Alex Norton

I am at the stage of my reading life where I am an unashamed genre reader, although i dislike the ponsiness of the term. I read, mostly, to be entertained, sometimes to learn something new and if the two mix i am delighted. I am not scared of supposed “literary novels” but they do not draw me to them. But a friend's five stars, and to setting of India in the last century sounded interesting enough to venture into it. It was a slow start as I was parallel reading other books but that allowed the first two parts, the foundations, to stew and settle in. I was not enamored, not rushing back to pick it up but i was intrigued as the writing was rich without being cloying. Then, having finished my other books i dove back in and Covenant picked me up and carried me to the end in so many satisfying ways. The story arc makes sense, the characters are fleshed out, the length is not self indulgent

Was ticking this geek's checklist boxes from page 1. Loved the science, loved the tempo, loved the tinkering. simply very satisfying. Now I guess I should watch the movie.

Hovering between 3 and 4. I do so love the period so i just wish he would be a bit less concerned with driving forward the plot to allow us to poke around the corners of the period. I did not read the first book but that did not really hurt.

The Good. The quality of the writing is high. It is a very descriptive book and it appears to live imperceptibly in the first person without technically being there. We see everything through Marie's eyes and Groff's writing does her justice.
The Bad? Am I weird in thinking this book was too short? What was probably going to be the most critical part of Marie's life at the Monastery, the first 2 or 3 years, are totally skipped over. In fact she moves forward so fast we only the se the results of her life. We see what she built but not why. That is, until the last chapter when some of what drives her is revealed. I would have loved a few extra hundred pages...

I tend to really dislike High Fantasy (LOTR) And prefer it with plenty of sarcasm or wit (Abercrombie, Buehlman on the more lugubrious side). or definitely light (Becky Chambers, Travis Baltree, somewhat Pratchett) and this one falls definitely in the latter category. Use the Kindle version the names are the most truly annoying aspect of the book.

This is a re-read after 30 years, an unlike The Name of the Rose which I loved even more third time round this one bogged down in parts that took the shine off the memories of the first time. It is still a monumental book that sets the standard to which all the wannabe Dan Brown's aspire to in the construction of their Rosicrucian worlds, however I found myself glossing over Belbo's life reflections and it did read as a very interesting reference book with an uneven underlying plot thread. It is worth the challenge though.

I unfairly always have Wolf Hall as my standard against which Historical Fiction and Political machinations are to be held against and The War of the Roses is such ripe ground for that. Stormbird fallls short, but was still a good read especially for such a complicated period. Iwill continue the series though as it is well written and, I presume, researched

Not as original as the debut novel.Had the impression the tail was wagging the dog on this one from the point of view of the solving of the mystery. Still enjoyable, specially the setting in a less than picturesque part of Scotland.

Recommended by Adrian McKinty this did not disappoint. It is hard to remember that it is fiction but I want it to ring true. In all cases it is a carefully crafted view of the moral turpitude of British colonialism.

Either oversold by the PR department or miss categorized. It is a very competent but rather scholastic and somewhat dry laying out of a milestone true life crime in the mid 19th century, the involvement and evolving of a new branch of Policing called “Detectives” and the falling in love of a nation with Crime, fictional and not. Author does a very thourough job on the crime itself, even too much so, a competent laying out of Scotland Yard's detective branch birth and early evolution, but somewhat lacking in tying it all into a bigger discussion on how it struck a nerve wit the nation.I'm afraid when it came to assigning starts “It was OK” was about right

I've always loved pretty much everything Bryson writes, from his travel books to his biography of Shakespeare. He successfully meanders from topic to topic but carries you along without making you feel disjointed. Personally this was a part of American history I had poor knowledge and I learnt a lot without feeling lectured to.

Although I love good whodunnit I will be the first to admit I'm not that great at solving them ahead of the end. This one I saw coming fairly early on. However that did not take away on what appears to be a well researched and interesting Vatican caper. Learnt a lot on the fraught relationship between the East and West Church and it added to what I read from [b:Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why 51364 Misquoting Jesus The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why Bart D. Ehrman https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407109431s/51364.jpg 50128] about the contradiction in the Gospels.

