Trying to be Maeve Binchy

An essay on the meaning/importance of comedy - or a scifi whodunit? Anyway: an agreable book, a satisfying read.

A very romantic Binchy, very predictable but still a nice read, perfect brain candy for times when you need some instant gratification.

Wyoming stories about poor ranchers. Beautifully written, but 200 pages about loveless and hopeless lives, failure, poverty, cruelty etc. and the same message ("What's the point?") every time , gets a bit too much for me. My husband loved it though.

The history of a Friesian village. A compelling read: put things I already knew a bit about nicely in place (it is after all recent history) and also showed very clearly the consequences of the European Agricultural Policy for the people concerned.

This is a biography of Galileo written by means of his daughter's letters. Very interesting read, very enlightening about life and people: i.e. Galileo's forbidden work was smuggled to the Netherlands by a high ranking clergyman (!) - and a "Mr. Elzevir" published it. Elsevier is still a major publisher today.

A great book. The title says it all. Really.

“Subtitled: growing up in front of the television. Interesting essays by a coach-potato philosopher about i.e. the frightening aspects of The Flowerpot Men, or what makes Billy Connolly a bit of a conservative.

A good thriller about the finding of the body of daughter Nathalie, who disappeared when she was 16 from a beautiful family, and about the therapeutic "recall" of memories.

This book and its companion Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, were published in aid of Comic Relief - a very nice initiative, I thought. To my surprise, Quidditch through the Ages proved to be the most entertaining one of the two.

This book and its companion Quidditch through the Ages, were published in aid of Comic Relief - a very nice initiative, I thought. To my surprise, Quidditch through the Ages proved to be the most entertaining one of the two.

Pure escapism. Very professionally written, very - dare I say it? - American thriller, a bit too much "written by the book" to my liking, but a perfect passtime when you're a bit under the weather.

The life of a Dutch diplomat's wife in Riyadh. She goes from disbelief to consternation to a permanent state of anger. It is not only the Saudi's treatment of women that is shown in all its uglyness, but also pettiness of the diplomatic world. Ive seldom seen such antipathetic people as the Ambassador and his wife!

I was disappointed by this book: I found it very hard going, not because it is difficult reading, but frankly, I could not care less what happened next... You get very little historical background, and the main characters stay cardboard figures. In my opinion, it is no more than a simple thriller, and a slow one at that - but look at the Amazon's reviews...Ah well, after three Akunin books I know they are not for me.”

I discovered Jasper Fforde on Shelfari and decided to give it a try, because a lot of people seem to really like his books. But while certainly original and creating a fascinating "parallel universe England", the story and the characters felt a bit too contrived, I could sense the author labouring away at it and I thought the protagonists too artificial. I guess a lot of people would call it a "clever" book - but I did not really like a Philip Marlowe lookalike investigating the murder of Humpty Dumpty. I'm not going to read any more Nursery Crime books.
I did try one of the Thursday Next books, though, and I liked that one a lot, enough to order the rest of the series from Amazon.

Less than enchanted with my previous try at one of Jasper Fforde's books, I started this one hesitantly, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Thursday Next and her adventures kept me interested in this weird and wonderful book.

This book was recommended to me by a virtual friend and I do not regret buying it from Amazon sight unseen.
This story about 2 Canadian Indian boys, cousins raised in the traditional way, who went of to fight in the trenches during ww1, is about a lot more than war: about ways of living, values, ethics, friendship and family, duty, courage and despair,.... It is an amazingly easy read for a book of its kind. I'm glad I've read it.”

A collection of short stories from the city of Kittur. All with vividly drawn characters, expertly told, all engrossing - and painful.

This book had me in two minds all the time: I got very irritated with the broken English Foer has his Ukrainian Alex use, and contrary to the other reviewers, it did not get me laughing at all. And from very early on, you know that there are dark secrets to be exposed; with a lot of pain as a result. That would normally have been enough for me to give up reading it - but Safran has created such a vivid and likeable cast of characters, that I could not stay aloof: to stop reading would leave so much unresolved, I just had to go on, knowing little or no good could come of it... I cannot say I "liked" or "loved" this book, but someone who can keep me reading till the end, when every time I take up the book, I hear this faint voice in my head saying:"I think I'd really rather stop because this is going to hurt", is a great writer indeed. ”

If you are looking for a book that will give you a few nice evenings of uncomplicated, action-packed fun, Brookmyre is the man for you. In this book, the violence is often extreme, but the story is great and (most of) the characters are very likeable. Feel-good thriller writing at its best.”

This book is full of very well written nasty little stories, fascinating ar first by their ugliness. But the story that should tie everything together did not work for me: I could not care less what happened to all the characters, and like other reviewers, I had a hard time finishing the book. So: fascinatingly good writing, but very depressing with all its senseless goriness and nastiness. Homo homini lupus, yes, but we've known that for a very long time already.”

A little gem of a book. Short stories of everyday life on a small Finnish island, seen through the eyes of Sophia, and her conversations with her grandmother. (There is a father too but he does not have a speaking part. Mother is dead. ) Touching and heartwarming and very matter of fact, there is nothing "sweet" about the girl, the grandmother, the sea, and yet... A definite must-read.”

A fairy tale for adults, with nothing twee about it. Beautiful writing, and a very satisfying story that brings back a bit of Faerie in our very

A very enjoyable end to the Thursday Next series. In The Well of Lost Plots I thought the author was showing off a bit too much; his wit and wordplay sometimes seemed more important to him than the telling of the story, but not so in this one. Nice ending too.

Others have told enough about the story, so I'll keep it short. I think this is a masterpiece in the true sense of the word: Vikram Chandra is a master-writer. He has created a complete world full of well-formed characters, in a complex but very readable book with several plotlines and several layers. I stand in awe. ”

I like the Burglar series a lot: the books are fun, and burglar Bernie is a very nice man, albeit with this one small fault of loving being a burglar, and a bit silly too: we see the problems coming from way off, he just stumbles along until he finds himself in such a pickle that he really has to start thinking. Perfect books for recovering after a bad day at the office. ”

Nice story, nice illustrations, disappointing ending: what 2-year old recognizes a jack-in-the box nowadays? It's a real anticlimax.

A must-read. It's hard to believe The Commitments was Doyle's first novel.
Maeve Binchy thought The Snapper "very very funny" , and about The Van Jonathan Coe had this to say in The Guardian: "There have been no novels published this year which are so funny, as understanding about the triumphs and indignities of family life, or as brave in touching upon the raw nerves of the male psyche." I cannot put it better.

A very impressive family saga about innocence and guilt, religion, fate, life, the roads taken and the roads passed by... and about Congo too, of course.
This book will be one of those that stay with me. A must read”

he third book featuring Inspector Chen from Shangai, and just as interesting as the first. Apart from the murder mystery, the complexity of life in a rapidly changing society is vividly rendered. Chen has risen through the ranks and has become "connected" in different area's of society but "There are things a man can do, and things a man cannot do."
I loved the first book, and only liked the second, but am more enthousiastic again about this third one.