March 9, 2009 7:42 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Buddha Da by Anne Donovan

Buddha Da is the debut from Scottish author Anne Donovan (who we interviewed last week!), which was shortlisted for both the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread Award.

Jimmy, a painter and decorator from Glasgow, has taken up Buddhism, much to the confusion of his family. Anne Marie, who knows her Da as a fun-loving 'try anything' type of man, wonders whether to take his new religion seriously. And Liz, Jimmy's wife, is starting to grow concerned about the time he spends at meetings down at the centre.

But Jimmy is serious about becoming a Buddhist, not realising how it's affecting his family. After going on a retreat, Jimmy meets more like-minded people and starts to make more friends. Meanwhile, Anne Marie is having to get used to the small yet noticeable changes in her Da, and the unusual choice he has made.

Buddha Da is written from the point of view of the three characters; Liz, Anne Marie and Jimmy himself, which gives the reader a sensitive and personal look at what the family is going through. This works brilliantly, allowing you a peek into each of the characters' own lives.

In addition, the book is written in Glaswegian dialect. Though this was easy to get used to and by the third page and was already hooked, the dialect becoming a wonderful addition to each character's plight. The book is also very funny, leaving me giggling throughout, with Jimmy's chapters especially.

Buddha Da is a funny, brilliantly written debut about a man who chooses an unexpected path, and the affect it has on his wife, daughter and friends.

Rating: 5/5

Posted by Elle Symonds on March 9, 2009 in Debut Novels, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 24, 2008 9:56 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Who Can Save Us Now? Ed. by Owen King and John McNally

I wrote about Who Can Save Us Now? back in July when Jennifer Weiner mentioned it on her blog. It is an anthology of short stories about super heroes and Jennifer has a story of her own in there. I was drawn to this book as I have my own little super heroine story I'm working on, plus of course, I'm a massive fan of Jennifer's. However, I'm not a big fan of the short story, don't know why, so it was going to be interesting how I got on with it.

There are twenty two writers who have taken part and written some very up to date and modern stories. Now I'm not one of these comic book superhero fans who can talk about genre, statistics and stuff with any degree of authority. In fact make that no degree of authority. Basically I don't have a clue. All I know is, I like a good story.

And in the anthology you will find good stories. But you will also find some mediocre ones. Some of them I started and struggled with, quickly moving on to the next one. But others had me gripped. (Obviously) Jennifer Weiner's was one of them. Her unusual superhero story had me intrigued and, indeed, gave me a few goosebumps along the spine.

It is difficult to rate an anthology as there is always going to be variations in quality. However I'll give this a three out of five on average, but please remember there are some fours and fives in there too. (As well as some ones and twos but that's by the by).

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try In Bed With...

Posted by Helen Redfern on November 24, 2008 in More On Monday, Rating: 3/5, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 17, 2008 12:03 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Hermux Tantamoq Adventures series by Michael Hoeye

I was planning to simply review the latest book in this delightful series - Time to Smell the Roses - but then I realised that most of you will probably not have heard of the books at all, so instead, I thought I'd introduce them!

I discovered Hermux Tantamoq a few years ago when I worked at Waterstone's. I met the author, Michael Hoeye, at an event and I'd loved the first book, Time Stops for No Mouse, so much that I made an absolute arse of myself. (Okay, the free drink probably didn't help.)

The Hermux Tantamoq series began as emails Michael Hoeye sent to his wife while she was travelling and features the rodent residents of Pinchester. The hero is watchmaker and part-time detective, Hermux Tantamoq who an Amazon reviewer describes - quite brilliantly, in my opinion - as "Niles Crane as a mouse".

In the first book, we're introduced to Hermux's pet ladybird, Terfle, and also meet the soon-to-become love of Hermux's life: adventurer and aviatrix, Linka Perflinger. In this and further books, we meet mysterious chipmunks, a mouse supremicist group, genetically modified bees and more.

The books have been described as Indiana Jones meets Beatrix Potter and that does sum them up neatly. But I'm not sure it conveys how charming, funny and romantic they are. They're also, at times, quite genuinely tense, even for me who is about 30 years older than the target audience!

The characters are incredibly well-developed. So much so that you often forget that you're reading about rodents.

They'd be ideal books to read aloud at bedtime - particularly since each chapter is only about three pages long - but I think I've read each of the books in one sitting. A hot chocolate and a doughnut (or ten) would be the perfect accompaniment. Or maybe a dried aphid, if you're a ladybug.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try ... er, nothing we've reviewed. But I guess it's kind of similar to The Rescuers or Stuart Little!

Posted by Keris on November 17, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 10, 2008 2:44 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Sense & Sensibility - The Diaries

With Lost in Austen still fresh in my mind, I was delighted when I found this little gem in the form of Emma Thompson's Sense & Sensibility diaries. Yes the diary was published in 1996 so I am a little behind here, but as Sense & Sensibility, along with Pride & Prejudice, is a timeless classic, then when it was written is irrelevant.

This isn't some huge celebrity tome however. Rather it is a slim one hundred or so pages full of Emma's warmth and honesty, giving you a fly on the wall account of how they put the film together.

It is written in diary form, i.e Little sleep. Left early to watch line up with Tom Wilkinson, which enhances the reading pleasure and Emma's humour is very apparent from the very first page. Lindsay goes around the table and introduces everyone - making it clear that I am present in the capacity of writer rather than actress, therefore no one has to be too nice to me.

I love this book. I found it fascinating and inspiring and if you are into the film or Emma Thompson then this is an absolute must.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Making of Pride & Prejudice by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin

Posted by Helen Redfern on November 10, 2008 in Celebrity Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 3, 2008 10:55 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

I was afraid to read Elizabeth Scott's Living Dead Girl. I've loved her other books, but this was something completely different.

It's the story of “Alice” who was abducted, aged 10, by Ray. She's now 15 and constantly subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse. Ray killed his previous “Alice” when she reached 15 so Alice is waiting until he kills her too. She's not afraid, she would welcom it. But Ray's got something different in mind – he wants her to help him kidnap his new "Alice".

This book is described on the back cover as “more than a novel... it is a visceral experience” and I would agree. I found it incredibly hard to read, in fact I had to scan it quickly because I wanted to find out what happened, but I wanted to avoid as much detail as possible.

Brilliantly written as it, it's the kind of book that could give you nightmares. Even if it doesn't, I guarantee you won't be able to stop thinking about it.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Dear Zoe by Philip Beard (or The Lovely Bones, which we haven't reviewed).

Posted by Keris on November 3, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 27, 2008 8:32 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Crossing by James Cracknell and Ben Fogle

OK. Lets get this straight. I am not into rowing. I am also not a lover of Ben Fogle (though granted there is something about him) or endurance sports. I have no interest in sailing, in fact any water based activity (besides swimming, I love swimming). So why would I read a book about James Cracknell (Olympic Gold medal winner for rowing in 2000 and 2004) and Ben Fogle (from the BBC Castaway programme and now a TV presenter) who, rather madly, decided to row across the Atlantic Ocean in a Rowing Race?

Answer: I don't know.  But I'm very glad I did. This is a "celebrity" autobiography with a difference.

The two men (and don't be thinking that this is a men only event, women can, and do, do it too) come to the start of the race completely unprepared. They look like the amateurs they are, and the race officials only just allowed them to take part.

Once they are actually racing through, this amateurishness contrasts starkly with the intense competiveness of James and the dogged determination of Ben. The book is written by both of them and it is fascinating to see both of their personalities. Sometimes they both recount the same event, but in their own way, which serves to mark the differences between them even further.

The race is hard (understatement). It is dangerous. They capsized in the middle of the night for goodness sake. They row in shifts and have blisters in paces you wouldn't believe. They have low points, high points, times when they really don't like each other, Christmas Day in the middle of the ocean, but they pull together, united in their determination to get to the other side.

This dual autobiographical account isn't just about rowing. It is about human drama, endurance, strength (physical and mental), personalities and motivation. Two men's fight against the ocean.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, you will too if you've had your fill of fluffy celebrity memoirs and want something a bit more meaningful. I took a lot from the book but the main message I found was, anything, anything, can be achieved if you put your mind to it. I need to re-read on a regular basis.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try My Take by Gary Barlow. I know it is one of those celebrity memoirs and not an epic sea adventure, but it is a story of one young man determined to succeed.

Posted by Helen Redfern on October 27, 2008 in Celebrity Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 13, 2008 10:27 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Boy In The Dress by David Walliams

This book is not, typically, the sort of book we review on Trashionista. After all it is a children's book (age 9+ it informs me on the back) and it is about a boy, so could be seen as a "boy's book". However. This book is written by David Walliams. One half of the comedy duo that is Little Britain and Little Britain USA. We have mentioned so many children's books written by celebrities recently but this one has been the only one I have wanted to read. Why? Well, take a look at the front cover.

Yes, one of the main reasons why I found this book so attractive is because of the illustrations by Quentin Blake. I have always been a fan of his (I myself can't draw for toffee) and in this book he doesn't disappoint. Even when you take the dust jacket off there are pictures on the actual hardback bit and the spine of the book. It is definitely one to treasure for that alone.

So what about the story? Well, it is about a boy called Dennis. He likes his football, in fact he is really good at it, he likes girls, but he also likes to read copies of Vogue to look at the dresses. He meets a girl called Lisa in detention, who is ridiculously into fashion and she encourages him to try one of her creations on, then dares him to wear it at school.

This is definitely a children's book with a difference about difference, but as David says in an interview on Amazon, he wanted to examine this idea to demonstrate that difference is something to be celebrated and embraced. Many people have assumed this book is autobiographical, after all, if you watch Little Britain you will see David does like to dress up as a lay-dee. He doesn't deny it, but also says he can identify with many of the characters in the book, in addition to Dennis.

Maybe because David Walliams is a writer as well as a performer, I found this book well written with the additional quality of hearing David's voice in it throughout. The book is different, endearing, challenging and quite emotional as well (Dennis's Dad is going through a tough time). It has some good jokes - they actually made me laugh out loud, particularly those referring to David's other job. I loved it and think boys and girls will adore it.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try well, um, I'm not so sure. You could always take a look at the other children's book we've reviewed, Allie Finkle's Rules For Girls by Meg Cabot.

Posted by Helen Redfern on October 13, 2008 in Celebrity Authors, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 6, 2008 10:55 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

I'd heard a lot of good things about Sally Nicholls' Ways to Live Forever, but I was put off by the fact that it's the story of an 11-year-old boy with leukaemia. I'd tried to read Jenny Downham's Before I Die, but found it too upsetting, but I convinced myself to try Ways to Live Forever and I'm so glad I did.

Since he's being homeschooled due to his illness, Sam decides to keep “a collection of lists stories, pictures, questions and facts” as a project. Sam's voice is charming, sweet and funny and, inevitably, it's this voice, combined with the issues Sam is having to deal with that makes this book so heartbreaking.

Sam's questions are things like, “Why does God make kids get ill?” and “Does it hurt to die?” and he tries to answer them with the assistance of his fellow leukaemia sufferer and friend, Felix. The book also illuminates how his illness affects his family's relationships both with him and with each other.

It's very easy to read (in the main - some of the more painful parts are harder) and it's done with a very light touch.

Because I knew the ending was inevitable, I worried about it all through the book and was almost afraid to read it, but it's dealt with beautifully. Although that's not to say I didn't cry - clutching my mercifully healthy son - for about ten minutes after finishing it. It's incredibly moving, but also sweet, charming and funny.

Sally Nicholls was just 23 when she wrote this book. I can only imagine what she's going to come up with next.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

The cover above is the new UK cover (the book has been described as "Jodi Picoult for teens" so I think that's what they're going for with that cover), but which cover do you like best?

The cover on the left is the originally UK cover. Bit generic, no? The cover on the right is the US cover and my favourite.

Posted by Keris on October 6, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (4)

September 29, 2008 10:09 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Cherry Cake & Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket

Some of you may remember when I raved about this book in a book news post. I couldn't have been more excited about it. Now I've got it in my hands and have read it. And I'm still excited. It is a gorgeous book.

But a recipe book? On Trashionista? Well let me explain. It isn't just recipes, it's a sumptuous treat, bringing back memories of childhood reading, with food so tantalising. Who remembers Milly-Molly-Mandy when Little-Friend-Susan came over to stay? Sitting by the fire eating Muvver's Lid Potatoes wearing a red dressing gown whilst Little-Friend-Susan wore Grandma's red shawl.

I think many of us gained our love of reading from many of the books mentioned in Cherry Cake & Ginger Beer. We have The Famous Five, obviously, as they were constantly eating enormous amounts of food. Thick slices of ham, creamy milk, freshly baked bread. Aunt Fanny's Treacly Sticky Ginger Cake is a Famous Five recipe. Then we have food from Mary Poppins, Ballet Shoes, Swallows and Amazons, midnight feasts from St.Clares, Chalet School Apple Cake, rock buns from The Secret Seven...I could go on, but it is making me very hungry.

It isn't just a list of recipes though. Jane has divided them into sections such as Proper Elevenses, The Adventurous Life and Picnic Treats and then gives us a wonderful nostalgic description of the books and the characters before going on to describe the recipes.

The book describes food in a land before fast food, turkey twizzlers and microwaves. A land of innocence, when having a friend over to sleep wasn't the regular occurrence it is now, but a major event. It doesn't include fantasy food, but the sort of food you would want to eat whilst watching for smugglers or making a base in a cave.

This is a fabulous book, I just wish I had done the research and tested the food out myself!

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Cooking for Mr Latte by Amanda Hesser

Posted by Helen Redfern on September 29, 2008 in More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 22, 2008 9:11 AM

BOOK REVIEW: Benedict's Brother by Tricia Walker

Reviewed by Sarah Hague

Despite having a boy's name, Benedict is a girl. She is left some money by her uncle - good! But with it comes a condition - bad! He asks her, in his will, to take his ashes and scatter them over the River Kwai, from the bridge. The bridge from the film. The bridge that cost hundreds of prisoners of war their lives.

It is with some trepidation then, that Benedict sets out. She knows that her uncle was a PoW, but he has never spoken of those times, and she is anxious at the thought of what she will meet when she gets there.

Like her brother, Anthony. He is out there having set off on a trip around the world some years previously, got as far as Thailand and became a monk, now known as Thanavaro.

Benedict's journey is one of discovery in more ways than one. Not only does she discover much about her uncle from his diary, but she is also forced to try and understand why her brother 'left her'.

Tricia Walker's debut is a beautifully written book, full of evocative descriptions not only of an exotic land, but of the allure of Buddhism. Although Benedict finds much of it incredibly frustrating, she recognises the peace it has brought to her brother, and learns to accept Thanavaro the monk.

Moving, heartfelt, and full of marvellous characters, this is a story that will not leave you indifferent.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Posted by Aigua Media on September 22, 2008 in British Authors, Debut Novels, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 8, 2008 10:15 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny

As I continue my apparently never-ending campaign to get to the bottom of my relationship with money, I read Barbara Stanny's Overcoming Underearning.

I must admit, I was a little apprehensive because a) it looked a bit too American in focus and b) I thought it was more suited for higher earners working in industry rather than a little freelancer like myself.

As is so often the case these days... I was wrong.

The book is subtitled both "A five-step plan to a richer life" and "Overcome your money fears and earn what you deserve". It can simply be read (obviously), used as a journal (there is space to write your own thoughts) and as a workbook, working through the five steps.

I kind of did a combination of the three and found it incredibly helpful, for organising my thoughts about money, discovering my "limiting beliefs" and making decisions about how much money I want and need. (And I'm not finished with it yet, there are a number of pages dogeared to remind me to come back and read again in the future.)

It's extremely readable and straightforward and illustrated with examples from Stanny herself as well as her clients.

If you have any issues around money - not simply that you're worried that you don't earn enough - I think this book would help you out.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Not Buying It by Judith Levine (It's nothing like it, but at least it's about money!)

Posted by Keris on September 8, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (2)

September 1, 2008 12:27 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Restless by William Boyd

I've had my eye on this book since I saw the Richard & Judy programme where it was being reviewed  back in February 2007. I subsequently bought it thinking my husband would enjoy it and finally got around to reading it myself last week.

Sally Gilmartin, a slightly eccentric English woman, mother to Ruth and grandmother to Jochen is feeling restless. She has binoculars so she can peer out into the woods, she asks her daughter to ring, hang up, then ring again so she knows it's her and has written a manuscript about her life before and during the second world war. When she was known as Eva Delectorskaya.

Just before war broke out in Europe, Eva, a Russian émigré living in Paris, met Lucas Romer on the day of her brother's funeral. It turns out her brother was working for Lucas who, in turn, works for the British Government. Lucas now wants to hire Eva. Eva agrees and is soon on her way to Scotland to be trained as a spy. She is trained very well and Eva is a natural. She then goes on to work for Lucas in his secret part of the government. Releasing pretend news as real in order to deflect the Germans and then later to encourage the Americans to join.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book. The blurb doesn't give much away (and I'm not giving anything away either) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were twists and turns and Boyd kept me guessing throughout, as though I was a spy myself. Who can Eva trust? Who can I trust as a reader? I became caught up in the tense atmosphere and was constantly looking around me. As Eva questioned events I became almost paranoid myself.

