Book Reviews

Clive Cussler's The Spy

2010-08-28T17:55:46Z

Clive Cussler seems to churn out novels at an incredible rate. While he's unlikely to win the Booker prize, his novels are always a good read.

The most recent of them, The Spy, is part of his series set in early 20th century USA. The stories revolve around a fictional detective agency - the Van Dorn's, with the central character Isaac Bell picking up many of the characteristics of Cussler's most famous creation, Dirk Pitt.

To date there have been three Isaac Bell novels, The Chase, The Wrecker and now The Spy.

In The Spy the story centres around the pre World War One arms race. Bell gets called in to investigate a suspicious suicide and finds himself embroiled in a very complicated tale of international espionage and intrigue.

There's plenty of action, gorgeous women, though no sex, chases, death, blood and of course, a happy ending.

If you enjoy Cussler's style of writing you'll enjoy this.

Garcia Lorca

2010-06-06T13:00:34Z

A day late admittedly, but Garcia Lorca was born on June 5th 1898

While the date of his birth is clear that of his death isn't, as he was murdered during the Spanish Civil War.

Ian Fleming

2010-05-28T09:12:52Z

Ian Fleming was born on this day in 1908.

He would be 102 if he was still alive.

His legacy, James Bond, lives on.

Crush It!

2010-05-02T14:27:43Z

Image via Wikipedia

Gary Vaynerchuk's "Crush It!" makes for a fast and easy read.

I read the book a couple of months ago over a couple of days, as I'd seen someone interviewing the author and it piqued my interest.

Vaynerchuk will never win a Nobel prize for literature, but his "voice" is genuine and full of energy.

Vaynerchuk rose to fame with his online TV show - Wine Library TV and in this book he talks about "cashing in on your passion".

Whether you're already running a business or thinking of starting one, "Crush It!" will probably give you some encouragement and ideas of how you can share your passion with others and make more money while doing it.

Vaynerchuk isn't a social media wannabe guru. He's actually built a real business using social media marketing. He's not a consultant trying to sell you his ideas - he's simply sharing his own experiences and passions, which makes it a lot more interesting and genuine.

Well worth reading.

Dick Francis RIP

2010-02-14T17:34:34Z

Image via Wikipedia

Author Dick Francis has passed away at the age of 89.

Francis, who started out as a highly successful jockey went on to write 40 bestsellers which have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Francis died in the Cayman Islands where a funeral will be held.

Lost Symbol - Perfect for Airports

2010-01-02T15:37:32Z

Cover of The Lost Symbol

I assume Dan Brown has made a fortune from the royalties for The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and the other novels and their film versions. That he's managed to add to his wealth with the release of The Lost Symbol is inevitable.

But is it truly deserving?

The Lost Symbol is not a great work of literature. Sure, it is readable, but so is the back of some cereal packs. Readibility is not the best barometer.

Langdon, who previously appeared in both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, makes another appearance in The Lost Symbol.

This time round he's exploring the Masonic world in the US capital - Washington DC.

(On a positive note I suspect the tourist office in Washington will probably be thanking Dan Brown for the boost in visitor numbers.)

Langdon is summoned to Washington to give a lecture at short notice. When he arrives he finds himself pulled into the intricate web of an evil mastermind who is hellbent on unravelling the Masons' greatest secret.

The problem is that Brown prefaces the book by stating that all the symbols, science, organisations and rites he describes are real. So he's trying to base a work of fiction on scientific and cultural fact. However his "facts" are, in many cases, more "fantasy" than "reality".
Be that as it may, if the thriller were a wonderful read you'd be able to forgive him.
Unfortunately that's not the case.
Like a bad Hollywood film, Brown is incapable of writing a thriller that actually keeps you on your toes. After the first few chapters you've probably already worked out who the mystery man really is, though you have to patiently wait until the final part of the book for confirmation. When it comes you aren't surprised or even relieved. It's more a sensation of amazement. Not amazement at his skillful prose, but more his complete inability to withhold the surprise. I don't know about you, but I like thrillers that have surprising twists. The Lost Symbol really doesn't

If you like a fairly pacy read and can't get your hands on a Cussler or Lee Child, then maybe The Lost Symbol is a good option to kill a few hours. It would be perfect fare for holiday reading, as you won't feel guilty if you forget the book in the hotel.

Without Fail Does Not Disappoint

2009-07-26T12:37:39Z

Practically every book's dustjacket is covered with reviews and hyperbole. It's refreshing when the book actually lives up to the hyped reviews on the cover.

In the case of Lee Child's "Without Fail" it is truly gripping.

Child is one of those writers that I wish I'd started reading earlier. I like a good thriller, so I have to admit that the character of Jack Reacher really struck a chord with me. He's an oddball character. You know he's got a past and that he's very dangerous, but Child doesn't spell it out for you. Unlike so many Hollywood style novels, Child leaves nice gaps open to your imagination.

So what of the plot itself?

Basic plot is that the vice president elect is under threat from some kind of danger. What type of danger it is isn't 100% clear, but as the plot develops and twists the number of possible sources are eliminated until the book culminates in yet another twist.

Reacher's character is dark and dangerous and thus perfectly fit for the shadowy world he inhabits.

