Keep on Reading........

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The Archipelago of Another Life by Andrei Makine

This is a book set in the Soviet Union near the end of Stalins reign. On the far eastern borders on the Soviet Union, Pavel Gartsev is a reservist with a small unit out on maneuvers. Its a remote area and they hear of an escaped prisoner so as they are the closest, they are ordered to track him down and capture him. They have to capture him alive for interrogation.

This sounded great before I started but I was 50 pages in and didn't really know what was going on. I almost abandoned it but kept going on and it did get a bit better. There was a bit more to it in the end and when the unit gets closer to the prisoner there is a bit of a reveal which made the book a bit better. Not earth shattering but it kept me interested until the end.

I wouldn't say this is really worth tracking down and reading but it was different to other books and I liked the Soviet Union era setting. This is supposed to be the 14th book by this author and his translator and I wouldn't be going straight out to get the rest. But it was okay so if I come across them I might read them. One of those books that I am ambivalent about, I didn't hate it but didn't love it. As I said at the start of the year, I am trying to read stuff that I wouldn't normally go for, here and there and this would be one of those. Good to branch out sometimes but I tend to know the stuff I will love!

As always comments or questions are welcome on what you think of anything I have read here.There is probably someone who loved this one!

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The Extinction Agenda by Michael Laurence

This is a thriller and kind of apt at the moment. Its about an FBI agent trying to stop a conspiracy to unleash a deadly new virus on the world.It is both good and bad and what I mean is that it is an OK read but has loads of stuff that is predictable.It starts off with him on a raid but of course it goes horribly wrong with the bad guy getting away. Everyone says he must be dead but the agent doesn't believe it. Then he is told not to investigate but does anyway on his own and without FBI help.

Of course in these books, he has a computer whizz as a friend and another guy who can procure anything! So off he goes investigating the conspiracy.Loads of implausibilities mount up throughout the book and it seems to get sillier and sillier. Then the author does these annoying 2 word sentences.

Like this.
And that.
Not saying
very much.

Somehow the book wasn't too bad if you can put all this aside but I don't know if I would recommend it. The heroes just can do anything and get into any computer system or any building they want with little hassle.There are a few twists here and there that just mount up with silliness and just made me groan. People die and get killed non stop but the action is completely over the top.

So all in all a disappointing read that I was thinking of giving up on but just made it to the end.

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5 is the Perfect Number by Igort

This is a graphic novel set in Italy about a retired hitman for the mafia whose son is killed and he comes out of retirement for revenge. Its a really stylized style of drawing so its like a noir type of graphic novel. The story is very good and there are a few kind of visions/dreams throughout it.

The artwork is very unique with some panels drawn so they looked like shadows and light such as the cover that you can see here. It really is a visual treat and I found it very cool to look at and absorb.I enjoyed the story too so this really has everything if you like graphic novels/comics.

Its great to pick something up and enjoy it immensely especially in this covid climate so if you think you like this, you should be ordering this as soon as you can. I found it a great read and lovely to look at and it was a comic that put me in great form so I can't say more than that!

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Pablo by Julie Birmant

This is a biography of Pablo Picasso and it is in graphic novel form. I didn't really know much about Picasso so I thought this would be both informative and entertaining to read.It centres on his early life with a bunch of young artist bohemian types.

So I had high hopes and was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately I ground to a halt early on. The art work is nice but I didn't really have a clue what was going on. Loads of characters appear and I could not follow who was who. It felt like you are meant to know who these people were already so I was lost fairly soon in the story. The most annoying thing of all is the font used throughout the book. It is a handwritten style font that was very hard to read. I found it infuriating as the story was in depth but I couldn't read it properly.

So I stumbled along and just lost interest as I went. I kind of skimmed my way to the end but sadly I am none the wiser about Pablo Picasso from having read this. I would rather read a proper biography now so this one back fired on me! I did like the artwork so that was the only good thing. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this and I am disappointed after it, having looked forward to reading it.

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I hope everyone is continuing to read during this lockdown!

It bugs me with people talking about netflix non stop. That's great but don't forget to keep on reading whatever books you like. Even download them if you have none.

