| HOME | BESTSELLERS | NEW RELEASES | PRICE WATCH | FICTION | BIOGRAPHIES | E-BOOKS |
Book Reviews
-
Vegetables in a Small Garden: Simple steps to success (RHS Simple Steps to Success)
Jayne17 November 2009
What an excellent book, full colour pictures and very informative - even the purple carrots!
-
Naomi Stanley16 November 2009
As a Jodi Picoult fan I found this book really interesting. It's a story that has depth that tackles a very serious issue (I won't go in to too much detail as I don't want to spoil it for other readers).
Through the characters the story questions human behaviour and the ability to change. You could categorise this book as a romance however this story shows the good, the bad and the ugly side of love.
I fell in love with the characters of Cassie and Will as they are very different people brought together in extreme circumstances and it's these circumstances that leads them to both questions who they are, their histories, and their future.
Alex Rivers is a very three dimensional character, one minute wanting to hate him, the next sympathising with him. Picoult has managed to bring to life a believable Hollywood superstar, without going over the top.
All three of the main characters have had startling pasts which will surprise the reader and keep you turning the pages.
As the book ends on a bittersweet note, the reader won't be able to stop themselves imaging the future for Alex, Cassie and Will.
I would definitely say this is one of my favourites of Picoult's books, although My Sisters Keeper will always remain at the top of my list.
This book is a must read! -
Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes: v. 2
Nariece10 November 2009
This is a bizarre manga. The artwork is colourful, and brilliant, so if you are buying this for this aspect I highly recommend it, however, the storyline is just strange!
I have to say I really enjoyed this, but I can only describe it as one of the saddest stories I have read. It seems to look magical, but you can tell it's based on real life, and that's a downer, but you cannot expect anything that happens in this book. It really makes you think about your life, and shows that everyone has their demons, one way or another... just be careful what you wish for... -
Nariece10 November 2009
Ok, at first glance this book is just a little bit weird and dull. But after the first few pages it's so much more than that. The artwork is a little different, but eventually you get to grips with it and the storylines really awesome - the pages fly! The gothic Victorian characters are laced with bizarreness, and just a tiny bit of romance, making it my first and favourite manga of the moment. Well worth a read, but be prepared to have shivers crawling down your spine!
-
Airhead: Being Nikki (Airhead Trilogy)
Nariece10 November 2009
An excellent and satisfying second book in the air-head trilogy. It's glam and glitzy, and just proves that being beautiful and rich isn't everything! It has an excellent plot, full of twists and turns, a perfect fashionable thriller for girls (Or guys, whatever!). Seriously, you will never guess the end of this airhead chapter!
A Perfect quick read! -
Poppy08 November 2009
Like many books I have read, I really enjoyed this one. The title suits this book completely as "Just Jealous" it is exactly what this book is about. The whole book is based on jealousy when one girl can't have the one she loves. I'm sure many 17 year olds go through the same thing but this book is very dramatic and has a very tragic ending and I know that this ending is not very realistic but gets the point across what people do for love.
It starts off at the end of the story, dramatic and you have no idea what's going on. Then later in the story you find out what has happened and you relate to the beginning, eager to read on. Before reading this book I read "Looking for JJ" another book by Anne Cassidy and it enjoyed it, so was keen to read this one. It is written in third person as it says Elise "felt", Carl "thought" and is in the past tense. "Elise was struck, and she had some". The author has used this to sort of look back on what has happen in the story and tell the story in a distant but still detailed way.
I think this book is a drama, fiction book as it is very shocking (people dying). "Peter Fenner was there lying face down on the concrete". This sentence makes you visualise a boy lying on the floor but leaves room for variation, as everyone can change what they think Peter looks like and imagine who they think he is. It is very dramatic as it is in the second paragraph of the book so it is straight to the point yet very undetailed. It's still based on real life but still adding pieces that are over exaggerated and unlikely to happen.
