The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
The Sacred Art of Stealing, Christpher Brookmyre - October 2002
After you've forgiven Brookmyre for naming his heroine Angelique de Xavia and remembered that reading should be fun and stuff then I'd just go for it. Angelique de Xavier, come on?
Lullaby, Chuck Palahniuk - October 2002
Right, well, yes. Firstly read fight club. Then read Coupland. At least he has tight panties.
Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy - October 2002
Well I had never read a "Tom Clancy" before, and this one cost me the equivalent of 30GBP in Buenos Aires (thank God for the exchange rate) so I was going to get through it if it killed me. Actually quite fun. I now know all about the Special Forces, so if ever I decide to become a terrorist I shall beware of flash-bangs lest I be double-tapped. Apparently Red Storm Rising is his best - I may never find out.
Cradle and All, James Patterson - September 2002
355 pages and 112 chapters of utter tosh.
Ratking, Michael Dibden - September 2002
My first Aurelio Zen mystery. Not bad for Copacobana beach.
On Green Dolphin Street, Sebastian Faulkes - September 2002
Ooh, a bit of a tear-jerker. Read it.
Atonement, Ian McEwan - September 2002
Another lovely McEwan book. Read it.
Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman - August 2002
Am slowly doing the trilogy, with only the Amber Spyglass to go. Another easy to read tale. Enjoyable, but did feel like the filling in the middle.
Choke, Jack Palahniuk - August 2002
Fast paced sexaholics. Fight Club was better.
Dead Famous, Ben Elton - August 2002
Good old Ben. He may be part of the establishment these days but he does write good, fast-paced "tube" books.
Northern Lights, Philip Pullman - August 2002
It's for children apparently, but I had no idea until about 3/4 of the way through. Gives Potter a run for his money.
The Fourth Hand, John Irving - July 2002
Blimey, I haven't finished a book for nearly 6 months. I can only blame John Adams. Anyway, back on the wagon now - bookwise at least. Very easy-to-read Irving was just the tonic I needed. What happens when a hand-transplant doner's widow wants visitation rights with the hand? Read this and enjoy finding out.
Boswell's Presumptuous Task, Adam Sisman - February 2002
Aborted.
Pigeon, Patrick Suskind - February 2002
Very short. Very sharp. Very good.
McCarthy's Bar, Pete McCarthy - January 2002
Brain candy. Laughed out loud a few times. Good in patches.
Perfume, Patrick Suskind - January 2002
Christmas present that I probably would never have bought myself (which is good) and I enjoyed it very much (which is better).
Flying Under Bridges, Sandi Toksvig - December 2001
On the bestsellers list for a long time so gave it a go and enjoyed it, but am writing this review on the 18th February and I can't, for the life of me remember what it's about. Maybe that's a good sign?
The Stars' Tennis Balls, Stephen Fry - December 2001
Easy and fun to read, but you must read Dumas first for pity's sake.
The Wrong Boy, Willy Russell - October 2001
Lovely book.
All Families are Psychotic, Douglas Coupland - October 2001
Typical Coupland. Cool.
Roads, Larry McMurtry - September 2001
How much fun can you have driving round America without ever really leaving the highway? I would have thought not a lot, but Larry proves me wrong. Made even more special because I've been along nearly all the roads - I defy anyone to read this book and not want to go out for a Mexican. Pity that there aren't any decent ones in London. Read it and then book your fly-drive.
Thinks..., David Lodge - August 2001
Finished in two days flat, so back on course. Good David Lodge stuff. A shame that Robyn Penrose's appearance wasn't pursued a little more.
Battle Cry of Freedom (The American Civil War), James McPherson - August 2001
Hoo-bloody-ray. I have finally finished this 1,000 page epic. Bit of a war of attrition, really, and I'm not too sure who won. Anyway, it was worth reading, and I can only blame my tardiness on the lack of a commute from which I am currently suffering. Onto some fluff for a while, I think.
Jimmy Corrigan - The Smartest Kid on Earth, FC Ware - June 2001
Fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous. Read it. Read it. Read it.
How to be Good, Nick Hornby - June 2001
Very poignant. Read it.
Anita and Me, Meera Syal - May 2001
Growing up in a Black Country village in the 60's. A few belly-laughs and
not a bad read at all.