As I said previously, I will never be stuck for books as I have a spare room full of them and hopefully I can read a good few in the coming weeks!

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The Double : How Cork made GAA history by Adrian Russell

I was looking forward to read this sports book about when Cork did the double in GAA back in 1990. In case you have no idea, the double is winning both the football and hurling Championships in the same year.Being from Cork, I remember this well. At least I thought I did. It turned out that I barely remembered anything! This book is really great as it goes through everything in great detail.

My best sporting memory as a kid was when both captains swapped cups live on stage, meaning the football captain held the hurling trophy and the hurling captain held the football Cup. Maybe if you are not from Cork, this may not mean much!

Teddy McCarthy made history by winning both and playing in both finals. What I didn't know or forgot was Denis Walsh came very close too but was dropped for the final. This book is very well told and goes through each teams ups and downs all the way through to the winning of the Championships.

If you are from Cork, then this is a must read. If you like GAA at all then I think you will like this too. Every GAA person knows the sacrifices and commitment players go through to win an All-Ireland so I think you will value this too. Its good to get this in print as loads of players were interviewed as well as refs. By now people are old so its great to get this in print before the people from that era are gone.

What is very good is that opposition players are interviewed so don't worry, its not a total Cork only tale! Whats interesting is some opposition players still convinced that they were better after all this time.They have their views put in so that's good to have it on the record.

This is a great book and well worth a read if you like sports books.Well written too so it is highly recommended.

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Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny

This is a Sci Fi book from 1969 and is one of those post apocalyptic tales kind of like Mad Max. This was also made into a movie but I haven't seen that yet. I might see it now although I read the author did not like the movie. This is set after a nuclear war that has turned america into a wasteland. There are only small communities that are separated and there are storms that make aerial travel impossible and they can come and go in minutes.

An imprisoned killer called Hell Tanner (yes that's his name!!) is given a pardon but there is a catch. He has to drive from California to Boston to deliver a vaccine. (We may be needing Tanner here in Ireland soon :pac: ) This is like a suicide mission as hardly any people make that trip. There are weird animals and weird people throughout the journey that have been mutated by the nuclear war. Tanner knows its his only way out of prison though!

I really enjoyed this book as I kind of imagined Mad Max while I read it. Of course, Mad Max came out later but its very like this. It is good to read a Sci Fi classic . This is based on the novella by the same author. This novel he just made longer. If you like Sci Fi stuff with apocalyptic themes then this is perfect for you! I liked the story so it was very enjoyable.

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I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

This is a book that I have been meaning to read since it came out in 2013. I bought it and I am only getting around to it now!! :pac: So yes, I have a serious backlog but there ya go!

This is a debut novel by Terry Hayes but he has written several great screenplays such as Mad Max 2 and Dead Calm. I love those movies so I was kind of sure I would like this. Though you never know for sure until you read it.

It's silly but a reason that I have not read it sooner is the cover. It just says I am Pilgrim with what looks like a fingerprint as you can see. It didn't seem that cool and I have been passing it up for others in my collection all the time. Yes, I know I shouldn't judge a book by the cover but I kept passing it up for cooler looking covers! Stupid I know!!

This is about a series of events happening all over the world but something links them.A woman found murdered in Manhattan, a guy beheaded in Saudi Arabia, a mans eyes gouged out near a Syrian laboratory and human remains found burnt in Afghanistan. What is going on? It is a plot against America and the west. One man is on the trail though. His name is Pilgrim !

This is an action thriller and is kind of like a James Bond type book with our hero on the trail to stop this plot. This book is long. It is around 900 pages which does seem a bit daunting at first but I found it flying along and I was never bored. I found myself reading it nonstop. That's how good and enjoyable it was.

If you like action adventure thrillers then this is a must read. It is the proverbial page turner! One of the best of this type around.

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Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry

Here we have another graphic novel and it is drawn beautifully in the noir style. It's about a private investigator called Britten and his partner investigating a murder. Who is his partner? He is called Brülightly and he is a......Teabag!! Yes you read that correctly. Its a teabag that he brings along and this teabag talks to him about the cases. If it sounds crazy, it is because it is! But somehow if you accept it, the story goes along nicely.

