Book Review – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

I recently acquired a beautiful copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, complete with original drawings. The silver leafed pages and innocent curiosity drew me down the rabbit hole and into this classic story. Being raised on Disney, scenes from the two books were constantly picked up in my mind and…

Book review – Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North

I’m not sure if I finished my next book. I read the words, ‘THE END’ several times. But I didn’t actually ready every page. If you’re wondering what I am talking about, then think back to your early reading years when you read the classic, Choose Your Own Adventure books*. Romeo and/or Juliet is one…

Book review – How to Be Single by Liz Tuccillo

I started reading this book on a Saturday night, home alone. I’d been in pyjamas from around 5pm, before finally turning in for bed around 8pm. In other words, don’t expect this book to change your life from page 1. How to Be Single is a novel from one of the authors of He’s Just…

Book review – The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

When thinking about book titles, you need to think about what your target audience will be interested in, while also conveying the story or message within the pages. So, if someone is looking in the general fiction section of a bookstore, you can generally assume they are interested in fiction, books and stories about people….

Book review – Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr Seuss

Oh The Places You’ll Go, What a book to behold. The messages inside Tell what must be told. For we all need reminding, Yes, we do indeed, That sometimes in life We don’t get what we need. We will stumble and fall, And fall over we must, For that’s how we learn To get out…

Top 3 very old books

To finish this series on old books, I have chosen my favourite three books over 50 years old. These are definitely books published before I was born and so I haven’t read many, but there are a few shinning examples of wonderful literature. Top 3 books over 50 years J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a…

Top 3 even older books

Last week, I posted on my favourite books over five years old. But that’s hardly old. Five years ago, an earthquake hit Japan causing a tsunami. Five years ago, Steve Jobs died. Five years ago, we saw the last Harry Potter movie hit the screens. Do we remember all these events? Of course we do,…

Tsundoku

A friend recently introduced me to a new word; tsundoku. It is a condition in which the sufferer feels a strong need to buy more books than they can possibly read. This can also be linked to a fear of running out of good books. While I may be in slight denial about the first…

The gunman, is useless.

The gunman, is useless. That’s how it starts. This brilliant opening sentence can be found in Markus Zusak’s The Messenger. It sets the scene so incredibly well and yet, is full of questions. Why is the gunman useless? What’s the gunman’s relationship to the narrator? What environment is it; a war zone, a robbery, a…