My only criticism is the structure of the book. We are treated to a chapter of Eva's life, then we jump back to the present (which is 1970's Oxford) to the first person narrative of her daughter Ruth. To be honest, I didn't warm to Ruth, I had no interest in her and was relieved when the chapter went back to third person Eva.

Even so, this is a great book. My husband gave up a few pages in, no doubt put off because the first chapter is Ruth's. He was surprised at my rating but has promised me he'll give it another go.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (they're both about the second world war after all)

Posted by Helen Redfern on September 1, 2008 in More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 25, 2008 11:01 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: America Unchained by Dave Gorman

I started watching Dave Gorman's America Unchained documentary, but never actually finished it, so I was glad to get my hands on the book version. I've read Gorman's previous books and seen him live, and he's always very good value.

The premise of America Unchained is that Dave Gorman would drive (or attempt to drive) across America from coast to coast using only independent businesses, including hotels and gas stations. Avoiding Shell, Amoco, Best Western, Comfort Inns, etc., was always going to pose a problem, and so it proved. But that wasn't the only problem.

Because he was also making a film (this hadn't been the original plan, Gorman had just been going to do this by himself), he had a filmmaker with him, Stef. But holding the heavy camera at an awkward angle in an enclosed space (the car Gorman bought at the beginning of the journey), damaged Stef's back and so much of the early part of the journey was spent driving between chiropractors. And also garages. Gorman had bought at 1970s Ford Torino and it had a lot of problems.

For probably the first half of this book (much like the half of the documentary that I saw), I thought Gorman's plan was wrongheaded. Independents aren't necessarily good and corporations aren't necessarily evil, a fact proved by the scuzzy independent motels he stayed in and the corporate garage that rescued him from the motorway when he ran out of petrol, and didn't even charge a call-out fee (to be fair, I can't imagine that ever happening in the UK, but maybe I've been unlucky). As I continued to read though, I started to appreciate what Gorman was trying to do. No, it wasn't perfect, but who cares, it was still a noble goal.

Dave Gorman is such an interesting character. He often comes across as aggressive and combative, but there's a real sweetness and idealism underneath. It's the sweetness that is far more in evidence in this book than it was in, say, Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure. The book also works as a travelogue, making me eager to take another US roadtrip (although I'll be avoiding Mississippi).

Oh and the ending made me well up. You can't ask for much more than that, can you?

Rating: 4/5 (Why not 5? Since I've just said you can't ask for more. Well, it didn't make me laugh out loud and Gorman is a comedian, after all.)

Like this? Try Not Buying It by Judith Levine

Posted by Keris on August 25, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 11, 2008 10:56 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: First Lady by Michael Dobbs

Due to my obsession with The West Wing, I have become quite a fan of political fiction. Not your Jeffrey Archer or Edwina Curry but First Lady by Michael Dobbs did catch my eye - so I bought it for my husband. A year or two later I have finally got round to reading it for myself, and although I was unsure in case it was a little too political (there are limits to my obsession), these fears were banished once I got going. Before you think, politics *yawn* I don't want to read about that, First Lady is about much more including infidelity, family and revenge.

The story focuses on Ginny Edge, a woman who is quite happy looking after the two children, whilst her husband pursues a career in politics. This all changes when the current leader of the opposition has a stroke and cannot carry on, forcing a leadership contest. When Ginny overhears two of the wives discussing her husband and his inability to stand as he is too busy having an affair her life changes. Instead of leaving him or cutting all his clothes up, she decides the best thing she can do to keep her family together is to make him Prime Minister.

So she sets about doing it. Fortunately Ginny is extremely clever, cleverer than her husband and most of the party in fact and with the aid of Bobby she sets about getting exactly what she wants. Although she is ruthless and there were casualties behind her subterfuge, she is still the heroine because a) she has a conscience and b) because we all know the Government and the members of the opposition are doing the same, if not worse tricks to stay or get into power.

I am always intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes and this book offers the chance to see how the UK government and opposition might actually work. You think some of the plot lines in the book too outrageous? Just look at the last few years - issues with funding of the parties, the focus on Iraq, and the back biting and brutality of leadership elections - they are all there in real life.

By using Ginny and the Sudanese woman, Ajok, Michael Dobbs manages to put a human face onto politics. He actually writes from the woman's perspective quite convincingly too. The subplot with Ajok does get a little tiresome and I lose some of my sympathy for her at one point, but in all, I really enjoyed this book.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

Posted by Helen Redfern on August 11, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 14, 2008 11:21 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Sue Trinder lives with a woman she thinks of as a mum, Mrs Sucksby, along with Mr Ibbs in nineteenth century London. Their house is always coming and going with thieves (and babies), with objects for Mr Ibbs to melt down or sell on. This is all pretty normal every day life for Sue until one day a man they all refer to as Gentleman comes around with an idea for a deception that could make them a lot of money. He wants to convince a girl called Maud, the same age as Sue but an heiress, to fall in love with him, marry him, then he can claim her fortune whilst he puts Maud into an asylum.

Gentleman needs Sue to become Maud's maid so he would be able to spend time with Maud in the company of her maid, with no suspicions being raised. Sue would also encourage Maud to marry Gentleman. In return Gentleman has promised Sue a large part of the fortune. Completely devious but straightforward.

This book has the most shocks and twists that I have ever come across in a novel. I didn't predict any of them so when the first one in particular happened my mouth was left gaping in awe. It was so cleverly done. The way Sarah Waters has written this you develop strong feelings for all the characters and even though Sue is setting out to deceive Maud, you still like her.

This is a period book in that it is set in the nineteenth century, but if you don't normally go for period novels then don't let that put you off. Sarah has managed to combine all the grottiness of that time (the awful asylums, the hangings, the damp beds) with a contemporary, fast paced plot and skilled use of language. As with The Night Watch her writing is brilliantly evocative and uncovers the layers of what life was actually like during this particular period.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

Posted by Helen Redfern on July 14, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

July 7, 2008 11:07 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Under Pressure by Carl Honore

I really enjoyed Carl Honore's first book, In Praise of Slow, so when I heard that he was taking on the culture of "hyper-parenting" I knew I had to read more.

In Under Pressure, Honore visits schools and preschools that are taking a "slow" approach (including a totally outdoor preschool, which sounds amazing), along with looking at current research on how children learn and at the damage that hyper-parenting can actually do.

I found this book fascinating and I've been quoting it to fellow parents frequently since finishing it. It did actually make me rethink how I play and interact with my own son (although I was certainly already closer to "slow" than "hyper", mainly due to inherent laziness).

One of the things I loved about it was how honest Honore is in admitting that he's still struggling with the concept himself. After reading Slow, I imagined he'd become utterly relaxed and chilled and was totally living the slow life. Under Pressure shows that this isn't the case, but he is trying because he knows it's better for both him and his family. Read it and you won't doubt it either.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Family Friendly Working by Antonia Chitty

Posted by Aigua Media on July 7, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 30, 2008 12:46 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Since writing about Sarah Waters in our Thursday Trailblazer, I've been wanting to write a review of one of her books. I'm currently making my way through Fingersmith after thoroughly enjoying Tipping the Velvet and, the first book I read of Sarah's, The Night Watch.

Drawn to The Night Watch because it was set in the second world war and after hearing great things I was initially suspicious, as the story goes backwards through time. It seemed odd to me to find out what happened in the end first, after all, why would I need to keep on reading?

Starting in 1947 and ending in 1941, the novel follows the lives of Kay, Vivien, Duncan and Helen. Kay, a wartime ambulance driver who dresses in men's clothes, sweet Helen who has a painful secret, Viv, loyal mistress to a soldier and mixed up Duncan who has many demons. Each of their lives connect in some way.

As someone who loves reading about this era, Waters did not disappoint. Her writing is evocative, and filled in a lot of gaps for me of what life would be like during that period. The sights of London, the feelings of the people as they go through nightly bombings is brought to life with brilliant writing. The four main characters, along with the periphery characters, jumped out the page at me, and the relationships between them were captivating.

So what made me want to read until the end? Well, as we go back in time we learn why their lives are the way they are.  So what the book lacks in suspense is replaced by our wanting to know the whole story. Why, for example, is Duncan tormented? Pieces come together, like a jigsaw, until we get the complete picture. The book was surprisingly good and original. Now I have high expectations of all Sarah's books. I'll let you know how I get on with Fingersmith.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Villa Serena by Domenica de Rosa

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 30, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

June 23, 2008 11:33 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Making Babies by Anne Enright

I don't particularly want to read Anne Enright's Booker winning The Gathering - sounds way too bleak for me - but I've had her pregnancy and parenting memoir, Making Babies on the shelf for a while now so I finally read it. And I loved it. (Oh and apologies that both reviews these days are motherhood-y - just a coincidence!)

Enright is brutally honest and very funny as she writes about how pushing a buggy makes you look (um, rough), how much breast-feeding hurts (plenty), how babies are born knowing everything, how she fitted her writing life into her parenting life, how lonely parenting is, basically everything you could want to know about the subtitle, Stumbling into Motherhood.

Enright is utterly aware of how universal these things are, but, at the same time, how specific and personal they are. I marked pages thinking "I thought I was the only one who felt like that!" I laughed, I sympathised, I empathised and I cried (I always, always cry reading parenting memoirs).

And - just as you'd expect from a Booker Prize winner - the writing is gorgeous:

Yesterday, it was warm, and I took off her socks and stood her on the grass. She loved this, but maybe not so much as I did - her first experience of grass. For her, this green stuff was just as different and as delicious as everything else - the 'first' was all mine. Sometimes, I feel as though I am introducing her to my own nostalgia for the world.

Highly recommended if you're considering motherhood or, indeed, stumbling into motherhood yourself (although bear in mind that it's not pretty!).

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman

Posted by Aigua Media on June 23, 2008 in Irish Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 16, 2008 10:17 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

It was with great excitement that I went to a book signing of Tess Gerritsen for The Bone Garden some months ago. She didn't disappoint either. Instead of reading an extract from her book she gave us some background information into what gave her the idea for the book and being a writer myself I found it fascinating. I also found the subject matter fascinating, even if I felt a little squeamish at times.

Julia Hamill has been digging in the garden in her new house, when she managed to uncover bones. With the help of the elderly Henry Page, a relative of the women who used to live in Julia's house, they uncover the history of what happened in 1830's Boston including who the bones belong to and the story of the West End Reaper.

In the 1830's Rose Connolly's sister has just died from Child Bed Fever or Puerperal Fever (which is what Tess talked to us about, along with resurectionsists to demonstrate how she got the idea for the novel). It is an epidemic not just in Boston, but in hospitals the world over. Women would go into the hospital, give birth and whilst the baby would be fine, they would not. Incidentally if you are thinking this is not the best book to be reading whilst pregnant, like I am, you are probably right. But I carried on anyway. I couldn't help it, I was gripped.

Child Bed Fever is not the main part of the story, it is the back drop. Whilst her sister was dying, Rose came across a medical student called Norris Marshall and when the West End Reaper pays a visit, their lives become entwined. I am not going to say anymore as this is a murder mystery and I wouldn't like to give anything away.

It wasn't just the subject matter, which added layers and dimension to the story and bizarrely made this novel so much more enjoyable, it was the actual plot itself. There have been times - even with some of Tess's other books, where I have guessed the outcome but for this one I had absolutely no idea. There were twists and turns aplenty and because I was enjoying the book so much I didn't have time to work out who the killer was.

I thought this book was brilliant, her best yet and I have no hesitation at all in giving it five out of five.

A word of warning about Tess Gerritsen books though. Tess is a doctor. She knows human bodies. There are killers in her books and she has a very good knack at description. If you are of a sensitive disposition you may not want to read her books. If you aren't. Give them a try.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Reincarnationist by MJ Rose

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 16, 2008 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 2, 2008 1:06 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: JORDAN Pushed to the limit by Katie Price

I have a secret. I am a big fan of Katie Price. I don't know why I have to keep it a secret, but it seems to be easier that way. Although...well, obviously I've just outed myself and it isn't a secret now. I really enjoy Katie and Peter's fly on the wall programme on ITV3 on a Thursday night, I've been following the pair of them (her more than him - I haven't read his autobiography) since they were in I'm a Celebrity.

So I have read the first two of her autobiographies and a few weeks ago, struggling with morning sickness and extreme exhaustion, I needed something light and easy to read. Pushed to the Limit was the perfect solution. I was actually quite excited when I opened the book.

Her first book was about her life up until she met Peter, the second her relationship with Peter in the early days and this one is more family orientated. It is all about the emotional challenges of post natal depression, her miscarriage, the safety of her family and the health of her children, particularly Harvey, her eldest. Plus of course some intimate details of her relationship with Peter.

Katie, I find, is refreshingly honest and doesn't actually make out she is the heroine all the time. In fact there are a few times when she doesn't come across that well. She makes mistakes like most of us. I could identify with many of her experiences and it was quite inspiring to know somebody else out there has gone though similar situations. I found her description of family situations to be, in fact, the most interesting bits along with her behind the scenes information on her career. (Not so much about her and Pete's bedroom antics). The chapter about Harvey's accident, again told in a frank and unflinching way, was heartbreaking and I really felt for her and Harvey.

I know that Katie probably didn't write the book herself and for some people that is scandalous. I don't care though. I am naturally a nosy curious person and want to know about other people's lives, particularly someone successful like her in the public eye. (I do draw the line at Kerry Katona and Jade Goody though).

I am now bracing myself for everyone to disagree with me!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Growing Pains by Billie Piper

Posted by Helen Redfern on June 2, 2008 in Celebrity Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

May 19, 2008 9:13 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan

I didn't know what to expect from Kathryn Maughan's Did I Expect Angels? I'm not a big fan of the title or the cover, they both seem a little pretentious to me. Of course, the fact that it's about grief wasn't a big draw either. You know what I'm going to say now, don't you? Yeah, I really liked it.

It begins with Jennifer Huffaker in the pharmacy trying to decide how many bottles of aspirin it will take for her to kill herself. Following the death of her husband, Jack, eighteen months earlier, Jennifer has sunk into a depression that no-one - not her family, friends, or her young daughter, Kaitlyn, can get her out of.

But in the store, she bumps an acquaintance, Henry, who senses her desperation and insists that she come with him and listen to his story. Henry moved from Costa Rica to the US and has suffered many trials and setbacks of his own.

Alternating with Henry's story is Jennifer's own story - the story of her relationship with Jack.

Did I Expect Angels? is not just an utterly compelling story, it's two utterly compelling stories. I found Jennifer's story hard to read since I knew, from the first page, that Jack was going to die and so it was hard to enjoy their happiness. Henry's story was difficult too, but I was desperate for him to succeed and find happiness in the US.

Above all, it's just beautifully written and I'm amazed that it's Maughan's first novel. I look forward to reading her next.

Ratng: 4/5

Like this? Try Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston

Posted by Aigua Media on May 19, 2008 in American Authors, Debut Novels, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 12, 2008 12:05 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club

I have an abundance of how to writing books hidden under my bed. If I'm honest though and I mean really honest, I haven't actually read any of them. The ones I started to read, I didn't get past the first few pages, they just seemed so dull. When Maeve's book plopped onto my doormat however, I was excited. You see, Maeve is somewhat of a heroine of mine. I first discovered her when I was a teenager and I picked a book up on holiday that someone else had left behind. Since then I've been hooked. I have all of her books. Most of them in hardback. This woman can really tell a story. So I was interested in what she would have to say about the process of writing.

The book is composed of twenty letters written by Maeve. These letters were inspired by a course which ran for twenty weeks at the national College of Ireland. Every week Maeve would write the students a letter which included tips and advice for the students on the theme of the week. They also had guest lecturers from other authors, publishers and editors and ten of these also have contributions within the book including one by Marian Keyes.

The chapters cover themes such as how to maintain your motivation to write and deal with procrastination (this chapter really spoke to me), the road to success (hint: one percent inspiration ninety nine percent perspiration) and the writers journey.

The advice is a little obvious if you aren't a beginner, but this book is not giving you a magic formula of how to write. Instead every page of this book seemed to be telling me not to give up. It was telling me that I can do this. Because Maeve also struggled in the beginning, she used to write at 5:30 every morning before work and she used to visualise her first launch party in order to keep herself going, you feel that someone really understands everything you are going through and is willing you to succeed.

Just like her fictional work, this book is reassuring and comforting. But most of all it is encouraging and inspiring, filling me with self belief and enthusiasm for my own work in progress.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try: Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones

Posted by Helen Redfern on May 12, 2008 in Irish Authors, More On Monday, New Releases, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 5, 2008 12:48 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Family Friendly Working by Antonia Chitty

Reviewed by Zoe Lea

As I work from home and have a boisterous four year old to deal with, I jumped at the chance to review this book hoping for lots of ideas and advice. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t let down.