In a kind of gumshoe fashion Britten investigates the case and meets a load of strange characters. The story is quite complex and very engaging. All the while his partner the Teabag gives him advice! :pac: It is drawn in a beautiful dark kind of way that I really loved. See a scene of it here.




This might not be everyone's cup of tea (see what I did there?!!) but I found myself loving it. Very atmospheric panels such as rainy scenes that put you right in the scene but the story is great too as well as funny in parts like the above scene. I was all caught up in it and didn't want it to end. Very much recommended!!

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Woke: A Guide to Social Justice by Titania McGrath

This is a book written by Andrew Doyle in his alter ego of Titania McGrath. If you follow "her" on twitter then you will know exactly what this book is about already. If you have no idea who he or she is then I will explain! He tweets in the name of Titania McGrath and she is meant to be a radical woke feminist social justice warrior. The type that see racism,sexism,transphobia etc in everything and everywhere and they act like they are the vanguard against everything bad in the world.

His tweets are so funny if you follow him as they are so silly but they are what some nutters actually think. He (as Titinia McGrath) tweeted once about the movie Mary Poppins being racist as she has soot on her face when she came down the chimney and then later there was an article online saying the same thing. It was meant to be so silly but then an article comes out saying the same thing. So the twitter account is a parody of things you see online. Should you wish to know more then look up his interview with Joe Rogan on youtube.

So this brings me to this book. It is written as if Titania was a real person writing a book so it is full of hilarious stuff as Titania berates us all for not being woke as she sees all the problems that we are not seeing! It is very funny as she quotes from real articles that say the stuff she agrees with and you can see how stupid it is!

This book made me laugh out loud loads of times so it is highly recommended. As a parody it is excellent and of course if you don't want to read it then YOU are part of the problem with the world!! :pac:

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Driving Short Distances by Joff Winterhart

A graphic novel that I wouldn't normally read is this type of one as I would have thought I wouldn't like it. It is a real life type one that doesn't have superheroes or anything but I am trying to read different things this year. So far it is working out!

Here we have a very real, ordinary life type tale about a guy called Sam who is in his late 20s, still living at home and going nowhere in life. He has no job and is tall and awkward with everything. He gets a job with a distant family relative called Keith who is supposed to be doing distribution and delivery. All it actually involves is driving around with Keith as he goes in and out of small trading estates in England.

Eventually he goes inside with Keith and gets to know the people Keith knows. From odd characters to the women in the local diner, Sam meets them all and begins to come out of his shell. That's really all that happens and sounds boring but this had me reading it non stop. It's kind of a coming of age tale for a guy that should have come of age years before.

I liked the realism and the kind of observations of what different types of characters there are in life. There are a few laughs as well from the mundane aspects of life. I really liked the ending as while I was reading it, I was wondering how it would be wrapped up.

This is another graphic novel that you should read as I found it very unique.

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Pandemic by AG Riddle (Extinction Files #1)

As we are in a pandemic, I thought I may as well read about a fictional one! This one is much deadlier than the real one. Its like it but this is even more deadlier. I thought this was a medical thriller and it starts off like one. Then it got even better when it went into a conspiracy and lots of action.

In Kenya, a virus breaks out killing people and Dr Peyton Shaw with the CDC races there to try to stop it from spreading.Meanwhile a Desmond Shaw wakes up in a Berlin hotel room and has no memory who he is or why he is there.Men are coming to his hotel room and want to capture him. He goes on the run and has only one clue. Its a name. Peyton Shaw. Somehow Desmond seems to know a lot about the virus outbreak. Then the virus somehow seems to pop up everywhere around the world. Its a race to find out what is going on and a conspiracy is revealed.....

The story races along and is a real page turner. It is like a mix between the Bourne Identity and the TV show Lost. I found myself wanting to read it non stop as bits are revealed as it went along. Just when you think you have it figured out, something else is revealed to surprise you! The climax is excellent but in a way there is almost too much happening!

