A Bookkeepers Guide to Practical Sorcery, by Kate Russell: #BookReview.

Kate’s story is aimed at children but written in a style many adults will find appealing. Adventure, some burgeoning teen romance with all its attendant uncertainty and embarrassment, the injustices routinely visited on many workers by employers, treachery, greed, hope, courage, threat, and ultimate justice, weave spells throughout this entertaining work. There are also monsters …

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Perilaus II, by Mark P. Henderson: #BookReview.

312 pagesUrban/Thrillers A book underpinned by scholarship, this crime thriller-cum-psychological thriller-cum-literary novel works on many levels. But how to review it without even hinting at spoilers?I think it’s safe enough to let potential readers know the ‘author’ of a crime novel is about to commit himself to the method and occasion of the murder at …

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Why You Can’t Catch a Rocket to Mars, by Prof Lyndon Neal Smith PhD: #BookReview.

275 pagesScience & Scientists Humour/Automatic Control/Sherlock Holmes Mysteries Subtitled: Some Personal Reflections on Science and Society. Whether a reader can empathise with the writer of a book essentially driven by personal ambition, hopes, or dreams, depends on how that reader feels about those aims. I confess I’m definitely with the author here. Given the chance …

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Horse of a Different Colour, by Melodie Trudeaux: #BookReview.

112 pagesRiding & Horsemanship/Gen Sprots Hobbies & Games/Teen & Young Adult This intriguing and humorous adventure story for children, especially those who love horses, involves a little magic in the form of role play that suddenly becomes real! It becomes potentially rather dangerous for young Megan, able to swap places with Jack, the old and …

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Tamed, by Alice Roberts: #BookReview.

368 pagesEvolutionary Psychology, Philosophy of Physics Subtitled ‘Ten Species the Changed Our World’, this book is a tremendous work of scholarship, intelligence, insight, and sheer common sense. Professor Roberts, the history and science buff often seen leading BBC TV documentaries, has pressed into service all her wide knowledge into describing how ten of the crops …

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The Prophet Paradox, by Danny Tuttle: #BookReview.

424 pagesFantasy/Religion/Politics/Paranormal? What is this remarkable book about? The clue is very much in the title. But it is about much more than that. The author has researched extensively into numerous subjects to bring alive this extraordinary and complex tale dealing with humanity’s inability to deal with truth. We encounter a lost monastery filled with …

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Loyalty in Conflict, by April Taylor: #BookReview.

A novel by an author who always does her research thoroughly, understanding the moods, harsh realities, inequalities, priorities, and thoughts of the times she writes about. April Taylor’s ‘Loyalty in Conflict’ is a deep dive into the world of England during part of the protracted period of the Wars of the Roses. Her introduction to …

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The Reviews Continue to Come In!

Had another couple of reviews of ‘An Excess Of…’ so far this month. As writers and readers will know, reviews are never easy to get, unless you’re willing to spend a fortune on them, but paid for reviews have never struck me as a genuine way to discover the true value of a book.I’ve copied …

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Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen: #BookReview.

Fiction Classics/Literary Fiction288 PagesJane Austen’s first published novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’ manages to capture all her humour and dissatisfaction with the age in which she lived. I felt the language was a little more convoluted and, occasionally, more obtuse than in the better known ‘Pride and Prejudice’, making it sometimes hard work to ascertain her …

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Planet Crunch, by Richard Brock: #BookReview.

150 pagesEnvironment, Climate, Extinction. Subtitled ‘The Life (or Death?) of Planet Earth’, this extensively researched book was written by a man who has worked for 35 years at the BBC Natural History Unit, often working with David Attenborough. So, someone who has personally witnessed the decline of nature all over the world.The nineteen chapters are …

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And Another 5-Star Review of ‘An Excess Of…’

5 Star review from Mojgan Azar December 21, 2021 An Excess of … Stuart Aken’s “An Excess of” is a story about human nature and the conflicts we hold within each of us. The journey takes us from the deck of a sinking ship to the sands of a strange shore and deep into the …

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Another Great #Review for An Excess Of… 

Here’s another lovely review for my latest novel, posted to Goodreads. Aithal Aithal's review Jan 08, 2022 really liked it This book is not just a story but a very thought-provoking piece of work. Several times, I found myself nodding in agreement. The subject matter is interwoven as the story progresses. Stuart Aken masterfully makes …

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The Illustrated Pepys, Edited by Robert Latham: #BookReview.

Subtitled, Extracts from the Diary, this is a selection of Pepys’s diary entries over the years from 1660 to 1669, when his eyesight deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer spend the time needed to write in secret by candlelight. There is a useful introduction by the editor, explaining the way he …

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Another 5 Star Review.             

I came across this review by Joshua Grant while doing a search for my book on Amazon to check on current progress. Despite the fact I entered the title of my book in its exact form, the search returned 75 pages of titles, none of which (apart from mine) had this exact title. In fact, …

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Footvote, by Peter F. Hamilton: #BookReview.

This sci-fi short takes a wormhole as its escape route from the reality of the UK of the early 21st century. A time of confused politics and general unrest, it may well have been the first real step on the road we now follow, but that’s for a different written piece. The story is written …

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