| HOME | BESTSELLERS | NEW RELEASES | PRICE WATCH | FICTION | BIOGRAPHIES | E-BOOKS |
Book Reviews
-
The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Janice Gibbons22 January 2012
Great cakes from easy to follow recipes.
-
Ed Hogarth20 January 2012
Eldest is the second book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle and is the sequel to Eragon. The story in Eldest continues the adventures of brave teenager Eragon and his dragon Saphira, revolving particularly around their journey to the realm of the Elves in the forest of Du Weldenvarden in order to further Eragon's training as a Dragon Rider. While the continuing journey of Eragon forms the main thrust of the plot, there are several other strands to the story. Eragon's cousin Roran has an important role to play as he leads the inhabitants of Carvahall to Surda in order to join the Varden, while Nasuada faces many new challenges when she assumes leadership of the Varden following her father's death. Perhaps more important than any of this, however, is the appearance of a mysterious new Dragon Rider who seems to fight on the side of Galbatorix.
While Eldest is not the most original of fantasy books, and is arguably not up to the standard Paolini set with Eragon, is still contains all the elements of a fantastic adventure. Although Eldest would probably appeal most to fans of The Lord of the Rings and the Dragonriders of Pern books, it does continue the story of Eragon and so should satisfy fans of that first book too. The only really disappointing element of Eldest is that the character of Eragon himself is not given as much to do as I would have liked. Even though he is a secondary character, Roran really has the best storyline. Still, all of the favourite characters from Eragon return here and there are some interesting new introductions too. There is plenty of action and magic but also some emotional moments and opportunities for Eragon to develop his compassion. Since it is the middle part of what was originally intended to be a trilogy, Eldest was always going to have a problem with pacing but Paolini has still managed to do an excellent job of crafting an exciting fantasy adventure. -
Kelly Marsh31 December 2011
I seem to have read loads of Christmas romances this month! In Christmas At Tiffany's Cassie's marriage has just broken up after she discovered a shocking secret about her husband Gil. Luckily she has three good friends who all want to help her out and so she plans to spend four months staying with each of them. So Cassie ends up living in London, Paris and New York while she tries to work out exactly what kind of life she wants to have. This was a very good book although not the best that I have read lately. I prefer it when there is lots of homour mixed in with the romance. It was interesting to find out about the different varieites of life that Cassie could have had if she hadn't married Gil though.
-
I Heart Vegas (I Heart Series, Book 4)
Kelly Marsh31 December 2011
I Heart Vegas is the newest book in the I Heart series. Angela Clark moved from England to New York and she loves her life in New York. Everything would be perfect expect that she has lost her job. A fewweeks before Christmas the immigration department find out about this and so Angela needs to find a new job quickly. A new job or a new husband willing to marry her so that she can stay in the country anyway. Angela doesn't think that her boyfriend Alex will be keen on this idea. A girls' weekend in Vegas with her best friend Jenny seems the perfect way for Angela to forget her troubles. From the minute they arrive Angela is swept up in a whirl of cocktails, outrageous outfits, late nights and brushes with the chapel of love. But rather than escaping trouble, Angela is up to her neck in it! This is a very funny series. I don't think that I have read them all but I would do. There is a nice mix of romance and humour and I like the fact that Christmas was involved in the story a little bit.
-
Ed Hogarth31 December 2011
Eragon is the first book in the 'Inheritance Cycle' by Christopher Paolini and tells the story of a young farm boy named Eragon who discovers a mysterious stone while out hunting in the mountains. In a short time his discovery is revealed to be far more important than it first appears since the stone is in fact an egg and a dragon hatches from it. Eragon names the dragon Saphira and the two become firm friends. Through their bond, Eragon is eventually able to become a Dragon Rider, the last of these valiant warriors in fact.
However, the evil King Galbatorix hears about Eragon and his dragon and so sends his servants, the Ra'zac, to capture them. After his home is burned down and his uncle killed by the Ra'zac, Eragon and Saphira are therefore forced to flee from their home in Carvahall and decide to search out the Varden, a group of rebels who are determined to bring about the downfall of King Galbatorix. Eragon is not alone on his quest though as he is joined by an elderly storyteller named Brom, who gifts Eragon with the powerful sword Zar'roc and insists on helping him and Saphira.
Although Eragon is certainly influenced by famous works of fantasy and science fiction such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Dragon Riders of Pern, it is still an excellent novel and the beginning of a great series. All of the archetypal elements of a great fantasy story are present in Eragon: a quest, a journey towards understanding, revenge, romance, betrayal and the existence of powerful magical objects. While it is possible that this might make the book seem clichéd, for fans of fantasy fiction the existence of such familiar devices can actually serve as a mark of quality.
The story itself is very fast-paced and is packed with excitement. Eragon is truly a fun novel to read and there is plenty of magic and action adventure to keep readers interested. The characters are all interesting, with the characterisation of the dragon Saphira as really being the ideal best friend proving a particularly good example, and the good versus evil plot is engrossing. Occasionally the dialogue is a little weak but that is only occasionally and it doesn't detract from the overall worth of the plot. Eragon is certainly not the most complex of novels but it is still highly enjoyable. The writing is all the more impressive when you remember that Christopher Paolini was only fifteen when Eragon was first published.
Eragon is a fantastic fantasy novel, one that certainly far surpasses the film that was made of it, and the 'Inheritance Cycle' as a whole is a series well worth reading. -
Then We Came to the End: A Novel
Chris Harley27 December 2011
Joshua Ferris' novel, Then We Came To The End, is by far one of the most interesting, riveting, and innovative novels that I've read in a very, very long time. It was one of a number of books I opened on Christmas morning, and I have already read my way through it two days later; it is almost impossible to put it down. From the very start of the novel, it is utterly captivating.
