Tina and Tom ask Santa to get a surprise present for Dad.
Some animals want to spend Christmas indoors.
Nice little Christmas book, 3 stories included.
Tina and Tom ask Santa to get a surprise present for Dad.
Some animals want to spend Christmas indoors.
And the classic the little Christmas tree.
The stories are short, with Large print and plenty of pictures. Nice to read to your kids and also a good book for them to read to you with the large print....more
If you are willing to empty your mind and let yourself go then read this book, once you are ready Luke Marsden is going to take you on a journeyIf you are willing to empty your mind and let yourself go then read this book, once you are ready Luke Marsden is going to take you on a journey inside the mind and body of a whale. It is a fascinating idea, one thing that nature documentaries don't do, you don't get to realise just what the animals think. Luke takes you into the depths of the ocean where your internal organs are being crushed under the immense pressures, he takes you hunting resulting in a battle with a giant squid and he slowly takes you back to the surface to explode into the air to witness the moon.
Wonderful writing and I am sure it is all true, he really got inside the mind of a whale, he wouldn't lie to us... would he? Again Luke has produced a story like nothing I had read before....more
Before you start reading this book play the opening theme tune for the Mighty Boosh...because you are about to go on a journey.
This is one hell of anBefore you start reading this book play the opening theme tune for the Mighty Boosh...because you are about to go on a journey.
This is one hell of an amazing book, by far the best thing I've read by the Whitewolf, the book is so emotional you won't be able to avoid getting caught up in the madness of Egypt and the rollercoaster that is Harry's mind... during the scenes where Harry is suffering from a headcold and was feeling feverish I felt it too. The time he spent ill is so well written, it's amazing he could remember anything from then and for me it is where the book really comes alive. Harry is well known for his beat poetry and during those scenes of not knowing what is real it works so well.
Egypt has never been a place I want to go because of all the hustlers and haggling and hassle, way too stressful for me, but Harry embraces all that and makes it his personal battle to win against everybody he meets, by the end you'll be cheering him on and he'll be looking about 7ft tall. If I was to go to Egypt on holiday, he may have to come too.
At times the book does get quite spiritual and that makes for some interesting reading, I don't claim to understand it all but it does make you stop and think how much better the world could be.
I do recommend reading this before Route Number 11: Argentina, Angels & Alcohol I did them the wrong way round and I think reading in the correct order really helps understanding what is going on with Harry in Book 2.
I was quite surprised with how babyish the book is, seeing as lots of adults, including my wife, enjoyed this so much I was expecting something a bitI was quite surprised with how babyish the book is, seeing as lots of adults, including my wife, enjoyed this so much I was expecting something a bit more grown up. It reminded me quite a bit of The Worst Witch, something I enjoyed as a kid so if I had read Harry Potter as a kid I expect I would have liked it, seeing as I am all grown up now all I see is somebody ripping off a book from my childhood, and not doing a particularly good job at it.
You know when Hollywood make a new movie and they have already decided there will be many sequels, they always seem to put less effort into the first movie, it all seems to be setting the scene, introducing characters and giving a bit of history on their lives, and after a while you get bored and wonder why you are wasting your time with this? Well that's how I thought about this book, each chapter introduced a character or an item and then wasn't mentioned again, I'm sure this was all setting the scene for the next books though, so hopefully they are better.
I found the story quite interesting at first, the build up to joining Hogwarts was interesting, I did like the bank, but once Harry gets to school my brain started to sleep. The writing style reminded me of 50 shades of grey and da Vinci code, horrible but worthy of 2* just because it got lots of people into reading....more
The cover is amazing, lovely hardback textured cover, the illustrations are wonderful, the fox is so sweet. The story itself was not as good as I wasThe cover is amazing, lovely hardback textured cover, the illustrations are wonderful, the fox is so sweet. The story itself was not as good as I was good as I was expecting, very short and you have to use your imagination a lot, it make take a few readings for my daughter to get it.
One thing I can say about it though, somebody could do an amazing version of this on stage.
Completely blown away by the book, such an emotional ride, the closest a book has ever come to making me shed a tear, beginning to understand howCompletely blown away by the book, such an emotional ride, the closest a book has ever come to making me shed a tear, beginning to understand how humans feel now. I enjoy walking long distances, most of the time on my own and Rachel Joyce has captured perfectly the experience, the feeling of being outside with nobody for miles around. She also captures how much your mind works, you remember so much of your past without the distractions of media and it is always a great feeling when you get home to your family.
