A Pleasure and a Calling - Phil Hogan

There are many authors for whom I would move heaven and earth to meet.  If, for example, I heard that Jo Rowling, John Green or Bernard Cornwall were speaking at an event near me, wild horses could not keep me from rushing there like the deluded fanboy that I am.  For the great majority of other authors whose books I like, I’d also love to meet them, but I wouldn’t be super disappointed...

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Unholy Night - Seth Grahame-Smith

Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 ‘Akin to fusing Game of Thrones with the Gospel of St Luke’. It is this quote that persuaded me to pick Unholy Night off the shelf.  Now there are two problems right from the get-go...

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Dear Thing - Julie Cohen

Those of you who are avid readers of my blog (I imagine that number is precisely one, that one being myself) will know that the last book I read was Two Brothers by Ben Elton, a fairly dark novel which left me feeling a little low. Therefore for the next book for me to read on the commute I wanted something light. Something easy to read where I was fairly certain nobody was going to die. ...

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Two Brothers - Ben Elton

“If nothing else works, then a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.” Ben Elton placed these words in the mouth of Stephen Fry’s General Melchett inBlackadder Goes Forth were used to mock the archaic generals of the First World War, men whose ignorance of the realities of modern warfare sent millions to die from behind their comfy desks.  Elton...

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The Casual Vacancy - JK Rowling

So, Jo Rowling wrote another book. Let me give you this one quick warning. If you are expecting another wizarding epic - you will be disappointed. If you are expecting another heart-warming young-adult story - you will be disappointed. If you want a cracking good read - you’re in for a bit of a treat.When you attempt to explain the premise behind this book, it is difficult not to make it sound a little...

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City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

So this will probably be the last ‘Young Adult’ book that I read for a while as my reading list is filling up with other things. I chose this book largely after seeing the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation and becoming intrigued by the story. I started reading with some trepidation, not least because the cover review was by Stephanie Meyer, the rather divisive author of the teen-girl favourite...

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The Ways of the World - Robert Goddard

Some books are terrible.  They really are.  You read their book them and all the while you’re fighting a great urge to google the author, find out their address, drive over there and urge them to throw out their pen in favour of contributing something worthwhile.  Then there are some books that are wonderful, quires of awesome pages that make you happy to be alive.  Most books...

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Paper Towns - John Green

So any of you who have been following this blog (wow thanks if you have :D) may have noticed that all my reviews so far have been for John Green novels. This is because I have been undergoing a grand introduction to his genius and since the person who is lending the books to me is leaving soon, I have to read through them without gaps in between. If you are not a fan then I apologise and I promise...

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Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen - Michael Moorcock (Classic)

So last week I was at my friend James’s house (http://vittoriacorombona.tumblr.com/) and, as is my wont, I immediately began inspecting his rather lopsided bookcase. It had a rather odd collection of novelisations of video games, academic texts and some unusual fantasy novels. While perusing this smorgasbord of literature, one book caught my eye. This book was ‘Gloriana’, a fantasy/alternate...

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Looking for Alaska - John Green

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