The title and by-line ‘Inspiring Ideas for making money when you have kids’ is tackled from all angles in a practical and realistic manner.  The 10 Chapters cover a wide range of themes in the area of flexible working, from ‘Finding ways to work’ and ‘Growing your business’ to a very clear ‘How to guide.’

Unlike lots of other books in this field, Family Friendly Working draws on experiences from parents and carers at every opportunity, so the book is filled with real-life case studies of what people have done, more or less on every page.  I did find this inspiring, but as there were more than a hundred parents featured in the book, there was a  slight sense of over-kill to it.

That being said, the book is filled with good ideas, tips and advice.  It’s a good read and a great starting point for anyone wondering how to achieve that work/life balance.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Zoe's website, Flexible Working Life

Posted by Keris on May 5, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 28, 2008 1:13 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Notes From An Exhibition by Patrick Gale

Reviewed by Jennie Hughes

Right from the first sentence this book pulls you irresistibly into the exciting, crazy, frightening and exhilarating world of a gifted artist (Rachel Kelly) who suffers from bipolar disorder and who has been avoiding her medication in order to experience more fully the dreams and visions she has been having and capture them on canvas before they desert her. These are the final works she will create, as the book starts at the end of her life.

Each chapter is headed by a note from a retrospective exhibition celebrating the artist’s life and work and introduces another perspective on her history, gradually bringing in all the characters involved in the story.

This tale is not told linearly, but weaves and interweaves snippets of her and her family’s life so that it builds up layers of colour and meaning, just as her paintings are described to be. Different player’s viewpoints and experiences at different times in this history come in and out, forward and back in between Rachel’s own experiences of motherhood, creativity, depression and elation.

Gradually the tale unfolds and as it does you get a vivid sense of the Cornish landscape, you feel the quiet contemplation of the Quaker faith, you understand something of the precarious tightrope the family of a creative but unstable mother have to walk and the effect this tension has on them all.

Relationships of all kinds are beautifully evoked and all the people in this book are recognisable, real and inspire empathy. You also get a brief glimpse into the unkind ways in which bipolar disorder used to be treated in the days before it was understood – electric shock therapy and so on. Think, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and you’ll have it.

Finally, the events that have occurred to Rachel and to her family and friends are all laid bare, and the final tragedy which has been glimpsed and hinted at previously is told incredibly simply and without drama.

When I finished this book I wanted to rush down to Cornwall and re-visit the Tate St Ives, or find some good example of abstract art and see if the book had given me more ability to see layers of meaning in the blocks of colour. It certainly feels as if it might.

Rating - 5/5, and I’m going to seek out some more of his books.

Like this? Try: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 28, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008 9:00 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Night Walker by Patricia Elliott

Reviewed by Colin Mulhern

Daniel's mother walked out, leaving his father, leaving him. Two years later, living with his dad's new partner and her two daughters, Daniel still won't forgive his mother. And Daniel has other problems: at his new school he has no friends and is chased by Todd and his gang; at home his imaginary childhood friend is giving him more trouble than he's worth; in the dark, he is haunted by footsteps, following him home, and to top it all, his older step sister - the one he�s developing a crush on - has found herself a strange, scary boyfriend.

The Night Walker starts off slowly but soon becomes genuinely dark and spooky. And then, without warning, it turns into some strange fantasy tale with giant metallic worms, sleepy children, and across a foggy causeway, a distant battlefield.

At this point, the pace of the novel almost grinds to a halt, and the characters - Frank in particular - are tedious, flat and come across as mindless. For some reason Daniel is the only trying to find answers.

Things pick up when Daniel decides he has to cross the causeway and face the battle. The scenes here are very visual - to a point where you believe it would make a great Terry Gilliam movie. Unfortunately, the story from here on is peppered with so many clichés and cringingly symbolic scenes that it starts to feel cluttered, confused, and worst of all - predictable.

Saying that, clichés are only really noticeable if you are already familiar with them. For a young teenage audience, this may not be the case, and there is something enjoyably disturbing about the book as a whole, so I can't give it too low a rating.

All in all, a fairly enjoyable, yet predictable, horror fantasy. Perhaps a YA stepping stone to Clive Barker or Neil Gaiman.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Posted by Keris on April 21, 2008 in More On Monday, Supernatural, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 14, 2008 12:00 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

Reviewed by Jennie Hughes

This is a gorgeous book. Desai’s prose is so rich, evocative and quirky that you can feel, see and taste the worlds she describes. Here’s an example:
“In her bed later that evening, Sai lay under a tablecloth, for the last sheets had long worn out. She could sense the swollen presence of the forest, hear the hollow-knuckled knocking of the bamboo, the sound of the jhora that ran deep in the décolleté of the mountain. Batted down by household sounds during the day, it rose at dusk, to sing pure-voiced into the windows.”

Do you see what I mean? You could just eat this book.

I can’t tell you what the plot is because, like Anne Tyler’s books, there isn’t really one. What you get are wonderful characters whose histories are so beautifully told that you feel you know these people and care what happens to them. Their lives are muddled, funny and haphazard, just like our own. They are described with detail and humour which shows the essentially random nature of Life/Fate/Stuff That Happens.

Later in the book, as the chaos caused by the uprising in Kalimpong worsens, the casually callous and cruel nature of poverty, revolution and desperation is also made clear.

There is loss – of home, of savings, of parents, of loved ones – but there is also the return of a son and the possibility, not articulated but hinted at, of some happiness in the future for Gyan and Sai. Life goes on, the world turns, the rain washes roads away and people re-build them, while watching over it all are the eternal Himalayas.

Rating: Definitely 5/5

Like this? Try: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 

Posted by Sarah Painter on April 14, 2008 in More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 7, 2008 9:10 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: In Stitches: the Highs and Lows of Life as an A&E Doctor by Dr Nick Edwards

Reviewed by author and Corrieblog editor, Sue Haasler

I picked In Stitches up by chance - I love reading about other people's lives, and as I'm a huge fan of TV medical dramas I couldn't resist. However, any hope of buckets of blood and lashings of torrid linen-cupboard action are dispelled in the introduction: "It is a bit like what you see in TV programmes such as ER," the author says, "but with less sex and more paper work."

The book started out as a blog to vent his frustrations and Dr Edwards (not his real name) hopes the book becomes a campaigning tool against the privatisation and marketisation happening to the NHS. But it's also a damn good read.

The day-to-day realities of being on the front line of hospital services is passionately, often humorously and sometimes heartbreakingly conveyed. There are the funny stories of people with mobile phones stuck in places they really shouldn't have been, and the desperately sad ones like the 14 year old girl who took an overdose and left a note asking her parents to look after her guinea pig (she survived). And there's
top advice, too. I now know not to get ill on the first Wednesday in August or the last Friday of the month. Why? You'll have to read the book.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Heat by Bill Buford (an expose of the restaurant industry)

Being a full-time doctor, Nick's having trouble getting publicity for the book, particularly as he needs to hide behind his pseudonym.  He is hoping someone reading might be able to help him with marketing the book.

If you're interested in featuring the book or Nick on your site or blog - or are able to offer any other kind of marketing assistance - please email us and we'll put you in touch with him. Thanks.

Posted by Keris on April 7, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

March 31, 2008 10:13 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Lucky by Alice Sebold

Alice Sebold's memoir of the brutal rape and beating she suffered as an eighteen-year-old college student is something I have been meaning to read for a long time. Knowing it was going to be tough, I kept putting it off, but I am so glad I got round to it in the end...

Yes, it is very hard to read in places, but the majority of the book is about Sebold's (interesting - and a little crazy) family and her triumphant battle to convict the man who raped her.

Sebold writes with amazing honesty and insight. The account of her horrifying attack  is given with terrifying, startling candour and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Sebold to write it.

She is amazingly brave, not just for the account of the attack, but for honestly recounting the reactions of people to her after the event and her slow recovery.

Lucky is also a book of hope. Sebold survives. She wins against the man in a rape trial and she wins against him by healing and by going on to help others with this important book. Having read and adored The Lovely Bones, I already thought Sebold was an amazing writer - now I believe she is an amazing person, too.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 31, 2008 in American Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

March 24, 2008 10:17 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: When You Eat At the Refrigerator, Pull Up A Chair by Geneen Roth

I know, I know, I'm always reviewing non-diet books, but they're such a revelation to me after years of reading actual diet books (okay, WeightWatchers magazine). Geneen Roth's When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair is a classic, given credibility in my eyes by having a foreword by Anne Lamott (who I love).

When You Eat... consists of 50 very short chapters (some are only a couple of pages in length) with titles like "Carry a chunk of chocolate everywhere" and "Remind yourself that it's already broken." Weirdly, the word that came to mind when I was typing that was "Californian" so I checked the About the Author page and discovered that Roth does indeed live in Northern California - what was my point? Oh yes, if you're not comfortable with self-development, if, like Beth Lisick, it's way outside your comfort zone and you're smirking now, I'd say read the book anyway.

I found it reassuring, funny, inspiring and frequently more down to earth than the chapter headings (and that "Californian" business) would have you believe. The subtitle is "50 ways to feel thin, gorgeous, and happy (when you feel anything but)" and that's not to be sniffed (or smirked) at, surely?

I kept it on my bedside table and read one short chapter each day. Now that I've finished it, I've turned back to the beginning to read it again until I get the chance to read another of Roth's books.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The 4-Day Win by Martha Beck

Posted by Aigua Media on March 24, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008 12:26 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Scott Westerfield has taken our modern-day obsession with physical beauty and followed it to the logical end. In his future world, an operation is carried out on every child on their sixteenth birthday, turning them from an 'Ugly' into a 'Pretty'.

As well as bestowing physical perfection, the operation seems to lead to a life of parties and fun.

Tally Youngblood is a typical teenager. She lives in a dormitory-style school, separated from her parents (Uglies and Pretties are not permitted to mix), and eagerly awaits her operation.

Then, Tally meets Shay. Shay is also fifteen, but she has a very different view of the operation. She opens Tally's eyes to a different path - a path that leads to a secret community of renegade Uglies, living in the Rusty Ruins.

Tally cannot make the leap of faith - to sacrifice everything she has dreamed of, in order to join an uncertain and less attractive future. She returns home, only to find that the State knows about her friendship with Shay and has a mission for her: infiltrate the community and then report back on its location.

However, once back with the Uglies, Tally discovers that there is a lot more to the 'turning' operation than becoming beautiful...

This book is a real thrill-ride and the world utterly convincing - and frightening. I raced through it book and couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequels (there are three: Pretties, Specials and Extras).

As well as an adventure story (with an active female protagonist - yay!), it also has lots to say about freedom of thought, individuality and the pursuit of physical ideals. Excellent reading matter, in other words, for any teenage girls you may know...

Rating: 4/5

Like this (identity issues handled in original way)? Try: Split By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 17, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Series, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008 2:02 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Strawberry Picker by Monica Feth

Reviewed by Colin Mulhern

A killer seeking the perfect partner. All he wants is beauty and innocence. But when he gets close he notices imperfections, the image is shattered and the papers report another murder.

Caro is his latest victim, and at her funeral, Jemma - Caro's flatmate - swears revenge and decides to track down the killer, but in making her very public oath, she attracts the attention of a hansom, mysterious strawberry picker.

It all sounds pretty good - certainly the makings of a good thriller, but the point of thrillers is, by definition, to thrill - to involve the reader by invoking emotions, to convince them that the characters are so real that they believe and care. You can only really do that if you allow the reader to see what is happening as it is happening. The Strawberry Picker is way too passive in its delivery, telling the reader what people have said or done or doing rather than showing these things in real time. The only thing the characters do actively is make espresso - in so many scenes that you wonder if this is something the author has only just discovered.

The result of this passive, wishy-washy hold-my-hand style is that by the half way mark the characters are as lifeless as they were on page one, the scenes are painfully dull and any aspect of a mystery has withered and died before we even reach the moment where Jenna swears revenge. This, incidentally, is well past the halfway point, and to be honest, by the time I'd got there, I really couldn't care whether she fell in love with the killer, helped her mother edit another successful crime thriller (writers writing about writing - yawn) or make another bloody espresso.

There are too many other things you can spend £5.99 on. Don't buy this.

Rating: 1/5

Like this? Try Be Mine by Laura Kasischke (an adult book)

Posted by Keris on March 10, 2008 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 1/5, Recent Release, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 3, 2008 8:01 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen

I am a big fan of Liz Jensen. I loved Egg Dancing, Ark Baby and My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time. Always acerbically funny, some of Jensen's books have been more light-hearted than others: The Ninth Life of Louis Drax is not one of them.

It's a dark, twisted story, with chillingly real characters. But don't let that put you off!

Narrated by nine-year-old coma patient, Louis, and Dannachet, his doctor, the story is both a mystery and a gothic ghost tale.

Despite being attracted to Natalie Drax, Louis' mother, Dannachet begins to question her version of the events that led to Louis' near-fatal fall into a ravine.

Through Louis and his mother, we piece together Louis' personality and life before his fall - he is accident-prone, dysfunctional and sees a therapist - but is this the whole story?

Louis' voice is startlingly original and utterly compelling. This book stayed with me long after I closed it and I urge you to give it a whirl.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Posted by Sarah Painter on March 3, 2008 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008 10:18 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Poison that Fascinates by Jennifer Clement

Reviewed by Sarah Hague

Some people have a morbid fascination with death, others with the means of death. Emily Neale, half British, half Mexican, collects facts about women who poisoned others. Abandoned as a baby by her mother, she's brought up in Mexico City by her father and Mother Agata, head of the orphanage that Emily's great-grandmother founded and where Emily now often helps out.

We hear that there are saints for almost everything in a devote Catholic Mexican society that is painted with bright, evocative words : the street sellers, the market sellers, the traffic, the smog.

Interspersed with Emily's story are the facts she collects about stories of women who have killed and why. Emily knows that some things are worth killing for.

Finally she meets her cousin Santiago from a remote farm in Chihuahua who has been watching her and disturbing her things.

Jennifer Clement has made a peculiar book sensuously palatable. Emily inhabits a small, restricted world of Mexican superstition, mythology and faith. Santiago changes that world forever bringing with him love and secrets.

It's a fascinating book written with masterful ease.

Rating: 4/5

Posted by Keris on February 25, 2008 in More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 18, 2008 1:44 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom wrote Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet In Heaven. For One More Day is the story of Charley 'Chick' Benetto a baseball player who spent six-weeks at the World Series and the next twenty years trying to relive the glory days.

He ends up drinking too much, alienating his family, and eventually trying to kill himself. On this darkest of days, something miraculous happens to Charley - he gets one more day with his mother (who died eight years previously). It's the fantasy of anyone who has lost a loved one; Charley  gets to say the things he regretted not saying and just, well, spend one more day...

Like Alexander McCall Smith and Anne Tyler, Mitch Albom has the gift of keen observation coupled with beautiful storytelling. These writers know that the essential truths of human existence are too damn big; we need to view them through the small details of ordinary people and ordinary lives.

In the capable hands of Albom, Charley's story is told with a simplicity that borders on poetry and a kindness that can make you weep. I read it in one tearful sitting and I urge you to do the same.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: Digging To America by Anne Tyler

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 18, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2008 5:14 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of "Buffy', "Angel" and "Firefly"

Joss Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's spin-off series Angel, Firefly (another series, which sadly only ran for one season) and Serenity (a film inspired by Firefly).

There has been lots of study - both light-hearted and academic - of Whedon's worlds and the amazing characters that inhabit them.

This latest collection of critical essays delves into the psychology of Joss himself, as well taking an analytical look at his creations.

Written by a variety of authors - all of whom have strings of letters after their names -  and with frequent reference to psychological theories and methods, this book had the potential to be very hard-going indeed.

Luckily, it's very readable, and the essays are well-researched and cogent. They cover topics such as neuroscience in Firefly and Angel's relationship with his mother. My personal favourites are the essays that refer to feminism in both Buffy and Whedon's own personality (Joss often refers to himself as a 'radical feminist', just another reason he is one of my personal heroes).

A couple of words of warning, however; this book is definitely not at the 'light' end of the fan-essay-market. Although by no means impenetrable, you really do need to have an interest in psychology as well as in Whedon and his works.

Also, the essays refer widely to the episodes of Buffy, Angel and Firefly, so there are plenty of spoilers.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Serenity Found

Posted by Sarah Painter on February 4, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Supernatural, Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 21, 2008 4:14 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht

The first Worst-Case scenario handbook was published back in 1999. It had a print run of just 35,000 copies, but went on to become a best-seller and spawn an entire series.

Not only is this edition a lovely strokable square-ish hardback, but it's exceptionally good value, too. It collects more than 100 of the most popular scenarios from the previous handbooks. Plus, the entire contents of all 11 books are included on a fully searchable CD. Bargain!

The advice ranges from the truly useful (like how to drive when the road is icy) to the truly bizarre (how to escape from a sofa bed), while managing to be both funny and informative.

