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Book Reviews
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Andrea Chettle29 March 2011
This is a book for anyone who has ever felt out of place in the world. Anyone whose ever felt that they are the wrong fit while everyone else fits just right. It's a book for anyone who loves tales of dark fairies. The sort of fairies that live under a slag heap and steal away babies to sacrifice every seven years. Fairies who survive on the adoration of humans and will do anything to get it. Mostly though, this is a book for anyone that loves a good story. One that wraps tendrils, thick and green and just a little poisonous around you and pulls you right into the plot. The story of one who's left behind to take the place of a stolen child. The Replacement
I loved this book. It's dark, twisty and unsettling. Digging into the secrets of the town of Gentry is like picking up a rock and finding all sorts of wriggling, scuttling, biting creatures underneath. Although I referred to them as fairies, the author doesn't actually name her creations leaving it up to the reader's mind to name and claim them. The living dead girls, The Cutter, The Morrigan and her sister The Lady are all so cleverly drawn into the plot that you could quite easily believe that there really is a kingdom right below our own.
Apart from the magical creatures, however, this is a story about family and what it means to belong. Its about how far someone will go to protect/save a person they love. At it's heart, though, it's about accepting who you are and the situation you find yourself living in whatever that may be.
I would really recommend that you pick up a copy of The Replacement and visit the town of Gentry . Just don't stay too long because it's not always a safe place to be. -
Wasting Police Time: The Crazy World of the War on Crime
Emma Roberts29 March 2011
A fabulous insight in to the real world of policing.
PC David Copperfield keeps you entertained and excited throughout this book whilst still keeping in touch with the issues surrounding police work.
The book is more of a Real-Life Police officers Diary and really puts some issues into perspective.
Brilliant Book.
Must also read 'Perverting the course of Justice' -
On the Road (Penguin Modern Classics)
David Armstrong28 March 2011
'On The Road' is the second novel written by American author and doyen of the Beat Generation Jack Kerouac which, breaking from the more conventional Thomas Wholfe influenced style of his debut novel 'The Town And The City', introduces his Jazz-influenced spontaneous prose technique of writing, the essential elements of which - Kerouac suggested - were to 'Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind - The unspeakable visions of the individual.'
In 'On The Road' Kerouac recounts the experiences of the long road trips he took across the heart of the United States in search of something new, some way of life or some experience, beyond the nine-to-five existence, with a house on a tree lined block and a white picket fence, which was the prevailing view of American life; but, more than plot, it is really a novel of characters, and chief among them is Dean Moriarty the character based upon Kerouac's real-life friend, and member of the Beat Generation, Neal Cassady, wonderfully described by Kerouac in this passage from the novel:
'The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'
'On The Road' is an autobiographical account of this travelling period in Kerouac's life which he claimed took seven years to live and then, in April 1951, just three weeks to write. He wrote relentlessly, typing all day and night onto sheets of teletype paper taped together to create a scroll 120-feet in length which allowed him to write continuously and spontaneously without need to pause. Such was the novel's originality in style, however, that it took another six years after completing the manuscript for Kerouac to find a publisher willing to publish the novel; and yet on its eventual publication in 1957 the book soon became a precursor for the cultural revolution of the 1960s, with many denizens of the decade's counterculture citing Jack Kerouac, and 'On The Road' particularly, as an inspiration.
It's clear now that the novel was perfectly apt for the spirit of the times in which it was released and marked the awakening of a young generation determined to push beyond the conservatism of their cultural milieu; as William S. Burroughs, author of 'The Naked Lunch' and 'Nova Express', and member of the Beat Generation, said of the cultural change affected by the influence of Kerouac's work, 'Writers are, in a way, very powerful indeed. They write the script for the reality film. Kerouac opened a million coffee bars and sold a million pairs of Levis to both sexes. Woodstock rises from his pages.'
Nowadays, more than half a century on since its publication, a reader coming to 'On The Road' for the first time may be forgiven for doubting that the book can still have as much relevance to a modern reader; and even if one were to concede that certain aspects of the book have dated since its initial publication, the intention would not be to suggest that the book has lost all relevance entirely. The rhythm of Kerouac's spontaneous prose is, at its best, a joy to read; and the spirit of the book, with its insatiable hunger for all that life has to offer, is as inspiring now as it must have been half a century ago. The experience of reading 'On The Road' for the first time is one I'm glad not to have missed; and if read at the right time, while still young enough to believe the world to be an oyster, 'On The Road' should prove inspiring like few other books. -
My Dangerous Duke: Number 2 in series (Inferno Club)
Kelly Marsh27 March 2011
"The strong, handsome, Rohan Kilburn, Duke of Warrington is a top assassin for the Order. Known for his superstitious streak, he has made a point of keeping his heart free of love (despite his many conquests!). But on one cold winter's night when he returns home to his seaside castle, he finds that his tenants have found him a beautiful young woman. Kate Madsen is the innocent victim of a kidnapping plot, shy but independent and intelligents. As Rohan and Kate work together to unravel the truth about an ancient curse that could destroy them both, their budding attraction begins to ignite. But when tragedy strikes, it's up to Kate to shatter the curse that could prevent her Dangerous Duke from becoming her ideal husband." I've read alot of these historical romps lately but this is my favourite of the moment. It is a romance book but has an exciting, thriller story with lots of twists and turns which make it more exciting than the average book.