The writing is amazing, it drew me in right away and I found myself cheering Harold on, shouting at him when he does something dumb and laughing at his experiences and the strange people he meets.
Wonderful book, an instant classic in my mind and I can't wait for what she writes next. Feeling really knackered now, time for a cuppa I think....more
Interesting idea here in this book, if ya gonna kill yourself then take a criminal with you. About face is a spin-off to do with the main novel. IInteresting idea here in this book, if ya gonna kill yourself then take a criminal with you. About face is a spin-off to do with the main novel. I started the book with my mind set that it will be too short, what could the author possibly do in so few words? Turns out he can do loads. This book is gripping and has made me move the main book up to the top of my reading list.
Looking forward to the release of episode 2....more
Been thinking of a way of describing this book and I've come up with:
Henry Miller with a sense of humour!
Just like Miller he has created a cast ofBeen thinking of a way of describing this book and I've come up with:
Henry Miller with a sense of humour!
Just like Miller he has created a cast of horrible characters, violence, foul language and gratuitous sex, combining to make a great read.
Donleavy uses short. Punchy sentences. To make this story move along very fastly. Christian is a brilliant character, at first I thought he was gonna be a bit soft but turns out he was wonderfully destructive, his politeness was hilarious at times creating one of the funniest court rooms scenes ever. I was laughing so hard I got some bizarre looks. :) at the end of each chapter it ends as a poem, very clever and effective.
One of the reasons for reading this was because it inspired my favourite Christmas song by the Pogues, at first I couldn't see the inspiration, but once Fanny Sourpuss arrives in the book I can see their violent relationship is spot on for the song.
Enjoyed this book and will be checking out more work by Donleavy....more
When it comes to writing about death and the grief that comes with death, Marion Stein is the master at making you doubt your beliefs. InWhen it comes to writing about death and the grief that comes with death, Marion Stein is the master at making you doubt your beliefs. In Schrodinger's Telephone she includes the idea of a parallel universe and whether you could cross over to find your loved ones again. It is a very thought provoking idea and well written, in fact it is so good that it should be developed into a full length novel, 100 pages just isn't enough to cover everything fully. A very clever author and a joy to read....more
This book should come with a warning, it may have been quite cheap to buy but it will cost you big time in the long run. Thorogood is one of myThis book should come with a warning, it may have been quite cheap to buy but it will cost you big time in the long run. Thorogood is one of my favourite authors and he easily makes you fall in love with cycling and getting a proper touring bike and not one of those silly mountain bikes, I am now saving up to get myself a Pashley Parabike, it looks stunning and is gonna set me back over £500, hence the book needing a warning.
Thorogood covers the history of bikes and cycling in his usual quirky style, he would have been a brilliant teacher, and he makes it really interesting whilst also really laying into the Lycra-clad freaks, I now feel educated enough to point and laugh at them as I speed past in my car with inches to spare.
Next in the book he has published some cycling anecdotes from friends and family, including one by yours truly (me) so if you want to read about my cycling incident then buy this book or send me a cheque for £575 and I'll ride over to you on my new bike and tell you the story....more
Good Pirating fun, nice story and scary pirates, some of the illustrations of Captain Twirlybeard reminded me of the giants in the animated BFG movie,Good Pirating fun, nice story and scary pirates, some of the illustrations of Captain Twirlybeard reminded me of the giants in the animated BFG movie, so pretty scary stuff.
the downside of this book though is the sore throat I kept getting whilst doing the pirate voices, I'm just too much of a landlubber. ...more
Not really sure what I have read here, it's total madness, total disgusting, perverted, borderline offensive madness. The book starts off with "THENot really sure what I have read here, it's total madness, total disgusting, perverted, borderline offensive madness. The book starts off with "THE END" that's the kind of madness you'll have to put up with if you read this book.
I think I have managed to keep up with the plot, it twists and turns and tries it's best to shake you off. The humour is very good, I laughed a lot, the biggest laughs come at the end of each story with a list of facts or news clippings which I am sure are true, I've yet to Google the giraffe facts though. Each chapter also starts with a cocktail recipe, a few were above my head but I got some of them, very clever stuff.
It is tough to describe the plot without just confusing matters even more so just take my word for it, this is one of the funniest and cleverest books I've read this year; In fact I do declare this book to be "Bogus" (read the book for the definition of bogus)
This sequel has the best sequel title since the sequel to Sharknado, luckily this sequel is much better than that sequel, in fact it is better than aThis sequel has the best sequel title since the sequel to Sharknado, luckily this sequel is much better than that sequel, in fact it is better than a lot of sequels, it's right up there with the sequel to evil dead and the sequel to Mr Bean.