The book is 700 pages long and I felt the author crammed loads into the end. It was all great but there is a sequel too (that I am reading) so maybe he could have spread it out a bit better. But this is a minor niggle as I loved every page of it.Like all great books, you are left wanting more so thats a great sign. If you like thrillers then this is must read.

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Genome by A.G. Riddle (Extinction Files #2)

This is the sequel to Pandemic that is reviewed above this.The author was meant to write this as a trilogy but decided that he was able to finish it in 2 books.It continues right on after where the previous book left off so it is hard to say much about this one without giving spoilers to the first book! Don't worry, I won't spoil anything though.

Everyone in the book is still looking for "The Looking Glass" and finally the secrets will be revealed. I see now that I called Desmond by the wrong surname in the previous review! His name is Desmond Hughes and he is not related to the doctor Peyton Shaw. Both characters are still in this book and are central to the plot.

Its a race against time as all parties want to find the secret of the Looking Glass and there are numerous twists and turns. It is very like Michael Crichton so if you like his stuff like I do then you will like these 2 books.

The only quibble for these books is that you might have to suspend your belief a bit. Its like saying James Bond is not realistic. If you just accept that the characters can get around the world and some things are possible then you will be fine. I was fine with it but I could see people complaining about some bits being far fetched. I thought the author made it all believable though.

These 2 books are probably one of the best thrillers that I have ever read. I would almost put these above "I am Pilgrim" that I reviewed here. That book is far more famous than these but these books deserve more recognition. I did love that one too!

I could really see these two books being made into movies or tv series. Maybe the only thing is people might not be reminded of the current pandemic but then again it could turn out to be all the rage with realism!

So I would highly recommend you reading this series. I was reading non stop and flew through them. Really enjoyable thrillers!

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The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

This book is subtitled An Inner journey to Optimal performance.Josh Waitzkin was a child chess prodigy and his story was shown in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. I have seen that movie and it is a good movie. Here he goes through his early chess career and why he gave up playing to do other things. He used his way of learning to go into martial arts.

This is a mix of autobiography and a self help type of book. he goes through ways of learning and compares it to his life in chess. I found it fascinating and very good. There are numerous mind traps that we all fall into and he describes ways of avoiding them.

He describes how he got to the top of chess and then getting to the top of Tai Chi Push Hands competition. He emphasises that these techniques can be applied to anything that you do in life and I think they can too. I would put this book up as a must read if you are into trying to learn better and making sure things stick in your mind.

So if you like to learn how to learn then this is perfect for you. You at least will get a part autobiography too if nothing else!

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

This is a classic graphic novel but I am only getting around to reading it now.It is set in a Gotham City where Batman has not been around for over 10 years. He has kind of retired but crime is now running rampant in Gotham.There is a new gang called The Mutants and they are wreaking havok. Then there is the Joker and Two-Face causing mischief.

Superman now works for the government as his aging is slower and his Clark Kent identity is no longer a secret. Batman comes out of retirement to stop the crime in Gotham City and successfully starts cleaning it up. The government ask Superman to stop Batman as he is a vigilante.

Needless to say, but this is a great graphic novel/comic. The story is great and this is meant to have inspired the serious side of comics rater than the campy stuff. I think there is room for all but this is very good. If you like Batman and comics you will probably have this read already but if you were like me and had not then you should definitely read this!

This is my 100th review here! Give me a medal....No, it doesn't mean much but I do enjoy doing the reviews and hope at least somebody out there enjoys them and gets value out of them!!

ILikeBoats

Congrats on the 100!

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Finders Keepers by Mark Bowden

This book is the true story of the guy in the USA who found 1.2 million dollars.It sounds so weird that you wonder if it is true but it is. It was in the early 1980s and Joey Coyle was driving down a road with a friend and they saw a yellow tub on the road. He was wondering if it was scrap and worth something so he got out and went over to it. Inside the yellow tub was 1.2 million dollars!

