It is a truth universally accepted that celebrities write the best books. Thank goodness there are lots of film stars, TV presenters, politicians and sportspeople all willing to put their names to these things; otherwise our bookshelves will be awash with new ideas, voices and original content. The average struggling author doesn’t get a look …
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy
This book is as much fun as licking coal. There’s a man, who never gets a name, poor bastard. And there’s a child who’s as talkative as an old boot. Together they’re traipsing around kicking up ash and stones, and other bleak things that scatter this distressed landscape. There’s nothing around except ruin and devastation. …
Claustrophobia
Donnie Darko - a rebel without a claus It may not have escaped your attention that the big C is hurtling quickly towards us. For many of us this is a time of anxiety and existential dread, but for everyone else it is much, much worse. Awful things will seek their way into our homes …
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
By Judith Kerr This is the sequel to Life of Pi, although it’s from a different author. Richard Parker’s sailing days are over. He’s now called Ricardo, because he want to come across as more exotic. He’s Sumatran, you know. He is living in London with the other disgraced tigers, in a small flat owned …
The Giant Jam Sandwich.
Story and illustration by John Vernon Lord, verse by Janet Burroway LUNA: This is a wonderful children’s book. I remember, when my humans were small, I read them this and they loved it. It had the capacity to both sooth and entertain. The rhyming is alluring, addictive, and alliterative. The pace is quick, the humour …
The Vengeful Dead by John James Minster
With a dedication to Edgar Allen Poe, The Vengeful Dead knocks politely on the door of classic horror, but once open a fraction, it comes bursting in and wipes its muddy hobnails in places you wish it wouldn’t. You’ll need full sunlight and a stiff drink for this one There are eleven stories in this …
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions is a strange one, but I think that's what makes it so special. It’s about two very different constructs, Kilgore Trout and me, Dwayne Hoover. Trout's a word processor, a science fiction guy, and I'm this business man who's slowly losing my grip on reality. We're from different worlds, but somehow our …
Dead Man’s Walk by Larry McMurtry
"Rangering means you can die any day,” Call pointed out. “If you don’t want to risk it, you ought to quit."McMurtry, Larry. Dead Man's Walk (Lonesome Dove) (p. 207). Pan Macmillan. Kindle Edition. LUNA: The first adventures of Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are chronicled in Dead Man’s Walk. I say adventures, but really these …
Trigger Warning: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
THE FIRST DIFFERENCE Newt noticed about being grown up was that time didn’t pass as slow. McMurtry, Larry. Lonesome Dove (p. 113). Pan Macmillan. Kindle Edition. KURT: I can’t decide wether this novel is a psychological study of epic proportions, or an epic story of psychological detail. Perhaps it doesn’t matter, so I’ll simply say …
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The Undertaker’s Daughter by John James Minster
A monster story Mary Shelly would be proud of. The Undertaker’s Daughter is a chilling horror novel that follows the story of Anna Dingel, a socially awkward teenager who is raised in a family funeral home. The author does an excellent job of setting the right atmosphere from the beginning and keeps the tension high …
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David J Harrison 