I like the story line, as it is different but based on the real world, not just the life inside a book. I think this book is written for a small audience of older children and teenagers, as it is about love but yet also about the terrible things that people do to others. For example when you hear in the news about someone murdered in the park you quite often assume that a youth has done this down to the influence of drinking or drugs. Like it says in the book "Just another teenager up to no good." This implies that lots of teenagers today are troubled and commit crime, but I don't think this is a fair stereotype to youths. A big proportion of them are well behaved it's just a small minority that commit awful crimes, like the ones committed in this story. The word "another" assumes millions of teenagers do it but only a small percentage do. Then it continues saying about the influence of "Drugs or drink".
On the other hand this sentence does not stereotype teenagers, it just shows you what it does to you and shows you that they are not actually bad people just with the influence of alcohol they cannot control their actions. In the story this statement isn't correct but in real life it is quite often true, many people are sensible but with the influence of these things they become terrible people.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, but I think all her books are a bit too similar for me, and I enjoyed "Looking for JJ" slightly more than this one. I liked the fact that it was in third person so it was told in a distant narration; this made me feel like I was there with them. It was very dramatic and I think it maybe needed a little bit of humour within places but it was a very good book and I would recommend it to everyone. -
fudgieandronnie04 November 2009
Not being a fan of war stories I read an article about this book in my local newspaper and thought "why not?" and I'm so glad I did. It has everything - drama, love, heartache plus from page one you are desperate to know what she does next. I personally think this book would make a fabulous film as it is from a totally different angle and having now passed it onto my 12 year old daughter to read, I think that it appeals to all ages. She is already halfway through the book and says that she is enthralled by it and now her brother is now queuing up to read it (for one who does not read this is not bad going).
The great thing about this author is that if he sells enough copies of the book (and apparently he is a first time author) he is going to donate 1/3 of his royalties to 2 UK charities - how good is that? -
Jo03 November 2009
At the start of the book, Rubens sister Rachael is raped and murdered. The book goes on to show him and his brother, Cole, setting out to the place where it happened to find out who did it and eventually seek revenge. I enjoyed the book a lot and felt their pain off loss and their anger over the injustice.
-
Jo03 November 2009
A lot of people are put off by the highly graphic violent and sexual scenes in this book whereas other people see it as an important part. American Psycho revolves around the main character Patrick Bateman. He is rich and good looking and dedicates his time to fitting into his stereotype, but on the side he brutally murders people. I think that the people that are put off by the horrific scenes are missing out on the main point of the book. The ending, at first, disappointed me but once I thought about it for a while I realised that it made sense. It's a very thought provoking book and is a classic. I wouldn't want my kids reading it though!
-
Erin Britton30 October 2009
Told from the point of view of a fictionalised seven-year-old Philip Roth, "The Plot Against America" offers an alternative history in which Franklin Roosevelt was defeated in the presidential election of 1940 by pioneering aviator and staunch Republican Charles Lindbergh. The election of President Lindbergh strikes fear into the hearts of Jewish American families like Roth's since, although Lindbergh was a hero to many, he was also a fierce isolationist, an admirer of Hitler and a raging anti-Semite. While actual history saw America enter the Second World War on the side of the allies, "The Plot Against America" has the country remaining officially neutral but actually on friendly terms with Germany which severely hampers the war efforts of the British and their allies. It seems that the fears of men like Roth's father are coming true as the Lindbergh government pursues an aggressive policy of integration that aims to separate young Jewish children from their families while remaining disturbing neutral as a rising wave of anti-Semitism sweeps across America. As well as examining the wider social picture, Roth also details the effect of the new government on his fictionalised family. While his father and mother remain supporters of ex-President Roosevelt and quietly fear what will become of American Jews, his cousin Alvin joins the Canadian army and heads to Europe to fight the Nazis while Roth's older brother Sandy and his aunt Evelyn seem to embrace the new regime. "The Plot Against America" is an excellent book that offers a profound insight into how easy it is for personal liberties to become eroded in a time of fear in national security and how many people are simply prepared to look the other way in the face of injustice. This is a brilliant novel and one of the most enthralling stories I have read in ages, Roth's writing is as wonderful as ever and despite the lingering sense of dread that haunted the pages I simply couldn't stop reading.
