Books Read 2014/2015
Reading is another of my great passions. So this section of the web site is designed for book reviews and recommendations. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any comments you would like added please e-mail them to me by clicking here. Each book is given a rating out of 30 with 10 points being awarded for style, 10 points for story and 10 points for enjoyment or readability. A score of over 25 is outstanding, 21-24 good, 15-20 average, 10-14 poor and under 10 very poor. Books with a score of more than 25 are highly recommended. Of course I emphasise that this is all a personal view.
One Summer - America 1927 - Bill Bryson - 19
Anyone reading my book reviews will know that I love Bill Bryson's sense of humour and the way he can take what looks to be a very small subject and ignite it into something of great interest. Sadly this book isn't one of his best. It drones on at length about aviation, becoming slightly boring in the process and then interweaves other happenings. My main problem with it was the way it seemed to meander along and shoot off at tangents into other eras and other years. I accept that this was necessary at times to give a background but it makes it into a rather loose and at times uninteresting book that seems to go off subject on just too many occasions.
The History of NME by Pat Long - 20
On leaving journalism college back in the early 70s my ambition was to work for the New Musical Express. The opportunity never arose and reading this history of spats, sex, drugs and rock n' roll I now realise that I wouldn't have been able to last the pace. This is a history of the magazine, but also a history of rock music. At times it does fall short in its narrative quality but it does capture the mood of various decades, showing that internal politics and the state of reporters' health often dominated what was printed and how it was printed. The NME is still going, sadly its golden years when it had such an effect on the music indistry have long gone.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson - 16
I found the previous book "The 100 Year Old Man Who Jumped Out of a Window and Disappeared" to be very funny and sharply observed. Sadly this follow up is silly for all the wrong reasons and by the end has become just tedious.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - 20
Another of those strange semi comedy books where the title somehow explains the plot in a single sentence. This is amusing but takes a large leap of faith to become believable.
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker -26 (Book of the Year)
This is a book that came highly recommended and certainly didn't disappoint. I really enjoy stories set in small town America. Peyton Place is one of my all time favourites. Here we have small life America with all its warts and woven in is a mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Is Harry Quebert guilty of murder. Much of the author's skill comes in the fact that just when we think he is truly innocent we become no sure.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson - 20
A so called gonzo classic. Uncomfortable reading and the full sex, drugs and rock n roll scenario
How Did All This Happen by John Bishop - 21
A straightforward biography where Bishop can't quite believe the way fame knocked on his door. An entertaining look at the life of the Scouse comedian
The Last Temptation by Val McDermid - 21
I enjoy Val McDermid's writing and this one is a Tony Hill novel with plenty of violence, twists and turns.
The Colour by Rose Tremain - 21
Call of the Weird by Louis Theroux - 20
Radio Caroline - The True Story of the Boat That Rocked by Ray Clark -18
A disappointing look at the days of Radio Caroline that somehow left me unsatisfied.
Book List 2015 (incomplete)
Immortal by Duncan Hamilton (Biography of George Best) - 24
A Dark and Broken Heart by RJ Ellory - 23
Lamentation by CJ Sansom - 23
Actium's Wake by Ralph Jackman - 19
The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham - 20
Carnival of Shadows by RJ Ellory - 22
The Devil and the River by RJ Ellory - 24
The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid -22
The Summons by John Grisham -23
No Name by Wilkie Collins - 24
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - 24
One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner - 16
In the Moon of Red Ponies by James Lee Burke - 19
Gray Mountain - John Grishim - 19
Revival by Stephen King - 23
Killing Floor by Lee Child
The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
An Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins
One Summer - America 1927 - Bill Bryson - 19
Anyone reading my book reviews will know that I love Bill Bryson's sense of humour and the way he can take what looks to be a very small subject and ignite it into something of great interest. Sadly this book isn't one of his best. It drones on at length about aviation, becoming slightly boring in the process and then interweaves other happenings. My main problem with it was the way it seemed to meander along and shoot off at tangents into other eras and other years. I accept that this was necessary at times to give a background but it makes it into a rather loose and at times uninteresting book that seems to go off subject on just too many occasions.
The History of NME by Pat Long - 20
On leaving journalism college back in the early 70s my ambition was to work for the New Musical Express. The opportunity never arose and reading this history of spats, sex, drugs and rock n' roll I now realise that I wouldn't have been able to last the pace. This is a history of the magazine, but also a history of rock music. At times it does fall short in its narrative quality but it does capture the mood of various decades, showing that internal politics and the state of reporters' health often dominated what was printed and how it was printed. The NME is still going, sadly its golden years when it had such an effect on the music indistry have long gone.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson - 16
I found the previous book "The 100 Year Old Man Who Jumped Out of a Window and Disappeared" to be very funny and sharply observed. Sadly this follow up is silly for all the wrong reasons and by the end has become just tedious.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - 20
Another of those strange semi comedy books where the title somehow explains the plot in a single sentence. This is amusing but takes a large leap of faith to become believable.
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker -26 (Book of the Year)
This is a book that came highly recommended and certainly didn't disappoint. I really enjoy stories set in small town America. Peyton Place is one of my all time favourites. Here we have small life America with all its warts and woven in is a mystery with plenty of twists and turns. Is Harry Quebert guilty of murder. Much of the author's skill comes in the fact that just when we think he is truly innocent we become no sure.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson - 20
A so called gonzo classic. Uncomfortable reading and the full sex, drugs and rock n roll scenario
How Did All This Happen by John Bishop - 21
A straightforward biography where Bishop can't quite believe the way fame knocked on his door. An entertaining look at the life of the Scouse comedian
The Last Temptation by Val McDermid - 21
I enjoy Val McDermid's writing and this one is a Tony Hill novel with plenty of violence, twists and turns.
The Colour by Rose Tremain - 21
Call of the Weird by Louis Theroux - 20
Radio Caroline - The True Story of the Boat That Rocked by Ray Clark -18
A disappointing look at the days of Radio Caroline that somehow left me unsatisfied.
Book List 2015 (incomplete)
Immortal by Duncan Hamilton (Biography of George Best) - 24
A Dark and Broken Heart by RJ Ellory - 23
Lamentation by CJ Sansom - 23
Actium's Wake by Ralph Jackman - 19
The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham - 20
Carnival of Shadows by RJ Ellory - 22
The Devil and the River by RJ Ellory - 24
The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid -22
The Summons by John Grisham -23
No Name by Wilkie Collins - 24
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - 24
One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner - 16
In the Moon of Red Ponies by James Lee Burke - 19
Gray Mountain - John Grishim - 19
Revival by Stephen King - 23
Killing Floor by Lee Child
The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
An Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins