My first thought after reading this was I had just walked my way through an art installation, learning about architecture, harbours, the sea and the pMy first thought after reading this was I had just walked my way through an art installation, learning about architecture, harbours, the sea and the people that it has affected over time in different ways. This may be because of some very fine artwork by Iain Sharpe but I think it is the short pieces of writing placed alongside the visual art that gives this sensation. In a short number of pages Banning takes the reader on a journey around the coast of East Sussex sharing his knowledge of art and history but it is his commentry on the current political climate that hits home the hardest. These days I seem to find myself surrounded by flags on lamp posts and social media swamped with strange people determined to spread hate, in my town we have a hotel with refugees in, that on a regular basis have to witness protests by people who don’t really understand why they are doing this…the pleasing thing about this book is that it raises awareness but also shows there is still beauty in the world….now I’m going to go look at Sharpe’s artwork in closer detail.
I am a big fan of the Vanished Wales TV series, the gentle care that Adeola Dewis handles each subject with as she interviews those who have a specialI am a big fan of the Vanished Wales TV series, the gentle care that Adeola Dewis handles each subject with as she interviews those who have a special place in their heart for these vanished places gives the series that special touch that many miss. The book delves into what is covered on the TV and whilst it doesn’t tell you any extra info it is the photos that make the book, so often watching on the TV you will miss something but with a photo you can take your time and in those full page spreads showing village life you can almost sense the community spirit.
I found it very interesting how upset people get when thinking about the house they grew up in, they may have had no running water, or electricity or had to share washing lines, it’s their family history of generations living in the same place that breaks their heart and a sense of community that just doesn’t exist anymore. I have always lived on housing estates where everybody keeps to themselves and are happy to do things like play loud music until 3am (yes, I know I am annoying but it is fun to do), what these people have lost is something I would love to experience at least once.
Favourite stories for me seem to be based around vehicles, cutting edge hovercraft trials, toy cars with ejector seats and the mighty Gilbern, the only car designed and made in Wales and it was a stunner and like the hovercraft and toy cars it was full of inovative ideas…I loved the idea that you could buy it flat packed and build it yourself, what a family project that would have been.
A proper interesting book, crammed full of stunning photography and beautiful stories.
This is one of those books I went into without reading the back, I knew Upton was a cracking story-teller so I had faith I wouldn’t be let down…using This is one of those books I went into without reading the back, I knew Upton was a cracking story-teller so I had faith I wouldn’t be let down…using this technique added some more mystery into this mystery novel. I have to admit I struggled at first, lots of characters thrown into the mix, but once I knew who was who and the book had settled on a protagonist I was hooked. A famous novelist goes missing, lots of gossip happens with people showing their true colours and then the novelist is found, it feels like a homage to Agatha C…it was also a sort of homage to the famous novelist featured in the book copying her formulaic style, very clever twist that was.
The characters are dispicable, envious and very egotisical (normal author traits?) there is nothing to like about any of them and because this is the side of them you see, any of them could be our villian. Geneva Finch is out to try and figure out what happened 10 years ago. She starts off as pretty clueless, not sure where to start and nervous around everybody, it was fantastic to see her grow in confidence and start to reveal the clues. I had no idea of who-dun-it but had a lot of fun following the case. The writing is witty, the scene well set and like any good detective show it was addictive.
I have now read two books by Upton, the first was super funny and now this one, a proper clever mystery. Give her a read if you aint done so already.
When it comes to the subject of this book consider me almost a blank slate, I know of the Spitfire and it’s importance but knew nothing about it’s desWhen it comes to the subject of this book consider me almost a blank slate, I know of the Spitfire and it’s importance but knew nothing about it’s designers or it’s origin story, I had never even heard of Mitchell, but I’m always willing to learn so jumped at a chance to read this book. Overall it was hugely interesting, at times with all the names and techincal jingo I did struggle but by the end I was keeping up ok. I also had to keep reminding myself that this was a book about Mitchell and not the Spitfire so not every page was going to be about that machine.
The book gives us the history about Mitchell and how he first got into engineering and plane design, how he moved up the ranks from an early age and all the planes he was involved in designing, it is so easy to fall into the trap of saying “planes he designed” when what this book is trying to show is that he only succeeded because of the team he built around himself. The book moves on to the Schnieder Trophy, where we get to see what a speed freak he was and where the absolutely stunning S4 was created:
The book shows that as events evolved in Europe and the threat of war loomed Mitchell becomes obsessed with creating a fighter, the end result being the Spitfire. Whilst he never got to see just what it achieved, it was because of the team he created that was the reason behind it’s success. One favourite story about Mitchell included here was soon after an op to remove cancer he had to wear a colostomy bag and he re-designed it so that it was more comfortable, a brilliant mind even in the toughest of times.
I do recommend this book especially if you already have prior knowledge as it will show you the true story about not just the father of the spitfire but the whole team of brilliant people who crafted it into existance.
Another cracking collection of short stories based on the criminal world of London: drugs, women, violence, revenge, fighting, best mates, traitors anAnother cracking collection of short stories based on the criminal world of London: drugs, women, violence, revenge, fighting, best mates, traitors and armed robbers- the pages of this book have been crammed full of all these things. Keenaghan doesn’t hold back on the dark things man is capable of doing against his fellow person, the strongest part of his writing is that he doesn’t focus on the one type of character, we get a whole range of interesting people, some are pure evil, some are scared and some are just desperate from poverty and hunger and they are pushed into doing things against their better judgement.
This is the second book of short stories I’ve read by Keenaghan and there are two standouts for me…Dear John and Non-Crime Hate Incident. These two are not full a crazy energy and dark humour, Keenaghan has taken a step back and become reminisicent, the last story sees our man wondering around London doing a social commentry on how much it has lost it’s heart…it’s sense of community…and I found myself nodding along in agreement. It is these two stories that has me craving for a Keenaghan novel, the man has shown he can slow things down enough to create a something bigger and with his knowledge of London I’m sure there is a proper good novel brewing in that noggin of his.
Loved the last book and love this one two, highly recommended author.
This is going to be a tough book of poetry to review, all I wanna write is “check out this bit”, “read this cos it is hilarious”, “Bro, this line is sThis is going to be a tough book of poetry to review, all I wanna write is “check out this bit”, “read this cos it is hilarious”, “Bro, this line is super sweet” and before you know it I have just typed out the whole blooming book. I have stalked Stark online for a number of years now, I’ve seen his funny videos where he is out and about teaching us about life so I already knew what a quirky sense of humour he has, luckily all this prior knowledge does not take anything away from this book. I had a good laugh, I nodded in agreement at so many things, from pigeons to finding out yer nan made her amazing gravy out of Bisto and not something more fantastical and my heart broke many times as Stark shares about his failed Lemonade Stall and his attempts to win back his crown as King of the Ducks.
For the last couple of weeks this book has gone everywhere with me (perfect size for pockets) I have spotted a bench and sat and read a few before moving on, I think I read it three times before I was ready to review. It’s a wonderful collection, it matches my quirkiness and scenes have stuck with me afterwards, I saw a pigeon just now looking at the floor and I laughed at it. If there is one book of poems you read then make it this, one of the easiest books to enjoy. I can’t wait for volume 2 to be released.
Interesting side note, I have gone on walks with this book and not once did it rain on me, that’s gotta be magic right?
I would like to take a moment to thanks Mr. Jay Spencer Green, 5 pages in and I knew this book would be sending me to Hell, my parents raised me betteI would like to take a moment to thanks Mr. Jay Spencer Green, 5 pages in and I knew this book would be sending me to Hell, my parents raised me better than to be laughing at these rather immature jokes…whilst I have yet to reach the gates of Hell I decided to continue reading and upgrade my laughs to guffaws.
Using an encyclopaedia that he has masterfully put together, our hero (in the loosest terms possible) hides his story in plain sight. As we explore each letter…in the alphabet…we learn about animals, the absurd laws that still 100% exist in USA, how great Spain and the glorious Franco is, we get updates on the zombie outbreak currently happening on a remote Atlantic island with an absurdly made up name of Fuerteventura, we learn about how silly women are and with one random word Manuel moves on his story as he is hunted down by the Beast with Three Fingers. Has there ever been an encyclopaedia as high octane as this one? I imagine this is how it is when Tom Cruise reads a book.
I have really enjoyed this this book, I stuttered at the beginning as I didn’t expect it to be laid out like this but I soon got into JSG’s sharp wit and gripping story…there is one issue now though: Whilst I would love this book to become huge and read by millions I have one concern…is the dumbest species on the planet ready to read a book like this and NOT believe it to be fact? I have learnt that the US has a law that forbids you from sleeping in the same room as spaghetti….there is no way they are ready for a book like this!
Read this book at your own peril…if you don’t own a peril then read it anyway.
I live just up the road from Gilbert White’s house and recently visited it for the first time (one of those “why’d it take so long to see something soI live just up the road from Gilbert White’s house and recently visited it for the first time (one of those “why’d it take so long to see something so close” moments) I had read snippets of his work in other books and combining that with what was at the house I decided it was about time I gave this classic nature book a go…of course I had to get the best looking copy which was the one Little Toller published.