Mr Daniel and Mr Harry have managed to break down the fourth wall (page?) in the book, there is plenty of interaction with the reader, I liked the anagrams in the middle only managed to get 3 of though, so that ruined the book for me a bit. At times they become a really good comedy duo, the back and fourth reminded me of the two Ronnie at times. Mr. Wolf does some cute little illustrations, how they managed to locate him I'll never know.
The stories themselves are very good, you can really see each authors writing style in each of their stories. The pick of the bunch for me was "Word Tax" an amazing dystopian future that in my opinion needs to be made into a full length novel.
There are two issues I have though;
1. I was reminded just how bad Caddyshack II was, nobody needs to be put through that. 2. I really loved the rejection letters from book 1 and they were missing this time around.
So fix Caddyshack II and this book will get a 5* rating.
One of MJ Blacks shortest collections of poetry to date. The poems are short but his brand of anger is still there, I loved his defence of poets fromOne of MJ Blacks shortest collections of poetry to date. The poems are short but his brand of anger is still there, I loved his defence of poets from an attack by one of those Twitter Muppets who feel safe behind their computer, well Black gets his revenge in "Who writes poetry?"
Favourite from the collection is "I had a dream" only a few lines long but has me laughing each time I read it. Brilliant stuff....more
Finished reading this to my daughter and she is now going to review the book.
"I liked Mr. Pong, even though he is the bad guy, her favourite part wasFinished reading this to my daughter and she is now going to review the book.
"I liked Mr. Pong, even though he is the bad guy, her favourite part was when they got covered in cheese. I didn't like the stinky cheese and I wouldn't eat it. The mouse was very funny and I liked Stink Street. The book is funny and I laughed in my head, it was very funny when Mr. Pong was put in the cow poo. I also liked doing the screaming parts whilst my dad read the book."
I am pretty sure Mr. Wolf is a re-incarnation of Roald Dahl, that dark humour, vile characters and all round grossness is there, Mr Wolf is the complete package as he does his own illustrations. This is a great book to read to your kids, I am looking forward to Mr. Wolf's next book....more
This is a well known book and is a very good story, this review though is my experience of reading it to my daughter. The writing style is horrible,This is a well known book and is a very good story, this review though is my experience of reading it to my daughter. The writing style is horrible, so many big words, and such long winded ways of describing things. My daughter and myself did not enjoy it, at times we struggled to keep going. If there was a way of saying something with 5 words, J.M. Barrie would find 15 words to use instead, it really breaks up the momentum of the story, especially when you have to keep shopping to explain what a word was.
The books saving grace, from only getting 1*, was the pirates, they were good fun and you could really feel that he enjoyed writing about them, shame the rest was a bit of a bore....more
A stunning début novel and some of the most inventive story writing I've ever come across. As I read this I kept thinking that Dean Lilleyman must beA stunning début novel and some of the most inventive story writing I've ever come across. As I read this I kept thinking that Dean Lilleyman must be the reincarnation of Hubert Selby Jr. the darkness is there, the same dark humour is used and the ability to make you love a destructive and selfish character is put to maximum use.
I've read a few books on addiction now but this is the first one I've read where the addiction is alcohol and it has raised my awareness just what these people are going through when fighting their addictions.
We see all of Billy's life in this book, his birth, childhood, first sexual experience, growing up, getting a job, becoming a father and throwing it all away. Billy is aware of what his drinking is doing, but he can't help it, it makes him depressed, which makes him drink more and that's when you really start to feel for him, he is trying but it's all so hopeless.
The writing style is amazing, we get to read in first person, second person, third person, screen play, phone conversations, confessions, dreams and even a Punch and Judy show. Sometimes you come across a book where you feel the need to read a section out loud, this book has a chapter which makes you wanna drink loads and then scream it out loud at 2am. Very very clever stuff, really looking forward to what Dean writes next.
If you are a fan of Hubert Selby Jr. then you have to give this book a try.
Really enjoyed this, I got this thinking it was his autobiography and when I opened it and saw it was a graphic novel I was pretty shocked, a graphicReally enjoyed this, I got this thinking it was his autobiography and when I opened it and saw it was a graphic novel I was pretty shocked, a graphic novel for a autobiography? It feels really honest, especially the scenes with his dad, full of anger and moving. There are also some interesting behind the scenes gossip, I've no idea whether they were true or not.
