Tag archives for book review - Page 10
Auld Lang Syne compiled by Karen Dolby [Book Review]
Auld Lang Syne: Words to Songs You Used to Know compiled by Karen Dolby My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a song book of many of the songs that you've probably heard growing up, or maybe down the pub if you frequent that sort of pub. Auld Lang Syne compiled by Karen Dolby Auld Lang Syne is a collection of songs organised by theme. They're not quite folk songs, but popular implies the wrong thing. These are songs that ordinary people sing, rather than professional musicians (although many have been recorded by the latter). Each song has its lyrics, and is followed by notes on when it was written, who has recorded it and what the tune is. There are also notes explaining the context of some of the songs. The sections are: country life thoughts of home love and…
Slouching in the Undergrowth by Jack Swaab [Book Review]
Slouching in the Undergrowth: The Long Life of a Gunner Officer by Jack Swaab My rating: 4 of 5 stars I bought Slouching in the Undergrowth because I'd previously read and enjoyed Field of Fire, the author's wartime experiences. Slouching in the Undergrowth covers pretty much all of Jack Swaab's extraordinary life. Slouching in the Undergrowth There's a fair amount on his childhood, first in Sydenham and later at boarding school in the South West. Jack also tells us of his time as an undergraduate that doesn't flatter himself much. I guess when you get into your nineties you don't need to worry so much what people think of what you did as a callow teenager. There is some good social history on pre-WW2 Britain from the perspective of reasonably well to do children. You can see how experience in…
Warlords of Llantatis by Dominic Green [Book Review]
Warlords of Llantatis by Dominic Green My rating: 5 of 5 stars The author emailed to ask me to review this, unusually I bought the book rather than accepting a freebie. There were two reason for this, one was that the reviews were really good, and the other was that it was only 99p for the kindle version. I'm pleased to report that it lived up to the promise in the reviews. Warlords of Llantatis At first sight this looks like a fantasy, but it's definitely science fiction. Set a couple of decades in the future most of the action takes place in a virtual game world. There are very brief interludes of real world that contrast the player life with that of their characters. The story is a combination of a detective mystery and also a heroic quest. Inside…
Last Words by Jackson Lear [Book Review]
Last Words by Jackson Lear My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this. It starts off as a holiday diary of a 23 year old British back-packer making his way around Europe. The tension builds gradually from inconvenience and annoyance into the full blown horror of a zombie apocalypse. It felt much more real and plausible to me than most of the zombie books I've read, with one exception. Last Words Mark spends most of his time running away and trying vainly to get home. He travels with a small group of friends, who gradually get split up for one reason or another. He travels through Spain, over to Morocco, into a civil war torn Algeria and then to Tunisia. Through this he relies on others to speak or translate or help. Mark is just a normal guy…
The Nightmare Stacks by Charlie Stross [Book Review]
The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Nightmare Stacks is another turn in the Laundry series, which has moved firmly away from following Bob Howard to being about the world that Bob inhabits. The main point of view in the Nightmare Stacks is Alex, one of the vampires from The Rhesus Chart. We also see some from Cassie's point of view (a new character) and Pinky & Brains return and play a strong supporting part in the story. We also see Pete the Vicar as Alex's mentor. The Nightmare Stacks Alex is not a cynical snarky commentator. Instead we have a primary character that is focussed on work and lacking some of the social skills, especially in dealing with the opposite sex, that are more commonplace. Alex is getting used to the changes of being…