Hannah Morgan-Lewis

Found this really hard to finish & it became a battle of wills between me and the book. The writing is okay but there seemed to be large chunks where not a lot of plot occurred. Also, I get that Mary was not necessarily a likeable character, nor was Alfred, but I never really felt any sort of connection or sympathy for them.

This book drove me mad, I so wanted to finish it so I wouldn't have to read the damn thing anymore. I don't even particularly know why I disliked it so, I just found the narrator TIRESOME (sic) and couldn't get the characters straight. I kind of see what Eco was trying to do here, it's a bit of a mash up of the unreliable narrator of the Don Quixote or Tristram Shandy type, going on fanciful adventures then retelling them so that he ends up the hero and comes across all sorts of strange marvels along the way, but I found it hard to care about the five heads of John the Baptist and the hairy satyr woman, probably due to Baudolino's deficiencies as a narrator. He can't carry the storyline himself as he is no good at describing his own relationships and the other characters. The parts I enjoyed were the debates about theology and Prester John. Overall, I thought it was written from quite a male centric viewpoint.

I loved Millar's style of writing and the way that she re-told the story of the Trojan War, but I found Achilles' and Patroclus' relationship didn't ring quite true for me. Maybe a bit soppy, particularly towards the end.

Interesting but ultimately an often difficult read due to reproductions of original documents that have degraded over time or were not that clear to begin with. This forces the reader to struggle when it would have made more sense to provide transcripts in addition. Maybe this is better with the print edition. I am pretty sceptical about some of the claims in here too.

Tried to judge this on its merits as a stand-alone novel rather than a Jane Austen spin off, as it clearly doesn't work as being associated with the novel it's based on as the author has just pretty much taken the names and locations and some of the situations and pretty much forgotten the characters. Anyway, it is certainly written in the regency style, but I didn't really think it was that great as a novel. A bit patchy, rushed and the detective seemed to be one of those omnipotent ones who seem to know all sorts of facts about characters without it being properly explained how he knew. I get the feeling this was the author trying her hand at the genre, because as far as I remember, her next novel featuring the detective was better.

Wonderfully silly! I haven't heard the radio shows (although I did enjoy ‘Bleak Old Shop of Stuff') but still really enjoyed this.

Really not sure what to make of this book, I found it gripping and read it within a couple of days but at the same time found it quite disturbing at times and felt that maybe I was missing a few things I should have picked up on. An interesting portrayal of a woman, however.

I didn't find it as evocative as it would like to think, although it was an okay read. Glad for the twist at the end; I would've been quite annoyed if it had gone where I thought it was going! I think I would've liked more about the couple's relationship and the effect of the crash, but the description of the fire and way she incorporated it into the story was quite good.

It was okay, but it didn't thrill me. I think I found the 1st person narrative a bit annoying, it dragged in places and it wasn't nearly as funny as it thought it was. A nice easy summer read but quite forgettable.

Not as keen on this one, mainly because of Javier and Kizzy. The newly introduced Javier has a touch of the Mr. Rochester about him, all brooding (read uncommunicative, controlling and slightly creepy as well as having a wife locked in the attic), whereas Kizzy is no Jane Eyre, she's far too busy swooning over his half-gypsy good looks and amazing skill on horses and pianos. The horse in a thunderstorm rescue at the end was really cheesy and I thought the abrupt death of his wife was a bit too convenient (contrasting with Devon & Lady Fraser's decision to go their separate ways in the previous books. Anyway,apparently being a widower will make Javier a good husband and that Kizzy will ‘heal him' (pah!).

I had the same criticism with the custody battle, it was gripping and I really felt for the characters, then suddenly everything was sorted out and it wasn't really mentioned again. Sebastian was just portrayed as being an irredeemable villain, but I was more interested in poor Suzette. I suppose I am not reading these books for unhappy endings, but I got a bit impatient with this one.