The drawings themselves are pretty good, a few times though I wasn't sure if the person drawn was John or not, he doesn't always look the same. The best part of the book though was one of the pages showing the characters he has played in his career, to see Sid the sloth next to violator from Spawn is awesome, I demand a poster version of that be made available to me. :)
The autobiography/graphic novel method is a unique idea and I think it works well, a lot of autobiographies can get a bit tedious, especially with the setting of a scene, but with a drawing all the background is there for you to see.
Best line in the book "I stopped partying, 'cause I heard that coke and booze are gateway drugs to Christianity"...more
MJ Black has been really inspired by a greedy world in this collection. This guy keeps getting better and better, it makes me really jealous I can'tMJ Black has been really inspired by a greedy world in this collection. This guy keeps getting better and better, it makes me really jealous I can't write poetry like this. There are so many good lines here, each page I turned revealed a new favourite, in the end I settled on this being the best "the ambience of a mortuary replaces vibrant community hubs".
From footballers demanding more dish to the death of the local boozer and the shocking double denim, this is a fine collection of poetry that needs to be read by the masses. Keep them coming! ...more
MJ Black is one of my favourite Poets and this collection is some of his best work, it almost feels like he is experimenting a bit here. Some of hisMJ Black is one of my favourite Poets and this collection is some of his best work, it almost feels like he is experimenting a bit here. Some of his work is similar to previous books, but there is new stuff, poems about nature and a few that seem to come straight from the beat generation.
Two stand out poems from this collection are "Iain Duncan Smith" ending with the fantastic line "Bring on the Hunger Games" Pure genius.
And the epic poem "Back home for a day" this is one of the best I've ever read, Mr. Black you need to do lots more like this one, had to read it three times just cos it was such a good read....more
I was expecting this to be an epic poem and was quite surprised to find out just how short it is. I did enjoy it but it does feel unfinished, if onlyI was expecting this to be an epic poem and was quite surprised to find out just how short it is. I did enjoy it but it does feel unfinished, if only he had taken a bit more opium to recreate the dream.
This was my intro to Coleridge, will be checking out more of his stuff....more
I think this series peaked with A wild sheep chase, Dance Dance Dance just doesn't flow as well. it is still a good book but I did struggle gettingI think this series peaked with A wild sheep chase, Dance Dance Dance just doesn't flow as well. it is still a good book but I did struggle getting through all the time spent in Hawaii. One thing I have noticed with Murakami's books is you have to pay attention to everything that happens, even something as simple as somebody saying they don't like a car is important to future plot twists.
The thing that does stop this from getting five stars was the ending, I didn't like it, it feels like quite a cold finish to the series, I invested a lot of time reading this series and I felt a bit short changed with the suddenness to the end, too many unanswered questions, this must have been how viewers of lost felt. It's not going to put me off reading more Murakami though, I do love his style of writing....more
Reading this book makes you feel really empty, the grief that Jeffery is going through can't help but affect you. I have no idea how I would deal withReading this book makes you feel really empty, the grief that Jeffery is going through can't help but affect you. I have no idea how I would deal with a loss like Jeffery experiences, I expect I would spiral out of control too. Jeffery's friends are doing their best to help him deal with his grief, dressing up as cheerleaders and carrying out robberies, but things are quickly gaining momentum and getting out of their control.
The book is well written, at times you can see the influence from Chuck Palahniuk, I was really feeling bad for Jeffery throughout the book, at times I had to shout at the book, that must be a sign of a good book. The plot twists at the end of the were really smart.
This is a book for the fans of the movie or the book, it takes the book and adds graphics which reminded me a lot of the movie, it's a well craftedThis is a book for the fans of the movie or the book, it takes the book and adds graphics which reminded me a lot of the movie, it's a well crafted coming together of the two mediums. Does it bring anything new though? Not really which is a real shame, I was hoping to pick up on some bits I had missed before. It captures the madness perfectly and I really enjoyed just how Thompson was drawn, the scenes where he shouts were well done.
If you have never read the book then I recommend reading that before you start this... unless you have tasted a bit of adrenochrome then sit back and enjoy all the pretty colours. ...more
When a book has that as it's opening intro you know you haveEXCITEMENT! FUN! NUDITY! THRILLS! BALLOONS! NUDITY! ALCOHOL! CAKE! HILARITY! NUDITY!
When a book has that as it's opening intro you know you have stumbled across the new bible. Mitch may be the world's best artist (his words, mentioned many many times in this book) he is also probably the world's funniest artist.
