Why am I obsessed with Italy? I really couldn't say. Over the past few years I've developed this picturesque image. Normaly it starts with riding a bike around cobbled streets, stopping for coffee, returning home late in the evening to cook up some homemade pizza and living a relaxed lifestyle in a house full of … Continue reading Blog #6: Travels with my Mum – Part 1
I'm going to start this one off with a confession. My three star rating here is nothing more than uncertainty and indecisiveness. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. It's not like anything I've read before but I can't say with confidence that that was a good thing. At times I felt … Continue reading Review – American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis ★★★☆☆
I will always be grateful to Derek Landy and the Skulduggery pleasant series. As a child, these books were my gateway to the wonders of the bookshop in the same way that Harry Potter seems to be for almost everyone else. I can still remember seeing the cover of the first book on the shelf … Continue reading Review – Skulduggery Pleasant Series, Derek Landy ★★★★★
A book where almost all of the descriptions are based on smell rather than sight - intriguing! But does it work? For most of the book, I would say yes it does. Suskind has a very clear vision in his head and his sensory descriptions are marvellous although I found they became over indulgent at … Continue reading Review – Perfume, Patrick Suskind ★★★☆☆
I don't think I have written enough alongside my reviews. When I started the blog, I really wanted to give myself an outlet for anything and everything on my mind. I'm always writing! Whether it's fiction, poetry, or a piece for the university paper, I just love to watch words, sentences and paragraphs form on … Continue reading Blog #5: Strictly off the record
So the search for the Dark Tower continues yet it seems as though Stephen King is taking Roland via the most convoluted route to his destination. It's a twisting tale of relentless chaos but the twists are what make it what it is, a unique journey worthy of any reader's time. Throughout the series I've … Continue reading Review – Wizard and Glass, Stephen King ★★★★☆
There was a lot to love about Ray Bradbury's imagining of the colonisation of Mars. Of course, Bradbury's prose is as beautiful as ever, his vision is unique and his execution has great finesse as he details his world through a series of personal stories. Unlike some classics though, I feel that Bradbury's work shows … Continue reading Review – The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury ★★★★☆
For me, this past week has been hectic. I thought that with exams all over and done with, I'd have nothing but time on my hands. I was expecting to have powered through two or three books by now but alas that has not been the case. Recently I've been having such a good time … Continue reading Shorts Weather #1: Tick Tock & 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss
This was another book which entered my hands with the bar set so high that I thought it could only disappoint and fall short of expectations. But Niven does not disappoint! I tried reading this book a couple of years ago and never really got started with it but now I'm glad I put it … Continue reading Review – Ringworld, Larry Niven ★★★★★
Wow! This may be a break from science fiction and fantasy for me but this was no less thrilling for having its feet firmly planted in reality. Donna Tartt's The Secret History is dark, deceptive and more than anything else, enrapturing. I found it impossible to keep myself from the allure of this story. It's … Continue reading Review – The Secret History, Donna Tartt ★★★★★
Curio-scify 