Jul 17, 2009
A Full House – But Empty – Angus Munro
This is the first autobiography that I have been asked to review. I will confess, biographies don’t appear within my preferred genres although many of the ones I have read I have enjoyed very much. The beauty of the autobiography is that the life that is being recounted is very personal and infused with meaning that only the author could have known or deduced. I don’t always relate to... read more
Jun 3, 2009
La Symphonie Pastorale was written in 1919. The copy that I own also contained a second story, Isabelle which complemented the original story perfectly. Both were suffused with longing, loss and tragic disappointment but both were beautifully written (and translated) despite the darkness of their themes.
The title story is about a pastor who, upon attending the bedside of a dying woman, discovers her...
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La Symphonie Pastorale – Andre Gide
May 27, 2009
The Hidden – Tobias Hill
Life has gone somewhat wrong for Ben Mercer. His wife has left him for a man who was their archaeology professor at university, taking his daughter and any plans for a future he may have had. Ben is aware that this is something that he invited – through his own behaviour towards her and the world in general. He escapes to Greece, not knowing where he is headed but finding himself drawn there thanks... read more
May 27, 2009
The Time Has Come…
Most of you would probably notice that I have been less diligent with my book blog recently than I have been in the past. I always post reviews for books I have been asked to read and review on time, whether for virtual book tours or when I have been specifically asked by a book publicist. But with my other reading (of which I have been doing a lot) I seem to have let my writing slip. I have mentioned this... read more
May 26, 2009
The Genie in Your Genes – Dawson Church
This book was written to lay out a theory of Epigenetic medicine, a term I had never come across despite my fascination with science. A search on the internet for the term brings up quite a few references to this book, so I turned to it to find an explanation. The general thesis of the book is that humans have the ability to effectively ‘change their genes’ through their own thoughts,... read more
May 14, 2009
They Plotted Revenge Against America – Abe F. March
I started reading this book the day before the recent swine flu scare hit Europe. It was pretty ironic timing, as Abe F. March’s novel, They Plotted Revenge Against Amercia tells the story of a group of young Palestinians who, having cruelly lost their entire families in the continuing battle between US-supported Israel and Palestine, decide to join an organisation to seek revenge. That revenge was... read more
May 14, 2009
Making Light of Being Heavy – Kandy Siahaya
Obesity is so frequently hailed as a ‘problem’ and a ‘disaster for the country’ in the newspapers nowadays that it is no surprise that we assume that every overweight person is just one more statistic whose life will be cut short because their heart will give out by the time they are 20, and in the short years they are alive they will be so miserably unhappy that they will do... read more
Apr 29, 2009
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet – Reif Larsen
Uncorrected proof copies of a novel can be of varying quality. Some I have received have had paper covers (although the shabby appearance belied the quality of the writing within). Others I have received looked no different to what I imagine the finished product would look like, although the illustrations may have been blurred or left out altogether. When I received my copy of The Selected Works of... read more
