Colin Marks's Blog, page 8
August 1, 2020
Review: To Be a Man by Nicole Krauss
This is the first book by Nicole Krauss I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last. This collection of short stories have mostly been printed elsewhere, so fans of her writing may have read them before. The stories, Jewish influenced, explore relationships – the coming together and drifting apart. They’re quirky but intelligent, the writing poetic and lyrical. A lovely read.
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
July 28, 2020
Review: The Art of Doing Nothing and Something: Pottering as a Cure for Modern Life by Anna McGovern
One of the most silliest, most oddest, most charming books you’ll read. When, in the opening pages, I was given detailed instructions on how to make a cup of tea, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. By the end, I got it. Not one to read cover to cover in one sitting, just pick up and put down when you’re pottering, read a few pages, drift onto something else. I’m off to organise my herb rack now…
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
Review: Idle Hands by Cassondra Windwalker
An interesting, but flawed book. Perdie is a victim of domestic violence, and with Ella (the Devil) looking over her shoulder, waiting to influence outcomes, she has an opportunity to try a different route through her life.
Interesting, because it was a good idea, kind of like a Sliding Doors concept.
Flawed, because I felt the execution wasn’t quite right. Ella’s voice, while initially interesting, broke the plot too often for too long, with monologues that contributed less than intended....
Review: How Should One Read a Book? by Virginia Woolf
An interesting speech given by Virginia Woolf to some students, edited into an essay. A quick half hour read, lovely for free, not sure I’d feel the same after paying the £7 price tag…
Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.
July 26, 2020
Review: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
This is a fantastic read.
Bregman’s premise is that humans are a pretty decent species, and not the monsters that the media portrays through dodgy reporting and dubious science. The sections where he tears into widely reported examples of human selfishness and aggression – such as the Stanford Prison Experiment, the Milgram experiment, the self-destruction of Easter Island, Kitty Genovese’s murder (all of which I’d heard of and believed the established narratives) – was eye-opening and shocki...
Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is definitely a marmite book – you’ll hate it or love it. The story is undeniably charming, well structured and original. The issue is with the writing. Forget what you’ve been told about good writing – “don’t jump point of view”, “show, don’t tell”, “trust the intelligence of the reader” – all those rules are broken multiple times on every page. If you can tolerate that, and it was a struggle, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful story.
July 21, 2020
Review: A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
This beautifully written debut novel follows an unamed tight-rope walker (called Mouse by her friend) – her ups, her downs, and her bad but well intended decisions. The magical realism is nicely played, and the story structure is excellently created.
The reason why I gave it 4 stars and not 5, was the narrators voice was mature, confident, educated. Mouse, hence her name, is timid, hides under lorries to watch the world, and states as a teenager that she’s only conversed with four or so peopl...
June 28, 2020
Review: The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
This is the second book by Adrian that I’ve read, the first being Walking to Aldebaran. Both are well written, with strong plotting, but this one would be my least favourite. The Doors of Eden took a long time to not go very far. The cat & mouse chasing, well, rats & trolls, could’ve been slimmed down, extra chapters didn’t add to the story.
The biggest issue for me was the characterisations. With such a large PoV cast, half a dozen or so, it’s hard to get attached to any of the characters. T...