My first thoughts after reading was how amazingly enthusiastic was White, from birds to crickets and even watching his thermometer, his excitement is contagious and I wondered if those he wrote to fully appreciated his letters or did they roll their eyes at another lengthy post from that White chap. It is easy to see just how important this book is, White writes about a culture/place that is far different from today and the data he records shows rainfalls, temperatures, bird counts, both common and rare and an account of the people and how they worked the land.
There are shocking moments too, modern day me can’t help but be shocked when he talks about a rare bird visiting Selborne and BANG! it gets shot dead so he can have a closer look, or when he takes baby birds out of a nest and puts them on the ground to see what they do. But then if White was here today he would have a lot more shocks, how we happily chop down a forest for a mass of horrible looking houses or how the government refuses to pass a super simple law like nest boxes to save swifts. One thing did make me laugh, he would find a dead bird, box it up and post it to a friend, imagine doing that today…wouldn’t be much left after it had spent two weeks at the post office sorting branch at Swindon.
The book itself was very interesting, sometimes it could get bogged down with data and quotes but it was his theories that I found fascinating, working through all the info he has to try and figure out where House martins go when it gets cold. My favourite bit was when he says that he has spent 40 years in this small area learning everything he can about Nature and he still gets surprised by what it can do. Brilliant.
Hugely interesting book, probably best to find out more about the chap before you dive into this book.
So what is going on with this book? It feels like Tremaglio has carefully written the book on ceramic tiles and then dropped them, he has carefully puSo what is going on with this book? It feels like Tremaglio has carefully written the book on ceramic tiles and then dropped them, he has carefully put them back together as best as he can remember, what we get is a mind-bending fragmented journey into grief.
As the main (?) story progresses the reader gets random bits of text thrown at them, adverts, questions, memories of events that may or may not have happened yet and when the moment the friend dies, the grief sends the whole book into a spiral…but as you get further and further into the book it all starts to make sense, the end of the book is leaking into the beginning, those questions that popped up earlier are all linked to the ending. Tremaglio has crafted something rather beautiful here…don’t they say that “from chaos comes beauty”?
The journey that our main character, Air, is on feels very reminiscent of McCarthy’s The Road, that surreal end times scenery where something bad has happened but you have no idea what and the limited dialogue between characters where language almost feels like it is in the process of being forgotten. Loved it….Also loved the villain of the piece, a large company created by Bill Jeffs that delivers packages in vans with smiles on the side…I have no idea who that could be based on. The fun bits are right there until the last paragraph where Tremaglio uses a Whale’s appendage to say The End.
The whole concept of this book was interesting, it is the sort of book that appeals to me as it demands more of the reader’s attention and it is the sort of book you’ll end up reading a second time to see if it ends the same way.
I really enjoyed this one, what I was expecting was a book about where somebody lived and then they showed off how great it was, all whilst making me I really enjoyed this one, what I was expecting was a book about where somebody lived and then they showed off how great it was, all whilst making me green with envy (1 star review type of book), what I actually got was a well written, absorbing book about what a “Home” is, jam packed with history, nature and geography and a need to go visit Prespa…I wonder if Hoffman takes in visitors. haha!
We start off with why Hoffman and his wife move to Prespa, sick of the life in London they crave a quieter life with far more nature around them. The feeling of having found home appears very quickly with how welcoming the locals are and just how beautiful the land is, love at first sight. The book is almost laid out like a series of essays, a subject is discussed, for example bears, and Julian goes on to learn and then teach the reader everything they need to know, he discusses their history with the land and the locals and he includes personal interactions with them…the writing picks up a notch when he has a close encounter with a bear, proper on the edge of my seat moment.
I think there is something for everyone in this book, bears, birds, plants, walking, mountains, history, unexploded ordinance, bureaucracy, bone art, nature conservation…. There are moments where it can get gloomy, a species of bird losing it’s language or 1000’s dying from bird flu are both heart breaking, but Hoffman always ends on a high sharing what locals are doing to save nature from complete destruction, I’m always impressed with what some people will do to save those that need help and you see it again and again in this book.
Highly recommended book, Hoffman is great with words, he weaves an element of wonder into the retelling of his experiences that left this reader with a grin on his face.
The first standout poem in this collection was "The President’s Daily Briefs" by John Alejandro King, I got a good chuckle from the reoccurring use ofThe first standout poem in this collection was "The President’s Daily Briefs" by John Alejandro King, I got a good chuckle from the reoccurring use of the title and the last verse finished it off nicely.