Shooting Sean, Colin Bateman - May 2001
I always think that I didn't enjoy Divorcing Jack, and because of this I have
never read any other Bateman Books. Bought this at Waterloo WHSmith whilst
under time pressure to get a train and then read it in two days flat. So
maybe I did enjoy Jack and I should read some of his others. All of which
begs the question - what didn't I enjoy?
Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett - May 2001
I'm so sad that I now buy TP's new books in hardback shortly after they come
out (although Waterstones was doing an offer). It never takes me more
than a day to read them, and I always enjoy them. I think it must be the
Computer Scientist in me.
Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland - May 2001
Coupland's cool. Bit weird at the end.
1066 and All That, Sellar/Yeatman - May 2001
In his introduction, Frank Muir describes this book as one of the three
all time classics of British comedy writing. The other two are Diary of a
Nobody and Three Men in a Boat. I'd read the other two first if I were you.
Elizabeth, David Starkey - April 2001
A treatment of Elizabeth the First's early years. Started off very well
but tailed off a little as major events in later years were swept over in
a couple of sentences. Readable - so worth a look.
Letters from London, Julian Barnes - April 2001
Barnes worked as the UK columnist for New Yorker magazine in the early
90's. This book is a collection of his best articles. Worth a look.
Look to Windward, Ian M Banks - April 2001
Another great Culture novel from Ian Banks (wearing his SciFi hat). A bit
slow to get into but once it got going it was excellent. Player of Games
is still the best.
Touching the Void, Joe Simpson - March 2001
The story of a disasterous climb. Good.
London: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd - March 2000
Quite a book. Apparently Ackroyd had a heart attack shortly after writing it. A history of London written not chronologically, but thematically. Magnificent (if somewhat daunting).
84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff - March 2001
Lovely book. Very short and very moving.
ORACLE8i Backup & Recovery Handbook, Velpuri/Adkoli - March 2001
Clear and well written. The case studies chapter should prove most useful. Keep it in your desk and forget about it - until you (hopefully never) need it.
Posh and Becks, Andrew Morten - January 2001
Bad, really really bad, but not quite so bad that it was actually good.
The Truth, Terry Pratchett - January 2001
More of the same from Terry P. Easy to read and enjoy. Recommended.
The Night Listener, Armistead Maupin - January 2001
Maupin back on lovely form with the intelligent story of
a radio author and his terminally ill fan. Read it in 3 days
without any trouble at all. Any and all of his books are great.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling -
January 2001
Another excellent Harry Potter book. Much longer than
the others and with a slightly more grown-up feel (well Harry is
in the 4th year now). Issues of death and loss towards the end,
and early tinglings of love too. Still a great page-turner,
whether young or old. Roll on number 5.
Microserfs, Douglas Coupland - December 2000
Excellent. My panties are tight!
Miss Wyoming, Douglas Coupland - December 2000
Very good. Will start a bit of a Coupland-fest for my
next few books. All very Zeitgeisty!
Big Brother (The Official Unseen Story), Jean Ritchie
- November 2000
Calling it the "unseen story" is a bit
misleading. It's basically the highlights of the series converted
to text (and let's face it - a picture is worth a thousand words
- so why bother). More pop-psychobabble would have added more
value, but if you watched much of the show then it probably isn't
worth the bother.
The Fifth Elephant. Terry Pratchett - November 2000
Terry's back in paperback. A tried and tested formula
which makes you think "haven't I read this already"
whilst still gripping you to the end of the book. As the pace of
the action increases so does your reading speed. Bizarre.
Rowing Against the Current, Barry Strauss - October
2000
Zen and the art of rowing. Interesting.
Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Giles Milton - September 2000
Easy to read pop-history of the spice trade. Good.
High Performance Rowing, John McArthur - September
2000
Very good - if you like this kind of thing.
Where Wizards Stay Up Late, Hafner/Lyon - August 2000
Good read if you like nuts and bolts kind of stuff.
The Nudist on the Late Shift, Po Bronson - August 2000
A very long Wired article. Somewhere between OK and good.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling -
August 2000
Did this one in just 2 days. Very good.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling -
August 2000
Good fun. Easy to read. Finished it in 2.5 days. You
feel a bit a bit of a nerd reading a "childrens" book
in public - but you just can't help getting caught up in the
whole magic of the thing.
Down Under, Bill Bryson - August 2000
Better, Bill, better.