Just a few minutes before he arrived there, an armoured truck transporting the money had been on that road. The money was in the back and 2 guys in the front. They had nonchalantly thrown the money in the back and went off on their usual trip. The money was not secured properly as the door was not closed fully. So when they went over bumps and around corners it gradually inched towards the door in the yellow tub. Then it fell out!

Only a few minutes later they noticed it and raced back on their route. The money was gone and with Joey Coyle! This book tells the whole story from start to finish. The money was untraceable as it was used notes but all in 100 dollar bills. All Joey would have to do is lie low, tell no one and he would be okay. Unfortunately though, he nearly told everyone he met and the mess keeps getting bigger. If he handed it in he would have got 50,000 dollars.

I really enjoyed this book as it gives all the details on what happened and what eventually happened to Coyle. The story was made into a movie "Money for Nothing" starring John Cusack, James Gandolfini and Bemicio Del Toro. I watched it last night after I read the book and the movie is way sanitised and a few things made up. Coyle was really a loser and drug addicted and all that is left out of the movie. He came from a tough irish neighbourhood in Philadelphia and had a shamrock tattoo as well.

The whole tale ended up very sad but I really enjoyed this book.Something like this will probably never happen again as it had loads of things happen that normally don't. The guards were sloppy. The money was not secured. The door fell open. Someone happened to get to the money just before the guards noticed it. So it you like strange true stories then this book is for you!!

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The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco

This is a historical crime novel and I liked the premise when I saw it first. It is written by a woman and I am making an effort this year to read more women. Generally I don't read much women authors and that's not any bias, its just that they generally seem to have books that don't interest me! Like I wouldn't read that normal people book by Sally Rooney if you paid me. They just don't entice me with their premise. But here we have a book set in 1887 in Port Townsend,Washington in the USA. It was a den of smuggling and rough characters so it is meant to be based on fact. I mean the story is fiction but there were characters like those in this book there.

The hero is a woman called Alma Rosales and she is a half mexican, bisexual who was trained in espionage by the Pinkerton Detective agency. She now works for her former lover turned boss and she has to work undercover as a man to infiltrate the local drugs den. She wants to find out who has been stealing and shipping opium.

This book has been praised/condemned for having a gay/gender fluid character but I couldn't care less as I just want an enjoyable read. So I read some things saying this book is unrealistic and others saying it was realistic about that kind of thing. All I know is, that I really enjoyed the story. Alma switches to her alter ego "Jack Camp" as she goes around town and as only a couple of people know she is a man she has to play things carefully.Most don't know and she has to keep that secret at all costs because at that time in a tough dock workers area, the men would have beaten her up or killed her.

I saw reviews of this saying there were loads of violence and sex in this and that it was over the top. I found none of it like that and if anything it was a bit tame! She has sex with men and women so if you don't like that kind of thing don't read this. It's graphic but not too much.I really enjoyed this book as Alma was using everything to find out the truth. She was using her sexuality as well as her brains so I thought it knit together very well.

I think this book should go on to be a series as I really liked the character. She was very unusual and you could see this being made into a tv series or movie.This is the authors first book and she shows great talent. I'm glad I took a chance and read it.

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The Grid by Nick Cook

This is a techno thriller about the US President and a plot against him.Josh Cain is the presidents personal doctor. He was a military psychiatrist and when a suicidal ex-marine is in a clock tower near the White House says he will only talk to him, Cain goes to meet him. The Ex-marine says there is a plot against the president and gives a few cryptic clues. When Cain is about to get more information from him, a sniper kills the marine. As he was threatening to kill himself and other people it seems as if it was just a psycho threatening the president. But then Cain is gradually drawn into the plot as it seems maybe the Ex-marine was telling the truth after all.....

This has a really interesting premise and looks like it could be a great thriller with cutting edge technology thrown in. Unfortunately Cook somehow makes everything a pit pedestrian and the story plods along. A lot of characters come and go and its hard to keep track. Then suddenly near the end, things pick up a bit. Cook is trying to be Tom Clancy but it feels like a poor mans version. I think after recently reading I am Pilgrim which was a great read, this feels far inferior.