This book is comical to the extreme, louds of laughing out loud guffaws and so much drink sprayed across the room, luckily I chose to read this in lots of different locations so everywhere got a nice even coating of beer.
This book is a huge collection of his artwork, from drawings as a kid to early adverts he was commissioned to draw to posters, tattoos and toilet seats, it is all here. The history of his rise to greatness and even a tour of his mansion (puts the Taj Mahal to shame) can be found in this book. Also its the only book I've come across that has a gift shop at the end.
Hopefully there will be more books from Mitch to entertain us all. I'm now off to locate him to get myself one of his tattoos....more
I heard once that the author of this book once skinned loads of puppies to make himself a suit, this suit allowed him to get into the mind of a dogI heard once that the author of this book once skinned loads of puppies to make himself a suit, this suit allowed him to get into the mind of a dog when writing this book. In my opinion the death of these puppies was well worth the effort because Mike "Cruella" Robbins has produced a wonderful story.
The book works on two levels, you have the humans going about their business and then you have the thoughts and memories of the dog. These thoughts the dog has are not that pleasant, in fact I've had to slap my dog a few times when he does similar things. The best part of the book was page 118 when I suddenly realised something about Mrs. Gee, mind-blowing moment. The ending was well done as I had no idea where the story was going to end up.
Brilliant book about an awesome town. Reading this I have learnt a lot, one thing I've always wondered is what was the huge piece of machinery outsideBrilliant book about an awesome town. Reading this I have learnt a lot, one thing I've always wondered is what was the huge piece of machinery outside Morrisons, thanks to this book I now know.
I have always felt a bit sad about the fact that Basingstoke is a town without any history, it was pretty much knocked down in the 60's to build more houses and a shopping centre. Places like the old pub with the thatched roof with 1697 above the door was destroyed to make way for "progress". The dance hall that Jane Austen went to... destroyed. Now days it lacks character, a town around a shopping centre, like many other towns in the country. One of the good things left is it's green belt, but due to housing developments this belt is moving further and further away from me. :(
Arthur Atwood, the author of this book, has been around donkey years, this book is full of facts and also his memories. The best one being the mobile dentist in his horse drawn caravan promising painless dentistry... as soon as a custom entered a band starts up outside to hide any screams. Genius.
Basingstoke has a rich history of Fires, Floods, arctic winters and riots, all of which are described in this book along with some amazing pictures.
Now all I need is a time machine! Where's terry the time travelling tortoise when you need him?...more
The latest instalment of Jack Hamma and his detective agency is currently my favourite in the series. Whilst reading this I had a thought, the styleThe latest instalment of Jack Hamma and his detective agency is currently my favourite in the series. Whilst reading this I had a thought, the style of writing is similar to Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently, but slightly more sensible. In my opinion Anthony Thorogood is fast becoming the "King of Banter", the pace of the book is fast and this is matched by the pace of the humour. Very funny with a nice tidy storyline. And as for the ending, it had me going oooooooh!!! In to my cuppa. There were some great characters names "Sore Tooth Charlie" and "Harry Up Wong".
I say this after every book, this really needs to be made into a TV series, hurry up producers and snap this up. ...more
A good fun adventure story, lots of peril on the dogs journey. Quite educational too, lots of tips on how to look after dogs, did you know a big maleA good fun adventure story, lots of peril on the dogs journey. Quite educational too, lots of tips on how to look after dogs, did you know a big male Dalmatian loves to be punched?
The book has one major difference to the movie, in the book it is Pongo and Missus, Perdita is there but as a minor character, I found I had to keep explaining to my daughter that perdita was a different dog. There was one other thing that kept bugging me during the book... the maths... I was sure there were only 100 Dalmatians, but things get cleared up and I was proven wrong.
Really enjoyable book and one that you gotta read to your kids when they are little....more
Wow! Murakami has taken a surreal and completely preposterous plot and produced a very interesting book. If you love whale penises and women with earsWow! Murakami has taken a surreal and completely preposterous plot and produced a very interesting book. If you love whale penises and women with ears as much as me then you'll love this too. Pretty sure the book doesn't need any more of a review than that... but I'll waffle on for a bit more.
I find it interesting that in the 3 books by Murakami I have read the only character that has a name is a cat and that was only cos another character demanded it was given one. So far this is my favourite of his books, I find it amazing that somebody can actually come up with a story like this, I'm really looking for to the next book in the Rat series....more
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