Category: Books

enochian?

Posted on by Greig

The Apocalypse Codex

Charles Stross

the-apocalypse-codexThe latest Laundry book finds Bob Howard on the middle management fast track and in a whole heap of trouble in the United States.
The mashup of Lovecraftian horror and spy thriller still works to excellent effect.
The introduction of a Modesty Blaise style super spy/magician and her ex-soldier colleague gives the series a bit of fresh impetus.
I recommend the whole series wholeheartedly – Stross has a tendency to over egg the darkness that he keeps in check with the Laundry books.

Rating: A-

mutt?

Posted on by Greig

Mockingjay

Suzanne Collins

MockingjayAfter re-reading Catching Fire it was inevitable that I’d go back and read the final volume of the trilogy again.
When I first read the book I read it so quickly that some of the emotional impact was lost on me.
This time round I really felt moved by all the horrors that the characters go through and in particular I keenly felt Katniss’ pain in the scene with Buttercup right at the end of the book.
I know some people are never going to like this kind of dystopian fiction but this is a genuinely powerful book and I think it’s well worth giving a shot even if you don’t think it’s for you.

Rating: A-

safari?

Posted on by Greig

The Wedding Date

Liz Young

the wedding dateThis book was originally called Asking For Trouble but then it got turned into a film called The Wedding Date.
Aside from the fact that both the film and the book feature an older sister hiring an escort to go to her younger sister’s wedding the two are entirely different.
It’s a quick read, with some enjoyable characters but ultimately it’s kind of throwaway.
That isn’t a bad thing – I enjoyed the time spent reading it – it just means I doubt I’d ever read it again.
Recommended for fans of romantic comedies and contemporary romance novels.

Rating: B

match?

Posted on by Greig

I Am The Secret Footballer

The Secret Footballer

i-am-the-secret-footballer-lifting-the-lid-on-the-beautiful-gameI followed the Secret Footballer column on the Guardian website for a while so when this turned up in the 99p Kindle daily deal on the Amazon website I couldn’t resist getting it.
I read this in dribs and drabs over months when I needed to kill time and I only had my phone to hand to entertain me.
It’s an entertaining and decently written insight to the life of modern top level footballers with just enough self awareness to stop the author from seeming massively entitled. It’s still irritating in places when he talks about the obscene behaviours of his fellow professionals, especially with regard to women, but since this feels like honest reporting it’s not enough to put you off.
If you’re a football fan then it’s definitely worth splashing out 99p on this.

Rating: B

ladder?

Posted on by Greig

Insurgent

Veronica Roth

InsurgentThe sequel to Divergent is a similarly entertaining slice of YA dystopian sci-fi.
It definitely feels like a middle volume of a series with a lot of talking and a lot of having the protagonist stuck in dangerous situations that they escape by the skin of her teeth.
Still, a fun read, and definitely recommended if you enjoyed the first book.

Rating: B+

antigone?

Posted on by Greig

Chimes at Midnight

Seanan McGuire

chimes at midnightThe latest Toby Daye book is as enjoyable as ever.
Tremendous upheaval comes to the Kingdom of the Mists in this book but it feels more like the theme of this one is about Toby accepting that she belongs in Faerie with the family she’s made up along the way.
It’s simultaneously very exciting and very annoying that hints about what appears to be the series endgame crop up in the last couple of chapters and the bonus short story.
I think, though, that some really awful things are going to start happening soon to our favourite changeling knight.
A total must read for Toby fans and the series as a whole is more than recommended for those who don’t actively hate urban fantasy.

Rating: B+

squirrel?

Posted on by Greig

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Jenny Lawson

Lets Pretend This NeverHappenedLawson’s autobiography is incredibly funny, occasionally moving and nearly always faintly disturbing.
I really don’t want to spoil anything for you. I wholeheartedly recommend this book unless you have no taste for dark humour or you’re incredibly squeamish.

Rating: A

heels?

Posted on by Greig

Something About You

Julie James

Something about youThis is an incredibly fluffy, totally predictable romance novel about the romance between an assistant DA and an FBI agent that blossoms after she becomes the only material witness to a murder.
It was recommended to me by someone on Tumblr. I’ll be ignoring their recommendations from now on.

Rating: C

mechanism?

Posted on by Greig

Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins

catching fireThe latest trailer for the film version of this book was released at San Diego Comic Con and it got me slightly excited.
So I dug out my ebook and started reading and you know what? I think I like this book a whole lot more than I did the first time round.
The first person perspective is both the strength and weakness of this series.
It’s a strength because Katniss is such an interesting, damaged person and seeing the world via her naively cynical viewpoint skews the world in novel ways.
It’s a weakness because much of the really interesting stuff that happens – politically, culturally – are events that Katniss doesn’t attend or doesn’t understand.
It’s kind of wonderful that you have to piece together the back story by yourself but sometimes you really can’t tell what’s happened to place Katniss in whatever fresh hell she’s landed in.
What’s interesting about Catching Fire on a second read is how hard Katniss is trying to be empathetic, how much she’s learned from the horror of being in The Hunger Games about valuing the survival of other people.
Despite the many ways she’s been used and abused by the powerful, this is someone in the slow process of growing into a better person before fresh trauma is heaped upon her.
I really do recommend this series. It’s no masterpiece of literature but it is a very enjoyable and thought provoking read with a compelling central character.

Rating: A

wiggin?

Posted on by Greig

Ender’s Game

Orson Scott Card

ender's gameIt’s a long time since I last read this book – nearly nine years ago.
With the upcoming release of a film of this and the subsequent furore over Card’s ridiculous homophobia I took a notion to read Ender’s Game again.
I picked it up in the afternoon and next thing I knew it was nearly three in the morning and the book was finished.
It’s a brilliant piece of science fiction with themes still relevant today, vivid world building and a compelling central character.
Despite loving this book I have very deliberately never read another Orson Scott Card book. I can ignore his views when caught up in the story but purchasing his books makes me feel complicit when he funds organizations that pursue an agenda I cannot support.
Having said all that I still thoroughly recommend reading Ender’s Game – it is genuinely great.

Rating: A