| HOME | BESTSELLERS | NEW RELEASES | PRICE WATCH | FICTION | BIOGRAPHIES | E-BOOKS |
Book Reviews
-
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Jamie Smith29 September 2010
A great book about two boys who hypnotise their headmaster into thinking he is a superhero. I think this book is great, I love the wedgie power and like to look at the pictures by Dave Pilkey. I would recommend this book for boys age 7 to 10.
-
Kelly Marsh23 September 2010
While studying at Cambridge Sasha Miller falls for the charms of her professor Theo Dexter. When Theo looses interest Sasha moves to the USA feeling humiliated and betrayed. Years later she has successfully graduated from Harvard business school and returns to Cambridge determined to bring about the downfall of the now famous Dexter. Dexter's wife Theresa has recently been dumped in favour of a younger model and so Sasha tracks her down with a proposal for revenge. Scandalous is a good mix of chick lit and bonkbuster and is a really good book. Dexter is just an awful person and its great to see Sasha and Theresa plotting revenge.
-
Joanne Leddington23 September 2010
Dissolution is the first novel in CJ Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series - a collection of historical crime stories set during the reign of Henry VIII.
Dissolution begins in 1537, arguably the most tumultuous time in English history since 1066. Henry VIII has broken with Rome proclaimed himself to be Supreme Head of the Church. As change sweeps rapidly across the country, the people of England must become accustomed to savage new laws, rigged trials and growing networks of informers for the Crown. Under the direction of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners have been sent out throughout the country to investigate the monasteries and find evidence to support the King's desire for dissolution.
Tensions are high across the country as the old religious order is toppled, but in the monastery of Scarnsea events have spiralled shockingly out of control. Robin Singleton, one of Cromwell's commissioners, has been decapitated and his murder accompanied by a sinister act of sacrilege - the sacrifice of a black cockerel on the church altar and the theft of a relic. Matthew Shardlake is a long-time supporter of religious reform and, accompanied by his trusted assistant Mark, is dispatched to Scarnsea by Cromwell to discover the truth behind the murder and other dark happenings at the monastery.
Dissolution is an exceptionally good historical crime novel. CJ Sansom has done a wonderful job of weaving together England's history and religious and domestic political scene with an intriguing mystery. While the crime is the centre of the story, Dissolution is filled with so much rich, historical detail that it also offers a great insight into ordinary life during Tudor times. Matthew Shardlake himself is a great 'hero' to follow - he is an idealistic and intelligent man and even though he has flaws and experiences jealousies, he acknowledges these character defects and tries to rise above them. It is both sad and intriguing to see how the various characters in the story treat Shardlake's disability - he is a hunchback - and the poor treatment that he often received, despite being a kind hearted person himself, makes him an even more sympathetic character. The mystery that Shardlake must unravel here is intricately plotted and involves many thrilling twists and turns - it is quite a complex case so don't expect to solve it straight away! -
Let's Get Ready For School Tell The Time
Joanne Woodward04 September 2010
With this book my 5 year old daughter learnt to tell the time in 2 days. she had learnt to count 5,10,15 etc at school but I have bought other books with no luck but after using this it has just stuck in her head. I would highly recommend.
-
Chris M31 August 2010
J. D. Salinger's most famous and revered novel resides on that fabled shelf of classic "read before you die" literature. Now I have finally got around to reading the book I can begin to understand why. I say finally because The Catcher in the Rye has been on my mental to do list for some time now. However, I was always reluctant to begin reading it. I believe at some point I subconsciously conceived the outrageous idea that this was some kind of novel centred on farming, largely due to the title's inclusion of the word rye - this of course being an agricultural cereal grain. I am ashamed to admit that this thought, born of ignorance at a young age hijacked my opinions into early adulthood and prevented me from reading the book! Why I am so averse to reading a novel centred on farming I find hard to explain. Although in secondary school I was rather upset and perturbed by Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, which focuses on the misfortunes of two migrant field workers and perhaps this experience scarred me!? Alas, I digress... The Catcher in the Rye has nothing remotely to do with farming and depending on your interpretation can best be described as a teenage, coming of age novel, widely accepted to be set circa 1950.
The Catcher in the Rye is a subjective narrative in the first person. This technical jargon means that Salinger's protagonist, Holden Caulfield shares his thoughts and emotions with the reader almost as if he is speaking out loud. An incredibly acerbic and cynical teenage boy from a wealthy middle class New York family, Holden would seem to hate almost everyone and everything. The only people he really seems fond of are the memory of his deceased younger brother Allie, his sister Phoebe and a girl named Jane whom he has romantic feelings towards. In many respects Holden is a typical teenager - he is angry and disillusioned, cheeky and sarcastic, and of course he knows it all. After being expelled from his current prep school a few days before the Christmas break, Holden decides to leave early, head into New York City and check into a hotel. The escapades that follow are largely a comedy of errors, which for example include our young narrator having a rather disastrous encounter with a prostitute and her pimp. On the surface the narrative is mostly a comical and entertaining description of Holden's experience in New York, incorporating a plethora of cynical tirades on society in general. However, beneath the surface one finds an exploration of the major conflict in Holden's own psyche, which sees him simultaneously struggle to reject childhood whilst embracing adulthood, or in other words, trying to grow up. This certainly makes for interesting reading as Holden attempts to lead what he perceives is an adult existence by visiting bars, drinking and flirting with women. However Holden's adult experiences are counterproductive to his attempts to come of age and by the end of the book he has retreated back into childhood.