Plus, from a writer's point of view, it makes a handy reference volume.  I will now be able to have my character escape from a sinking car, jump from building to building, and land an aeroplane with accuracy.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Damage Control

Posted by Sarah Painter on January 21, 2008 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 24, 2007 10:23 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

We loved Khaled Hosseini's debut, The Kite Runner, so I couldn't wait to read A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's another fabulous title and another story set in Afghanistan. However, it is a far darker book.

While The Kite Runner was by no means an easy read, A Thousand Splendid Suns, with portions set during the Taliban's rule and its focus, this time, on female characters, is harrowing.

There were parts that - despite Hosseini's evocative, musical prose - I almost skim read, as if watching a film from between my fingers. And, I must warn you, the second half of the book was mostly read through a veil of tears, tears that dripped off my chin as I raced through the narrative, desperate to find out if Laila, Mariam and Aziza would be all right.

With extreme domestic violence, persecution, war, and death, it would be so easy to fall into a 'everything is terrible' mind set, but Hosseini's storytelling and his vivid characters remind you of goodness in the midst of horror, the hope - and beauty - of the country,  and the indefinable, indefatigable, inspirational human spirit.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 24, 2007 in More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 17, 2007 11:33 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Seven for a Secret by

Following the untimely deaths of a number of family members, James Mackenzie Wright wrote Seven For A Secret to help children deal with bereavement. Specifically, he wanted to help children see grieving as a positive rather than a painful rite of passage.

The story centres on Holly and George who have lost their 20-year-old sister, Helen. The entire family is in mourning until Holly sees a smiley woman beckoning her up a tree. After climbing the tree, Holly and George are greeted by a group of magpies who take them to meet their sister.

Helen introduces the children to various big concepts, including the idea that you choose your own life and that the level of difficulty of the life you choose is related to how many times you've lived before and what you want to learn from your next incarnation.

The philosophical lessons are interwoven with Holly and George's more child-like adventures and they're both very sweet characters.

While I found Seven for A Secret thought-provoking, it's intended for children aged between 11 and 16 and I'm concerned that there isn't an exciting enough plot to hold their interest. It might be better investigated and discussed with an adult, rather than read as a story, but it's certainly a good introduction to some difficult concepts.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Dear Zoe by Philip Beard

Posted by Keris on December 17, 2007 in More On Monday, Rating: 3/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007 2:18 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

Lovers of fascinating, intelligent crime fiction mourned the news that Exit Music was to be the final Rebus novel in the series. But, oh, what a send off.

The plot is complex with a mystery that leaves you guessing right to the end. A Russian poet has been murdered in Kings Stable Road, and, true to form, DI Rebus is soon annoying his superiors and making enemies by rattling the cages of Edinburgh's high and mighty.

It looks as if the murder may have connections with politicians, big business and even Rebus's nemesis - Edinburgh gangster Big Ger Cafferty.

Exit Music can't have been an easy book to write; tying up enough loose ends to be satisfying, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality or simple answers, but Rankin makes it look effortless.

This is one of the best Rebus books I have read (and I've read 'em all) and one I think will bear re-visiting. The relationship between Cafferty and Rebus is brilliantly drawn; both men older, maybe a little wiser, certainly more cautious. The parallels between the characters are handled with subtlety, adding depth and understanding.

Sioban Clarke, Rebus's partner, is as convincing and engaging as ever. Rankin has left the door wide open for Sioban to take centre stage, but we don't know as yet whether she will.

I salute Ian Rankin for this crowning achievement, and I raise a glass of malt to DI John Rebus. Thanks for the memories...

Rating: 5/5

Like this: Try: Any and all of the previous Rebus novels.

Posted by Sarah Painter on December 10, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 19, 2007 11:39 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Justice for Jill by Scott Lomax

This is a difficult book to review since I feel so strongly about the case in question.

For those too young to remember 1999 or for anyone outside the UK who might not know of the case, Jill Dando was a popular British TV presenter who was shot dead on her front doorstep in broad daylight one morning in 1999. The public were shocked and horrified and a huge manhunt took place to find the murderer.

The hunt was hindered by the fact that Jill was incredibly popular and beloved and the police had no witnesses, murder weapon or motive. In 2001, a local man named Barry George was arrested and charged with Dando's murder. It was announced last week that Barry George is to face a retrial after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal.

The reason it's difficult for me to review this book is that, having been horrified and fascinated by the case at the time, I never believed for a minute that George was guilty. The evidence was flimsy at best and it seemed to me to be a case of the police, under immense public and media pressure to solve the case, finding a local oddball and thinking he would do.

Justice for Jill isn't simply a history of the case, its author, Scott Lomax, also firmly believes that George is innocent and sets out the evidence fairly and in minute detail. It's a fascinating, compelling and deeply upsetting book.

It's not a sensationalist "true crime" style book and, as such, can get a bit dense, but it's not a book that you'd read for entertainment, obviously. If you're interested in the case, in law, in miscarriages of justice, it's a must-read. But expect to have your faith in the crimiinal justice system shaken.

Rating: 4/5

Posted by Keris on November 19, 2007 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

November 12, 2007 2:20 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen

When I'm in the mood for something smart and satirical and insanely funny, I know just the man to turn to... Florida journalist Carl Hiaasen.

In honour of his latest novel - Nature Girl - being released in paperback, I thought I would revisit one of my old favourites, Sick Puppy.

Eco-warrior Twilly Spree spots someone in a Range Rover dropping litter and decides to teach him a lesson. His target turns out to be none other than Palmer Stoat - one of Florida's most powerful political fixers, and a man who's crimes against nature are far worse than litter-bugging...

Twilly steals Palmer Stoat's dog and hooks up with Skink, an infamous ex-governer who lives in the wild and eats roadkill.

Plotted with crazy ingenuity, Sick Puppy defies summarisation. Safe to say, however, it keeps you laughing while you turn the pages.

It's quintessential Hiaasen; the situation is exagerated and the humour a little twisted, but justice prevails. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try: Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen (it's my second favourite).

Related posts: More on Monday

Posted by Sarah Painter on November 12, 2007 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007 4:08 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The 4-Day Win by Martha Beck

Martha Beck is one of my heroes. I devour her books. I re-read them frequently. I keep them on a shelf above my desk for inspiration. I love her. So imagine my excitement when I read that her latest book would be a (sort of) diet book. Since I've been trying and failing to lose weight for approximately two thirds of my life, I couldn't read it quick enough.

The 4-Day Win is subtitled "change the way you think about food and your body in just 4 days" which is actually a little disingenuous. The plan features a series of 4 day wins - 4 days being the optimal time it takes to change your behaviour and implement new habits that stick. There is a jump start programme on which, Beck assures, you will start to lose weight almost immediately. But this book doesn't feature eating plans and exercise suggestions, it's more about learning to change the way you think about food.

Yes, I know there have been a bunch of non-diet diet books lately and yet the world's population is still getting fatter, but Beck explains clearly and concisely why this is the case. Why even though losing weight may seem to be the most important thing in your life, you still can't do it.

Based on sociological and psychological research, It all makes perfect sense, it's readable, fascinating and, because it's Martha Beck, hugely entertaining. Has a diet book ever made you laugh out loud before? No, me neither. (My favourite line: "Tracy and I agreed that she would try a two-pronged approach to changing her body and mind. So we got her a fork with only two prongs...")

No, I haven't actually lost any weight, but that's because I haven't started doing any 4 day wins yet (I'm still in what Beck calls the "pre-contemplation" stage - in other words, I just read the book, I didn't actually do any of the - theoretical, not physical - exercises).

In Beck's book The Joy Diet, she said she'd never write an actual diet book. And yet now she has. And I for one am thrilled about it.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Beyond Chocolate by Audrey & Sophie Boss

Posted by Keris on October 29, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007 12:22 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson

Using the time honoured tradition of judging a book by its cover, I picked up The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson last week and couldn’t put it down. I’m not usually a fan of mysteries but this has got English aristocracy, an American millionaire, spies and foreign dignitaries galore and is a rip-roaring read.

Set in the 1930s, in a world where people go down to the country for weekend house parties, this is the story of a stolen diamond necklace and secret talks between Britain and an un-named foreign country before the Second World War. Throw in a couple of murders, a rare pair of guns and a local detective and you’ve got a fast paced plot that surprises with every twist and turn.

This is the kind of book to take on a long journey – you’ll find the time just flies by.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 22, 2007 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 8, 2007 10:08 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: House Rules by Clare Coulson

If you’re anything like me and find that housework comes at the bottom of your list of priorities (somewhere below watching The X Factor and finishing the pinot grigio) then House Rules by Clare Coulson is the book for you.

Full of the information your mother would have told you if she hadn’t been too busy burning her bra, this book is everything you need to run a clean and tidy house, as well as an organised life.

I followed the advice for simplifying my wardrobe and I can’t tell you what a relief it is not to worry about what clothes I’m going to wear. I don’t want to bore you with the details (this isn’t Catwalk Queen, after all) but now I’m co-ordinated I’ve never been happier, and the packing tips from Claridge’s valets have been a Godsend.

As far as household hints books go this is by far the prettiest I’ve seen and the subjects cover everything a modern woman needs to know.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts by Regina Thomashauer

Posted by Nicola pedley on October 8, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 24, 2007 10:48 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Career Helium by David Thompson

I’ve got a self-development book for you this week (surprise, surprise!), but one with a difference. Where most books of this type are a list of things to do and achieve, Career Helium by David Thompson is told in story form. It’s the story of Matt, an employee unfairly, in his opinion, passed over for promotion in favour of Tim. Matt has better sales figures, and has been at the company longer so why didn’t he get the promotion? What has Tim got that he hasn’t? Enter the mysterious Edward and Career Helium…

The author, David Thompson, has been the teambuilding expert on Big Brother’s Little Brother, and has been working in career development for over 15 years. By using the unusual format of a fictional tale in a career development book he brings you his vast knowledge in an easily digestible form. The story neatly applies the stages of Career Helium to Matt’s real life situation, and throughout the book key phrases and teachings are given space of their own, so you know exactly what you should be focused on.

I don’t want to give the secret of Career Helium away, but every piece of advice makes perfect sense, and makes you wonder *why aren’t I doing that?* If you’re after promotion and career advancement, but know you’re missing something, you might just find it in Career Helium.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try P.U.S.H. for success by Saira Khan

Posted by Nicola pedley on September 24, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007 11:13 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts by Regina Thomashauer

Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts is subtitled Using the Power of Pleasure to Have Your Way With the World. It was recommended to me, otherwise it's probably not a book I would have picked up, since it sounds like a sex manual ... but it's not. No, really, it's not.

Instead it's actually a very well-rounded guide to having more fun and pleasure in all areas of your life (and, yes, while that does include your sex life, the book's got much more to offer). With chapters on flirting, beauty and bitchiness - plus one on "owning and operating men" - Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts is strangely old-fashioned while, at the same time, being distinctly modern.

Mama Gena uses examples from her own life and from those of the "Sister Goddesses" who have taken her course to illustrate how focussing on your own pleasure can bring you everything you want. Plus there are exercises at the end of each chapter that range from examining your lady parts (!) to keeping a scrapbook of all the fabulous things you'd like in your life.

Mae West is quoted more than once and it's that kind of witty yet sensual idea of womanhood that the book espouses. It works for me, but I appreciate that it might offend some women, while others might find it a bit old hat (Mae West's been dead for almost 30 years, after all)!

I enjoyed this book. There exercises are great both for adding pleasure to your life and learning more about yourself ... so that you can add more pleasure to your life. And I'm certainly not going to complain about that.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Goddess Guide by Gisele Scanlon

Posted by Keris on September 10, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (1)

August 20, 2007 8:48 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Mere Anarchy by Woody Allen

I suspect unlike most Woody Allen fans, I first appreciated the great director's humour through his short stories rather than his excellent films (Manhattan, Annie Hall, Play it Again Sam, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan Murder Mystery et al.)

His last original collection of fiction was released in 1983 and so Mere Anarchy, a slim volume which still squeezes in 18 stories, was well overdue. But does he still have the golden touch?

I have to be honest, at first I wasn't sure. I'd forgotten that Woody's wordplay can sometimes be dazzling to the point of baffling, and wished often that I knew where my dictionary was...

But once I'd got into the swing of things, I found his way with words entertaining and witty, although wry smile-funny rather than split-your-seams hilarious. The subjects these stories tackle are mostly rather ridiculous - from a man kidnapped because he looks like a famous film star to a someone who loses money after investing in a musical about the adjustable shower head. Other subjects, like nannies selling stories on their employers and the difficulty of getting a child into the right New York pre-school, are bang up to date (even if chick lit did there get first...)

One of my favourite stories was The Rejection (the pre-school one) , which made me laugh out loud. Lines like, "If Mischa could be denied this, there was no meaning in life or all of existence " effectively puncture the bubble of NYC pre-school hysteria. Strung Out, a contemplation on physics and the laws of the universe was very funny too: "I awoke on Friday, and because the universe is expanding it took me longer than usual to find my robe." But Above The Law, Below the Box Springs really made me howl with laughter - it's about some thieves who cut the tags off mattresses and it's just so silly and funny, a great cheerer-upper. (Yes, that is a word...) I'm just not sure why some of the stronger stories in the collection are towards the end of the book.

Although I read the collection straight through like a novel, as I needed to finish it for MoM, I think it would be better savoured in small morsels - the writing is so rich in wordplay it can be better appreciated in small doses and it's a shame to rush through it.

I don't know either non-Woody Allen fans would enjoy the collection or not - you have to have a certain sense of humour. In fact, I might recommend one of his earlier collections first for 'beginners' (Without Feathers contains my fave ever Allen story, The Whore of Mensa.)

But for anyone with a sense of the silly, a great vocabulary and a penchant for Woody Allen-esque humour, this is a great new book. It's nothing new and exciting, just more of the same after a long break - but that's still saying quite a lot.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 20, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Celebrity Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 4/5, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 13, 2007 5:18 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith

I love Alexandra McCall Smith's Botswana-set No.1 Ladies Detective series. I always think each book is going to be the last and then, before I know it, there's another.

Good Husband - the eighth in the series - continues in the same vein as the other books, i.e. not much happens. Mma Ramotswe actually doesn't do much (if any) investigating in this book, instead her assistant, Mma Makutsi, and the good husband himself, Mr JLB Matekoni decide they'd quite like to do some investigating of their own, with varied results.

Mma Makutsi's case involves stationery stealing and Mr JLB Matekoni is instructed by "the rudest woman in Botswana" to find out who her husband is having an affair with. No, it's not exactly Law & Order, is it?

But there is a little bit of drama - although drama is too strong a word really - a couple of the regulars are looking to move on. Charlie, one of Mr JLB Matekoni's apprentices (he's the owner of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors) has decided to set up on his own and Mma Makutsi realises that now she's getting married she doesn't need to work at all and hands in her notice.

It's the mellowness of this series that I love, but this latest book is so mellow it's almost unconscious. I enjoyed it - what's not to enjoy? - but it's probably the weakest of the series, which is a shame. In putting Mma Makutsi and Mr JLB Matekoni to the fore, it's almost as if Smith has forgotten the heart of the book. This series belongs to Precious Ramotswe and the stories should always be hers. Fingers crossed she's back in the driving seat (of her little white van) in the next book.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexandra McCall Smith

Posted by Keris on August 13, 2007 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 6, 2007 8:30 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: By Jack Rosenthal by Jack Rosenthal

No, I haven't gone mad! By Jack Rosenthal is a book... By Jack Rosenthal. Are you still with me?

Legendary TV and film scriptwriter (and husband of Maureen Lipman) Jack Rosenthal had been asked many times to write his autobiography, but he  felt he wouldn't know where to start filling a book about himself. And then he hit upon the idea of writing the whole thing as a script, divided into the decades of his life: from his parents' marriage to the present day.

Unfortunately, due to cancer, Jack died before he could complete the last decade, so in a very literal Postscript Maureen finishes it for him.

At first, it's hard to get into the swing of reading a book in script form. I've never enjoyed reading plays, and I struggled a little at the start, trying to picture what was happening and follow the story. (I don't think a career as a playwright - or an actress! - will ever be my calling I'm afraid...)

But about a third of the way through the book I got used to the format and the abbreviations, and was able to focus on the story of Rosenthal's life from World War Two evacuee to university student, Coronation Street scriptwriter to colleague of Barbra Streisand, and finally loving husband and father. Rosenthal writes with honesty, warmth, compassion and good humour and comes across as completely charming. His life story is an ordinary one with occasional incredible starry moments, which never seem to affect his down-to-earth nature.

Although I'm sad that Jack never got to write about the last decade or so of his life, and that he died of such a horrible illness, I am glad that Maureen got to write the closing chapter as she gives a closer, more personal insight into the man the reader has got to know and her chapter is incredibly moving. It conveys just how much the couple loved each other, and is poignant without being maudlin. Like the rest of the book, it's fab.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try About Alice by Calvin Trillin.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 6, 2007 in Book related, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 31, 2007 3:15 PM

MORE ON MONDAY TUESDAY: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Sorry, couldn't do More on Monday yesterday because I was away and the book I took with me? Yes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Have you heard of it?

