Books Read 2016
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.
A History of Loneliness by John Boyne - 28
Quite rightly one of my highest rated books of all time. This is one of those novels that leaves you thinking long after it has been finished. It's a hugely powerful novel and a sinister indictment on Ireland and the Catholic faith. It deals with the question of child abuse by Catholic priests, but that is just one part of the story. It's about abuse in general, the destruction of character and loneliness. The central character is a priest - a good man who is dragged into a sinister world where he has his suspicions but has to confront his own demons. The book drags us into the world of the Catholic Church and the complicity of the leaders in covering up child abuse. The power of the book increases and is at its height in the final few chapters. This is a sad but wonderful book that also manages to have its poignant and funny moments. A wonderful read.
The following is a far from exhaustive list of books read during the remainder of 2016.
Ratburger by David Walliams
Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams
Gangsta Grannie by David Walliams
The Boy in The Dress by David Walliams
This Much is True by Wally Lamb
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die by Andro Linklater
1971 Never A Dull Moment by David Hepworth
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
George Harrison Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson
The House at The Lake by Thomas Harding
Heresey by S J Parris
Sacrilege by S J Parris
The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
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.
A History of Loneliness by John Boyne - 28
Quite rightly one of my highest rated books of all time. This is one of those novels that leaves you thinking long after it has been finished. It's a hugely powerful novel and a sinister indictment on Ireland and the Catholic faith. It deals with the question of child abuse by Catholic priests, but that is just one part of the story. It's about abuse in general, the destruction of character and loneliness. The central character is a priest - a good man who is dragged into a sinister world where he has his suspicions but has to confront his own demons. The book drags us into the world of the Catholic Church and the complicity of the leaders in covering up child abuse. The power of the book increases and is at its height in the final few chapters. This is a sad but wonderful book that also manages to have its poignant and funny moments. A wonderful read.
The following is a far from exhaustive list of books read during the remainder of 2016.
Ratburger by David Walliams
Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams
Gangsta Grannie by David Walliams
The Boy in The Dress by David Walliams
This Much is True by Wally Lamb
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die by Andro Linklater
1971 Never A Dull Moment by David Hepworth
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
George Harrison Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson
The House at The Lake by Thomas Harding
Heresey by S J Parris
Sacrilege by S J Parris
The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson