Since I'm quite a reader I thought maybe it would be a good idea to review some of the books I read and offer an opinion on them. If any budding author wants me to read and review a book I will do so provided they will accept an honest opinion.
To start with I should tell you that my taste in books is pretty liberal. I love anything by Terry Patchett, Harlen Coben. Sue Grafton and John Grisham.
One author whose works I always loved was Ellis Peters and the Cadfael books. But much much better for me was when I found out that Ellis Peters was another name used by Edith Pargetter who wrote the fantastic Brothers of Gwynedd quartet. Starting with Sunrise in the West, The Hounds of Sunset, Afterglow and Nightfall and ending with The Dragon at Noonday the books follow the story of Prince Llewelyn of Wales who fought to unite the Nation and who had not only to bear the treachery of his brother David, the battles with his other brother Griffith but also his bride to be Eleanor de Montfort being held by Henry III as hostage. These books are the best read ever and I recommend then to any history buffs who like the facts as well as a good story, to any romantacists out there and those who like a bit of a battle. 5/5 and more.
To start with I should tell you that my taste in books is pretty liberal. I love anything by Terry Patchett, Harlen Coben. Sue Grafton and John Grisham.
One author whose works I always loved was Ellis Peters and the Cadfael books. But much much better for me was when I found out that Ellis Peters was another name used by Edith Pargetter who wrote the fantastic Brothers of Gwynedd quartet. Starting with Sunrise in the West, The Hounds of Sunset, Afterglow and Nightfall and ending with The Dragon at Noonday the books follow the story of Prince Llewelyn of Wales who fought to unite the Nation and who had not only to bear the treachery of his brother David, the battles with his other brother Griffith but also his bride to be Eleanor de Montfort being held by Henry III as hostage. These books are the best read ever and I recommend then to any history buffs who like the facts as well as a good story, to any romantacists out there and those who like a bit of a battle. 5/5 and more.
Gray Justice by Alan McDermott
anyone would have sympathy for Tom Gray not just for losing his family, but for the senseless way he lost them.From that moment on he loses focus in the business he's built up since leaving the forces. The firm is doing well and he's a success but does he really want that anymore?
After a period of remand the young killer, a career criminal, of his wife and child goes free and Tom knows that British Justice has fallen apart.Tom makes plans to give Justice the shake up it needs and sells the business.Now he's at war . Will the British people be on his side in the fight to have the law changed or will they be sickened at the path he chooses to force the establishments hand? One thing is for sure,there's a terrorist out there who thinks Tom's plan is ideal for him to cause death and mayhem but he needs Tom's death to be sure.This is a gritty novel which reflects the feeling of most people who will read the book. The Justice system no longer works. I suspect most of us will be egging Tom on in his quest even though it is in itself against the laws of nature and of man.I suspect even further that many people will wish there was a Tom out there ready to take the course he's chosen.You'll have to read this book to see if I'm right and to see if Tom succeeds or whether Mansour the terrorist will manage to take Tom's life and leave a trail of destruction in his wake.
I happily give this book 5/5 stars and recommend it.
Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Considering this is not a Discworld title Terry Pratchett still managed to pull it off beautifully.Here we have a clever story with Charles Dickens as a seemingly financially independent reporter meeting up with the Artful Dodger who has just become a local celebrity for catching Sweeney Todd before he becomes Todds next victim.
Dodger lives with the most un-Faginlike Jew possible who might have a heroic past.
Cue a love interest for Dodger, skylarks for Dickens and an underground visit for the Prime Minister giving us fun and frolicks.
This book lacks some of the humour that always accompanies Discworld novels but tries it's best nonetheless.
A good 4 / 5
Dodger lives with the most un-Faginlike Jew possible who might have a heroic past.
Cue a love interest for Dodger, skylarks for Dickens and an underground visit for the Prime Minister giving us fun and frolicks.
This book lacks some of the humour that always accompanies Discworld novels but tries it's best nonetheless.
A good 4 / 5
Theodore Boone by John Grisham.
This book surprised me. It started with me feeling that the author was aiming at a much younger audience than usual. Maybe he was, but still no-one knows his way round a courtroom like John Grisham and whatever age was meant to read this it still moved at a good pace. The story was a lot gentler than many of his previous offerings in allowing the hero to be 13 years of age yet offering legal advice to children and adults alike as though he was a practising lawyer. Actually I suppose that would be a good description as he fully intends to be a lawyer someday like his parents.
Young Theo is a friend to all, except one and that one is the subject of the biggest trial in his town in decades. Did this man murder his wife or not.? Actually Theo knows the answer having come into possession of facts from a reluctant witness which could change the outcome. But, how does he present these facts and to whom? That's the real basis of the story and I won't spoil the outcome for you.
What I will say is I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down. Maybe that's because I haven't grown up yet . My biggest complaint is the ending. I thought there was more to come and that there should have been. A few threads not quite pulled in enough like who gets custody of Theo's best friend? I'd be happy to see more of Theo if Mr.Grisham wants to do a series, I'm sure he can answer lots more queries for his friends and serve as an advocate in pet's court. 4/5
This book surprised me. It started with me feeling that the author was aiming at a much younger audience than usual. Maybe he was, but still no-one knows his way round a courtroom like John Grisham and whatever age was meant to read this it still moved at a good pace. The story was a lot gentler than many of his previous offerings in allowing the hero to be 13 years of age yet offering legal advice to children and adults alike as though he was a practising lawyer. Actually I suppose that would be a good description as he fully intends to be a lawyer someday like his parents.
Young Theo is a friend to all, except one and that one is the subject of the biggest trial in his town in decades. Did this man murder his wife or not.? Actually Theo knows the answer having come into possession of facts from a reluctant witness which could change the outcome. But, how does he present these facts and to whom? That's the real basis of the story and I won't spoil the outcome for you.
What I will say is I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down. Maybe that's because I haven't grown up yet . My biggest complaint is the ending. I thought there was more to come and that there should have been. A few threads not quite pulled in enough like who gets custody of Theo's best friend? I'd be happy to see more of Theo if Mr.Grisham wants to do a series, I'm sure he can answer lots more queries for his friends and serve as an advocate in pet's court. 4/5
Promise Me by Harlan Coben
Another magnificent Myron Bolitar book. Starting with the premise that a family friend would ask a child to make a promise that if they're ever in trouble they'll call. Well, we've probably all been there but never in the way that Myron has. Along with his psycopathic WASP friend Win, Myron has to find the girl who made the call and then went missing. It zings along at speed and makes me lose sleep because I can't bear to put it down.
Myron we know as the nice normal man who's had some problems with romance and now lives alone in the childhood home he bought from his parents. They've done the usual and retired to Florida. But Myron has a little core of steel that he shows when necessary and it's one we all wish we shared. What a fantastic writer, what a fantastic book. Welcome back Myron.
This one deserves the full 5/5
Another magnificent Myron Bolitar book. Starting with the premise that a family friend would ask a child to make a promise that if they're ever in trouble they'll call. Well, we've probably all been there but never in the way that Myron has. Along with his psycopathic WASP friend Win, Myron has to find the girl who made the call and then went missing. It zings along at speed and makes me lose sleep because I can't bear to put it down.
Myron we know as the nice normal man who's had some problems with romance and now lives alone in the childhood home he bought from his parents. They've done the usual and retired to Florida. But Myron has a little core of steel that he shows when necessary and it's one we all wish we shared. What a fantastic writer, what a fantastic book. Welcome back Myron.
This one deserves the full 5/5
The Cinnabar Box by Ilil Arbel
Unusually for me I'm offering a review for a book intended for young teens. This is because I think there was a gap in the market since the Harry Potter series ended and room for a greatly pronmising new series to start which will encourage our children to keep reading. For me this is it. The first book in a new series Guardians of the Earth, The Cinnabar Box introduces Donna, a younf girl just informed of a family secret by her aunt. One that will change Donna's life for ever.
A tiny Cinnabar box contains the key to the water supply of an entire planet. The ecology of the planet depends on a great river that periodically overflows, much like the Nile in Egypt. Only the key's rightful owner can restore the water supply, which has been hidden for centuries. The task needs a trained army – but for the moment, it is in the hands of thirteen-year-old Donna, who has just learned a shocking secret about herself. Donna must survive in an alien reality where magic is commonplace, and where she meets many dangerous beings she previously considered the products of fairy tales. A nightmarish trip to the terrifying Wizard Island, a ghost town that imprisons visitors in its empty houses, and encounters with an evil renegade vizier who is determined to turn the planet into a desert, are just a few of her adventures. Throughout many ordeals, Donna uses her wits and relies on two important facts. First, she must save her kidnapped aunt, whatever it takes. Second, she must never, ever break the Wicca Code!
