Author: Colin Marks

I’ve been listening to Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast for a while, so bought this book to give him something back. Unfortunately I chose the wrong one. It’s his voice in the book, you can imagine him narrating it, the problem is that the book is dated. The world was a very different place back in…

An interesting book with a broad range of meditations to follow in the various meditative styles. I did feel it was slightly over-written – many of the stories could have been trimmed – but a good book for those wishing to expand their knowledge of mindfulness and meditation techniques. See review on Goodreads.

I loved the concept of Space Hopper, and on the whole, the execution was pretty good. It’s a light read, a couple of easily predicted twists – but the book felt less than the whole. Though well written, it was very bloated – a couple of pages dedicated to Faye cleaning the house definitely wasn’t…

Ashley Audrain is definitely going to be a very successful writer if her debut novel, The Push, is anything to go by. The film rights have been snapped up even before the novel’s release. Not many authors get that confirmation of their ability so early in their career. The Push is a tight, doom-laden telling…

I do like the premise of this book – habits can be formed through the repetition of small routines. You don’t have to think big – think small. Completing a marathon starts with putting your running shoes on every day. The book dissects how to create lasting habits, by finding and nurturing behaviours that are…

My review for an earlier novel of Helen’s, “Dear Amy”, is very similar to my review for this book, “Night Falls, Still Missing”. The novel is generally well paced, a decent thriller with a decent cast, but I did find it was longer than it needed to be and the closing chapters were heavily skimmed.…

Imagine Sixth Sense, Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie moshed up, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect with Anita Frank’s debut novel. It’s a good read, especially for a first book – solid characters, good build up and avoidance of the standard tropes and cliches – but the writing was a tad…

Crime fiction, especially cosy mysteries, aren’t my thing, but I read this one because it was written by Richard Osman. Whatever he’s on, he comes across as a genuinely caring, intelligent and funny chap, and these attributes made it onto the pages too – the writing is flowing, witty and often contains charming turns of…

Most environmental books make for a bleak read – they tend to focus on the failure of previous governments to engage, and due to the ignorant deniers and the political lobbying they prophesize doom and gloom and the end of civilisation. Hope in Hell isn’t immune to this, but it presents a far more balanced…

Remote, by Jason Fried and DHH (the founders of 37signals/Basecamp), justifies the benefits of home working and offers some sensible procedures and techniques to ensure you and your team remain integrated and productive. The book is written as a series of short essays, all raising issues and skimming over solutions. There’s little depth – if…