I wasn't actually as desperately excited as some people to get this book. I didn't queue up or anything - in fact I think it'd been out a few days before I casually picked it up in the supermarket - but I did want to make sure I read it before anyone ruined it for me (like my sister, who read the last page first!).

So I took it away and, at first, I was sorry I had. I'd say it took me about 200 pages to actually get into it. I love the characters so it wasn't exactly a hardship to keep reading (there are very few books I'd keep reading for 200 pages if they hadn't yet "grabbed" me) but I was waiting for something to happen... then suddenly I was engrossed and I didn't want to put it down (did you see me on Eurosport, reading it in the crowd at the final stage of the Tour de France?).

Clearly, clearly, I'm not going to tell you anything that happens, but I will say that I absolutely loved it. JK Rowling gets a lot of criticism and, while she's not a great writer (although her writing style doesn't offend me in any way) she is a great storyteller (as we know) and to keep me breathless for about 400 pages (while I was in Paris!) is a pretty impressive feat.

My memory for books is appalling, so if you remember the other books in the series clearly then this one is likely to be even more exciting and rewarding as things are clarified and loose threads tied up. It really does leave me awed as to how JK Rowling planned this out from the beginning. An enormous achievement and a wonderful book. Now, who won the Tour de France...?

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Enchanted Inc by Shanna Swendson

Posted by Keris on July 31, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 16, 2007 3:42 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

I was a bit wary about reading Mating in Captivity. For a start, it's called Mating in Captivity. And its subtitle is Sex, Lies and Domestic Bliss (that's in the UK; the US subtitle was Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic). But it's actually a surprisingly readable and insightful look at sex in long-term relationships.

The author, Esther Perel's contention is that we need to look at sex in long-term relationships in a different way. She suggests that everything we've come to prize in relationships - equality, tenderness, honesty - is at odds with what we look for in sex (i.e. passion, eroticism and, you know, muckiness).

The quote on the back from the Sunday Times says, "Enormous fun," which I thought was a bit odd for a book on this subject, but it is very enjoyable and an easy read. Using case studies and anecdotal evidence, Perel looks at a number of different relationships and scenarios and her arguments are entirely convincing.

Whether out of nosiness or just because they were the more entertaining bits, I enjoyed the case studies more than Perel's analysis, but the entire book is entertaining and informative.

Much like John Gray's Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, Mating in Captivity could change the way couples look at each other and relationships. Recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Women Who Think Too Much by Dr Susan Nolen Hoeksema

Posted by Keris on July 16, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 9, 2007 10:18 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Smoking Diaries by Simon Gray

If you live in England you might have heard just about enough about the smoking ban that came into force last week and occupied the media's attention for months.

Well, Simon Gray's memoir The Smoking Diaries provides a very non-PC alternative perspective to the anti-smoking lobby: the man loves smoking. He knows it's not good for him, and he does (kind of) try to give up (a bit) but mostly he just enjoys his filthy habit and finds it enhances his life. This very entertaining book documents a year in his life in which a few things happen, both good and bad (trying not to give anything away here!) and a lot of cigarettes are smoked...

I actually bought this book for my Dad, thinking he would relate. As an ex-nicotine addict himself and self-confessed 'grumpy old man' who loves going to the theatre, how could he not enjoy the memoir of a grumpy male playwright who smokes a lot? But although my Dad enjoyed it, I think I liked it even more. I'm not sure why: maybe because Gray's writing is so good, or because despite his curmudgeonly persona, he's completely charming. He's unexpectedly enthusiastic too, such as when he talks in great detail about why he loves the film Species, which is very entertaining.

This book is surprising, funny and (when he reflects on his younger brother's fate) also heartbreakingly poignant. In short, it's a great read, no matter what your personal relationship with nicotine may be.

Be warned though: despite Gray's horrible addiction to cigarettes, this book almost makes smoking seem appealing, so it may actually be harmful to your health...

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on July 9, 2007 in British Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (11)

July 2, 2007 11:01 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin

I love Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series more than any other books. Not only are they funny, shocking, entertaining, moving, thrilling, they (along with Barry Manilow albums ... what?) got me through a very difficult time in my life. I reread them periodically and, though I'll never enjoy them as much as the first time, they're still fabulous, brilliantly-written novels.

So when I heard Armistead Maupin had, after 20 years, written another book that, while supposedly not a continuation of the series, featured its main character, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, I had mixed feelings. While I was desperate to know how things had turned out for Michael (and perhaps pick up some clues about the other characters too), I was worried it might disappoint. I should have known better.

Now in his sixties (how can that be?), Michael works as a gardener and is blissfully happy with his much younger husband (they married at City Hall on the day civil partnerships became legal), Ben. Still living in San Francisco (of course), he remains close friends with Brian and - and this made me blissfully happy - Mrs Madrigal.

Apart from the fact that Michael's mother is dying, leading him to return to his childhood home of Orlando, Florida and discover a shocking family secret, very little happens, but it didn't need to. I was surprised at how emotional I found it meeting these characters again. I know it's a cliche, but it really was like catching up with old friends. I hadn't realised I'd missed these people so much. It was so wonderful spending time with them again.

The only problem I found was that I kept confusing Michael with the author. Perhaps because I know some of the experiences Maupin gave Michael were actually based on his own (as they were in the originally series, but I didn't know that then), but I did keep having to force my brain to picture an older Michael rather than Armistead Maupin. Funnily enough, each time I did it, it gave me a little sigh of pleasure and recognition.

I've read a couple of reviews that claim Michael Tolliver Lives is pointless and I suppose it is ... unless you love the Tales of the City books. I have no idea whether it would stand up as a novel on its own - it's impossible for me to separate it from the series - but I don't care. I loved it. After this, I'll be reading the Tales books again and then I'd like some more please, Mr Maupin. And don't wait 20 years either.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Tales of the City, of course!

Posted by Keris on July 2, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (4)

June 25, 2007 7:25 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby came to most women's attention (sorry to be gender biased, but I think that's true!) with High Fidelity, his excellent lad lit novel about a music obsessive and his estranged girlfriend.

But if you haven't read Fever Pitch, you've missed a trick. The memoir of Hornby's obsession with Arsenal might be a bit much if you're a mad-keen Chelsea or Man Utd. supporter, or if you're American and think football's called soccer...(I tease!) but even if you're not a fan of the 'beautiful game', there's still a lot to enjoy in this book. It's a raw and touching story abut the power of sport to transform the emotions and the sense of belonging and bonding that football can provide. Even if you don't like sport, it's hard not to be won over by Hornby's enthusiasm and the excitement and tension at the end of the book is palpable.

I admit, I wouldn't ahve picked this book up had I not loved High Fideltity, or if it wasn't handy on my Dad's bookshelf. But I'm so very, very glad I did.

It's a cult classic of the footie field and beyond!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 25, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Cult classic week, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 18, 2007 11:21 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: In Search of Adam by Caroline Smailes

Caroline Smailes' debut novel In Search of Adam is the first novel to be released by The Friday Project, who were set up to discover books via blogs.

It's the story of Jude who, aged six, finds her mother dead from an overdose and  a note that reads, "Jude. I have gone in search of Adam. I love you baby." Written in the first person, we learn how Jude struggles without her mother, wonders about Adam and suffers physical, sexual and emotional abuse from both family and strangers. The abuse leads Jude into obsession, compulsions, self-harm and bulimia.

In Search of Adam made me cry, it made me furious. It made me wonder how anyone can bring themselves to write such a painful book. (I couldn't read it in the evenings because I knew I wouldn't have been able to sleep.) And then reading the notes at the end I discovered that there was so much more to the book that I hadn't even understood and it made me admire the author even more.

I ached for Jude. I wanted to take care of her. Or at least I wanted someone, anyone to take care of her. I almost cheered when she got a teacher who understood and treated Jude with kindness and respect, and I wanted the teacher to take on Jude's parents, but then Jude moved through school and had no-one again.

Another reviewer has said that In Search of Adam will do for child abuse what Mark Haddon did for autism. I agree. I also think it's an incredibly important book. I see great things. They're all deserved.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Posted by Keris on June 18, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

June 11, 2007 10:07 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Afloat by Jennifer McCartney

I didn't know what to expect from Jennifer McCartney's debut novel, Afloat. The cover's rather downbeat and the book features parallel narratives: a young Bell working on Mackinac Island for the summer and Bell 50 years later (reflecting on her life. Just to make it even less appealing, the Mackinac narrative is set in the present day (ish) and the other narrative in the future. But it was far from what I expected, in fact it was brilliant.

Um. Not much actually happens really, but it's beautifully written, evocative and compelling. The earlier narrative is really good fun: Bell and the friends she makes on the island work hard and then spend their nights drinking, falling off their bikes (no automobiles are allowed on the island), and falling in love, and the later narrative in which Bell is clearing her house while waiting for a visit from someone from her past, is moving, scary and uplifting.

The characters are wonderfully drawn and real and the horrors of the future are more subtle than you often find in dystopian novels (not to say Afloat is entirely dystopian, it's utopian too), but they're totally believable.

A really impressive first novel. I can't wait to see what Jennifer McCartney does next.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Posted by Keris on June 11, 2007 in Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 4, 2007 4:15 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

When Joan Didion's writer husband John Gregory Dunne dropped dead at their dining room table on December 30, 2003, she went into shock. Their daughter was seriously ill in hospital and although her friends rallied round, Didion didn't know how she'd cope. To record her feelings and try to make sense of them, she began keeping a diary of the year that followed: The Year of Magical Thinking.

Didion is one of America's most-respected modern novelists, even if she may not exactly be a household name over here. This book is the memoir of one year of her life, and how she coped with the loss of her husband and the perilous health situation of her daughter. Emotional and moving, the book is sentimental without being mawkish and dares you not to cry.

Although very emotionally raw, I think it could be very useful to anyone going through a similar loss, and even comforting to those who haven't: it shows that grief isn't easy, but it is possible to start to heal.

However, I can't help thinking that Calvin Trillin's book about the loss of his wife has ruined other grief memoirs for me forever. Short, sweet, restrained and totally lacking in self-pity whilst at the same time one of the most moving things I've ever read, that book was pitch-perfect. Joan Didion's book has a more literary tone which occasionally veers into self-indulgence (not that I blame her, I'm sure I'd be ten times worse!) and a lack of understanding that she's in a position of high privilege: able to afford to stay in expensive Hollywood hotels and have only the best doctors for her daughter, for example. At one point she says she doesn't know when she'll be able to work again, which will sound incredible to all the millions of people who have no choice but to return to work after the loss of a loved one, and try to manage the best they can. This aspect of the book can be a tad difficult to relate to, although I certainly don't begrudge Didion her time off.

I still found this a very good read, and a book that's extremely difficult to put down.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try About Alice by Calvin Trillin or My Life So Far by Jane Fonda

PS:  I said I would read this book, and I did! (Eventually).

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on June 4, 2007 in American Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 14, 2007 11:11 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I read The Yellow Wallpaper at university six or so years ago and it has stayed with me as one of the most disturbing stories I've ever read.

A short story, written in 1891 by feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gilman (she also wrote a book about a female utopia called Herland) it's the first person account of the descent into insanity of a nameless woman who's physician husband claims she's suffering from nervous exhaustion.

Renting a house for three months, the husband chooses the highest room in the house as their bedroom believing its lightness will do his wife good. And she does like the room, apart from the yellow wallpaper which she finds unpleasant and creepy. As the story goes on, the wallpaper disturbs the narrator more and more until she's seeing figures sneaking behind it and eyes and tongues lolling out. Ugh, it gives me the willies just to think about it. I won't say anymore because you can read it online, but if the ending doesn't make you shiver you're a braver woman than me.

It's an amazing piece of work, a genuine horror story that also highlights the issues facing woman in the none-too-distant past. The narrator is most likely suffering from post-natal depression, but her husband believes writing and any sort of society is likely to overexcite her and make it worse, and so makes her a prisoner in her own home.

It's actually based on Gilman's own experiences (with depression, rather than interior decoration) and its publication was delayed when a doctor (not Gilman's own) took exception to it, claiming that it would drive anyone mad to read it. I highly recommend you test his theory here (and make sure you let us know what you think).

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle

Posted by Keris on May 14, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Short Story Collections | Permalink | Comments (4)

May 7, 2007 2:00 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Not Buying It by Judith Levine

Could you go a whole year without buying anything? No clothes, no books (argh!), no cinema tickets or meals out?

What would you do if you weren't part of the consumer economy and only bought the barest of essentials?

And how would other people react?

To answer all those questions and more, Judith Levine (along with her partner, Paul) took on a mammoth challenge: a year of Not Buying It.

Told in chronological order, I found it really interesting reading about Judith's fluctuating attitude to the project, her occasion slips and loopholes and the conclusions she and Paul drew by the end of the year. I find it hard to go a week without buying a book, so I particularly applaud her efforts in that respect, especially when she was trying to navigate the impoverished New York library system. Also interesting was the different issues the experiment brought up in the two areas of the country the author lives: Vermont and New York.

This book was more wide-ranging than I expected: I thought it would be a personal journey, but it looks at issues of world economics, environmental concerns and social responsibility and in this sense is enlightening, if a bit depressing at times! It's a very thought-provoking read, and I can't imagine that anyone who reads it will ever forget some of the lessons of the book.  There really is something for every consumer here...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen, or my co-ed Keris's Dollymix column Giving Up...

More on Monday archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on May 7, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Self development | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 30, 2007 12:55 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Marina Lewycka’s debut novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2005 and has been critically acclaimed all over the world. Just the type of book I expected to either dislike or at least think was overrated ... but it absolutely wasn’t. In fact, it’s as readable and entertaining as it is moving.

Nadia and Vera’s father, Nikolai, has always been eccentric, but when he announces, two years after their mother’s death, his plans to marry a young Ukranian woman neither of them has met, the sisters are concerned. Their concern increases when they finally do meet Valentina - a brash, big-bosomed woman, who is clearly only interested in their father for his money and British citizenship. Their father though, is smitten.

Valentina and her son Stanislav move in and Valentina’s treatment of Nikolai soon changes. He is no longer her “holubchik” (little pigeon) he is “no-good-bad-stink-corpse”. The sisters realise they have to get Valentina and Stanislav out of their father’s life, but how?

And if all that's not enough for Nadia and Vera to deal with, there’s also their own antagonistic relationship, their mother’s memory (and their unequally-split inheritance), plus the terrible details of the family’s history that Nadia has never known, but Vera remembers all too well.

I was blown away by A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian. It managed to balance humour with terrible tragedy, while being eminently readable and though-provoking. Don’t be put off by the title, the cover, or the Orange Prize, just read it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Girls by Lori Lansens

Posted by Keris on April 30, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, More On Monday, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (4)

April 16, 2007 10:36 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner

I’ve wanted to read Mark Bittner’s The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill for years. The parrots appeared in one of my favourite novels of all time, Tales of the City, and I became fascinated with Telegraph Hill on a visit to San Francisco (but I didn’t see any parrots, sadly).

Subtitled “A love story ... with wings”, it’s the true story of Mark Bittner who, homeless, disillusioned and working a series of odd-jobs for a pittance, becomes interested in the flock of parrots he sees around his Telegraph Hill neighbourhood. Thinking that some connection with nature might add some meaning to his life, he starts feeding the birds and begins a relationship that both lasts for years and changes his life entirely.

The flock becomes so comfortable with Bittner that he is able to hand-feed them and even catch injured and sick birds and nurse them back to health. Like many of these kinds of books, his relationship with the birds also helps Mark come to terms with his own place in the world and aid him in the spiritual journey he’s been struggling with for 30-odd years.

I really enjoyed this book. Bittner conveys the distinct personalities of each bird entertainingly and movingly and it’s interesting learning about parrots in general. I didn’t think it was quite as successful in showing Bittner’s own feelings towards the birds. Often he’s a little dispassionate - possibly intentionally, he’s certainly uncomfortable with exposing himself so personally - and my favourite parts of the book were those in which his love of the birds (particularly Tupelo and Dogen) shone through.

That said, it is an enchanting book and now I really want to see the accompanying movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Posted by Keris on April 16, 2007 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 9, 2007 8:46 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Sound Of No Hands Clapping by Toby Young

Toby Young's memoir How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is the best example of what could be called self-sabotage lit.

Here is the sequel, The Sound of No Hands Clapping, in which Toby attempts to crack Hollywood, with not one but two screenplay attempts - including one for an uber-producer whose identity is kept hidden (make your own mind up)...

Although this memoir is enjoyable, it's a bit fragmented - we go from his first meeting with the producer to  reading about one of Toby's terribly misjudged best man's speeches. Then back to his writing, then off to an argument with his wife, etc. I think the simple truth is that, much as he would like us to believe he's still making stupid mistakes and getting things all wrong, Young has clearly grown up and moved on from his days of stupidity in New York. He still misjudges situations and makes bad decisions, but is a lot more self-aware, and his relationship with his wife and kids proves he's not the ignorant fool of his first book.