Child populates his "world" with characters set against backdrops that are described in such detail that you can practically smell them

Overall a great read and now I have to admit to being possibly "hooked"

Medusa - Kurt Austin Does It Again

2009-07-12T14:50:37Z

I've been a fan of Clive Cussler for several years.
While none of his books are likely to win the Booker prize, they are what they are - highly enjoyable adventures.
Cussler's male characters are tough, good looking and heroic. They're almost comicbook styled personnages, but that does not make them any less enjoyable.
Kurt Austin, and his "sidekick" Joe Zavala, this time round are up against a deadly virus and the Chinese triads.
The story takes them from the US to a number of exotic locations, with plenty of action, romance and tension.
Of course we know that Austin will save the day, but how he manages to get there is the fun part.
If you're a fan of good clean action then Austin makes a nice maritime James Bond style figure.
A good enjoyable read - perfect for the holiday season.

Always Looking Up

2009-05-17T10:38:27Z

Cover via Amazon

Michael J Fox wrote an autobiography a few years ago which covered his career from the beginning through to when he started coming to grips with Parkinson's, so I was quite surprised that he had written a followup tome - Always Looking Up.

Always Looking Up isn't about Michael J Fox the actor. It's a lot more about Michael J Fox the activist and his work with Parkinson's. It's also about Michael J Fox's personal reality and how his life has been changed and affected by PD.

While this may sound terribly boring and depressing in some respects it's a wonderful read. While other people might be depressed by PD, Fox manages to see the positive side of his new life and is more than happy to share his deepest feelings.

If you're looking for a celebrity biography then you might be disappointed, but if you are interested in a fascinating and heart lifting story then Always Looking Up should be on your reading list.

Ian Fleming First Editions On Her Majesty's Secret Service

2009-05-02T23:41:59Z

Sorry, this isn't a review!

I've been a big James Bond fan since I was a teenager, so now I've decided to get my hands on all of the Ian Fleming first editions.

The first one that I got a few weeks ago was On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Here are a couple of shots (from the ebay listing):

Dustjacket:

Frontpage showing edition details:

The New Influencers

2009-03-28T14:01:43Z

I came across The New Influencers more or less by accident while browsing Amazon's recommendations.

Social media, social networks and all the other related "buzzwords" are constantly evolving, so reading a book that was written a couple of years ago may seem like a strange choice. It isn't.

The New Influencers is worth reading for a number of reasons.

Apart from anything else it traces the evolution and provides some very interesting background to some of the key players.

It also gives some very interesting case studies of how business have tried to embrace social media. Not all of their efforts have met with success and this book does provide some very interesting insights into why some business failed to "get it" first time round.

Paul Gillin conducted interviews with a very broad range of people in preparation for this book and the stories that they tell make for a fascinating read.

If you are interested in marketing or social media, or maybe both, then I'd heartily recommend getting a copy of this book.

The BBC Top 100 Books

2009-02-22T12:53:54Z

The BBC Big Read list of 100 books is quite a strange list. There are some books on the list that would be instantly recognisable as "Classics", while there are others that would be best described as "pulp fiction".

I've only read a small fraction of this list, so I'm not sure if that's a good reflection on me or not:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien - read it and loved it
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen - I think I read it.
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman - Have a copy, but haven't read it yet
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams - Read it and loved it
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling - Read it
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell - read it
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis - read it
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger - read it, but didn't really like it
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling - read it
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling - read it
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling - read it
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien - read it
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez - read it
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald - read it
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell - read it
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding - read it
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind - read it
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley -read it
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo - read it
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho - read it. Fantastic book
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez - read it
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Yes Man

2009-02-07T14:00:03Z

I picked up a copy of Yes Man, as I had seen the film that was based on it (loosely) over the Christmas holidays.

The film is set in LA, whereas the book is set in London.

The basic premise of both the film and the book is that a man starts saying "yes" a lot more and sees how his life changes.

It is amusing in parts, but not as amusing as the reviews on the dustjacket would have you believe. Of course humour is subjective, so while I wasn't as amused as I would have liked others may find it to be absolutely hilarious.

The concept and philosophy of saying yes to things, however, is fascinating. Carpe diem! You never know what might happen!

A Load of Bull

2009-01-11T02:44:13Z

For some odd reason I seem to have been reading quite a few books related to Spain over the last year. This might have something to do with how I buy books based on Amazon's recommendation system, though I'm not 100% sure.

In any case, A Load of Bull, was one of the books on my wishlist for Christmas this year.

Tim Parfitt ended up in Madrid supposedly for a few weeks to help launch a fashion magazine. Of course Spain being Spain, it sucked him in, so his couple of weeks ended up being several years.

The book, which is written in a very light and amusing style, traces Tim's experiences and adventures as he fell in love with the magic of Madrid and its people and lifestyle.

A Load of Bull truly captivates the reader and you get a strong feeling of how much Tim loves Spain and Madrid in particular. Some of his adventures and how he recounts them had me laughing out loud!

If you have any interest in Spain, then I'd strongly recommend this book, as it's a highly enjoyable read - I literally couldn't put it down and ended up staying up late to finish it!

Swap A Paperclip For A House

2009-01-03T12:48:11Z

One Red Paperclip is a wonderful little book that follows the adventures of Kyle MacDonald as he traded from a red paperclip all the way to a house.

The book is more about the journey and the people he meets along the way than anything else.

MacDonald's story is fascinating.

Who would have thought that you could start off with a paperclip which cost a few cent and end up twelve months later with an actual house?

Along the way MacDonald meets some really interesting people including Alice Cooper.

The book is enjoyable to say the least and shows that if you put your mind to something, have a bit of imagination and refuse to give up you can achieve things that others believe are impossible.

One Red Paperclip: The Story of How One Man Changed His Life One Swap at a Time