The QI Book of General Ignorance, by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson: #BookReview.

On 16/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

393 pps Humour/Puzzles & Games/ Subtitled ‘The Noticeably Stouter Edition’, this book of humorously presented erudition is a gem. Clearly, a book to be dipped into, rather than read at one sitting, it is nevertheless addictive. Those who know the TV show, first hosted by the inimitable Stephen Fry and latterly by the equally unique …

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Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.

On 14/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

A truly gothic and demonic horror story. The narrator’s voice carries all the bile, disapproval, confidence and uncertainty of the youth well. This is a short but powerful read and one to produce nightmares if read too close to bedtime in a lonely place. The conflict of denial against the reality of the situation leaves …

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A Better Ten Commandments, by James Miller: #BookReview.

On 13/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

This is both a self-improvement and inspirational book with a very real difference. That difference is crucial. James Miller is a man on a mission. A mission I’m utterly at one with. Our lives are governed from birth, throughout education and maturity, to the final day, by dogma, myth and legend posing as truth. Although …

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Dogwatch, by Karen Wolfe: #BookReview.

On 08/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

Love dogs? Love crime? Love humour, even if a little dark sometimes? Then this is for you. Georgie Crane is at it again; getting in deeper than she should, that is. There’s a degree of ‘woman in jeopardy’ about this comi-crime novel that lifts it above the general level of the genre. The dogs, and …

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Dreams of Winter, by Christian Warren Freed: #BookReview.

On 29/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review1 Comment

342 pages Science Fiction/Space Opera/Military Whilst a devotee of Science Fiction, I admit to being less than impressed by most Space Opera, so I come to this book with baggage. This is one in a series of books with the collective title ‘A Forgotten Gods Tale’ and I have no knowledge of the rest of …

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Illinois Native Americans, by In60Learning: #BookReview.

On 07/04/201807/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Reading, Review

Subtitled ‘A 9,000 Year Civilisation’, this little book is part of a project aimed at providing readers with concise histories that can be enjoyed as text or is an audiobook version. The idea is sensible and welcome. I know absolutely nothing about American Native Indians, other than the terribly distorted view that TV’s cowboy programmes …

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The Hermit of Blue Ridge, by Cary Grossman: #BookReview.

On 02/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review, Romance

300 pages Fantasy/Paranormal. Intriguing, engaging, inspiring, fascinating and enthralling, this book is a great read. Character driven romance is relatively rare, but this book, essentially a complex and deep love story, is seen entirely through the eyes of lovers. The people on these pages are both exceptional and real. We’re treated to their aspirations, frailties, …

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70 Solutions to Common #Writing Mistakes, by Bob Mayer: #BookReview.

On 19/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

If you’re a writer just starting out or, better still, someone thinking of starting to write, this is a useful book. It also contains reminders of good, and bad, habits to keep established writers on track. So much has been written about the craft of writing that a lot of the advice in this little …

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To Enter the Path, by Stephanie Flores: #BookReview.

On 15/03/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

Within this book is a great story trying to get out. The main protagonist, a young woman overtaken by a demonic magic spirit, is very well imagined and drawn. Her companions are equally well created. The problem is that the story is somewhat swamped by the repetitive nature of the challenges and solutions. The book …

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Children of the Furnace, by Brin Murray: #BookReview

On 27/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review4 Comments

Science Fiction/Fantasy/YA 257 pages This novel tackles some pretty fundamental themes. Told through the experiences and voices of two young people, Will, an innocent boy from a rural settlement, and Leah, a rather more worldly and sophisticated girl from a city, the story is woven through their separate adventures in their different worlds until the …

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Catling’s Bane, by D. Wallace Peach: #BookReview.

On 20/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review7 Comments

310 pages. Science Fiction and Fantasy. What an engaging tale this is. It says a lot for the quality of the writing and the compelling nature of the story that I continued to read this despite some pretty difficult issues in my online/working life at the time! I’m a reader who loves books where characters …

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A Great #Review for War Over Dust!

On 16/02/201816/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Mars, Reading, Review3 Comments

A new and very positive review for War Over Mars has now appeared on both Goodreads and Amazon. You can read it here. https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B0749NW6W8&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_AtWHAbQ4J5NG6&tag=stuartaken-21

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, by Christine Pinheiro: #BookReview.

On 15/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Reading, Review

Subtitled ‘A Promotional Reference Guide for Authors and Small Publishers’, this extensive reference guide is full of information and helpful advice. It’s essentially a listing of websites, blogs, service providers and organisations involved in the promotion of books. As the subtitle makes clear, it’s of special relevance to the self-published author and the small independent …

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I Used to Be, by Mary Brown: #BookReview.

On 11/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

This wonderfully written novel explores the relationship between two very different women. One is a divorced mother struggling to cope with the loss of a child, and the other a very young single woman coping with a major change in her chaotic life. The main characters are drawn with a vivid clarity that ensures the …

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The Rift, by Tess Burnside: #BookReview.

On 25/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review

A touching story of love, betrayal, loss and redemption. Tess Burnside’s tale is told in simple form, perhaps a little too simple in terms of language. I found the repetitive use of ‘she’ to start multiple sentences a little wearing and would have preferred more variety of sentence structure to avoid this. But the characters …

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