This worked as a page-turning thriller, but as soon as I found out 'whodunit' I lost interest. Not great writing (how does someone flare their teeth?). A rather grimy book, I can't say I enjoyed it, in fact I started re-reading Pride and Prejudice part way through to take the taste away.
The benefits of a book group is tasting things like this that I wouldn't ordinarily read. Thoughtful and thought provoking, but ultimately I'm not sure graphic literature is a format for me. I found myself reading the text but largely ignoring the images - which is a shame really.
I don't usually do coffee table books, but one about libraries, well, that's something else. Full of gorgeous photographs of private libraries to lust after. I particularly like that many of them have not been tidied specially - the Duke of Devonshire reclines with newspapers scattered on the floor, Keith Richards' shelves complete with apparently abandoned bottle of HP sauce.
Some fascinating gems in this collection, but also some of the fifty felt like they were making up the numbers. I think would have preferred fewer places with greater detail.
Re-read this and had forgotten how good it is - much sharper and funnier than the TV series.
Intriguing premise, but disappointing in execusion. I struggled with the plausability in places and was irked by long passages of exposition delivered by characters.
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall
Accessible exploration of how physical geography affects global politics. Gave me a new perspective and greater insight into current affairs.
Beautifully written, this captivated me. Particularly enjoyed the parallel story of the life of T H White.
Characters are superficially drawn and some of the dialogue grated, yet the central idea I found fascinating. I managed to suspend my disbelief through most of the plot and it rattles along at a pace. Ultimately, I'm not sure I'm entirely convinced but it certainly made me ponder whether what lies behind different aspects of gender inequality is simply physical strength.
An unreliable narrator, ambiguous central character and an ending that lingers in the mind - what's not to like.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Very funny. No character escapes Waugh's satire.
Serious but readable and engaging. Full of fascinating tidbits. Beard doesn't pull any punches in demolishing well known 'facts' and theories based on flimsy evidence or foolish thinking.
Beautifully written but it should have ended about 50 pages before it did. I'm not sure the diamond element added much other than a whiff of cheese. The radio device was far more interesting and effective.
Candid and beautifully written memoir of key moments that have shaped a life well lived. I particularly enjoyed her clear-sighted and unsentimental perspective on relationships of all sorts. An inspiring book.
Another puzzling case for Holmes. A cracking good tale set against the creeping eeriness of Dartmoor.
Classic tale of haunting and redemption at Christmastime. Everyone should read it.
Engrossing family saga set in post-colonial Congo. Early mild irritation with some of the protagonists' idiosyncratic voices soon disappeared.Thought-provoking and page-turning exploration of guilt and its effects.
This is the book about Thomas Hardy referred to by John Fowles in The French Lieutenant's Woman in the chapter where he explores Victorian attitudes to sex.
Edmund Gosse famously asked "What has Providence done to Mr Hardy tht he should rise up in the arable land of Wessex and shake his fist at his Creator?" This piece of literary detection proposes an answer. Hardy was engaged for a short time to his cousin Tryphena Sparks. Deacon and Coleman suggest that not only did they have a son together, but that their engagement was broken by the discovery Tryphena was Hardy's niece.
I understand this theory has now been largely discredited. But it's an intriguing and romantic tale none the less.
Edmund Gosse famously asked "What has Providence done to Mr Hardy tht he should rise up in the arable land of Wessex and shake his fist at his Creator?" This piece of literary detection proposes an answer. Hardy was engaged for a short time to his cousin Tryphena Sparks. Deacon and Coleman suggest that not only did they have a son together, but that their engagement was broken by the discovery Tryphena was Hardy's niece.
I understand this theory has now been largely discredited. But it's an intriguing and romantic tale none the less.