Kiss Me Like A Stranger
Second autobiography this year. Like Alda’s it’s tremendously revealing about some things and goes into far too little detail about some of the most interesting things in his life.
Witty and very readable, it’s a fun read.
Category: Books
short?
Jelleyman’s Thrown A Wobbly
Lightweight memoir mainly focusing on stories from the Soccer Saturday studio.
So insubstantial as to not be worth full price.
Nevertheless it’s still pretty entertaining.
eider?
Before They Are Hanged
Second of the First Law trilogy takes a group of heroes on a typical fantasy quest through the West in an atypyical way. Meanwhile in the North and South battles and sieges take place and we learn a wee bit more about the strings being pulled behind the scenes.
bookworm?
The Eyre Affair
The first of the Thursday Next books introduces us to Fforde’s fantasy world of an alternate version of England, still mired in the Crimea, where classic literature is the popular entertainment of the masses.
Next is a civil servant working in the field of literary crime who becomes entangled in the machinations of a crazed criminal genius.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable romp, if never quite as clever or as funny as it thinks it is.
Sadly this series succumbed to the law of diminishing returns after a sequel or two.
Recommended from fans of comic fantasy or those looking for something plays with the conventions and history of literature in a humorous fashion.
gorst?
The Blade Itself
Solidly entertaining debut fantasy novel, first in what promises to be a rather good trilogy
snehurka?
Giraffe
The story of a group of giraffes that end up in Prague zoo in the mid 70’s as told through the eyes of various individuals who interact with the animals during the journey to Prague and when they are settled at the zoo.
Beautifully written, it’s episodic, rambling nature robs the book of narrative momentum.
The novel feels like it’s going nowhere until the last 90 pages when the story comes together to a point in magnificent fashion.
Points are taken off for making me fall asleep reading it…
rhapsody?
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed
Short, enjoyable but incomplete feeling autobiography from the well loved star of the MASH tv series
dwenda?
The Steel Remains
Astonishingly good, brutal fantasy from the writer of rather good, brutal SF Noir.
Twists the fantasy template in interesting ways for fabulous effect.
Lead characters Ringil, Archeth and Egar are war heroes, veterans of a brutal conflict living with the compromises forced upon them by the political fallout of the aftermath.
bcb?
The Fifth Elephant
A Guards story that I had completely forgotten about
sopors?
Mockingbird
Intriguing science fiction from the author of The Hustler and The Color Of Money.
It’s a few hundred years in the future and a mankind coddled by robots and lulled into drugged sterility – both mental and physical is dwindling to it’s last generation until a man in Ohio learns to read..
Raising so many ideas about the nature of humanity and the burdens of artificial intelligence this is really a very good bit of science fiction.