Colin Marks's Blog, page 17
September 30, 2016
Review: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fun book on the importance of clear punctuation – read it, or you might start a war…
September 27, 2016
Review: Author in Progress: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published
Author in Progress: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published by Therese Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Writer Unboxed is a web-based community of writers, some traditionally published, some self-published while others write as a hobby, but everyone within the community wants to learn more about the craft and to share their experiences. I was sent an ARC of Author In Progress for an impartial review as I’m a member of that community. The thing is, though this is impart...
August 26, 2016
Review: Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It by Steven Pressfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received a PDF for Steven Pressfield’s “Nobody wants to read your …” as part of the launch marketing, and almost put it down immediately. It’s written like a cross between a journal and a James Patterson book (long chapters are 2-3 pages, many are as brief as a couple of lines), and written with a brain-dump kind of style that initially appears random and unconnected. When...
August 7, 2016
Review: 14th Deadly Sin
14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The wife likes these books, she’s the target market – that CSI loving, police drama tv loving market. Sales are high, these guest-written Patterson books fill the top sellers lists, but they’re to crime what Mills&Boon are to romance – accessible and undemanding. The writing is awful, the plots are flimsy, yet they’re fast moving and written in the style of a daytime soap – addictive to the target audience. I would give this 2 stars...
August 3, 2016
Review: The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been reading Neil Gaiman’s work for over a quarter of a century, making me feel far older than I feel. From his Sandman days, through other DC projects like Black Orchid (Dave McKean’s original artwork of the final page hangs in my hall) onto his liason with Terry Pratchett, his podcasts and graduation speeches. He is a unique talent, a master story teller for adults and children alike, someone keen to share his skill of the cra...
August 2, 2016
Review: Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a short read, a collection of essays from the past four decades, in the style Stephen King’s On Writing – autobiographical with a few morsels of advice on creativity thrown in.
Review: The Last One
The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
There’s not many books, especially debuts, where within the first few pages the quality, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, makes you realise you’re reading something special. Oliva’s The Last One falls squarely into that category. From the moment Zoo’s voice entered my head in the second section, I was hooked, racing through the book in just a couple of days. Comparisons, not...
July 30, 2016
Review: The Amateur Marriage
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Anne Tyler is one of the greats. The subtlety of her writing, the huge swathes left unsaid, allows the reader to mirror their own experiences onto her character’s. I’ve read much of her work, and though her writing style is consistent, the uniqueness of her voice and the depth of her characters, make her books classics. She writes about humdrum, no thrills, no spills, just average people going about their average lives. The Amateur...
July 28, 2016
Review: Dear Amy
Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Note: this book was supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
I liked this book. It’s a fairly standard physiological thriller, but nicely done and paced to hold the interest. The writing was good, some lovely prose in places. I did feel Margot was a bit too wobbly at times, but a small criticism for an otherwise solid read.
July 20, 2016
Review: The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story
The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story by Christopher Castellani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As Castellani says, “in devising and drafting a narrative strategy, an author makes all sorts of craft decisions that influence how the work will be read and enjoyed”. He adds that the language can seduce the reader, maintaining the staying power of the work. It’s both of these that won me over – the book opens with his account of an incident in Philadelphia, the quality of the writing and the ques...
