Archives for reviews - Page 37
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Book Review – Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? by Nikki Ashton
Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? by Nikki Ashton My rating: 2 of 5 stars I picked this up cheaply on kindle because it was in the top ten sellers list and I'm trying to read a wider selection of fiction in the hope of making my own stories better by reading and observing. The story itself was interesting, and I can see a real human angle on it. There are three friends in their 30s dealing with quite different life outcomes and trying to deal with their own traumas. It's a sort of condensed soap opera of a book, and I can see why that might well attract a lot of readers looking for a bit of escapism by reading about how others have more problems than they do. The characters are reasonably well developed, and there is a…
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Book Review – Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin
Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fairly easy read. Rebus is an interesting character and the story was well plotted with a less than obvious outcome. It has a realistic feeling to it and lives within the time that it was written, although much of that would still work now. I read it because it was cheap and I have always wondered if the Rebus novels were any good. I think that they are based on this one (the second of many) and I can see why they sell by the truckload. I suspect I'll be catching some more of these on my kindle. View all my reviews Related articles Ian Rankin creator of Inspector Rebus writes new book inspired by 'greatest guitarist' Ian Rankin: 'Mavericks like Rebus wouldn't join the modern police…
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Book Review – Biggles in Spain by W.E. Johns
Biggles in Spain by Johns My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked this up for a pound in a charity shop in Caterham. I was surprised to find that it stood up well to the passing of time. It was written towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, during which it is set, and first published in 1939. It still reads as a good story. A bit boys own in places, but it is Biggles and that's exactly what Biggles stories are supposed to be. There is a good feel for the history, which is partly through being practically contemporaneous with the events it described. Well worth reading. View all my reviews Related articles Biggles and the Classics The Sunday Yarn ~ Biggles biggles goes to war Book doctor: What first world war books might 10-year-olds like?
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Book Review – In the Face of the Enemy by Ernest Powdrill
In the Face of the Enemy: A Battery Sergeant Major in Action in the Second World War by Ernest A. Powdrill My rating: 5 of 5 stars I borrowed this from the library and liked it so much that I bought my own copy. I found it very interesting because it is unusual for an other rank to write a memoir. Especially one where the author was a battery sergeant major who also had access to the battery clerk's notes. So, much of the 1944-45 campaign is very well documented with grid references for gun positions, ammo expenditure and times of moves. It is a fantastic reference book for WW2 operations of a Royal Horse Artillery battery in self propelled guns. There is also some of the human element to it as well. I was especially moved by the mystery…
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Book Review – Young Lions by Andrew Mackay
A book review of Young Lions by Andrew Mackay, the first in a series of four books featuring the two characters so far. Overview Young Lions is an alternate history set in a WW2 where Operation Sealion worked and the Germans managed to invade the UK. The book followed two teenage boys that are members of their school's cadet force and get involved in both the initial fighting and then the British Resistance to occupation. Book Review This is a boy's own adventure, with a horrific body count. Andrew Mackay is a history teacher, and it shows in the level of detail in the story. The history is very well researched and the detail ensures that the story remains consistent throughout and nothing jars the narrative flow. The Young Lions of the title are both teenage boys in their fourth…