• Review: Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

    This book has been on my shelf for way too long. Yuval brings insight and clarity to any discussion – whether written or verbal. His strength is to link history to current affairs, and here, to the future. While I disagree with many of his predictions, his perspective is well researched, excellently communicated, and rationalised…

  • Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

    Great book. Lots of science to make it interesting, but not too much to turn off the layman. Very impressive scientific knowledge makes an escape from Mars seem very possible. 5/5 See review on Goodreads.

  • Review: The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage by Ryan Holiday

    A reviewer of Ryan’s The Daily Stoic compared his emails to AC/DC – always nearly identical but good to get nonetheless. The Obstacle is the Way has the same vibe to it. Short chapters (4-5 pages), each with a theme, but you could mix and match the message with any other chapter and it wouldn’t…

  • Review: Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major

    Anyone who’s watched Groundhog Day will recognise this story – you wake up, the day repeats, and whatever you do doesn’t break that cycle. Maybe Next Time follows that cycle, but with less testosterone and more nuance than that film. The writing is excellent, the sad moments done exceptionally well, and though the plot isn’t…

  • Review: How to Spot a Fascist by Umberto Eco

    Three very brief essays. The first had an interesting historical aspect, his life in the fascist era, but the others are entirely forgettable. See review on Goodreads.

  • Review: Once a Monster

    I loved Robert Dinsdale’s The Toymakers, but I really struggled with the pace of his latest novel, Once a Monster. The PoV changes were fine, switching between Nell and Minos, and a few other characters along the way, but the prose really could’ve done with a trim. Every thought was laboured, every plot point discussed…

  • August Blue by Deborah Levy

    I couldn’t decide if August Blue was a work of genius or a literary ramble. And upon finishing, I’m still somewhat on the fence. Elsa (the name, the blue hair, froze on stage – shades of Disney?) drifts around Europe and says goodbye to her mentor and adopted father. The writing carried this novel for…

  • End of Story by Louise Swanson

    End of Story is an interesting read, and hugely impressive for a first novel. The writing is phenomenal, very good prose, and I suspect Louise has a solid literary future ahead of her! The novel itself was interesting, though somewhat predictable, and for me it oddly became less believable towards the end. It goes to…

  • Review: The Purgatory Poisoning by Rebecca Rogers

    Purgatory Poisoning is a good premise – guy stuck in purgatory given the task of identifying his murderer – and it’s pretty well executed in a Good Omens-lite kind of way. It’s whimsical rather than funny, interesting rather than clever, but it ticked enough of the boxes to keep me going. The ending seriously dragged,…

  • Review: Call Time by Stephen Jones

    Steve Jones is a British TV presenter. I’ve never seen him, but apparently he’s good natured. Call Time starts slow then charges towards several genre cliches, so I was looking for reasons to to file it under DNF. Unfortunately, that good nature comes across in his writing, giving it just enough momentum to keep you…

Got any book recommendations?