian Keyes and this isn't a bad book, but...... It could have been so much better. Good central plot and some interesting characters but sloppily edited. Is the problem that Marian is so famous and such a good seller that her publishers don't dare tell her the truth?

The book needs cutting and some careful editing. It also needs to lose the diary style which is inconsistent, irritating and unneccessary. If you want to know how to do diary, then read Alison Pearson.

Please don't do this again Marian. You are one of the best around and this was rambling and undisciplined.

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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)

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by: John O'Farrell

May 05, 2008
I enjoyed 'Things can only get better' so when I saw this book at the airport I picked it up for a 'beach read" and became one of those annoying people who makes you take your earphones out so they can read you side-splitting extracts, except you can't hear them properly through the giggles. Not only is this the funniest book I've read for years, it's also the saddest and most thought-provoking. Every teenager should be excused from history lessons and given a copy of this book instead, it should be available without prescription at chemists (and opticicians in large print), it should be set out in churches of all denominations instead of prayer books. I cried at many points, not just from laughing too much, and the summary of WW2 is so sage and poignant I won't let ... Read More:

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Superior Saturday (The Keys to the Kingdom)

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by: Garth Nix

July 01, 2008
I would just like to start by saying I have ADORED any book which Garth Nix has done before and I eagerly awaiting the release of this book.
However, I found that this instalment of The Keys to the Kingdom series to be lacking in as good a storyline as all previous Garth Nix books. The plot in my opinion felt very rushed and was not as near as exciting to read as any other adventure Arthur has had.

After the excellent Lady Friday, I could not wait for Arthur to meet with Superior Saturday as this would turn into an epic battle. However what I had hoped to read and what I actually read were complete opposites. The meeting between these two foes was a complete let down and I was hugely disappointed.

Finally, the ending of the novel felt like Mr ... Read More:

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The Beach House

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by: Jane Green

June 12, 2008
What a lovely summer read this is - a real tonic; one to kick off your flip-flops to and relax with over a glass of wine. Lovely.

The story is centred around Nan, an eccentric 65 year old living in a beach house in Nantucket by herself. That summer she decides to rent out rooms and invite some laughter and joy back into the house. Here we meet Daff, Daniel and Michael who are all trying to get away from something. They bond over home cooked meals, chats on the veranda, and cycles along the beach and each one slowly starts to realise that there is more to life than the rat race they have come from. There are a few surprises thrown in too to keep us on our toes.

Jane Green has done it again - a lovely light breezy read and what is more perfect for the summer ... Read More:

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Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen)

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by: Steven Erikson

July 01, 2008
An exhaustive review for this has already been given, so I'm just going share a few of my thoughts.

For me, this is the best book yet in the Malazan Book of the Fallen. It is certainly the most intricate so far with more characters and happenings than ever (at least it seems that way). It moves along through the first three parts at a fairly sedate pace laying the ground for an earth shattering final part. As mentioned in another review, at times in this book Erikson adopts a different writing style, in which he is actually speaking to you of the events occuring at the time. It's pretty much exclusive to the goings on in Darujhistan, and I rather enjoyed it, though I don't expect we'll be seeing it again. The book is filled with a sense of melancholy (a result of the focus given ... Read More:

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Aliens Love Underpants!

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by: Claire Freedman

May 08, 2007
My three year old son thinks this book is hilarious. Lots of chuckles and silliness with pants and aliens, all good topics for little boys.