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Dead and Gone: A True Blood Novel (Sookie Stackhouse Vampire 9)
Kelly Marsh27 March 2011
This series is really popular at the moment becuase of the seires being shown on Channel4 and also probably because it is quite similar (although alot more adult if you know what I mean!) to Twilight. I borrowed this book off my friend and I quite enjoyed it but I think I would have liked it more if I had started the series from the beginning and read through it properly without missing some volumes out (my own fault then really!). Here we have Sookie Stackhouse dealing with another paranormal mystery: "Now it's the turn of the weres and shifters to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course - her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she's friend to the local Were pack and Sam, her boss at Merlotte's bar, is a shifter. At first the great Were revelation seems to go well - then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found outside Merlotte's." It's really quite the same as the other ones of this series that I have read but I wasn't really feeling it this time. It's okay to pass some time reading but I couldn't really rave about it.
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Kelly Marsh27 March 2011
At first I couldn't really get into this book as I didn't find katie fforde's writing style quite as friendly (if that is the right word to use! lol) but I am glad I stuck with it as the actual story is actually quite good. I liked sophie as the heroine but I was so keen on Luke who was too old fashioned and stuck in the mud really but somehow at the end I still liked their romance. My friends really like Katie FForde's books and I enjoyed this one (not quite as much as other romances maybe) so I would read others.
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The Dirt - Motley Crue: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
Alex Thomas24 March 2011
This is one hell of a read and once you start you will never want the rock 'n' roll ride to stop. Everything is exposed from the drugs and partying to life in and out of the band and everything in between. Every bit as exciting as the band on stage and their stories are so mesmorising that you could never believe they ever happened...but they did!
You get to learn all about the characters of each band member and what it means to truely be part of the Crue!
Not for the faint hearted lol! -
Carbs & Cals: A Visual Guide to Carbohydrate & Calorie Counting for People with Diabetes
Katie Clarke17 March 2011
This is a book that has changed our lives! We have a 9 year old Type 1 Diabetic son, who requires 4 insulin injections each day. To calculate his insulin we "carbohydrate count", that is, calculate how much carbohydrate is in his meal and adjust his insulin dose accordingly. This book has made this so much easier. No longer are we guessing or scrutinising labels. Its photos and clutter free format accurately tell us all the information required. Providing nutritional information from cornflake cakes to lentil curry, it has a wide food and drinks content. Highly recommended.
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Barefoot Gen Vol.1: No. 1: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima
Mike Kenny03 March 2011
While graphic novels are now very much a part of the mainstream literary environment, manga has remained something of a niche genre most popular with Japanese businessmen and Anglo emo-teens, but there are several series which really do deserve to have a wider audience. Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen is one such series. Literary and yet still accessible in the same way as Art Spiegelman's phenomenal Maus, Barefoot Gen is loosely based on Nakazawa's own experiences as a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing.
Nakazawa was six years old when an atomic bomb with power equal to 13500 tons of TNT was detonated 1850 feet above the centre of Hiroshima at 08:16 on the morning of August 6 1945. Roughly 400000 people were living in the Hiroshima area at the time. Roughly 232000 of them died, either as a direct result of the explosion or later through radiation poisoning. Nakazawa was about a mile from the city centre when the bomb was detonated and he survived by pure luck.
Barefoot Gen begins in April 1945 and this first volume follows young Gen and his family, along with millions of other Japanese civilians, as they struggle to deal with the hardships that plagued the country in the run up to the end of World War Two. In the four months prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Gen and his family are be shunned and abused by their neighbours due to his father's pacifist beliefs. The cruelties and hardships of their daily lives are seen through the eyes of Gen as he struggles to understand why his family are despised. The loving, tight-knit family is viewed in sharp contrast with the rabid militaristic, patriotic stance of the nation as a whole. There is a very authentic feel to the way daily life in Japan at the tail-end of a war which brought pain and famine to a proud nation is portrayed. This volume ends with the events of August 6, the day of the atomic bomb.
A beautiful though harrowing work, Barefoot Gen is a testimony to the horrors of nuclear war and to the triumph of the human spirit. This is an amazingly power series that I would recommend to anyone interested in history and, indeed, humanity. -
Kevin28 February 2011
Camping seems to have become fashionable in the last few years perhaps as a result of the economic downturn forcing many of us to search for cheaper holiday ideas or maybe as a byproduct of the huge rise in the number of festivals in the UK. However, for those who have never been camping, or at least not since childhood, it can all seem a bit daunting. Where do I go? What kind of tent should I buy? What equipment? What if it rains? A how-to guidebook like The Happy Campers might be just what you need.
On first sight this book isn't promising. The schmaltzy photos and happy-clappy prose are off-putting and after a few pages the only thing many readers will be sure of is that they never want to spend a rainy weekend stuck in a tent with the two irritatingly perky and twee authors of this book. However, if you can get past that, The Happy Campers proves to be an excellent beginner's guide. There are plenty of tips on what equipment you might need - and how you might come by it cheaply; lots of advice on finding campsites, on when and where to go, how to build a campfire and a huge section on campfire cooking. And it also covers the less practical things like entertainment and how to make the most of the natural environment.
The Happy Campers is a useful practical guide for nervous, inexperienced campers to take along with them on the summer trips. It's also a surprisingly inspiring winter read that leaves one dreaming of fun, spontaneous adventures tp come.
