Alex Norton

4 star book that gets an extra one for the absolutely brilliant Lenny Henry reading in the audible version. It is not American Gods #2, it is a much lighter and funnier spin off of a minor (In AG) God, but it has its roots firmly in London and the Caribbean via a bunch of Florida biddies, all gloriously interpreted by Lenny Henry.

Yes, the epistolary format does not always work, but on the whole the tale is charming, the characters believable, the pace and length allows for easy reading and i would strongly recommend it (although for a true letter long distance affair you cannot better 84 Charring Cross Rd

This had all kinds of alarm bells of “it will be a rip off of Harold Fry or Captain Pettigrew “ two other very similar “elderly men coming of age” in gentle middle class England. But it does work on its own merits. Yes it covers all the expected chestnuts in therms of characters but it was a perfect book to listen to on a long car journey

This more than other series I've encountered needs a rapid reading in succession as there is no hand holding to the first book (read over a year ago to refresh your memory. Otherwise it furthers the universe but falls into the pitfals of most “books #2 in a trilogy”... I Have #3 lined up

Rounding this one up, more because i can see the characters developing and also because I do enjoy the period that was so transformational, and one that I fell in love with reading Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. I will line up the next ones but I will first go back and pickup [b:An Instance of the Fingerpost 15888 An Instance of the Fingerpost Iain Pears https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548147833l/15888.SY75.jpg 950198] which I remember fondly when I read it when it first came out.

I have a feeling I am going to regret the 3 stars, a bit like I regret them for my first Joe Abercrombie but the feelings are the same: excellent writing, an obvious set up for ongoing trilogy, introduction of plenty of characters, but a lack of a narrative arc in book one lets it down. Suggested to me from a fellow Neal Stephenson the difference, I think lies in that m Stephenson is a writer that likes to learn a lot about his subject, whereas Palmer is very learned about her subject that likes to write. Palmer's choice of a single person POV does not help in the flow as the number of characters, with interchangeable names, never get defined beyond what Mycroft describes them as. You will also need a wiki fan page to sort out not just the characters but the various groups described. Having said that, i am pretty optimistic that things will gel in book two. As someone that went to kindergarten with a Doria Pamphilj, I will be back for a second helping.

The first chapter starts off wonderfully and just keeps up the very high standards I now have for a Sean Duffy episode. This series is, for me a perfect mix of historical, whodunnity, wit, erudition. I am thanking the powers that be that McKinty has hit commercial success with his standalones in the hope that he can continue popping out these gems.

Certainly the better of the so far series. Not quite Val McDermid yet but her writing is becoming quite assured for the genre. Really enjoyed this one.

Adrian McKinty , who's recommendations I always put on my TBR list mentioned mcRae's last book [b:Case Study 57539677 Case Study Graeme Macrae Burnet https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616819577l/57539677.SY75.jpg 90104103], but i decided to start with this one and I'm glad i did. The brilliance of this book is McRae's ability to mimic the various voices, from semiliterate protagonist, to pompous doctor, to court newspaper. So much so I did have to make double sure this was all fiction. A historically accurate portrayal of the life of a crofter in 19th C scotland.

As a debut novel this is a very assured work. A fascinating period (1919 in India) with a interesting protagonist and side characters I found myself getting through this very quickly. Will definitely read the other ones.

Very weird one for this. Joe Abercrombie reddit mentioned this one a number of times to read. I am not drawn to Westerns and I was balking after a few hours and realizing the time constraint I was up against with the library due coming up. But after pushing through the initial expo of characters I came to relish the writing (yes, it is a bit dated in parts) and, most of all i appreciated the matter of fact of many character's end. Although centered around the love of a woman, the book is more bromance between the two protagonists. I'm still not sold on Western genre but this was a might fine read.

The first of a very interesting trilogy. Each book is slightly different in its approach, with different protagonist - Arachnid in this one. It did have a and ending that I was not expecting. Recommended to who likes Banks (he lacks the humour that Banks has however)

Surprisingly satisfying genre book. After a somewhat wobbly first book I lapped up 2 and 3 and greatly enjoyed the flawed characters, some of which you love to hate, others you will hate to love. He takes his time developing the plot and personalities and it shows, transforming my frustrations in the first book into clear lines in the subsequent books. There are certainly loose ends but there is an overall circular narrative arc that works. I will be looking into the stand-alones.

