Category: Rated

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Posted on by Greig

The Hell Of It All

Charlie Brooker

The Hell of it All by Charlie BrookerThis is the third volume of Brooker’s collected Guardian columns.
I’m very much a fan of his sense of humour and I thoroughly enjoy his work.
I was already familiar with about a quarter of the book as I’d read the columns as they appeared on The Guardian’s website.
A couple of the pieces in this book are among the best things he’s ever written, and yet, it also has some of the bleakest which can be disquieting among his firework displays of invective.
I’m happy to recommend this (and Brooker’s other collections, particularly if you come from a vaguely lefty, media obsessed and net savvy background.

Rating: A-

ambros?

Posted on by Greig

The Emigrants

W.G. Sebald

the emigrantsThe Emigrants tells the stories of four exiled German Jews. These four stories are loosely linked together by an unnamed narrator.
These four tales add up to tell the story of the narrator, another exiled German, obviously based on Sebald himself.
These tales are simply slices of ordinary lives told from the perspective of the narrator, or the narrator interpreting the memories or memoirs of others.
All four stories are haunting and linger in the memory. The writing is beautiful, economic and graceful.
I came to this book by recommendation from the James Yorkston book I read last. It was a recommendation well deserved and I think I will delve further into Sebald’s work.
It seems that there is only a small back catalogue as sadly Sebald was killed in a car accident at age 57.

Rating: A

balvenie?

Posted on by Greig

It’s Lovely To Be Here

James Yorkston

Pleasantly enjoyable jaunt through Yorkston’s tour diaries as he travels the world playing solo shows as headliner and support act.
He’s a fine raconteur with a nice line in self-deprecating yarns but to be honest there’s nothing more to the book than that.
Worth it only if you’re already a fan of his music.

Rating: B

karass?

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Among Others

Jo Walton

This wonderful book somehow gets right to the heart of what it feels like to grow up as misfit teen, with only the comfort of libraries and their science fiction & fantasy books to keep you company. It really reminded of why I decided to become a librarian…
The plot is that fifteen year old Mori finds herself farmed off to a girls boarding school after running away from her Mother and being placed in the care of a Father she doesn’t know. She’s too smart for her own good, walks with a cane after an accident and speaks with a Welsh accent so she definitely doesn’t fit in at her new, posh English, school.
The book follows her as she makes her first steps in getting to know her father, come to terms with her past and her introduction to fandom.
Among Others comes with my highest recommendation. Please read this book – you may not love it as much as I do, but I guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Rating: A+

SOS?

Posted on by Greig

Passage

Connie Willis

If this book had just been shorter, or quicker paced it would have received a much higher mark from me.
The book follows Doctors researching into Near Death Experiences based in a General Hospital somewhere in the USA. One of them develops a way to safely replicate NDEs under lab conditions in volunteers and the other has been recording the testimony of real life NDE patients.
Essentially what should be a snappy medical mystery/science fiction novel gets bogged down in the detail of Near Death Experiences and generally makes you think “this is going nowhere, do something to advance the story”
It’s extremely well written and some of the characters are great (especially the ultra pragmatic, disaster obsessed, pre-teen heart patient Maisie), and generally what happens is quite satisfying – I just felt it took too long to get there.
I think I’m going to take a break from Willis’ books – I’ve been struggling with the audiobook of Blackout for months now and lost the will to listen to it anymore!

Rating: B+

tyger?

Posted on by Greig

A Princess of Roumania

Paul Park

This alternate world fantasy novel came to me highly recommended by a friend.
While I certainly found it contained some very original twists on familiar fantasy tropes and I enjoyed reading the book, I just can’t see myself reading any further in the series.
I’m not motivated to find out what happens next.
As a side note I described the plot and a couple of the characters from the story to a Romanian friend of mine and he found it hilarious…
So, in summary, it’s well-written and has some fresh ideas but somehow lacking that magic ingredient that keeps you wanting to learn more.

Rating: A-

brighton?

Posted on by Greig

My Shit Life So Far

Frankie Boyle

My Shit Life So FarOf the comedian’s biographies I’ve read this year, this is closest to an actual biography. True it contains substantial chunks of his stand up routine, but it also feels like you’re getting some insight into what makes Boyle the man he is.
It is of course very funny in places.
I’d say it’s worth picking it up dirt cheap someplace – no need to encourage him too much.

Rating: B+