It's not a bad book but it was just a bit dull at first and seemed like a book that would have benefited from tightening up. The first half gets bogged down in a lot of dull boring stuff that needed a rewrite. If he shortened it up, this could have been a great book. It feels like a great book was in here somewhere but it ended up just OK. Not sure if I would recommend it but you could read a lot worse too. So its one of those OK books!

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Reckless Sleep by Roger Levy

This is a sci fi book that was the authors first book. Its a bit all over the place. It is set in London in the future and is a type of dystopian book. There is volcanic ash raining down as the environment is really bad. There was earths first colony planet but that ended up in a war with the inhabitants where we were pushed off the planet.

Jon Sciler is a survivor from that war and he is now back on earth. He is traumatised by the war as they said we would win easily but loads of his comrades died. Basically he has post traumatic depression from it.Someone is now hunting down and killing the survivors from that war so Sciler has to find out who is doing it before he is next. Meanwhile a company doing a new full immersion type VR system wants Sciler to test it.

As you can see, there are a load of ideas thrown in and reading this felt very jumbled. It was a book where I was halfway through and not sure what was going on. There is talk about an off world war and then a virtual reality like the matrix. I came close to abandoning it as it just felt like a first write of something.Not much is explained so you have to just go with things.

On the plus side, it is well written and Levy definitely has talent.I mean well written in the sense that you can see the talent but it is very jumbled in places.I would like to read more of him but this story was a bit garbled. Maybe as it was his first book, it ended up this way. I wouldn't recommend this book which is a shame as its one that I wanted to like. There was a good book in here somewhere. It just didn't come out!

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Believe me by Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard is a stand up comedian as well as an actor and other things! I am a huge fan of his stand up so I was really looking forward to this one.This is his autobiography or memoirs if you will and supposed to tell his whole story.

Sadly this is the worst autobiography that I have ever read. I mean that! I was very disappointed with it. He starts off by saying that he is a private individual and doesn't know if his story is interesting. I think he should have got someone to help him as he spends the first 100 pages of the book talking about his life up until he was 6!!! Loads of stuff about how when he was 6 and stuff he did. No one cares about this time of his life. The next 100 gets him up to age 20.

Then when he gets to adulthood there are some actually interesting stuff but there are loads of stuff glossed over. He talks about doing movies with famous people but nothing about how he got the part or what they were like. There is just too much left out all the time that left me very frustrated. There are only 376 pages in the book but the first 200 could be easily skipped.

The last chapter is very weird with his bizarre ideas about life. I think he did not want to write this book at all and he kind of hints at that at the start of the book.Its like he didn't want to say too much. I really didn't learn anything about him. This is a book that you should avoid even if you are a fan of his like me. Waste of time reading it.

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Coronado by Dennis Lehane

Lehane is a writer that I like but he tends to be a bit hit and miss. One book is great and then the next is crap.So you never know which you are going to get.This is a short story collection and I was looking forward to reading something a bit different as I haven't read short stories in ages.

Sadly this is a book that is just terrible. All the stories are very dull and really go nowhere. After each one, I thought is that it? Oh well the next one might be better.But if anything they get worse.The story Coronado is actually a play that he wrote. That is the final story and its written like a play. That's ok but just before it, he has written the same tale in short story form. So really it felt like a page filler for the book. I got the sense that Lehane thinks it is a great story with a twist ending and wanted to expand on it in the form of a play.

This book felt like he had a few scraps of ideas and stories left over and threw them into a book! Nothing seems fleshed out so avoid this collection at all costs. It just is not worth your time or money.

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Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

This is a book that I have been meaning to read for ages. A kind of book that when I saw it and what it was about made me think "I think I would like that book!" But of course that has happened before where I was let down and the book ended up being a disappointment so you never know!

It is a fantasy type book that is called "New Weird Fiction" Its kind of an offspring of HP Lovecraft! This book is set in a city called New Crobuzon where there are various races all living together. There are humans, animal-people, insect-people and magic used all in a kind of steampunk victorian era type setting. The world that this is in is called Bas-Lag and we hear that there are numerous other city and lands elsewhere. This book concentrates on New Crobuzon and the main railway station in the centre of the city called Perdido Street Station and all the inhabitants who live around it.

