My old Kindle expired a while back. I replaced the experience with my iPad, but that entails reading from a backlit screen, which isn’t comfortable over long periods, and it’s pretty poor in bright sunshine. So, I took the plunge, removed the padlock from my wallet, and shelled out for a new eReader. Whilst I …
Continue reading My New Kindle has Arrived!
Gentle comedy, interspersed with charmingly naughty sexual encounters and academic forays characterise this novel. Before I go any further, let me stress that this is not erotica; the sex comes with a naivety that arouses smiles rather than passion in the reader. Set in Canada and Tasmania, the novel follows the adventures, trials and triumphs …
Continue reading Visiting Fellow, by Dave Williamson, Reviewed.
This book is a police procedure crime novel, with the bonus that it’s set in Canada and therefore reveals both cultural and procedural aspects that may be new to many readers. Certainly, aspects of this fascinating tale led me across entirely new ground. The three main characters are intriguing in their complexity, and the fourth, …
Continue reading Mâtowak: Woman Who Cries, by Joylene Nowell Butler, Reviewed.
Translated from Bulgarian by Margarita Dogramadzyan. This collection of short stories is bizarre, dreamlike, surreal. The stories themselves hold both intelligent insight and moral lessons. Unfortunately, either the translation or the original writing lack proper editing. They read like first drafts. The thoughts are put down but there’s no sign of revision and they therefore …
Continue reading Future Gone, by Alexandar Tomov Jnr, Reviewed.
I was invited to read and review this book by the author, and did so via the services of NetGalley. Reading: what is it? A way of vicariously living? A route into the lives of others? A key to the insight of the wise and experienced? It’s these and so much more. Over the past …
Continue reading The Summer That Melted Everything, by Tiffany McDaniel, Reviewed.
Some writers have obviously occupied the place they’re writing about. Mick Canning is one such. The immersive depth of settings in this book is so great that the reader feels like a resident. But this book is primarily about injustice and casual cruelty to women in India. That this is a traditional aspect of life …
Continue reading Making Friends with the Crocodile, by Mick Canning, Reviewed.
We were introduced to D.S. Martyn Webber in Buried Deep (an excellent read) but in Tiger Blood he takes centre stage. His home life is complicated by an event he’d rather not remember, but the woman involved won’t let him off that easily. The results of his indiscretion haunt him throughout this superb crime novel. …
Continue reading Tiger Blood, by Penny Grubb, Reviewed.
Tempted to invite me to review your book? I receive a good number of ‘pitch’ letters sent via the contact page on this website. Let me point out to all authors, their agents, and publishers, eager to do the same for their books that I’ve signed the True Review Pledge. That means I write honest …
Continue reading A Gentle Post About Book Reviews.
First, a gentle warning for authors tempted to invite me to review their books: I read this book as the result of a particularly effective ‘pitch’ letter sent via the contact page on this website. Let me remind others eager to do the same for their books that I’ve signed the True Review Pledge. That …
Continue reading Inevitable Ascension, by V.K. McAllister, Reviewed.
This historical novel, set at the very end of the 16th century in London, is more than merely a damned good novel. It’s purpose is to help other authors improve their writing through example. John Yeoman is a well-respected writing tutor, amongst other things. He displays a wicked, sardonic, sense of humour in the story, …
Continue reading How Did the Author Do That?, by Dr. John Yeoman PhD, Reviewed.
This is not the first book I’ve read by this author, which is why I bought it! She has a knack of stating the relevant facts without offending but without wasting words. If you’re looking to market your book(s), read this short piece of advice before you start to spend cash on the process. It …
This resource is remarkably extensive and varied. There are articles on strange human behaviours, odd customs and traditions, peculiar animal behaviour, secret societies and events, curses, unusual illnesses, myths, fakes, religious peculiarities, odd individuals and many other topics. This isn’t a book to sit and read, but a research and inspiration tool to use for …
An unusual and intriguing anthology, this. The author introduces each piece of fiction with an account of his route to the story and some of his writing methods. It makes for an interesting read for both readers and writers. The collection is varied in both topics and style, but each tale is well structured and …
Continue reading How to Win the Lottery (And Other Stories), by Iain Parke, Reviewed.
Subtitled, The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, this extraordinary work by Robert Zubrin, with Richard Wagner, is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Mars either as an observer or as, in my case, a writer of science fiction. In researching for my novel about Mars, I’ve read a great …
Continue reading The Case for Mars, by Robert Zubrin, Reviewed
I bought a copy of this paperback to see what sort of work might win the prizes in this much respected annual contest for writers. I’m intending to enter this year, so I wanted to discover what quality and style of work is considered good enough. Each year, the judges for the three categories of …
Continue reading The Bridport Prize Anthology 2015, Reviewed.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 