What is immediately striking is Ferris' narration. Rather than the usual third-person or first-person-singular narrator - 'He' or 'I' - we are instead presented with the first-person-plural for the vast majority of the novel - 'we'. This use of 'we' as the narrator instantly draws the reader into the text, welcoming us as an integral part of the book, warming us to the characters and the somewhat tragic events that befall them.
Ferris' novel is set during the cusp of the bursting bubble of the dot-com era in an advertising agency that is in the middle of down-sizing, with all of its lower employees forever concerned with the number of lay-offs that they are witness to on a seemingly day-to-day basis. The idea that 'tragedy' could be used to describe their situation may at first seem a little out of place, since they are in fact fairly wealthy, middle-class, white-collar workers. But through no fault of their own, they find themselves one by one diminishing in size at a rapid rate.
The book perfectly recalls the end of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st, set in a world facing a recession not dissimilar to the one in which we have just found ourselves, making the novel even more of a relevant read in our current economic climate. It is a world in which the workers can find little or nothing to remain hopeful, and that in itself reads like a tragedy.
The simultaneous comedy that is infused throughout the novel, however, is absolutely perfect. It is not often that you can read a book that can lift your spirits with laughter and make you sympathise with the characters' plight at the same time, but Ferris clearly proves himself as an incredibly talented writer in his ability to do just that. We find ourselves laughing out loud whilst reading of their little exploits and pranks that they carry out amongst each other through the course of the workdays, and can't help but recall similar moments in our own office lives - a stolen office chair here, rumours about other employees whispered there.
The duality of comedy/tragedy builds throughout the course of the novel to its critical climax that perfectly combines both within a disgruntled ex-employee. It is a novel only too relevant to us reading it today, and one that I whole-heartedly recommend to you to read as soon as possible. It makes you laugh, it makes you reflect - both on your own life and on the greater aspects of life itself - and it makes you utterly reluctant to stop reading it for even a moment, so desperate are you to discover what will come next. And really, that is all we can ask of a novel.
Then We Came To The End is an absolutely triumphant debut novel from Ferris, which very much deservedly won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for the Best First Novel, and I am already looking forward to reading his second book, The Unnamed, which came out last year. If it is anything like his first, it will be a true stroke of genius. -
Mike Kenny25 December 2011
This sumptious hardback collects five of the greatest science fiction novels of all time - The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon and The Invisible Man - all written by the genius that was HG Wells. I won't comment further on the quality of the included novels as they are all rightly famous for the foresight and creativity that Wells displayed in constructing his various future worlds. These are books that everyone really should read. I actually owned four of them in old and rather battered Penguin classics editions but was delighted to recieve this hardback omnibus for Christmas as it is a superbly crafted collector's edition. This weighty volume feels great to hold and the bold red cover and striking gold lettering give it a truly 'classic' appearnace. This is a great volume to have on your shelf.
-
The Pocket Guide to Royal Scandals
David Davids13 December 2011
This book is brilliant. The chapters are so short, you can pick it up and read a bit here and there, and jump around. It makes reading fun, and it's readable, not packed with long boring academic words, just funny, fascinating and in places shocking!! I can't wait for the next one from this bloke - apparently Scandals of the Aristocracy - has anyone got it yet?
-
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight
Jamie Hogarth28 November 2011
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight is the eighth and final book in Jenny Nimmo's brilliant Charlie Bone series!
As the battle against the Bloors and all of the rest of the evil people and creatures that live in the city draws to a close there are many shocks and surprises in store for Charlie Bone and his friends. Although the previous books in the series have featured lots of mini battles, in Charlie Bone and the red Knight there is the final epic battle of good v evil. Fortunately as well as all of Charlie's regular friends and helpers, there is a mysterious Red Knight who seems to be pursuing evildoers across the city. Charlie doesn't know who this Red Knight is but it looks like he will have to trust him anyway.
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight is a very exciting book, perhaps the most exciting in the whole series and the final battle is great. Although a lot of the action is quite clear good v evil stuff there are also a number of surprises in store during the story. And I don't just mean the identity of the Red Knight although I have to admit that I didn't guess who it was going to be. There have been a few mysteries and loose ends running through the series and in this final book Jenny Nimmo does a good job of sorting them out and explaing most things. There are still some characters that I would have like to know more about but I guess you can't have everything!
Although Charlie Bone and the Red Knight is a great book, it is sad to think that the Charlie Bone series is over. I haven't read any of Jenny Nimmo's other books but I think I definitely would. I'm also very pleased that there are lots of other magic and adventure series books available at the moment! -
Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock (Children of the Red King)
Jamie Hogarth28 November 2011
Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock is the seventh book in the excellent Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo.
In this story the evil enchanter Count Harken who Charlie has met and defeated before is back. The Count is working with the Bloor family to try and stop Billy Raven from discovering an important family secret. However the Count also has his own plan as well as the power to reach across space and time from Badlock to try and get revenge against Charlie and his friends. Fortunately, Charlie can use his power to travel to Badlock and there he meets his ancester Otus Yewbeam who is being held prisoner by the Count. Charlie and his friends need all their powers as well as some serious luck in their fight against the enchanter!
It seemed that the evil and mighty Count Harken was defeated a bit easily last time and so it is no surprise that he is back again and after revenge. The world of Badlock that Jenny Nimmo has created is excellent as it is both an awful place yet also a place where the Count can make anything happen so that he can entice prisoners like Billy Raven to want to stay there. Perhaps the ending of this particular book is a bit strange since it has to act as a beginning for Charlie Bone and the Red Knight which is the final book in the series.