McKinty really hits his stride with the third of the trilogy. If you enjoyed the atmosphere, historical context of the first two you will whizz through this one.

Torn on this book. Given its publication date definitely a milestone in the post-apocalyptic novel. It has aged only around the edges (his belief in the lack of strength of mutual deterrence has not been born out) but so many themes have been picked up by others for their post apocalyptic novels. Heck, the step between QAnons and the Simpletons is the smallest of hops. I loved the first two parts and but the third part had me grinding my teeth at the Prior's argument on euthanasia. This book will appeal to Umberto Eco or Neal Stephenson readers

Short, sweet, so well crafted.

A multi layered trip into Elizabethan London , with hints of Gaiman fantasy. It starts with no real rush but the characters will unfold.

The start was so full of thriller clichés I was about to abandon it but I have to admit I ended up admiring Cavanaugh's plot driving ability. He chose to lay on the “action” with a trowel when he could have chosen to concentrate the non-action, but, I thought, infinitely more interesting, verbal sparring. The book ends up being a very quick read, perfect in audio for a bunch of commutes. I sort of wish he could tone down the volume...

I guess Goodreads has it right - “It was OK” is equivalent to 2 stars. She is not a writer and it comes through. The imagery is what I seeked and you could see it in spurts, but I have just started re-reading [a:James Herriot 18062 James Herriot https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1258249907p2/18062.jpg] to cleanse the palate

I don't know why but I kept being reminded of David Mitchell if he had decided to write a Crime novel. Atkinson has a wonderful relaxed turn of phrase and is witty without being forced that i found. Like DM, the POV tend to swirl around and sometimes i was a bit lost on catching up with names but Im sold on Kate Atkinson

The problem with not enough time available for reading is that you forget about authors you really enjoyed. Duffy has been on the back of my mind for some time especially after following McKinty on Twitter and getting so many good book recommendations from him and I am so glad i plunged back into the 80s Northern Ireland. He writes so well about the period and Sean Duffy is like an 80s young Inspector Morse that is embarrassed about his culture (classic and pop). There is no doubt. I will be continuing with the series.

Spent an afternoon in the company of Herzog narrating a story so close to his heart of persistence in the face of any logic. What really struck me was the level of disappointment Onoda must have felt on confronting his years of fighting for a Japan that, when he returned to was transformed into a consumeristic nightmare for him.

I read this when it came out in the late 90s and, mostly forgotten the plot, I remember I loved it then. I can confirm it is in the top % of historical fiction books I have read. Broad in scope, non-condescending, always interesting and with a sufficient sting in the tail to make me want to go back and re-start it again to re-visit the three other POVs that preceded Mr Wood's portion.

Infinite parallel worlds hold many wonderful plot opportunities, but also infinite plot holes that Authors fall through. Blake Crouch's [b:Dark Matter 27833670 Dark Matter Blake Crouch https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472119680l/27833670.SY75.jpg 43161998] didn't escape them but this one did. I came for the genre and subject matter that has always fascinated me. I did not expect to be captivated by the character building and the quality of the writing. Look forward to her next book.

OK, was heading into this with YAish trepidation. The beginning did not bid well with the main protagonist's wife having to literally instruct him as to his future political goals (From zero to hero in a few pages) but then once safely steered on to the road of “saving the UNiverse” the plot moved well with enough twists, and generally avoiding the “spelled out” moral grandstanding that these novels can sometimes become. Was easy and entertaining reading and a good commuting companion. Will be back for the sequels.

This was a delicious book. I know i need to re-read the master Le Carre', but Mick Herron's Slow Horses are a wonderful satisfying read. There are lot of wonderful tidbits in this book, from the cat/mouse opening and closing, to Lamb falling asleep on park bench and waking up with 42p. This is a series I will relish.