Author: Colin Marks
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Review: Jamrach’s Menagerie
Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was another good read from the Man Booker 2011 short list pile (a year behind but at least the bottom is in sight…) The book starts with a ‘coming of age’ for cat food wannabe Jaff, and ends with a touch of culinary…
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Review: APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur. How to Publish a Book
APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur. How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki My rating: 4 of 5 stars I like this book. Guy’s writing style is informal and chatty, but concise and to the point. This is the first book of his that I’ve read, though oddly enough I was looking at another when I…
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Review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is only the second novel I’ve ever re-read, the first being Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and it’s still as much fun as it was when I read it twenty-odd years ago! View all my reviews
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Review: The Last Song
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks My rating: 3 of 5 stars By the mid way point, I felt like I needed a sick bag, by the end of the book, I needed a stomach pump! But… to its credit, the book is well written and an entertaining, if predictable, read. It was my first…
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Review: Snowdrops
Snowdrops by A.D. Miller My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ah, another one finished, my Man Booker 2011 pile is getting lower! This one, without a doubt, is my favourite yet. The writing is succinct and full of great descriptions: “With a boy-band fringe, a ten-thousand dollar suit, and a murderer’s smile. He was equal…
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Review: The Sisters Brothers
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt My rating: 4 of 5 stars I finished this book at the weekend, having only pulled it off of my Man Booker pile during the middle of the previous week. This says a lot; normally books take me weeks to complete, but this one got me hooked and kept…
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Twisted Tales
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so I’m pleased to say I’ve got something new for you all. The novel was taking up a large part of my spare time so I decided to take a little break and return to writing a few short stories. ‘Twisted Tales’ presents eight unique stories united…
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Review: The Moonstone
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Moonstone is a who-dunnit, told through various people’s diaries and reminisces. I loved the start of the book. Betteridge’s descriptions were excellent, especially when he briefly talked about his wife, but once his voice was reduced, the story started to plod and I…
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Platform
Pacing on the far platform, arms bundled for protection against the dawn chill, her every movement, each expression, beguiled me. That day, and the next, the train stole her. On the third, she saw me. On the fourth, she smiled. Groomed after a forlorn weekend, I catch my enchantress frantically scanning the platform whilst her…
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Review: The Sense of an Ending
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was poorly today so picked a novel off the shelf and curled up on the sofa with a Lemsip. Julian Barnes’s “The Sense of an Ending” probably wasn’t the lightest choice I could have made, but the writing, particularly in…