Perhaps all that is why I didn't find this book quite as enjoyable as the first - in that book, Toby was making a right old hash of everything from his love life to his friendships to his career. In this one, he seems more settled, happier, and as though he's working harder to dredge up instances of shoddy judgement. Which is probably much better for Young as a person - but not quite as interesting to read about!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Watch the author talk about the book.

Like this? Try How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young or The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on April 9, 2007 in Book related, British Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 3/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 2, 2007 1:45 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Looking for Alaska by John Green

John Green’s Looking for Alaska is probably the book I’ve heard most consistent raves about over the last couple of years (Green’s second book, An Abundance of Katherines, would be in the top 5 too) so part of me was excited about reading it, but equally I expected to be disappointed. I wasn’t.

When Miles Hunter goes away to school he is looking for something to happen. Obsessed with the last words of historical figures, Miles wants to find the Great Perhaps (Francois Rabelais' last words were, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps".) At Culver Creek Boarding School Miles's roommate, nicknamed the Colonel, introduces him to the gorgeous and enigmatic (aren’t they always?) Alaska Young and Miles’s life takes an exiting turn.

The students of Culver Creek are into pranks, sneaking out to smoke and drink, and basically getting away with as much as they can without risk of expulsion. But, of course, when you live on the edge someone’s bound to fall off ...

John Green writes beautifully and I found that once I started reading Looking for Alaska I didn’t want to stop. The book is separated into “Before” (beginning “one hundred thirty six days before”) and “After”, which was a clever device - I found myself reading faster and faster as I got closer to whatever was going to happen  (which you don’t expect me to tell you, do you?).

The characters aren’t exactly original - Miles is the self-conscious, friendless nerdy type, taken in hand by the strong and confident Colonel. As for Alaska - do all teenage boys want a narcissistic depressive who will tease them constantly and never let them know where they stand? Fiction suggests they do. Having said that, I was kind of fascinated by Alaska too, so maybe everyone loves a tragic heroine.

What really stood out for me - apart from the excellent writing - were the teachers (who appeared to be typical cliched authority figures, but were really no such thing), the abrasive but witty dialogue throughout and an inspired scene towards the end that had me laughing out loud.

Looking for Alaska certainly deserves all the accolades that have been heaped upon it and the included preview chapter of An Abundance of Katherines suggests that book does too.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Holes by Louis Sachar

Posted by Keris on April 2, 2007 in American Authors, Debut Novels, More On Monday, Prize Winners, Rating: 4/5, Young Adult | Permalink | Comments (4)

March 19, 2007 9:00 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Heat by Bill Buford

Heat is, according to the subtitle, 'an amateur's adventures as a kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany'. And for a quick precis of the book, you couldn't really ask for a better description. What the subtitle leaves out, however, is that the book also covers the author's disenchantment with his day job, his love affair with most things edible, and pedantic obsessions with points of food history.

The first 50 pages of Heat were dull, dull, dull. Buford makes friends with and begins to work for Manhattan celebrity chef Mario Batali, hero of the Food Network and the man behind a restaurant empire headed up by the legendary Babbo's. The problem is, the beginning of the book is in essence a potted history of Batali's relationship with food, and while the relevance of this is made evident later, at first I was left wondering why I was reading the biography of a chef instead of the memoirs of the author.

Once Buford takes over the narration of the book, however, things improve rapidly. We follow him as he learns to hear and smell the kitchen, and cook by instinct. We watch his progress through the kitchen, see him falling in love with food as a professional, not an amateur, and travel with him as his growing passion for Italian food takes him on several trips to the country, making tortelli in Emilia-Romagna, and butchering in Chianti.

Buford is a likeable narrator, and the descriptions of the food he eats and learns to cook border on the erotic. Erotic, not pornographic. This is food writing by a sensualist who considers the textures, colours, and smells of food to be as important as the flavour, and whose total immersion in the food he's cooking becomes a love affair in itself.

But Heat is not just a book about food. It's a book about consistency, and history, about the relationship between where people live and the food they eat, the way they choose to cook it, and the importance it has in their lives. In amongst the sentiment - which comes across as natural, not forced - there are a number of academic asides about the history and progress of Italian food, making Heat a book that makes you hungry, feeds your brain, and fills you with a sense of continuity and history. Brilliant, once the Batali biography is out of the way.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try:  The Nasty Bits, by Anthony Bourdain

Posted by Aigua Media on March 19, 2007 in American Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 12, 2007 3:48 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen

Rich Cohen's maternal grandfather was Ben Eisenstadt. That name might not ring a bell, but his most popular invention certainly will: Sweet n' Low, those popular pink packets of sugar substitute sent everywhere from England to Israel from a packing plant on a small Brooklyn street. The story of an artificial sweetener isn't necessarily the makings of a great story, but the clue to Sweet and Low's appeal is the subtitle: A Family Story. Taking in disinherited relatives (Cohen's side of the family), mafia connections, strange relatives (a lot of them!) and young Ben's abandonment in the big city as a young teenager, this book is a personal look at how big business affects a family - and tears it apart.

This book wasn't really what I expected, though. I thought it would be, frankly, a slimmer volume, all about Rich Cohen's family and nothing else. It's actually more in-depth and far less lightweight than I would have guessed (don't you hate it when you have to concentrate?!) I learned about everything from accountancy practices (kosher and dodgy - I'm ready to launder money now... not really, FBI!) as well as the history of Brooklyn since its early settlement. Oh yes, and the history of sugar and its alternatives is covered in some detail too. The book is well-researched, very thorough and very well-written.

However, at times I would have preferred a more family-centric chronicle of events, with some of Cohen's research weaved in and worn a little more lightly, rather than entire chapters of history. But I guess that would be a completely different book. I was hooked nonetheless, and there's no doubt it's an interesting, informative and personal (if not always personal enough) read. And if it doesn't make you want to run out and do your own taste test of different alternatives to sugar... well, maybe that's just me!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on March 12, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 26, 2007 7:22 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Independence Day by Jim Keeble

Subtitled 'A Broken Heart's Voyage Around The USA', Jim Keeble's first book is a travelogue with a difference - or, if you like, a purpose - as he traverses the States with a mission to get over being dumped by the love of his life. In the honeymoon capital of the world (Niagara Falls). Just after he's asked her to marry him.

From Las Vegas to Florida, and LA to Minnesota, Keeble goes in search of something, or somebody, to help him over his heartbreak and get his self-esteem back on a level. I would imagine mentioning to a prospective date that he's on the almost immediate rebound wouldn't go down too well, and so it proves when Mary in LA gets spooked by his tearful reminiscences of his former girlfriend and flies to the other side of the country, ostensibly to visit her brother. You can't help thinking the author had a little do with it.

Thankfully, he soon bucks up and finds that the various cities he visit mirror their female inhabitants and he's soon back in the saddle. (Quite literally when he goes to a dude ranch in Arizona and falls for the surgically enhanced charms of Debbie, an ex-cheerleader from Phoenix). 

From what I'd been led to believe by Hugh Grant-heavy movies and er, Vanity Fair, an Englishman barely has to open his mouth in the States to have a bevy of American women falling over themselves to date him, but it takes the hapless Keeble over 200 pages before he gets lucky (at his best friend's wedding). Fortunately he has a wry way with prose and by the time he jets out of JFK back to the UK, he feels reborn in the USA and the reader is cheering along with him.

Independence Day is a fine, funny read and could almost be a self-help book if, like the author, you've been left distraught by the person you thought you wanted to marry but also have an inkling to see the USA in all its glory. And who hasn't been in that position?! [David Stainton]

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Marry Me by Carey Marx or My Fat Brother by Jim Keeble

Posted by Keris on February 26, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 19, 2007 11:07 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Frank Cottrell Boyce's debut children's novel was made into a film directed by Danny Boyle, but the book is far superior. Set at an unspecified date in the near future, two boys discover a bag of stolen money that's been thrown from a passing train. The trouble is it's Sterling and the Euro is due to come in any day, making the cash obsolete and unspendable, so the boys go about trying to get rid of it as fast as they can without attracting the attention of any responsible adults, not least their father and the thieves themselves.

As if the above wasn't enough to cope with, their mother has died and 9-year-old Damian deals with his grief by hiding in a cardboard box "hermitage" and obsessing over saints. The boys' father has no idea how to deal with this or indeed his own grief.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's entertaining, innovative, exciting, sweet, funny and well-written. The boys' grief is dealt with sensitively and also amusingly (which I know sounds odd, but trust me). I'd imagine it'd be an excellent book to read to children from about 8 years old. I really loved it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Bee Season by Myra Goldberg

Posted by Keris on February 19, 2007 in British Authors, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 12, 2007 9:32 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Child of the North by Josephine Cox

I’ve never read a Josephine Cox book. I read an extract of one as part of my English degree and I really didn’t enjoy it at all, so why did I read Child of the North? Because it’s not a Josephine Cox novel, it’s written by Piers Dudgeon with Josephine Cox for a start and it’s more the story of Josephine’s childhood in Lancashire, very near to where I live now.

Josephine Cox grew up as one of ten children in an extremely poor family in Blackburn. Her mother worked in a cotton mill. Strangely - since at school we seemed to study the Industrial Revolution to the exclusion of almost everything else - I’m still pretty interested in the subject and Piers Dudgeon (with Josephine Cox) writes extremely evocatively about the industry and related hardships.

The main problem with this book is that Josephine’s memories are illustrated with extracts from her novels, which are generally sentimental and overblown (if you’ve never read any of her novels, just the titles should give you an idea of what to expect: Angels Cry Sometimes, Her Father’s Sins, Cradle of Thorns). Even the memoir bits suffer from this - Josephine talks about how times were hard but “we made our own fun,” even about how she once received an orange for Christmas. It’s a bit like listening to your grandma after a couple of sweet sherries.

Having said that, I did enjoy the historical aspect of the book and it’s quite entertaining to walk past our local florists and say, “Josephine Cox lived there.”

Rating: 2 out of 5

Like this? Try The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

Posted by Keris on February 12, 2007 in British Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 2/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 5, 2007 10:05 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Nul Points by Tim Moore

Tim Moore’s five books to date have been (mostly) hilarious travelogues, where he puts himself through epic journeys, suffering for our enjoyment whether by trawler across the Arctic Circle (Frost On My Moustache), following the route of the Tour De France (French Revolutions) or recreating the Grand Tours of Renaissance Europe in a knackered Rolls Royce (Continental Drifter). When he’s taken the easier route (a tour of the Monopoly board locations in Do Not Pass Go), the results were patchy, in my opinion. His last travelogue, Spanish Steps found the hapless Moore on a pilgrimage across Spain accompanied by a truculent donkey, and was a rather-him-than-me return to form.

Given that I’m not Scandinavian, the owner of a mullet (anymore) or, shall we say, flamboyant, I’m not exactly in the ideal demographic to review a book about the Eurovision Song Contest (Moore attends the 2005 Contest and describes it like “going to the gay World Cup”). Specifically, Nul Points is Moore’s quest to track down each of the 14 contestants who, since 1974, have returned from their respective Eurovisions with a big fat zero against their country’s flag. Or as he puts it, “the unfortunates left to wander the lonely, windswept summit of Mount Fiasco without a point to their names.”

Many of the zero ‘heroes’ refuse point blank to meet Moore, on the grounds that Eurovision ruined their lives, or in the case of Cetin Alp of Turkey, because he was dead. Celia Lawson of Portugal (her dad was from Bolton) was a nul pointer in 1997 and seems to have suffered some sort of breakdown in the intervening years, and it’s her story which has the most poignancy. The writer (who clearly had a crush on her) only just resisting the urge to hug her and tell everything’s going to be ok when she reveals that she regrets doing Eurovision, after which she could only find work as a chamber maid.

To misquote Kipling (Rudyard not Mr), Moore meets both triumph and disaster on his way round Europe and treats both imposters in the same (mostly) impartial manner. Although, always divertingly entertaining enough, the thing that’s missing for me is Moore’s self-deprecating asides as he pursues his solo goal. It’s all a bit easy for him, and apart from a funny episode when he’s busted for the world’s smallest amount of cannabis at Oslo airport, all the humour is at his subjects' expense. Maybe if Moore himself had attempted to try for Eurovision as a sub-plot it would have perked things up, but perhaps then he would have been entering “Round Ireland With A Fridge” territory, which would have been infinitely worse.

As it is, it’s an agreeable enough read, perhaps one to dip in and out of on holiday. Lets hope next time his destination is a little more challenging. [David Stainton]

Rating: 2 out of 5

Like this? Try The Yes Man by Danny Wallace

Posted by Keris on February 5, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 2/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 29, 2007 10:14 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: My Lucky Star by Joe Keenan

Joe Keenan was a scriptwriter for Frasier, which might give you an idea of his kind of humour. My Lucky Star is his third book featuring Gilbert, Philip and Claire, a trio of screenwriters (well, Philip and Claire are, at least) who manage to get themselves into the most unlikely of scrapes (generally thanks to Gilbert). I enjoyed the first (Blue Heaven) and haven’t yet read the second (Putting on the Ritz), but it didn’t hinder me from enjoying My Lucky Star to the fullest.

Gilbert (the loose-cannon of the three) has been out in LA and has, against all expectations, managed to drum up interest in his screenplay. He invites Claire and Philip out to LA to assist him in adapting a novel for a major producer. They’re understandably suspicious, but assume Gilbert has passed off one of their scripts as his own. They’re wrong, it’s not one of their scripts Gilbert has appropriated, but the script of ... Casablanca (with a few identifying details changed).

Claire and Philip are horrified by the prospect of exposure as unwilling plagiarists, but for various reasons too convoluted to explain here, they stay to help out and find themselves embroiled in ever more outrageous, disastrous and hilarious scenarios.

Like a demented cross between early Jackie Collins, Tales of the City and Will & Grace, My Lucky Star is enormous fun. I laughed out loud loads of times and actually went back a few times to re-read the funniest jokes (and laughed again). It’s intricate and clever and must have been incredibly difficult to write (it took Keenan ten years, fitting it around his all-consuming day job).

There are some fabulous characters (Monty was my favourite, but I love Gilbert too), brilliantly amusing situations, even a bit of Hollywood satire. Plus - and this may put some of you off - if it was a film it would be a 15 (R or even NC17 in the US, I think) due to a number of gay sex scenes, and though they are fairly graphic, Keenan’s dry humour imbues every scene. Plus they’re essential to the plot. No, really.

I loved this book and never picked it up without smiling (and, frequently, saying “I love this book” to the consternation of my ignored husband). If you like dry humour and Hollywood farce, you’ll love it too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try How I Paid for College by Marc Acito

Posted by Keris on January 29, 2007 in American Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Rating: 5/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 22, 2007 5:59 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

You may know acerbic chef Anthony Bourdain as an American Gordon Ramsay; the two men are known for their foul mouths, confrontational leadership styles, and high standards in the kitchen. Both are celebrity chefs, although following the publication of 2001's highly successful Kitchen Confidential Bourdain left the kitchen behind to eat the world, drinking moonshine along the Mee Kong River and drooling over slices of o-toro at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market.

His travels produced at least one show for America's Food Network, the glorious A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal, and a host of restaurant reviews, magazine articles, and eloquent rants. It is these that are collected in The Nasty Bits, which can best be described as a compendium of one man's love affair with food and those who make it.

In this fast-paced, frenetic collection of essays and articles Bourdain waxes lyrical about the critical role Mexicans and El Salvadorians play in America's kitchens, sends himself up in a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas homage, and describes meals that make you salivate even if you do as I did and eat while you read, with the occasional detour into mob bosses and organised crime.

While he comes across as a caustic and abrasive man, there is no doubting his passion for food. But Bourdain's obsession does not stop with the ingredients - he is as passionate about the people who prepare and grow food as he is about the food itself. Restaurant reviews often include thumbnail sketches of the head chef, but the rest of the kitchen is not ignored - Bourdain fervently believes it takes a certain sort of person to work in a restaurant kitchen, and the book contains a number of tributes to them.

The Nasty Bits is a fascinating read for any foodie, although it's probably best enjoyed after Kitchen Confidential or A Cook's Tour. As with any collection of essays, the essayist is almost as important to the enjoyment of the book as the words on the page. Those unfamiliar with Bourdain may find it easier to begin with a more structured work - even Kitchen Confidential, his memoir, could be said to have a plot - but for anyone who's enjoyed Bourdain's writing or television work in the past, The Nasty Bits is great fun to dip in and out of, and perfect to read while commuting.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for Bourdain fans, 4 out of 5 for the uninitiated

Like This? Try The Food of Love, by Anthony Capella, or Dirty Sugar Cookies, by Ayun Halliday

Posted by Aigua Media on January 22, 2007 in More On Monday | Permalink | Comments (1)

January 15, 2007 10:08 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Screen Burn by Charlie Brooker

A collection of Charlie Brooker's Guardian TV columns, Screen Burn is acerbic and hilarious.