The Code Book, Simon Singh - August 2000
Just as good as his "Fermat's Last Theorum". A
good introduction to the history and mathematics of codes and
ciphers. Well written and easy to read.
The Museum Guard, Howard Norman - July 2000
Proulx meets Gutterson. Very Booker Prize. Not bad
either.
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K Dick - July 2000
Germany and Japan won the war and divided the USA -
everything east of the Rockies belongs to the Germans -
everything west, to the Japanese. One to make you think.
Cybill Disobedience, Cybill Shepherd - July 2000
I bought this because, well (a) I used to fancy her when
she was in Moonlighting and I was in college, and (b) I thought
that she wrote it all on her lonesome. By the same token I'll
probably (a) buy Plain Jane Superbrain's biography when that
comes out, and (b) discover she didn't. Again - not great.
Inversions, Ian M Banks - June 2000
Excellent. Restored my faith in Ian (M) Banks. Well
written, easy to read, and a good ending. Get over your SF/Fantasy
hangups and buy it for the tube.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner),
Philip K Dick - June 2000
Good book. See the film, read the book, see the film,
read the book. The film may be better - but that probably has
more to do with Darryl Hannah's bottom than anything else. I'm
told that Mr Dick has written better books. If so he might be
worth searching out (if you can handle the whole SF thing).
Oracle8i Internal Services, Steve Adams - June 2000
Not for the feint-hearted.
Oracle8i Tips & Techniques, Scherer/Gaynor/Valentinsen/Cursetjee
- June 2000
OK.
The Business, Iain Banks - June 2000
Another bit of a disappointment. Very superficial, almost
read like a teens novel. Try The Wasp Factory or Complicity
before this one. If you like SF try Player of Games.
Havana Bay, Martin Cruz Smith - June 2000
OK. Prefer Arkady on home soil.
Inconceivable, Ben Elton - June 2000
Not one of Ben's best. Try the older stuff like Gridlock or
This Other Eden for a better read.
Hannibal, Thomas Harris - May 2000
Waterstone's in Ludgate Circus really went to town pushing
this book, but my favourite Harris book remains Red Dragon, and
to be honest this is probably my least favourite. OK tube book
but falls short of all the hype.
On the Town with the League of Gentlemen, BBC Radio
Collection (audio) - May 2000
Fantastic BBC radio comedy. It you like Python or
Partridge then this is a must.
Through Blood & Fire at Gettysburg, General Joshua
Lawrence Chamberlain - May 2000
Very short text written by Chamberlain. Describing his march
to Gettysburg and his successfull defence of Little Round Top on
the second day of the battle. For American Civil War anoraks only.
A Traveller's History of London, Richard Tames - May 2000
Very easy to read. Bitesize chunks of history without a great
deal of depth, which sounds like a criticism but shouldn't do at
all. A good overview for anyone who wants the "complete"
history of London from Londinium to the Dome. Helps you to decide
what you like before investigating further.
Surviving in Stroke City, Gerry Anderson - May 2000
Not great.
The Life of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell - May 2000
"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is
willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London,
he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can
afford." and (around 1776) "I am willing to love all
mankind, except an American." The biography of the
rotund, xenophobic genius as written by his sex-obsessed best-friend.
Very hard to get into, but very rewarding if you persevere.
The Motley Fool UK Investment Guide, David Berger - May
2000
We are (were) in the process of buying a house as I read this
book. What a difference a little knowledge makes. I actually
began looking forward to meeting Independent Financial Advisors (salespeople)
because I enjoyed Foolishly cutting through their crap. It's
incredibly empowering to know what you want and (amazingly, for
me anyway) why you might want it, before you speak to them. A
must-read for anyone who wants to invest Foolishly in anything.
The English, Jeremy Paxman - April 2000
Information overload, but fun - particularly if you are English.
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier - April 2000
Wounded Confederate soldier walks home to his pre-war love. A
little hard to get into.
American Walks in London, Richard Tames - April 2000
A must for all US visitors, ten walks through the heart of London,
with an American bent.
Sherman's March, Burke Davis - March 2000
Sherman's devastating march through the heart of the Confederacy,
from Atlanta to his glorious return to Washington DC, very
readable.
Grey Fox, Burke Davis - March 2000
Robert E Lee during the American Civil War, fact written as
fiction, very readable.