 |
|
|
|
Penguin | |
|
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £3.97
Author:
Hans Fallada
By Penguin Classics
 superb, 2010-03-10
I don't really know what to say about this book - I thought it was fantastic. It's not a happy book by any means and it can be quite uncomfortable reading at times, but it has an amazing sense of place and you feel like you've been catapulted right back into that time and place. I've spent time in Berlin and I can completely imagine how it was to walk the streets during that time, I'm just glad I wasn't there in person! It's quite a long book but I found myself ripping through it, unable to put it down. I've been reading a lot of books about WWII lately but this one wins hands down as the most authentic read.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.10
Author:
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
By Penguin
Inspiring..., 2010-03-08
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best book i have ever read. Truly insirational, not just Mortenson but the children and communities he aims to help. It certainly reflects the true Islam i've come to know and love from my travels and shows a sound understanding and analysis of the current political situations. I hope you order this book, it may change your opinion just slightly and make you want to do something-it certianly did me! Although it is a book about Mortensons humanitarian work, it isn't all 'wow look how amazing he is' etc etc! His failures and mishaps are shown to, and that is probably what makes it even more heartwarming to read. I hope Mortenson wins the nobel peace prize sometime soon!
List Price: £6.99
Our Price: £3.12
Author:
Lewis Carroll
By Penguin Classics
What on Earth was he on?, 2010-02-12
Surely not just opium. There must have been something else that inspired this glorious madness. I came to Alice in Wonderland via Walt Disney, many moons ago. Charming enough. I then bought the simplified edition to read to my child. She loved it so I thought I would try her on the original version.
She loves this too, but I do have to keep reminding her that it is not good form to go out and randomly eat mushrooms and drink from mysterious bottles.
This book is complete nonsense! Unashamedly so! There may well be hidden meanings, a la Wizard of Oz (I see loads of footnotes but have yet to refer to them) but frankly, who cares? Just enjoy the book for what it is; a marvelous bit of nonsense.
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £2.45
Author:
Nick Hornby
By Penguin
His best work in recent years, 2010-03-09
By the time I had read the first three pages I knew I could read this book in one night. Unfortunately I had to go change dirty nappy. By the time I had read to page six I was looking at the size of the book and regretting that it was not larger so that it would last longer.
This is Nick Hornby's best book since High fidelity, for me this is high praise I bought two copies of it for friends the day I finished it and they bought nine copies for other friends this is exponential growth on a viral scale. I will be buying copies of Juliet Naked for friends and recommending it to all and sundry.
In this book Nick Hornby returns to the topic of obsessive fandom once again from a male perspective are women just too clued in to get dragged into this, not judging by the sales of hello magazine their obsessions just seem to be more varied.
The female perspective in this one seems more spot on dealing with wasted time on men who are not worth it.
We have a woman who has spent her last fifteen years with a man obsessed with an 80's singe song writer. When she breaks up with him she ends up corresponding with the object of her ex boyfriend/partner obsession. This leads us into the various relationships between this group and their extended circle of lovers, family, children, therapists and Northern soul fans.
This is a return to form of a beloved author. I may have seen myself and my friends in High Fidelity, I am so glad I cant see us in the cast of this novel, but we could have been if we had not chosen a different path
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £3.86
Author:
Colm Tóibín
By Penguin
Beautifully simple., 2010-02-13
This is the first book I've read by this author and as others have said will not be the last. This is a lovely story of Eilis leaving 50s Ireland and embarking upon a journey which so many did at the time to New York. The story flows beautifully, the characters all have quirky aspects about them and I totally disagree with all the negative reviews. It is not what anyone would call an 'exciting' book but there is something that makes you want to keep on reading.The descriptions of both Ireland and America are wonderful; the social issues of the time are very well written about. All the way through you know that something dreadful is going to happen to Eilis and when it does it is written so well and movingly but with no flowery literary writing; just as it happens and how she deals with it. Thoroughly recommended to all.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £3.98
Author:
Nigel Slater
By Penguin
As good as I had hoped, 2010-02-28
Ordered this book after watching a few of his tv shows and was not disappointed. Easy and simple ideas without having to search for obscure ingredients etc.
Only snag is I need to buy another now as my daughter liked it so much it went back home with her!
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: £3.77
Author:
J. D. Salinger
By Penguin
Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent". Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his 16-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins:If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two haemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive), capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation. --Amazon.com
Amazing, 2010-03-09
this is an amazing book from the small littles bits u would pass over like the color of a hat to how he says certain things. it is an amazing to see how the character thinks and acts he is a small bit of all of us.
For the small price id advise you to buy it u wont be disappointed
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £3.66
Author:
Jane Fallon
By Penguin
 my opinion, 2010-03-06
I pre-ordered this book after loving her 2 books she had written previous, and while I read it quickly (over 2 days) it wasn't as good as her previous books, the twists weren't as thought out and as shocking as in her previous books, and I found it dragged a little, at points I found myself thinking hasn't she done all she can with the characters now? I still gave it 4 stars though as it was a good read, it makes you laugh in places and although it is a bit predictable if you want a nice read then this is perfect, just don't expect the tension that she manages to create in her previous books, however I will still look to pre-order her next book once its announced!
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.37
Author:
Richard Wilkinson, Kate Pickett
By Penguin
An Elevating Read (a must read for all people), 2010-03-05
Wow it's a book which makes you think. A book to prick the conscience of all politicians, governments and Premiership footballers (in an ideal world maybe). Having put down the book you continue to consider what has been written, pondering the disadvantage brought about by the fate of birth. Although a riveting read some of the facts and figures (quantitive data?) presented as graphs etc. used to substansiate the book early on are a bit of a turn off (a minor niggle) although they do bring additional clarity to the reasoning. I'm currently at university and found the book a good source of reference for a 'sustainability' module asignment (which was an added bonus). I can't disagree with any of the books findings and although the pen maybe mightier than the sword its not a tool to take on the greed of human kind. Sad I know but I guess you have to start on a personal level, and look first at yourself and with hope and encouragement the value of equality may flourish.
Buy the book because:
It's thought provoking * Its easy to digest * It will (if not already) be a classic (a must read) * It educates * It makes you look at yourself.
Look, if you have read so far in to my review it would be a shame not to buy the book. I would be amazed if you thought the book not to be an excellent read and worthy of your time. Buy it and benefit :-)
List Price: £7.99
Our Price: £2.94
Author:
Marina Lewycka
By Penguin
When abandoned wife Georgie makes an elderly new friend, she steps into a mystery spanning from Highbury to wartime Europe and the Middle East...
Massively stuck on this novelist, 2010-03-07
Marina Lewycka's book are like plain brown paper parcels that contain something wonderful titles about 'tractors' caravans' and 'glue' may not get your pulse racing but this is beautifully crafted, effortlessly funny stuff. I am not really fussed if I laughed a little bit less with this one than her previous books...laughs in fiction are few and far between so, I applaud anyone who genuinely put a big smile on my mush. I love the fact that while the touch is delicate - the issues can be heavyweight...painful conflicts, marital break-down, scandelous care of the elderly and a son obsessed with Armagedon.
I love the subtle homour....it's hard to give an example without blowing the plot but a suitably ditzy would-be novelist befriends an insane 'lady' of indeterminate age and origin and has to poke around her gruesomely smelly house - incontinent old ladies/many cats etc...the bathroom is suitably disgusting but, a fairy Godmother social worker dismisses the appalling state with a kindly "There's no accounting for cultural diversity"...a quote I'll memorise and use again I am sure.
great book...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|