Brooker mainly reviews things he hates which makes for fantastically vicious and entertaining reading. His description of Jonathan Wilkes replacing Lisa Riley as presenter of You've Been Framed is a perfect example:

'... like substituting a lump of sick for a lump of snot: equally bad yet somehow worse.'

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Yes he's violent (frequently suggesting, fantasising about and delighting in stabbings, massacres and even the beating of children) but he's always hilarious and there are so few books which provide a laugh-out-loud on every page. And how can you not love someone who calls mediums 'corpse whisperers'.

Put it in the loo and you'll look forward to going.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About by Mil Millington

Posted by Keris on January 15, 2007 in British Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 8, 2007 3:35 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Story of My Life by Jay McInerney

I didn't think I would like Jay McInerney. He was part of an '80s group of writers (along with the more famous Bret Easton Elis - author of American Psycho - and the less famous Tama Janowitz) known as the (literary) 'Brat Pack', who chronicled life in Manhattan in the decade of greed. I've also seen him in interviews and assumed from them that his books were anarchic but vapid, shallow cocaine-glorifying romps. Story of my Life proved me seriously wrong. Not that it isn't about drug use and shallow people - the novel features a lot of both - but it doesn't glorify either and offers some hope of escape by the end. It's also brilliantly sharply written and very, very funny.

Alison Poole is a twenty-year old aspiring actress living in New York City. Her rich father is supposed to be funding her education, but keeps flaking on her, so she has to survive on her wits (which she does brilliantly, if not always morally). She's quick-witted, clever, promiscuous and a regular drug-user who has seen and done too much, too young. Ye somehow McInerney also makes her sweet, charming and a wonderful narrator for this slice-of-life story...

Alison bursts onto the page and into your mind from the first sentence: "I'm like, I don't believe this s***." Then she holds your attention completely throughout this short but sweet (and occasionally sour) novel. I'm not someone who relishes reading about drugs and sex and cocaine (I edit a chick-lit website after all), so trust me when I say this book is brilliant. And it doesn't take things too far either - it might occasionally border on crude but is so funny and relate-able you don't care. Mostly it's about the emotional impact of such a lifestyle and it certainly doesn't glorify living the way Alison does.

It's bold, intelligent and as I said before, very very funny. It's definitely a different read to the books we usually cover, but I think most chick-lit fans will love it: it's about a strong, bright female heroine making her way in the world, despite the obstacles of her past. And who can't relate to that?

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on January 8, 2007 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

December 18, 2006 12:13 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Feel by Chris Heath

A few years ago I read Literally, a biography of The Pet Shop Boys by Chris Heath. It was utterly compelling, brilliantly written and totally transporting. So I was excited to see that Chris Heath had written a biography of Robbie Williams, whom I lurve.

I was a bit worried it wouldn’t meet the high standard set by Literally, but Feel is everything I expected and more. It's not just a biography of a star, it's a meditation on - and expose of - celebrity and modern culture. And it's really very funny.

Chris Heath got to know Robbie extremely well and has captured brilliantly the contradictions that, in my opinion, make Robbie such a fascinating character. For example, if Robbie values his privacy as highly as he claims, why did he agree to a journalist spending a year with him and writing a book which includes intensely private moments and emotions? You don’t get any answers (well, not many), just more questions about why anyone would choose to be famous in this age of total celebrity obsession.

Feel is a brilliantly written, thought-provoking, gripping, funny book. Whether you love, like, hate, or are indifferent to Robbie Williams, I highly recommend you read it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn

More on Monday archives

Posted by Keris on December 18, 2006 in British Authors, Girly Stuff, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Richard and Judy | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 27, 2006 12:44 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Joy Diet by Martha Beck

Martha Beck is not just a life coach, she's "Oprah Winfrey's life coach", and if you need a better recommendation than that, there's probably no helping you!

The Joy Diet isn't a weightloss diet. Martha explains in the introduction that she's using the original meaning of the word diet, "a way of living or thinking," and the book's subtitle is "10 daily practices for a happier life".  The thing I love about Martha Beck is though she's that very new agey thing - a life coach - she's profoundly practical.  She's also extremely funny. 

The ten practices (or "ingredients") of The Joy Diet are "nothing" (i.e. meditation), "truth" - telling the truth about your life and situation (you should also, as Martha puts it, "offer compassion to your inner lying scumbag"), "desire", "creativity", "risk", "treats" (my favourite), "play", "laughter", "connection" and "feasting".  See, Martha is all about being good to yourself and listening to your body (and soul) to work out what's wrong with your life and how you can make it right. 

It is impossible to read anything written by Martha Beck without feeling inspired.  She recommends that you work through the practices in order, making sure each one feels like second nature before moving on to the next.  I've had the book for years and I've never managed it (she flummoxed me by putting "nothing" - which she admits is the hardest one - first) but I will often pick the book up and read whichever chapter feels most meaningful to me at the time. 

I know I sound like an infomercial or something, but I really am evangelical about Ms Beck.  I first discovered her when I read an article she'd written on "seizing the day" in an American magazine.  It's absolutely not too strong to say it changed my life.  Her book, Finding Your Own North Star, is brilliant if you're still looking for your "right life", but if you are doing what you love and yet still feel a bit "bleh" then you need The Joy Diet.  (Even if you're not doing what you love, I'd still recommend The Joy Diet, but I'd suggest you run to a bookshop - or click like you've never clicked before - and buy Finding Your Own North Star first). 

Rating 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Gulp! by Gabriella Goddard

More on Monday archives

Posted by Keris on November 27, 2006 in American Authors, Girly Stuff, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5, Self development | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 20, 2006 4:24 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Holes by Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar's Holes is one of those books described as 'crossover', meaning it was written for children, but it's so good that adults ended up buying their own copies, too.

A miscarriage of justice sees Stanley Yelnats [notice the palindrome?] sent to a detention centre for young boys called Camp Green Lake. There, he and his fellow inmates are forced to dig a hole a day, every day in the dried up desert, with only very limited supplies of food and water. Their holes must be- five feet wide and five feet deep and there's no escape as they're in such an isolated area... The Warden of Green Lake describes thier back-breaking labour as "character building."

But what's really going on? Stanley is determined to find out...

Obviously I'm not going to give away the plot, but suffice it to say that Stanley gets to the bottom of the holes (metaphorically speaking) and manages to turn his history of bad luck around. Part adventure story, part morality tale, Holes is a fantastic and exciting read for any age group!

Rating: 4 out of 5

DID YOU KNOW? Holes was made into a 2003 film starring Sigourney Weaver.

Like this? Try The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on November 20, 2006 in American Authors, Book related, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 13, 2006 2:14 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty

Since it's NaNovember, I thought a NaNo related More on Monday may be appropriate. Chris Baty is the founder of NaNoWriMo and his book No Plot? No Problem! was written with the NaNo challenge in mind (it's subtitled A High-velocity, Low-stress Way to Write a Novel in 30 Days).

Even if the thought of writing 50,000 words in a month fills you with horror - but you've still got that novel idea in the back of your mind - this could still be the book for you.

What you get in No Plot? No Problem! is a more detailed (and hilarious) account of why NaNoWriMo works - your first draft is not meant to be great, in fact it's better if it isn't. What you need for a first draft is words on the page.

It's not about how to write (there are tons of books for that) but rather how to force your bum on to the seat, learn to ignore your inner critic (the one that tells you what you're writing is rubbish), stop procrastinating with endless cups of tea and chocolate digestives (oh, right, that's me) and actually get some work done.

It's motivational, inspirational and, like I said, very funny. You could use it to challenge yourself to write a novel in any month (it doesn't have to be November, you know!) or just as a practical and entertaining back-up to any sort of writing.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Intro to NaNovember / More on Monday archives

Posted by Keris on November 13, 2006 in American Authors, More On Monday, NaNovember, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 10, 2006 10:37 AM

Lionel Shriver loves snooker!

Author of We Need To Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver admitted to a fondness for snooker at a recent reading in Sheffield as part of the city's Off The Shelf festival.  Her next novel, The Post-Birthday World (due in March next year) will even feature a scene at the world snooker championships at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

As a native of Sheffield and a big fan of Shriver's novel, this made me feel inordinately proud... shame I hate snooker, though.

[Via The Sheffield Telegraph].

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on November 10, 2006 in American Authors, Book News, Book related, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, New Releases, Prize Winners | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 6, 2006 11:37 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Woman who walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle

The Woman who walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle is not the most enjoyable or pleasant book you'll ever read, but it is probably one of the very best.

It's the story of Paula Spencer, a working-class Irish woman whose husband and father of her children Charlo subjects her to appalling physical abuse throughout their marriage until finally, and violently, he dies. (I'm not spoiling the plot here- that's made clear in the first few pages).

It's also emotional, incredibly real and often gut-wrenching.

It's hard to believe this book is written by a man as the first-person narrator, Paula, is so real and vivid and the narration is always believable, even as it becomes more horrifying. We learn the history of her relationship with Charlo- how he made her knees go weak when she first met him, to the horrific abuse he dealt out. We also learn about Paula's childhood and upbringing and her family background and there are moments of wonderful although dark humour, too.

Doyle has a particular gift for capturing cruelty and realism, and it's used to great effect here. The scenes of abuse are genuinely disturbing and frightening and although it's not a true story, obviously (unfortunately) it's a story that will ring true with many people and that makes the emotional impact stronger.

It's a dark book, not a read to cherish or 'enjoy' as such, but one that's so addictively well-written you can't help devouring it to the very end. And when you do, the reward is that things are starting to look up after Charlo's death; finally Paula has the chance to move forward. We have to believe she'll take it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

*DID YOU KNOW?* Ten years on from the publication of this book, Roddy Doyle has brought out a sequel, Paula Spencer, which is getting very good reviews.

Like this? Try We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver.

More on Monday archives.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on November 6, 2006 in Book related, Irish Authors, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 30, 2006 11:55 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I know I mentioned last week that the word "unputdownable" is overused in book reviews, but it got me thinking about the books I didn't want to put down and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins was definitely one of those.

It's a melodramatic mystery thriller (in fact Collins is often credited with being the originator of the modern mystery). Told by a selection of different narrators, along with diary extracts and other documents, the book begins with Walter Hartright accepting a position as a drawing master to two "young ladies" - Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie. But before taking up the position he meets a mysterious woman all dressed in white and helps her escape from her pursuers. He is horrified when he hears that she has escaped from an asylum.

On arriving at his new home, Walter falls immediately in love with Laura (who looks a lot like the woman in white), but Laura has promised her father that she will marry evil Sir Percival Glyde. And then - and I don't say this lightly - all hell breaks loose.

Don't be put off by the fact that The Woman in White is a "classic", it's amazingly readable and seems much more modern than anything by Collins's friend and contemporary, Charles Dickens. With wonderful, original, infuriating and dreadful characters, a tragic love story, twists and turns, shocks and reversals, you'll want to stay up all night to finish this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Did you know? The Woman in White has been turned into a musical.

Posted by Keris on October 30, 2006 in British Authors, Classic Novels, Crime / Mystery, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 23, 2006 4:07 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

American David Sedaris is well-known across the pond for his humorous essays about his eccentric family and the strange things that happen to him, but he's a lot less well-known over here, despite the fact that he lives in Europe (in France). Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is his most recent book, published last year. After loving one of his earlier offerings, Me Talk Pretty One Day (click that link to read an extract), I was a little disappointed by his other books Barrel Fever and Naked, which I found a bit patchy. Thankfully, with Dress... Sedaris is back on very funny form.

The autobiographical stories/essays in this collection span from Sedaris's childhood- taking in his weird neighbours, rich old relatives and childhood bullies-  to the modern day and the problems of how to get rid of mice in your French farmhouse (drown them on your front doorstep?) There's some very unusual characters here but most entertaining are David and his family, which includes his chain-smoking mother and perma-swearing brother Paul, and his sister Tiffany, who likes to chat whilst on the toilet... they're an odd, colourful bunch, and an endless source of amusement. Not because we're laughing at them, but with them (and maybe feeling a little bit better about ourselves in the process...) David is also endearingly honest about his somewhat obsessive-compulsive tendencies and those odd thoughts that most of us tend to keep to ourselves!

It's hard for me to believe, but I know not everyone loves this type of humour. If Woody Allen's films leave you cold and you think Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker and Carrie Fisher are over-rated hags (what?!), you probably won't enjoy this book. Likewise, if you're offended by swearing and sexual innuendo (not to mention mouse-drowning) there's moments here that will make you cringe. But if you like a book to make you laugh and reading about someone else's problems makes you feel better, this book is a dream.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Conversations and Cosmopolitans by Robert Rave and Jane Rave; Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip.

More on Monday archives.

Posted by Aigua Media on October 23, 2006 in American Authors, Book related, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 16, 2006 3:38 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: We Need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This is one of the most controversial books I've ever reviewed for Trashionista, a real 'love it or hate it' novel (many of my friends fall into the latter category, but I know a lot of people who really enjoyed it too- if 'enjoy' is the right word for such a bleak story). It won the Orange Prize in 2005, and deservedly so. But what's all the fuss about?

We Need to talk about Kevin is narrated by Eva Katchadourian in the form of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin. Their son Kevin is in prison for mass murder and Eva is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life. Shunned by the community and feeling isolated from her family, she's also lost her business and can't see any kind of future for herself. So she looks to the past, going over the events of the last twenty years to try to make sense of why her life ended up this way. She wants to know why Kevin turned out the way he did: was it nature or nurture?

That's a question that the reader has to draw their own conclusions about and one of the things I loved about this novel was this moral ambiguity- although Eva wants a child for all the wrong reasons, can she really be blamed for the way Kevin turns out? She isn't a likeable character, and yet at times I identified with her and understood why she came to hate Kevin. At other times, it's clear she loves her son very much- and a terrible mother surely wouldn't, after all he's done. There's lots to think about and debate here: when does a parent stop being responsible for their child's behaviour? Is an overbearing parent better or worse than a slightly detached one? Who sees Kevin's true character, his mother or father? How reliable a narrator is Eva? I've got a feeling that multiple readings of the book would yield new interpretations and layers of meaning.

I also admired the way Shriver created a story in which none of the characters come across as at all likeable, and she skilfully controls the reader's reactions- at times I was sad for Eva, at other times I disliked her intensely, and I hated Kevin almost from the beginning but had to remind myself that I wasn't hearing about him from a necessarily reliable narrator. It's a complex book, very well-structured. By about half-way through you know how it will end, and yet the ending is still a shocking and compelling read.

I can see why some people wouldn't like it: it's not a pleasant story, and I'm sure it makes parents rather uncomfortable! It's also rather slow to get started, and takes concentration in the early chapters to pick up on what the narrator is talking about. But then it takes off, and you're gripped! It's a hugely affecting story that stays with you long after you've finished reading, and one of the best books I've ever read.

Rating: 5 out of 5

*DID YOU KNOW?* Lionel Shriver changed her name to sound like a man's, as men have greater literary success...

Like this? Try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on October 16, 2006 in American Authors, Classic Novels, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

October 9, 2006 2:13 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

If you haven't read any Bill Bryson yet then all I can say is where have you been? Since Notes From A Small Island hit the bestseller lists, Bryson has been enormously successful and popular. Books about travelling around the US and Europe, Africa and Australia followed and earlier books on the English Language were quickly rereleased. A departure into popular science with A Short History of Nearly Everything was another hit and now, with The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, he's written a memoir. Except he hasn't really. Read on to find out why not.

Bryson was born in 1951 and this book is predominantly about the 1950s, most of which he presumably was too young to remember. I've read a number of reviews that claim The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid just doesn't cut it as autobiography, but that's missing the point. This book is less an autobiography and more a travelogue of Fifties America - a fascinating time in a fascinating place. (I imagine it has been marketed as memoir to capitalise on people's interest in and goodwill towards Bryson himself - he really does come across as a sort of lovely favourite uncle.)

We do learn about his childhood and family - his mother was absent-minded and an appalling cook, his father liked to walk around the house naked from the waist down, and we of course learn about Bill's "Thunderbolt Kid" alter-ego - but the majority of the book is given over to a time before couscous, but of enormous wealth and change (in the US). I found it absolutely fascinating and often hilarious.

No, it's not really a memoir, but it's still a fabulous and funny read.

Rating: 5 out of 5

If you like this, try Candyfreak by Steve Almond

Posted by Keris on October 9, 2006 in American Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, New Releases, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 2, 2006 11:36 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

With the film version of Armistead Maupin's most recent book, The Night Listener, about to hit cinemas, I thought it was time to mention another of my all-time favourites, the Tales of the City series.

Tales of the City is the first in a series of six books set in San Franciso in the late seventies and early eighties. Mary Ann Singleton is a sheltered secretary from Cleveland when she visits San Francisco for the first time and decides to stay. Moving into 28 Barbary Lane she meets and befriends a cast of outrageous but totally believable and charming characters, pretty much all of whom I fell in love with.

