Poetry is such a subjective literary genre that it’s often difficult to reach a conclusion about whether a collection is very good, difficult, obscure, or any of a mixture of reactions. This assortment is by a poet whose first language is Romanian: whether English is his second language is unclear, but the standard of its …
Continue reading Invitation to Poetry, by Mihai Brinas: #BookReview.
It's always great to receive a positive review. This one is quite short, but says the things an author loves to hear. You can find the original here. # Ten Tales for Tomorrow Stuart Aken Rating: 5 Shrimps! Stuart Aken’s short story compendium Ten Tales for Tomorrow explores several possible futures. Speculative fiction often has …
Continue reading Another 5 Star, Well, 5 Shrimp, Review!
Ciao! This will be a series of (mostly) relatively short posts illustrated with photographs. The holiday in Italy was a special treat for us, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We’ve been saving to visit our daughter in Australia, but she’s coming to the UK this December, so we dipped into our funds for this …
Continue reading #Italy: Trip of a Lifetime. Part 1
136 pages Literature/Classics (I read the Penguin Classics version, which includes a chronology, introductions, notes, a map of the region, the author's Congo Diary, an author's note and a glossary of nautical terms.) Written in 1899, some nine years after the author’s visit to the Congo, this novel is clearly inspired by and based on …
Continue reading Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad: #BookReview.
Is my fiction futurolgy or science fiction? Judge for yourself with a click here.
304 pages Literary/Action & Adventure. How to describe a book that is unique? This is an absurdist fantasy, delightfully written and so enjoyable to read. The author cleverly engages us with his empathetic description of Beatrix’s life (the Bee of the title) in the circus, and her pragmatic acceptance of a life so unjust and …
Continue reading The Colonel and the Bee, by Patrick Canning: #BookReview.
A break from the relentless imperative of the internet is calling. It refreshes the spirit and reclaims sanity. I’ve produced posts to fill the gaps while I’m away: scheduling is such a useful device! So, before I go I’m indulging in some unapologetic promotion of my books. The best people to comment on books are …
Continue reading Progress, or a Pause?
183 pps Science Fiction/Post Apocalyptic Many readers make it a point of pride to express their dislike of science fiction. These same people probably proudly state their love of historical, romantic, thriller, literary, sensual, spy, legal, or indeed any other type of fiction. So, why the dislike of a genre that offers so much? I …
Continue reading Entangled Earth, by David Lea: #BookReview.
Travel/Italy 992 pages Until I’ve been to Italy, I can’t know the true value of this book. However, having read it in preparation, I can comment on what I’ve so far found. I’m off to Italy soon, visiting Rome, Naples and Pompeii, Florence, and Lake Maggiore, which is why I bought the general travel book …
Continue reading Lonely Planet, Italy: #BookReview.
I was recently given a chance to have my reviewing activity revealed in charts and diagrams. I thought it would be interesting, for me, and for my readers. Here's the link to the result on BookSirens.
Religion and Spirituality/Islam 156 pages Subtitled ‘Conversations, Questions, And Answers About Islam’, this slim volume is an introduction to the Muslim’s view of Islam. It’s also an attempt to separate the actions of extremists from the doctrines on which they base those actions. And an effort to educate non-Muslims in the way the religion is …
Continue reading What Would a Muslim Say?, by Ahmed Lotfy Rashed: #BookReview.
Biography/Medical Memoir 177 pages. I came to this extraordinary piece of writing via an unusual route. The village hall hosted a short dramatic presentation by ‘New Perspectives’ introducing the book using visual aids, a soundtrack and the skills of two actors to explain how the book came into being. Although that drama was flawed, it …
Continue reading A Fortunate Man, by John Berger, illustrated by Jean Mohr: #BookReview.
History 672 pages Art historian, philosopher, raconteur, academic, or proselyte? Simon Schama’s great tome carries elements of all these. One reviewer, quoted on the cover, adds ‘self-indulgent and perverse’, and I’ve no argument with those. There are undoubted instances of the self-congratulatory, ‘I know a lot more than you’, and the academic show-off in this …
Continue reading Landscape and Memory, by Simon Schama: #BookReview.
Reference/Writing/Editing 312 pages Subtitled ‘More Descriptions, Overused Words and Taboos’, this is a companion to the first book with the same title. Like that initial volume, this is an essential for any serious writer. Language is our lifeblood, and words are tools we employ to express our thoughts and ideas. If we’re to do this …
Continue reading The Writer’s Lexicon: Volume II, by Kathy Steinemann: #BookReview.
Contemporary Fiction 310 pages Subtitled, ‘Be Careful Who You Trust’, this piece of modern fiction is not the usual material I read. I dislike labels, but I do wonder if this is intended more for the ‘Women’s Fiction’ market. The story is well presented and the characters particularly well developed. I did have some difficulty …
Continue reading Befriended, by Ruth O’Neill: #BookReview.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 