Lee Child reaffirmed his greatness once again with this book. There are a a handful of authors, whom Lee is at the top of the rankings, who really ins...moreLee Child reaffirmed his greatness once again with this book. There are a a handful of authors, whom Lee is at the top of the rankings, who really inspire me. I don't think I've ever picked up a Reacher novel without coming up with an idea for my own writing.(less)
I have a love/hate relationship with Wolverine comics. Some authors make him one of the most interesting Marvel characters, others make him a bumbling...moreI have a love/hate relationship with Wolverine comics. Some authors make him one of the most interesting Marvel characters, others make him a bumbling or boring character whose (in effect) invulnerability is just a plot point. Just having Frank Miller in the general vicinity of a comic usually improves it, this is no exception. Easily my favourite Wolverine series and apparently the basis of the new Hugh Jackman film due out later this year.(less)
I'm not sure I'd have finished this book if it wasn't an audiobook and I had many miles to drive. But the stories told about life in the army and thos...moreI'm not sure I'd have finished this book if it wasn't an audiobook and I had many miles to drive. But the stories told about life in the army and those at home waiting for them was interesting and painfully honest.(less)
The differences between the True Blood series and the Southern Vampire Mysteries is obvious, yet the TV series retains the plot nicely and fills out m...moreThe differences between the True Blood series and the Southern Vampire Mysteries is obvious, yet the TV series retains the plot nicely and fills out many of the characters (Hoyt is one of my favourites and is barely mentioned in this book).(less)
I had to give up on this book halfway through. Nothing wrong with it, it was more that I couldn't really get into the story. I'll probably come back t...moreI had to give up on this book halfway through. Nothing wrong with it, it was more that I couldn't really get into the story. I'll probably come back to this at some stage, at a time when I'm not quite so sleep deprived.(less)
There is nothing quite like a marketing executive, especially when they work in publishing. These are the people who come up with the fantastic ideas...moreThere is nothing quite like a marketing executive, especially when they work in publishing. These are the people who come up with the fantastic ideas like: dog on the cover because dogs sell books, no dogs in the book; bright and cheery cover art, book about a serial killer; quotes recommending the book by famous authors, authors that have the same publisher. In this case the marketing department came up with a brilliant idea: Matthew Reilly is an Australian author who sells a lot of books, let's mention him on the cover, despite the fact that the two authors write in a completely different style.
I grabbed Mark's book from my local library because I saw he had a new book out, the third in a series, and I hadn't heard of him previously. A fellow Aussie author, with a comparison to Matthew Reilly on the cover: this should be gold. Needless to say, the marketing people drew me in with false advertising. Mark's book is a thriller and was a decent read, but he was more Cussler or Archer than Reilly. In fact, I was more reminded of Sahara (swap baking temperatures for freezing cold) than I was of Ice Station.
False advertising aside, this is quite a decent thriller. Worth a read, if you are after a James Rollins or Clive Cussler style novel. I'd expect later books in this series will probably "grab" the reader more, so maybe check out Mark's new one.(less)
Reading this story reminds me of the couple of movies that inspired it. Especially good was the Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman movie Under Suspicion:...moreReading this story reminds me of the couple of movies that inspired it. Especially good was the Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman movie Under Suspicion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Su...(less)
I loved this book when I was young. Now that I'm much older I not only loved this book, but actually thought it was better than when I originally read...moreI loved this book when I was young. Now that I'm much older I not only loved this book, but actually thought it was better than when I originally read it. Douglas Adams launches all sorts of scathing attacks on the silly stuff in society as ably as he creates a weird and wacky story.
A true legend of literature and this novel was a great example of his status as such.(less)
I normally hate literary styles books. They normally take all the fun stuff out of the book and replace it with tedious exposition masquerading as dee...moreI normally hate literary styles books. They normally take all the fun stuff out of the book and replace it with tedious exposition masquerading as deep and meaningful prose. Award winning books are usually weighed down with this superfluous fluff.
This is a harsh statement, I know. Just because a book has won a literary award that doesn't mean it has to suck. But it all comes back to some training I had in communication sciences at university. No-one cares about the methods, or process, or how long you spent doing this, and especially not how much research you did, they only care about what's in it for them. Boil that down to a simple: readers are reading your book to be entertained. So all of that exposition is just getting in the way of entertaining the reader.
Gone Girl is as close to a literary styled novel I have read (to completion) in almost a decade. I used to read/persevere with them all the time, now I have learnt my lesson. What makes Gillian's book different is that she hasn't forgone the plot, nor drawn out the story. So fans of crime novels will be captivated and literary fans might admit they need to read more genre books.
I put this novel off for a long time, buying it because of all the rave reviews and awards, then hearing it was very literary and baulking. I can see why this novel has been the big thing of 2012, it deserves the praise. (less)
I read this series of three novellas in completely the wrong order. Yet they were still enjoyable and the Derrick Storm character is quite charming, w...moreI read this series of three novellas in completely the wrong order. Yet they were still enjoyable and the Derrick Storm character is quite charming, whilst also annoying, just like the Ric Castle character from the TV series.(less)
I'd really like to know who the ghost writer is for these. Suffice to say, they have done a very good job of creating a tie-in novel(ella) that could...moreI'd really like to know who the ghost writer is for these. Suffice to say, they have done a very good job of creating a tie-in novel(ella) that could make Ric Castle a #1 Bestseller. (less)
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