Isaac Dan Der Grimnebulin is a scientist who is approached by a member of a birdlike species that had his wings removed. He wants the scientist to help make him fly again. Isaac agrees to try to do it. Isaac also regularly collects anything of interest that he can for his lab but one lab specimen he collects will threaten the whole city. Isaac doesn't know it but he helps it grow inadvertently and then it gets out.........

This book starts off by throwing you right into the world and you get a load of things thrown at you. It took me a while to settle in but once I did, this book is really engrossing in its world building. The only problem is that there are a tad too many ideas thrown in. It felt like Mieville went a bit overboard having so many ideas!

But what is there had me hooked throughout the book. It is 700 pages which seems daunting but it flew along.I found myself really wanting to read more of it when I was doing other things. That's how much it had me hooked.As I said earlier, the only problem this had was there were too many ideas thrown in and not fleshed out. Each idea felt like it needed another book to talk about it!

I really enjoyed this book and it was a book that made me completely forget about everything else and make me think I was in this weird world. It reminded me of Lord of the Rings in that way as I was totally immersed in the world that it created.

For some readers this will be just too weird and strange to read and that would be a fair criticism. But if you can go with it and immerse yourself like I did, then you will love it. So this won't be for everyone, but I absolutely loved it!!

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The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone

This is a kind of Self Help/Motivational book in the same vein as The Art of Learning that I reviewed here. Grant Cardone is a sales expert and this is a book telling how he makes a successful life. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind for these kind of books. If you start off cynical, then these books are worthless. But I wouldn't think these books are gospel either. I advocate reading and taking the bits out that you can use in your life.

I don't own a business or sell stuff so it may seem this book is not worth reading but I found lots to take away from it. Cardone says to go for everything 10 times you normally would and to keep going. It felt like a guy giving you a non stop motivational talk and urging you to get going.

He details how things that we think can be wrong. We think that if we play it safe we will be better off. But what happens is we end up way short of our original goal. Really we should be going all out and set a really high goal as then we will go all out. He does come across a bit of a lunatic but he says you almost have to be as its a cutthroat business.

This certainly won't be for everyone but if you are open to these kind of books then this will suit you. It gave me a real can-do attitude and motivated me. I liked a lot of the steps that are universal but obviously the sales techniques were just interesting as I don't sell stuff. So read it and take what is useful like I did.

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Hound of the Far Side by Gary Larson

This is the Far Side collection No.7. I reviewed no.10 here. Like that one, this collection is short but very funny. Some hilarious drawings in here that had me almost in tears with laughter!! The odd one or 2 miss but this is a very good collection.

Perfect for your bathroom reading as I always say!!! :pac:

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Primal Fear by William Diehl (Martin Vail #1)

This is the first in a trilogy involving lawyer Martin Vail. He is a Chicago lawyer who is brilliant at defending clients so his enemies within the city give him a case where he is almost certain to lose. This is in order to humble him! The case involves a young simple country boy called Aaron Stampler who has been caught literally with blood on his hands after a very well known Bishop has been murdered with a knife. Can Vail get him off and avoid the death penalty? (This book was written in 1993)

I really enjoyed this book as Diehl was a great writer. He only started writing at 50 but he was very good. This was made into a movie starring Richard Gere and Edward Norton. After I finished the book, I watched the movie. The movie made a few changes but that was very good too. So I recommend you watch the movie too after you read the book of course!

This has a very famous ending that was very good. If you like Grisham legal thrillers then this should be right up your alley and I think it was better then Grisham actually.As thrillers go, they don't come better than this. Highly recommended!!

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Show of Evil by William Diehl (Martin Vail #2)

This is the second book involving lawyer Martin Vail. It is very hard to talk about this book without giving away spoilers that would ruin the first book if you have not read it. So the short review is this is a very good book and I found it just as good as the first. Well worth reading.