A charming epistolary novel about two women growing up and falling in love. Balzac contrasts Renee who choses an arranged marriage with an older man and her domestic life with her children, and Louise who falls passionately and jealously in love. The novel gives a good insight into the motivations of the two women and into their private and public lives, although I would describe them as both being rather stubborn in their opinions and Renee in particular can be quite judgemental towards Louise. Once I got into this, I found it hard to put down.

Asylum by Jack Adams


I can't say I've read a great deal of Australian fiction. I thought this was a promising mystery story which switches between two time frames, from the perspective of two boys, Adam and Nate, who live near an Asylum and befriend Joe, an inmate and Adam and Nate as adults investigating into what happened to him. The characters from the asylum are respectfully portrayed and it becomes clear that some dreadful things have happened there, which are harrowing to read about. There are a couple of scenes set inside, but most of the investigation takes place elsewhere. I think I would have liked a bit more description of the place. The central story is good, although I didn't find it gripping. I think that I had a few issues which brought the rating down. This is only my opinion though.


Firstly, a couple of the characters and plot lines. I thought Adam's mother Winsome was a completely pointless addition who slowed the story down at times. I didn't care that his mother was famous, I wanted to know what was going on with the plot, not with a woman who wasn't even in the story! The PA might as well have worn a badge wearing ‘love interest', I found her a disappointing stereotype from the arrival with her diet Coke, low fat cottage cheese and motivational statements. She was supposed to be sassy but just ended up gossiping about the famous mother. However, I found Danielle, the PI much more interesting.


Finally, the writing. It's readable but I didn't think that so much time needed to be spent on describing drinks orders and attracting waitress's attention and other little things that somewhat slowed the narrative down. If the characters are in the middle of a conversation, you don't need to stop to describe how one of them finished their wine and ordered another. Maybe this was trying for realism.


Overall, not a bad mystery, and I can see that this is probably the start of a series.

Very well researched and extremely thorough but seems to suffer from a curiously archaic writing style coupled with a great deal of conjecture about the identities of the ghosts. I particularly found the habit of including multiple lists throughout a bit odd. It is also arranged in quite a peculiar way. It made an interesting read though.

A short read but entertaining with some interesting facts about the TV series, the way that it was adapted and about Conan Doyle. Don't think I am that much of a geek about it to go out and pay full price for it, but it made a good library book!

A cute festive story but I think the blushing virgin thing isn't really my thing. I also got the impression that there wasn't much to build a relationship on other than a kind of mutual obsession and family bonds as they didn't really have much in common other than being from the same place and being brothers-in-law.

An appealing m/m romantic novel with a psychic twist! Nick is a straight house flipper who buys the house homeless gay Sasha is squatting in. Sasha is drawn to the house as he has a special talent that allows him to see visions from the past and pick up on vibes about places.
This is not really a ghost story as such, but I enjoyed the psychic elements as it was integrated nicely into the novel. The relationship is well paced with two good characters, and Nick's coming out isn't too rushed. The sex scenes were well written and seemed realistic, though they are not that frequent. Best part was the plot though, some good twists and turns with Nick's loan from a local thug and Sasha dealing with his drug addicted mother, it had enough suspense to keep me finishing it quickly and I would like to read more about the characters in the future as I thought they were realisticlly written and as a reader, I was drawn into their lives. I thought this was a good example of this genre. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me early access through Netgalley.

A lovely little cosy Christmas romance. When Liza is forced to return to her deceased father's Christmas tree plantation, she is determined to sell up and move on, and to avoid her growing feelings for the handsome son of her father's business partner by setting him up with another woman. Swain has created a lovely community of Weybridge with a nicely drawn cast of characters, and I thought she handled Liza's feelings of grief well.This is unlikely to make grandma blush as it doesn't contain anything too graphic and only has one swear word.
Thanks to the Pigeonhole for allowing me access to a free review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A beautiful book in all senses of the word. Natalie Livingstone takes the lives of some of the female inhabitants of Cliveden as the premise. This is not really a history of the house as such, although this does play a part. It is more like a social history of a group of really interesting women through different ages. The reader learns about their changing positions and how they influenced the lives of the monarchy and the governments at the time. Although this could hardly be called a short book, it doesn't feel that long as there seems to be just enough about each of the women described. I thought it seemed well researched, engagingly written with well chosen illustrations.