Probably the most popular and best-known character of the series is Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, apparently based on the author himself. Mouse is just gorgeous, vulnerable and real, and even though he's a gay man I identified with him more than Mary Ann so I was very excited to hear that Maupin his finally signed a deal for a new book. It's called Michael Tolliver Lives and, though some other Tales characters may appear, it's primarily about Mouse aged 55 and living with HIV.

But I digress. The Tales of the City series is a modern soap opera. It's far-fetched, melodramatic, unbelievable, stuffed with ridiculous plot twists and coincidences, but I defy you not to fall in love with it. I read the first and then could not rest until I'd read the other five. I've recommended them to everyone. I exclaimed out loud - with shock or delight - when reading them (sometimes in public). Yep, as so many reviews say, I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down. Really. I can't recommend this series highly enough.

Of course, if you're obsessed as me, you'll know that Tales of the City, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City were all made into TV mini-series (starring Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis) and are available on DVD.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Did you know? If you're heading to San Francisco you can take the Tales of the City tour (yes, I've done it).

Posted by Keris on October 2, 2006 in American Authors, Book News, Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Girly Stuff, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Prize Winners, Rating: 5/5, Romance, Series, Television | Permalink | Comments (5)

September 25, 2006 11:46 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard

If you've never heard of Elmore Leonard, you'll doubtless have heard of Out of Sight, made into a 1998 film starring J-Lo (before she was J-Lo) and the Cloonster. Or you might have heard of some of his other books: Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, Be Cool...? Leonard is a living legend. His books have inspired Tarantino and many other movie makers, and with their fast pace, snappy dialogue, pop cultural references and just general hipness, it's easy to see why.

Out of Sight is the story of Jack Foley, a career criminal who's become a celebrity in the bank-robbing business and who's hatched an elaborate plan to break out of jail and evade the law. He makes it out of jail, but deputy US Marshall Karen Sisco is smarter than the cops he usually has to give the slip to, and she's not about to let Jack go without a fight...

Like all Elmore's books, this one is so cool! It's very cinematic, with little description and lots of talk (he's one of the masters of dialogue) and lots of action (never a dull moment). There's violence and bad people in Out of Sight, but it's not dumb violence- it's always integral to the story and adds an air of authenticity. And Elmore always stops before it gets too much- which is perhaps why his books appeal to as many women as men. This is the kind of book where you're actually cheering on the 'bad guys', but you feel for the good guys too. I love this mix of moral complexity and escapism. The characters are morally complex, too- Karen Sisco's job is to bring in Jack Foley, but after being taken hostage by him for a few days, she feels herself falling for him, and is conflicted about putting him back behind bars...

I read this book after seeing the film years earlier, and I'm glad I did it that way round- I imagined Sisco and Foley as Lopez and Clooney (they allegedly hated each other, but it made for great sexual tension, which is a large part of the book too).

A quote from The Guardian on the back of the book says, "Out of sight contains all the best qualities of Leonard's writing: humour, black and good; timing; just the right amount of action, and major cool."  Too right. Leonard is one of the coolest writers of all time- effortlessly conveying the struggles of the criminal underworld. It almost spoils the illusion to discover he's an eighty-something white guy from a posh area of Georgia...

Rating: 5 out of 5

*Did you know?* Out of Sight was the inspiration for Karen Sisco, a short-lived TV series that was actually not half bad (ITV1 used to show it at around midnight) and which starred Robert Forster (Max Cherry in Jackie Brown).

Like this? Try One Shot by Lee Child.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on September 25, 2006 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5, Television | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 18, 2006 7:22 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle and the father of two young children when he had a stroke that left him completely paralysed with "locked-in syndrome". In other words, he had full consciousness, but was unable to move anything except for blinking one eye (the other eye was sewn shut to prevent infection).

Someone - he doesn't explain who - came up with a system in which the alphabet is rearranged in order of the letters used most frequently in French and then the person with whom he wanted to communicate would read this alphabet and Bauby would blink to alert them to stop at the required letter. And in that manner the entire book was dictated. I know. It's incredible. But is it readable? Carry on over the cut to find out.

I heard about this book years ago and have always wanted to read it, but I was put off - in a strange way - by my expectation that it would contain some secret of life, some advice on how to live that perhaps I wasn't ready for (who wants to know how to live when there's so much good stuff on the TV?!) and at first I was disappointed that it didn't.

I expected Bauby to be serene and accepting and wise and he really isn't. He's just a man, trapped in a failing body, angry that he's missing out on his life and upsetting his friends and family, annoyed when an orderly forgets to turn off the TV, and, by the end of the book I found that just as inspiring as whatever life lessons I thought he might provide.

What this book teaches and what I believe Bauby wanted to convey is that this could happen to anyone at any time. The things he thinks about aren't big life questions, but lighthouses, beaches, a cup of coffee with a friend. In other words, the things we all take for granted.

So, yes, the lesson of the book is take time to smell the roses because, well, you know, we're all dying - in other words, something we all know anyway - but the incredible lenghs Bauby went to to get the message across reinforces the fact that we really should pay attention. No matter what's on TV.

Posted by Keris on September 18, 2006 in Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (6)

September 4, 2006 10:24 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

This week's More on Monday isn't a book I've just read - it's my favourite book of all time: Bryce Courtenay’s first novel The Power of One.

It's the story of Peekay, a white boy growing up in South Africa in the 1940s. We meet him first aged five and at boarding school where he is mercilessly bullied (‘I had had no previous warning that I was wicked and it came as a fearful surprise’ ), his only friend a rooster he names Granpa Chook. You won’t be surprised to hear that the chicken doesn’t make it to the end of the book. But Peekay - Peekay becomes a champion boxer - and I, for one, fell completely in love with him.

I have two memories of reading this book. The first: on a train, breathless and shocked by the brutality of Peekay’s first boxing match, glancing around the carriage expecting the other passengers to look as bright-eyed and enthralled as me. The second: lying on my bed forcing myself to slow my reading and savour the last few pages, but still finishing all too soon and in tears. I dreamt about Peekay after finishing the book - the first, last and only time I’ve dreamt about a fictional character.

The Power of One is gripping, funny, sad, inspirational. Everyone should read this book.

If you like this, try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Did you know? The Power of One was made into a (quite good, but not as good as the book) movie starring Stephen Dorff and Morgan Freeman.

Posted by Keris on September 4, 2006 in Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 28, 2006 9:31 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith

Blue Shoes and Happiness is the seventh in Alexander McCall Smith's enormously popular No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I have read and loved each of the previous books even though once I've read them I find I don't remember much about them, except an urge to smile every time I think about the world of Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi and Mr JLB Matekoni. If you haven't yet discovered the series, well, you've got a treat in store. If you have then read on to see if this latest story meets expectations.

Mma Ramotswe is a "traditionally built" (i.e. large) woman who runs the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency (Botswana's only ladies' detective agency). Her assistant, Mma Makutsi graduated with 97% from Bostwana Secretarial College and her husband, Mr JLB Matekoni owns Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors and tries to control his two apprentices.

In Blue Shoes and Happiness there's a crisis for Mma Makutsi when she reveals to her fiance that she is in fact a feminist, a doctor tampers with his patients blood pressure measurements, a cook sneaks government food out to feed her husband, and Mma Ramotswe starts to think she might be too traditionally built and should, perhaps, go on a diet!

The cases brought to the detective agency are usually very mild and don't take much detecting (as Mma Makutsi points out in this book, most of them are solved by Mma Ramotswe asking someone a direct question), but you don't read these books for the intrigue, more for the descriptions of Botswana and the gentle humour and charm of the stories.

I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed them all. They're perfect books for curling up with and just drifting away to another place.

Posted by Keris on August 28, 2006 in British Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release, Series | Permalink | Comments (2)

August 21, 2006 10:00 AM

MORE ON MONDAY: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is a hilarious book, which makes you root for the author- but find him frequently annoying and offensive, too!  Toby Young moved to New York when he got the cream of journalism assignments: contributing editor at Vanity Fair.  Unfortunately, he chose to interpret the 'smart-casual' dress code as meaning 'turn up in old jeans and a Keanu Reeves t-shirt with a lewd slogan on the front'.

And thus the alienation began...

This is car-crash reading: even someone who knows nothing about journalism or American society shouldn't make the  kind of career-suicide mistakes that Young does.  And so it's not surprising that things don't quite work out for him on the other side of the pond.  He's brazen, lecherous, inappropriate at every turn- and doesn't really work that hard.  Why does he squander the biggest opportunity of his life like this?  I'm not sure he even knows himself.

Clearly, although it didn't work out for him in at Vanity Fair, it has worked out for him in the publishing world, as this gossipy memoir was a big hit both here and in the U.S (they love laughing at us crazy Brits!)  Reading this book, you've got to admire Toby Young's shamelessness and ability to laugh at himself- if I'd made half this number of stupid mistakes, I wouldn't even tell my closest friends; he tells the world.

If you're interested in America, the magazine world, or crazy Brits behaving badly, then you'll love this book... although the behaviour of its author might well baffle you!

*Watch a 'meet the author' video of Toby Young talking about this book and its sequel, The Sound of No Hands Clapping. *

Rating: 4 out of 5

Like this? Try Marry Me by Carey Marx.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 21, 2006 in British Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

August 14, 2006 1:43 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: My Life So Far by Jane Fonda

I was more familiar with Jane Fonda as workout queen than anything else so I probably wouldn't have picked this book up, but I read a preview and was hooked. Fonda has had an incredible life (so far). From enormously successful actress to (enormously successful) exercise instructor to (enormously successful) activist, she is an inspiration.

Much more than a movie star memoir, My Life So Far covers everything from Fonda's mother's suicide and her lonely childhood to her three marriages, two children, and the scandal surrounding her anti-Vietnam War campaigning. Of course, her painful relationship with her father is threaded throughout as is her own growth and development as a person (and a woman). Occasionally a bit of ego creeps through - I wonder if the guests at her 60th birthday party were as delighted with the gift of a 20 minute video of her life as she imagined - but with someone as famous Jane Fonda you can't really complain.

Not only is this book enthralling and inspiring, it's also brilliantly written (I don't know if it's ghostwritten, but from what I've just read I wouldn't put it past her to have written the whole thing herself). This is a wonderful book everyone should read.

Posted by Keris on August 14, 2006 in American Authors, Celebrity Authors, Memoirs, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 7, 2006 12:52 PM

MORE ON MONDAY: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

This week's More on Monday is even more of a departure than usual: not only is it not chick-lit, it's not even fiction- and it's written by (gasp!) a man, albeit one with a reassuringly funky afro hairdo.

"The Tipping Point" refers to the moment in time when an idea grabs hold of the public consciousness: when something becomes a trend, or a popular behaviour, or a best-selling book.  How and why these things happen is of course partly due to media hype, but how does the media know what to hype?  Why do some ideas take off and not others- and how can this be accurately predicted?  The Tipping Point answers all of these questions and more and its revelations will challenge your long-standing beliefs and turn some popular misconceptions on their head...  For example, did you know that environment has a huge influence on behaviour, that suicide can be catching, or that Blue's Clues is the most educational TV show ever?   You soon will...

Subtitled how the little things can make a big difference, that's exactly what this book sets out to prove.  Using examples from popular culture and real life, Malcolm Gladwell shows that the best way to consider word-of-mouth, fashion trends and even human behaviour is to think of them as epidemics, and then consider how they are spread.  He looks at the different personality types that facilitate these 'epidemics' (connectors, mavens and salesmen) and the set of circumstances that have to be in place (the 'stickiness factor' and the law of context) in order for them to spread.  He also explains how using this information has helped clothing companies stay in business, New York City reduce its levels of crime and why teenage smoking will always be a problem unless Tipping Point-type principles are used to help combat it.

I always thought that Sesame Street held kids captivated, that suicide was only the province of the seriously mental ill and that teenage behaviour could usually be blamed on the parents... but it turns out I was wrong about all of that and more- and Gladwell has the case studies to prove it.

If you'd told me that a book that talks about principles of science, sociology, epidemiology (!) and economics would be fun, interesting and downright unputdownable, I'd have found it hard to believe- but The Tipping Point IS that book!  It's a book that everyone should read, so powerful and interesting are the ideas it contains.  It's not just a book of ideas though- it's written with warmth and humour, and in a general interest style, aimed at everyone, rather than a dry thesis just for academics.  Perhaps the review from The Telegraph puts it best: A wonderfully offbeat study of that little-understood phenomenon, the social epidemic ... THE TIPPING POINT is a very subtle piece of work, coming out with ideas -not necessarily his own -that make conventional solutions to social problems seem criminally naïve ...

You'll even learn why the well-known game should be changed to "Six Degrees of Rod Steiger", instead of Kevin Bacon... and if that's not worth the cover price,  then frankly, I don't know what is.

For more info, check out Malcolm Gladwell's website.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossieni, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

Posted by DIANE SHIPLEY on August 7, 2006 in American Authors, More On Monday, Non Fiction, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)

July 24, 2006 3:34 PM

MORE ON MONDAY : One Shot by Lee Child

Lee Child is currently one of the most exciting names in crime thriller writing. His series of books about maverick Jack Reacher are now some of the most eagerly awaited. This, the most recent lived up to all my expectations - good plot, plenty of twists and turns, and Reacher at his best.

When a lone sniper assassinates five office workers at the end of the working day the town is shocked. Their fears are abated rapidly with the swift arrest of the shooter, though the police are less sure. The trail was a little too clean, and when they arrested him Barr had only one thing to say - 'Get Reacher'...

When Reacher is summoned he finds Barr a familiar face. Their paths crossed when Reacher was a military policeman and Barr a marine. After Barr commited an awful crime politics and orders from above stopped Reacher from being able to follow through on the punishment he felt was required. Reacher can't imagine what would have made Barr call for him - he was left in no doubt of what would happen if their paths crossed again.

Quickly Reacher realises there is more to this case than the police realise. He begins to investigate and manages to turn up a tangled web of conspiracy - the real question is who gave the order for Barr to shoot, and why? The police begin to suspect there is more to Reacher than they believed, so Reacher must evade them, as well as representatives of the mastermind behind the plot. Will Reacher be able to solve the case in time?

Child weaves a complex but believable plot with ease. I personally found the evidence and forensics fascinating - I never once found myself doubting what I was being told (this doesn't happen often when I'm reading crime novels). Reacher is a rich character who is well supported in this book by a well balanced supporting cast.

This is a fast paced, well written thriller. Make sure you have plenty of time to sit and read it - its very hard to put down!

Rating : 4 out of 5

Posted by Jenni on July 24, 2006 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5, Series | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 17, 2006 8:53 PM

MORE ON MONDAY : Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen

Tess Gerritsen is a former doctor who has now ventured into the world of writing. To date she has written a range of crime/thriller novels which have brought her millions of fans worldwide. This book, 'Bloodstream' was released in 1998 and happens to be one of my personal favourites. When Dr Claire Elliot chooses Tranquility as the ideal place for bringing her teenage son up she has no idea what the near future is going to bring...

Claire has taken over as local doctor in the town of Tranquility, Maine. She's being met with a lot of opposition; she's young, she's female, and well she's just not what they're used to. Slowly she begins to win the community over - but as the winter begins to approach something strange begins to happen. Violence breaks out in the local high school and there doesn't seem to be any logical cause. When it all starts to turn deadly Claire starts to wonder what could be at the root of it.

The community has seen this all before. None of them know what caused it before, and none of them know what is causing it now. It is down to Claire to try and work out why the town's teenagers are being driven to kill, and fast!

This is a fast paced thriller that will keep you turning the page. Whilst it has a medical theme it doesn't get bogged down in technical detail and doesn't require you to have a medical degree to understand what is going on. I promise you that the ending will not be what you expected, but its believable all the same. The plot and characters are well conceived and created making this the great book it is.

Rating : 4 out of 5

Posted by Jenni on July 17, 2006 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 4/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 3, 2006 12:49 PM

MORE ON MONDAY : The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Last week I promised you something new to look forward to on a Monday, and here it is. The new feature you can look forward to on a Monday is 'More On Monday. Each week we will feature a book that isn't chick lit, but that we think you will enjoy all the same.

The first book featured in 'More On Monday' is Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner". Carry on across the cut to read the review.

This book tells the story of Afghans Amir and Hassan. Childhood friends, there is one major difference between the two boys; Hassan is the son of Amir's father's servant. Despite their respective social standings the two boys are brought up as brothers, until one day an incident occurs that means life will never be the same for either boy. When Afghanistan falls into conflict first against the Russians and then the Taliban, Amir and his father flee. It is a letter many years later that leads Amir back to the country of his bith and the demons he thought he'd left behind.

The 'Kite Runner' of the title is Hassan, and this tradition is described in great detail within the book. This detail is one of the finest features of this book - Hosseini describes everything in such a way that you can almost believe you're there within the plot of the book. You can see everything unfolding around you.

This book is truly marvellous. The plot is enthralling, and the characters are vibrant. It is impossible to put it down so make sure you have some free time in which to read it. I really can't recommend it enough!

Rating : 5 out of 5

Posted by Jenni on July 3, 2006 in Classic Novels, Debut Novels, Modern Fiction, More On Monday, Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)