Martin Vail is now the chief prosecutor and as he knew all the tricks that defence teams use, he is very effective at putting bad guys away. But a murder comes to light that is almost the exact same as the murder committed in the first book. How is that possible? The new murders have the same identifying things from the first book but they were not known except by the murderer. What is going on?

This was a great read and its not often that the follow up is equally as good as the first but this is the case here. Diehl really knew how to craft gripping stories that really build to a great climax.

Do not read this book before the first book though. I really enjoyed it and this is definitely recommended.

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Reign in Hell by William Diehl (Martin Vail #3)

This is the third and final book in the Martin Vail story. Vail is now the Attorney General of the United States and has to handle all the threats in America. A top secret military convoy gets highjacked in the Rocky Mountains. The military guarding the convoy are all killed with some executed in military fashion. The convoy is completely stolen and there are no clues left. It was a highly professional operation and eventually Vail and his team are called in. The President calls him personally to tell him that a bunch of militia holed up on a mountain are the highjackers.

The President wants Vail to do a RICO case against them. This is the laws that were used to bring down the mafia by following the money. Vail agrees and sets about doing it. All the while, the President and Vail want to avoid a huge shootout like Waco or Ruby Ridge and want to bring them all in peacefully. Its complicated also by the President who also served in the US Army with the general in charge of the Militia. The General hates the President as he thinks that the President rose through the ranks easily while the General did all the black ops and got no credit.

Added to all this chaos, is an old adversary of Vails that appeared in the first 2 books who has somehow found a new life as someone else within the Militia......

Again I warn anyone that this book should not be read before the first 2 books. This book is excellent and really builds again to an incredible climax. As an action thriller trilogy these 3 books have to be among the best I have ever read. Each book is different but have great climaxes in different ways. They leave me wishing Diehl had written 10 more of Vail!!!

If you like thrillers, then I urge you to get these three books and you will not be disappointed.

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The Big Fight by Sugar Ray Leonard

As a change of pace from the last 3 thrillers, I decided to read a non fiction book. I like to read fiction then non fiction afterward so I don't get bored of the same type of book. Here we have the autobiography of the famous boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. I remember watching a few of his fights and I knew he was known for having great movement and speed.

I really enjoyed this autobiography as Leonard is very honest about what he was like. He addresses his failings such as cheating and drinking. I prefer when I read these autobiographies that they are honest with both their failures and triumphs. The honesty in this book was very good and that's what made it so good.

If you are interested in sports then this should be on your to-be-read list. I am not a huge boxing fan but I would watch the main fights. This book was a very entertaining read so check it out.

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The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

This is a book that has been in my collection for many many years. It was published in 1985 so not that long but it must be over 10 years! Finally got around to reading it.

This is a dystopian type novel set in a police state called Gilead. We kind of gather that the USA has been overthrown and now women have no rights. Christian government nutters have taken over and now women are treated like cattle like in the old testament. If they can have children, they have to provide them to the men who are in charge called Commanders. So they are called Handmaids.People now wear colours according to their function in society.

I loved this premise when I heard about it and this is now a famous book. Always wanted to read it but something always kept me from reading it. Don't know what it was, maybe some kind of spidey sense about it......

And.............Yes my suspicions were correct. I really wanted to like it as the premise is great and really had me ready to read it. Sadly it seemed a jumbled mess and most of all it felt very dry and dull. It is told in first person by Offred and I should care about her but I didn't. This is all down to Atwood as a writer I think. She just isn't good in my opinion.

If felt like an essay rather than a story so it was too preachy. I think a better writer would have made this really entertaining and made a feminist point about women having control of their lives. Other than the great premise, I found this terrible and couldn't wait to finish it. I came close to abandoning it but just held on until the end!

I found the world she created kind of silly as characters mention that this revolution only just seemed to have happened as they remember their previous lives but they seem fully changed. Maybe it was just me but I didn't find it very believable to have everything that quick. Then having everyone in different colours seemed silly and trite.Planet of the Apes seems more realistic :pac:

So yes, I hated this book when I wanted to like it. I wouldn't recommend anyone reading this. I might watch the tv series though as in better hands they might be able to make this idea work better.