No collection is complete without a twisted entry by the Grate Johnny Scarlotti, the question "dam i wish i had a mcchicken…" leaves us is who is this guy? The Poet? Jesus Christ? or Suburban Bear Grills?
One of my favourite writers has a piece in this, Andy Seven gives us "Drugs And The Woman" nice out of control scene from one of the best.
The highlight in the collection goes to J.J. Campbell with "nothing but pain" super blunt and to the point with a roar of a challenge at the conclusion....more
Before this book I had only read Cohen’s poetry and listened to his music, delving into these short stories gives you a better understanding of the maBefore this book I had only read Cohen’s poetry and listened to his music, delving into these short stories gives you a better understanding of the man who wrote the mighty “Hallelujah”. That song was constantly on my mind as I read about these characters and witnessed what was going on in their heads and in their lives, there is a constant underlying sadness in everything they do, each short story is a snapshot of a moment that finds it’s way under your skin.
A week is a very long time captures the beauty of Cohen’s words. A couple stood nude at a window witnessing a man down on the street hunting for a cat, in a few lines their whole relationship becomes understood and as the scenes with the cat hunter conclude you can see only one way the story for the couple can end. Pure brilliance.
The short novel story A Ballet of Lepers made for easy reading, a destructive grandpa arriving in the protagonist’s life turns this story on it’s head, the Grandpa’s input is only small but it dominates everything. I really enjoyed it and for some reason, I’m not sure why, as soon as the Grandpa makes his entrance I had an elderly Bukowski pictured. A good story with a satisfying conclusion.
If you are a fan of Cohen then you gotta read this book and maybe then try some poems with The Energy Of Slaves.
Full disclosure, before starting this book I had no idea what “Left On Read” meant, it doesn’t even feel like proper English innit, so off to the goo Full disclosure, before starting this book I had no idea what “Left On Read” meant, it doesn’t even feel like proper English innit, so off to the google machine I did go and to prepare you for reading this book, this is what I found – It’s that feeling of when you know somebody has read your message but hasn’t bothered to respond, it’s an expression of being ignored.
I have read mckay’s previous book Heather so I knew what I was about to read had the potential to traumatise me on multiple levels, I also knew it was gonna contain some bloody good writing. It doesn’t disappoint, I write this review whilst rocking back n forth down at the bottom of the garden (with the poddington peas) and there wasn’t a dull moment in the book.
The subject matter is eye opening, I have experienced things that I new nothing about, the scenes are very graphic, the thoughts going on inside the character’s head are real eye openers and once I had started a story I couldn’t put it down until I had reached the end. First thought was always eeewww (all eggcups have now been binned), but after a couple of stories I began to see a theme. These characters may have been nasty but their loneliness jumps out at you, from sat behind a computer craving contact or recognition to reminiscing about lost chances to have physical contact with another human or just watching someone from afar, I couldn’t help but see a pattern, each of these characters were trapped seeing the world through social media. In a roundabout way this book is trying to raise awareness to the damage caused by having access to a virtual existence and that we are losing our grip on reality. Yes the content of the book is grim but that is the only way to grab the reader’s attention and that is why, for me, this book works so well.
I had one little issue and that is with the opening story, I couldn’t really get what was going on half the time, I think I got it at the end, it’s probably the weakest in the collection and not the best one for opening with, swapping it with the second story would have helped this reader settle in.
Excuse all the gifs in this review, the author demands heavy use of gifs in reviews.
So the big question is this…”Is this the book to buy yer Gran for her birthday?” Yep, for sure!
The book starts off strong, interesting idea, bizarre and entertaining questions and some humour. The humour soon wears a bit thin, almost like a kid The book starts off strong, interesting idea, bizarre and entertaining questions and some humour. The humour soon wears a bit thin, almost like a kid doing the same joke over and over again and you feel you gotta be polite and laugh. As soon as I got bored with the humour I started questioning the data being used to make their point.
An example: What is more dangerous driving in a car or on a plane? Answer implies that by car is more dangerous because more people die in cars. I may have misread but it doesn’t take into account the fact the people who die were in accidents, so shouldn’t the answer include if you are in an accident on one of the two vehicles what is your chance of survival? It made me question everything that had gone before, could any of those points be accepted as correct? Maybe I am over thinking it but the dad jokes made me think so it ain’t my fault.
The next thing to annoy me was all the profiling, seems for these guys you can only be black or white and if you happen to be black then you must be poor with low education. Like the jokes it got on me tits and I found myself getting more and more bored. Lots seem to enjoy this book but I have failed to see the point in it. Would I recommend it? Nah, go read a baby naming book instead.
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