book

Rated Close to Home 8/10

Solid reading, what I've come to expect from Hunter.<br/><i></i><br/>Having now read three of the Adam Fawley books, albeit in reverse order, I've come to expect a certain level of story telling from Cara Hunter and this as the first book does not disappoint.<br/><br/>Having recently read the 2nd book (though the order isn't crucial) the twist device was a little familiar but it didn't distract from the story, nor did I predict any part of the story.<br/><br/>Enjoyable as a British based modern investigation story that leans more on (what I imagine is) police work rather than glamorous whodunit style reveals.<br/><br/>Looking forward to reading the fourth installment.

Rated The Ocean at the End of the Lane 8/10

Wants to read The ZX Spectrum Ula: How to Design a Microcomputer

Wants to read Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Wants to read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Rated Lord of the Flies 6/10

Stressful, but solid, reading.<br/><i></i><br/>My rating is based on how much I _personally enjoyed_ the story. It was pretty heavy reading, and perhaps more so as I knew there was an underlying bullying aspect that ran through the story - and bullying always puts me on edge.<br/><br/>The book itself is brilliantly written and the climax of the story is masterfully executed. Golding does an excellent job of slowly building up the tension throughout the story until it's crashing so hard at the end of the story it seems like there's no way out.<br/><br/>Ralph's (one of the protagonists) feeling of peril at the end of the book is visceral. Reminding me of my typical nightmares and stress dreams where I'm unable to escape the terror no matter what choice I make.

Rated Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years 6/10

I had a hard time reading this book, took me a long time as I found Mole and the surrounding characters extremely…sad or pathetic or selfish. It continued on like this until about 80% where I started to enjoy the book a little more and the characters finally start to bloom and become more complex, and endearing. <br/><br/>It ends on a hopeful note, and after realising this was the last Mole story that Sue Townsend wrote before passing away, leaves me a little sad that this life sort of vanishes with her. I had read The Secret Diary when I was a teenager back in the 80s so Mole has always existed for me, almost like a character from a reality show. <br/><br/>So even though I struggled with this book, I'm glad to have read Mole's final chapters, and hope that he's happy somewhere in his literary universe.

Wants to read Dead If You Don't

Wants to read A Monster Calls

Rated Rogue Protocol 8/10

As usual from the MurderBot series: excellent, fresh and entertaining.<br/><br/>I felt like the story dug deeper into MurderBot's character, anxiety and it's attempt to understand it's feelings.<br/><br/>Definitely feels like this third book is pulling together an overarching story that will be concluded in book four - which I can't wait to read!

Wants to read The Last Black Unicorn

Wants to read Akata Witch

Rated Stories of Your Life and Others 10/10

I absolutely loved this collection of stories. Inspiring, beautiful, not-so-sci-fi that it was disconnected from our world. <br/><br/>What I also loved about these stories is that they made me think about my own world and and I wanted to share these conversations and thoughts with those around me.<br/><br/>I _think_ my favourite story was 'Story of Your Life' (made in to the film The Arrival) closely followed by 'Tower of Babylon'. But even the _short short_, 'The Evolution of Human Science' was superb, right down to the very first opening paragraph!

Rated Wishful Drinking 6/10

Very easy and quick read (for me). The writing is extremely conversational (which makes for a nice change). <br/><br/>It does occasionally feels a bit here and there, rather than centred, but I kept reminding myself that the book started as a one woman stand up, so it's understandable. <br/><br/>None the less, the book is littered with (genuinely) laugh out loud moments (took me a good few minutes to stop laughing at the hearing-aid anecdote), and beautiful insights as well as kind words for those (of us) with mental illness.

Wants to read Altered Carbon

Rated The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power 8/10

Nice alternative to the super heroes I've read in the past. A very strong young woman (that I'd want to share with my kids), and surprisingly doesn't kick butts as often as she alludes to, but uses sensible discussion and compassion to bypass her foes.

Wants to read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Rated Paper Girls, Volume 3 6/10

Rated Station Eleven 8/10

Wants to read The Sleeper Awakes

Finished reading A Practical Guide to Evil III

Rated Ma reine 10/10

Une histoire très facile à lire, d'une délicatesse incroyable, émouvante et prenante. On comprend ce que le protagoniste vit malgré son 'handicap', le monde tel qu'il le voit. L'auteur décrit à merveille ce que ressentent ceux qui ne pensent pas comme le commun des mortels. Une histoire prenante pour laquelle j'ai versé une larme. Vous ne verrez plus les personnes un peu 'bizarre' de la même manière après ce livre.

Finished reading A Practical Guide to Evil V

Wants to read The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media

Added Permanent Record to Read Books