A hard one to rate, and I'm still wondering how many stars to give it! It was OK, but I found it a little overblown at times. I think my favourite parts were the descriptions of the staying in the country house enjoying the food and drink! Loved the idea of the sonnets, which I thought were well written, and the idea of solving clues, but I thought that more attention could have been paid to character development. Sara was particularly annoying, as there didn't seem to be much motivation for her being so awful (I am not one of those readers who avoid unlikeable characters, but I do want them to be nuanced). Sometimes it was a little hard to keep track of who was who.

Compared to The Ghost Hunters I found this one a bit muddled at times. Credit to the author for a fresh perspective on the mystery, and for the use of Welsh locations and history, but maybe a clearer plot with less of a sense of throwing every type of supernatural experience into the mix.

An accessible account of the life & death of Lady Jane Grey

Seems well researched, debunking some of the assumptions that are traditionally made about Jane. It explains the background and the political manoeuvrings well.

Got to admit, I have a thing for a fictional bad boy, but with certain caveats. A bad boy who does the outrageous things that a hero or a nice guy can't get away with is great, but they have to have a certain charm. I thought Meyer illustrated this really well. Yes, he is self obsessed and in the grip of a rather narcissistic mid life crisis, but I couldn't help but be charmed by his worldview developing throughout the novel. Meyer is suffering from a kind of existential dread brought on mainly by the realisation that he will probably never be a great jazz musician, his 40th birthday, family issues and worries that he's made all the wrong decisions, particularly about separating from his first wife, the mother of his son Innocent. Throughout this he is aided by his friend who is also a psychologist, Farzad.

This is black comedy but not completely black, Meyer is surrounded by a great cast of family and friends who end in some rather funny situations for him. I loved how his relationship with Farzad was depicted, they are utterly horrible to each other, trading racist insults but it's so natural. Meyer's father is also a great character. Yes, some tragic things happen, but at the same time the parts with the family are warmly depicted. Although Meyer is a bit of a misogynist, this is pointed out by the women in the novel, who give as good as they get. I particularly liked the meta reference that one of the female characters is doing a thesis on late 20th century male novelists and is quite dismissive of the worldview of some of them!

I found this a very entertaining, accomplished novel. It's philosophical, but this is handled with a light enough touch that it doesn't become too preachy.

Honestly, I don't think I'm actually going to finish this. It's not a bad book, I think my father (a devotee of Kipling & the Flashman series) would've loved it. It just wasn't really gripping me at the moment.

I love this book so much I want to study it and re-read it to pick up on all the nuances I've missed. One of those great books that is both literary and readable. It has great descriptions of the jungle, a good plot with the element of the unexpected and well-written characters who develop throughout the story.

I usually don't mind Rushdie, but for some reason I just couldn't get on with this book. I thought it might have something to do with the narrator or the source material (although I have started reading the Brothers Karamazov and much prefer it), but I thought it was a fine example of the kind of lit fic that went out of fashion due to alienating readers by being overblown and pretentiously intellectual. To me, modern litfic is accessible to readers who don't have a comprehensive knowledge of obscure lit, cinema and culture. I also didn't appreciate what I saw as the token autistic video games programmer and the miserable gender fluid person. If you are going to introduce these characters, for the sake of all that is decenct explore them in a meaningful, fresh way. Two stars is a harsh rating from me, but it ends up reserved for books that waste their potential, because that is what makes me angry, when underneath all the intellectual posturing and failing characters is a better book waiting to emerge.