Certainly more satisfying than book #2. Explores great many ideas however , for a book that relies heavily on Game Theory he does seem to make a lot of “conclusions” that are open, instead , to wide interpretation. I would definitely be interested in a possible book #4 or spin off that investigated the 2D universe introduced in this book

Ok, liked it. Perfect audiobook for a long drive. The characters grow on you, as does the body count in a Midsomer kind of way.

Jackson Lamb's delicate management style is yet again front and center into a wonderful series which is a perfect balance of humor, superb writing and craft.

I think I have read 90% of what Bryson has written including his wonderful books on Shakespeare and on the English language. Since joining goodreads I have just added the latest ones - a definite 5 star History of Everything and which spanned macroscopic and the equally delightful 1927 which spanned microscopically.
I got the impression the book was a contractual obligation. Yes there are amusing parts, and the summary at the end was cogent, albeit a bit pastoral (he obviously, but who can blame him, avoided inner city Britain at all costs). However I love Bryson for his snarkyness but I got the feeling I just saw bitterness in this one.
He made his name with travel books, but I think he is now at his best in books like Home, or the other two mentioned above where his pedagogy is pure unadulterated fun fact digging. I feel, in reading those, just like Bryson does in delighting at reading a museum note in this book - he does not remember a single thing it said but he hugely enjoyed it.
So this one was “mailed in” and though I did not waste my time reading it I will use it for a next visit to the uK, I feel the need to re-read A Short History...

All that was irritating in the end outweighed that which was good. Had she set this book in an alternate mid 20th century instead of he 21st century then I would have got less annoyed at the fact that she could not foresee Cell phones especially as cell phones already were in existence in 1990 when she wrote it. But the fact that the telephone occupies a huge chunk of the book elevates it to be scrutinized. But therein lies much of the problem with this book, it is simply un-edited. The narrative is full of inconsequential characters that are caricatures without being interesting, and the repetition of facts and actions is screaming for an editor the tell Willis that we understood there were 3 kinds of plague or that it never reached Scotland after the third time. She writes about it at least 5 or 6 times. Some things work: Willis is not sentimental and the most sentimental and interesting character of the book (Father Roche) is perfect. She is not scared in killing off characters. But at the end I kept thinking i enjoyed Jodi Taylor more.

What to say? Maybe the best book i read this year? Definitely the hardest, and not for the poetical prose style of the narrative. That was easy thanks to Audible and John Keating narrating beautifully. It was so hard because of the slow spiral of life and how Oneeyed brings both clarity to Ray's life but also seems to seal his fate. It is a book of beauty and dread, of carpe diem and regret. It is a perturbing book with great riches. Not one I will forget easily

The joy of this book was the knowledge is that I now have another 10 or so “go-to” ripe cherries to pick from whenever I want a short burst of happiness. It has a little bit of everything I love in a book: interesting characters, crisp dialogue, some gallows humour, a chance to learn about a time or place in history I was ignorant of, a clever whodunnit to go with the ride, a touch of fantasy. Who knew that Laos in the mid seventies would be my new refuge of whimsy

I don't feel i need to apologize for giving out 5 stars to books i know I can always turn to to make me feel happy.

My dog loves this series. His walkies tends to be extended an extra 15 mimutes every time...

Felt like some light well written SciFi and that is exactly what you get wioth Scalzo. Quickly re-read the first book and then plowed into 2 and 3

It is a very readable book (and thus many GR critics call it “intelectually watered down” however the points are all well made, easy to follow and, but it might be my current “fuck Homo Sapiens and I am glad we did not have children to inherit the mess we are creating” mood I agreed with most of the assertions. Having also just watched a fascinating BBC documentary on the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest and how, even though they never “joined” the Agricultural Revolution stage they created a culture that was rich in art and other pursuits that we only associate with escaping the hunter-gatherer stage, it further resonated on whether human happiness increase with advanced technology.

You look at Goodreads star rating and 3 stars is “I liked it” and 2 stars is “It's ok”. This one needed a 2.5 A decent debut novel, and i look forward to subsequent novels, but all the characters are dislikeable, starting from Nora who simply cannot grow up or see what every body else can see coming down the train tracks 100 pages before. There are plenty of plot holes but it some how keeps together to the end and pops out at the other end as a “It was ok and i didn't dislike it although parts had me screaming at Nora”...