What a perfect chance to introduce children to the pleasures of an imagination. 5/5
Don't cry for me Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce
Louie Knight is a private detective in Aberystwyth. He starts his Christmas trying to solve the death of a man in an alley in Aberystwyth's Chinatown. The deceased wears a red and white coat and sports a long white beard but who is he and who killed him? Has his death got anything to do with the terrible events in Patagonia? Has Louie really been hired by the Queen of Denmark? Will Myfanwy , the love of Louie's life, really leave him without starring in the Christmas Concert? These and many other questions are asked and answerd in Malcolm Pryce's convoluted and very funny satire that reads like The Big Sleep with Bogart and Bacall. 4/5
The Yowler Foul-up by David Lee Stone.
The second book in a series called The Illmoor Chronicles and boy do I regret not getting the first. The Yowlers in question are a religious sect and a breakaway movement is set on destroying the city. In their way are an ousted Duke who seems to have been responsible for a rat problem when he was the power in the city, a vampire ( on his mother's side) a thief and a young girl. Duke Modeset is something of a reluctant hero and it's wonderful to read the way his mind works. I found a touch of Pratchett in the humour but maybe that's just because it's my humour too. The book is probably for Young Adults ( what's the matter with teens?) but I don't care, it can just as easily be read by adults who want a laugh...and they'll get it ! 5/5
Unusually for me I'm offering a review for a book intended for young teens. This is because I think there was a gap in the market since the Harry Potter series ended and room for a greatly pronmising new series to start which will encourage our children to keep reading. For me this is it. The first book in a new series Guardians of the Earth, The Cinnabar Box introduces Donna, a younf girl just informed of a family secret by her aunt. One that will change Donna's life for ever.
A tiny Cinnabar box contains the key to the water supply of an entire planet. The ecology of the planet depends on a great river that periodically overflows, much like the Nile in Egypt. Only the key's rightful owner can restore the water supply, which has been hidden for centuries. The task needs a trained army – but for the moment, it is in the hands of thirteen-year-old Donna, who has just learned a shocking secret about herself. Donna must survive in an alien reality where magic is commonplace, and where she meets many dangerous beings she previously considered the products of fairy tales. A nightmarish trip to the terrifying Wizard Island, a ghost town that imprisons visitors in its empty houses, and encounters with an evil renegade vizier who is determined to turn the planet into a desert, are just a few of her adventures. Throughout many ordeals, Donna uses her wits and relies on two important facts. First, she must save her kidnapped aunt, whatever it takes. Second, she must never, ever break the Wicca Code!
What a perfect chance to introduce children to the pleasures of an imagination. 5/5
Don't cry for me Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce
Louie Knight is a private detective in Aberystwyth. He starts his Christmas trying to solve the death of a man in an alley in Aberystwyth's Chinatown. The deceased wears a red and white coat and sports a long white beard but who is he and who killed him? Has his death got anything to do with the terrible events in Patagonia? Has Louie really been hired by the Queen of Denmark? Will Myfanwy , the love of Louie's life, really leave him without starring in the Christmas Concert? These and many other questions are asked and answerd in Malcolm Pryce's convoluted and very funny satire that reads like The Big Sleep with Bogart and Bacall. 4/5
The Yowler Foul-up by David Lee Stone.
The second book in a series called The Illmoor Chronicles and boy do I regret not getting the first. The Yowlers in question are a religious sect and a breakaway movement is set on destroying the city. In their way are an ousted Duke who seems to have been responsible for a rat problem when he was the power in the city, a vampire ( on his mother's side) a thief and a young girl. Duke Modeset is something of a reluctant hero and it's wonderful to read the way his mind works. I found a touch of Pratchett in the humour but maybe that's just because it's my humour too. The book is probably for Young Adults ( what's the matter with teens?) but I don't care, it can just as easily be read by adults who want a laugh...and they'll get it ! 5/5