If I was forced to pigeon hole this book I would describe it primarily as a comedy. I found it to be laugh out loud funny from start to finish. Even the sad or sentimental parts of the book are made hilarious by Holden's often blasphemous use of colloquial 1950s New York language. I really enjoyed reading The Catcher in the Rye and I seriously regret not doing so sooner. I experienced many of the feelings and cynicisms that Holden himself describes throughout the book and I feel that Salinger's masterpiece may have proved a reassurance to me during these complicated and confusing years. With this book teenagers can find reassurance through affinity and adults can be reminded, whilst both can enjoy the laughs. If you have never read this book I implore you to give it a try, because as Holden might say, "it'll really knock you out". -
Unseen Academicals: A Discworld Novel
Mike Kenny31 August 2010
The first novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series (The Colour of Magic) was published in 1983 so it's no surprise that I feel like I've been following the series for my whole life. Pratchett is one of the best-selling authors in the UK and is a prolific writer - Unseen Academicals is the 37th novel set in Discworld - but his standards never slip.
In Unseen Academicals Pratchett focuses on life above and below stairs at the Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork and turns his satirical eye on the world of football. The faculty of wizards at the Unseen University are faced with a difficult decision - either survive on only three meals a day or form a football team to compete in a tournament that would ensure funding for the University from a wealthy family of patrons. They are not keen to lose their meal privileges. Unfortunately for the wizard, football in Ankh-Morpork is a particularly dangerous sport and deaths are common. The wizards therefore team up with Lord Vetinari, beloved dictator of the city, to compile a set of official rules for football, which includes the banning of handling the ball and proscribes the use of unofficial balls. The rules might well make the game somewhat safer, but they're certainly not enough to guarantee the wizards victory in the tournament.
While the wizards are concentrating on training and tactics, four ordinary citizens of Ankh-Morpork are becoming mixed up in some shady footballing business. Mr Nutt is a candle dribbler who must shake-off his race's reputation for being mindless killing machines when he is appointed as trainer for the wizards ahead of their big match. Mr Nutt's co-worker and friend, Trev Likely, is the son of the most famous deceased footballer in Ankh-Morpork but has unfortunately promised his mum that he will not play in the match. Glenda is a friend of both Mr Nutt and Trev and works in the Unseen University's Night Kitchen making the best pies in the whole of the Discworld. Juliet works for Glenda, fancies Trev and might just be the best fashion model to ever grace the Disc. These four disparate characters all end up advising the wizards during the build-up to their epic match against the former street footballers of Ankh-Morpork.
With Unseen Academicals Terry Pratchett has written yet another cracker of a Discworld novel. I'm not a big fan of football myself so I wasn't sure whether I would find the set-up here to be as interesting as the previous novels but it was quickly clear that Unseen Academicals is a satire on the old formula of 'team of no-hopers coached by a washed up, one time great player must play and beat the favourite team' and the situation of the wizards having to win using official non-magic rules in order to guarantee the continuation of their slothful lives is just as hilarious and entertaining as the previous satirical Discworld novels (Pratchett having parodied the post office and banking, amongst other famous British institutions, in recent novels). I've always enjoyed witnessing life in the Unseen University and several well-loved characters from previous novels (such as The Luggage and Rincewind) crop up again to great effect in Unseen Academicals. Each of the four new characters introduced in this novel were strong and likeable and help to drive the plot forward. I particularly liked the enigmatic and stoical Mr Nutt. The plot knits together well through a series of amusing happenstance and the pace of the story is lively. The tone here is less dark than that of the more recent Discworld stories and there are many laugh-out-loud moments.
I can't wait to see what will be happening in the Discworld next! -
Darragh31 August 2010
James' last adventure...
Finishes off with the Brigands,
meets his Dad,
Uncle Ron gets out of prison and comes after James,
Kerry and James....
An excellent book, punchy, exciting, mysterious, compelling, addictive, unthinkable, and what's more, you'll really wish it was true. -
Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis
Michelle Moore19 August 2010
I saw this book advertised online and being a huge 'Wilow' fan couldn't resist reading it.
This written account of Warwick's story from birth will be an unstoppable read and you will not be able to put this book down. It tells of his first acting job, though his countless number of films from 'Star Wars', 'Willow' and the 'Leprechaun' and 'Harry Potter' franchaises though to his work on commecials. It also delves into his life helping little people find work in the acting business which is really inspiring.
The moments that will touch you however is when he talks about his home life. From meeting his wife, the birth of his children Annabelle and Harrison and the death of his sons Lloyd and George. Reading such an emotional life story will bring tears to your eyes.
Warwick has put some of the most personal and proundest moments of his life in this book and no matter how hard you try, you wil not be able to put it down until the end. It is the best Biography since River Phoenix and Michael. J Fox. -
Kelly Marsh17 August 2010
Angela Clark is an English girl living it up in New York, she has a great boyfriend and a great job writing for The Look magazine. When she is sent to interview British actor James Jacobs in Hollywood Angela and her best friend Jenny imagine they will be spending time lounging on the beach and hitting the shops of rodeo drive. Of course life in Hollywood turns out to be not quite what she expects and after a paparazzi photo of her seeming to be kissing James Jacobs is published, Angela has to convince her boss and more importantly her boyfriend that Hollywood hasn't gone to her head. This is another fun book in the Angela Clark series. I wish I had her life!
-
Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky: Grubtown Tales
dushyanth15 August 2010
I have been searching for grubtown tales book for almost 3 yrs
and I have found this website and waiting for this book - thankyou
