Dec 24, 2009 Posted by booktiger

A Guide To The Birds of East Africa – Nicholas Drayson

And in amongst the sadness and anger of the past few books I have been reading, at last I get the opportunity to read something a little lighter. A Guide To the Birds of East Africa was just the distraction I needed – it is a lovely, feel-good story which doesn’t avoid issues or the reality of the world, but still provides hope in humanity and the power of goodness. Mr Malik is rather taken... read more

Dec 24, 2009 Posted by booktiger

When A Crocodile Eats The Sun – Peter Godwin

I seem to have read a number of books recently which filled me with various emotions – anger at injustice, sadness at the blind greed and selfishness of the human race, and rage at people who use power for their own ends, whilst trampling on anyone around them who gets in their way. When A Crocodile Eats The Sun is a memoir from the journalist, Peter Godwin who was a white who was born and grew up in... read more

Dec 23, 2009 Posted by booktiger

Flat Earth News – Nick Davies

I am really not a big fan of the mainstream media – that, as most of you will know, is no secret. I don’t like sensationalism, I hate celebrity culture, and I dislike the paternalistic, materialistic nonsense which seems to be characteristic of most news channels today, whether visual, audio or written. I came to Flat Earth News with this attitude, and this book didn’t just reinforce it... read more

Dec 23, 2009 Posted by booktiger

Ritual – Mo Hayder

I like to read everything. I will sit down and read Dostoyevsky as soon as I will read James Patterson. Ritual was at the James Patterson end of the spectrum and that doesn’t mean its a bad thing. It was an easy read, with a page turning plot, characters that weren’t too complicated or deep and an ending that kept you guessing most of the time, although the false clue was a little obvious. Two... read more

Dec 23, 2009 Posted by booktiger

Farewell Borders…

Last night I attended the closing sale of Borders UK – a company which has gone into receivership and finally closed it’s doors on 22nd December 2009. It was a grim picture – with everything selling for 90% off, the scene was one of carnage. Books were placed randomly on the few shelves that were left, and crowds of people were pushing past one another to see what they could find. I... read more