Author: F Scott Fitzgerald
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Superb read, 2010-07-26
So many excellent reviews of been written of Gatsby that it's hard to add much. It's a truly wonderful work.

Fitzgerald's insight in this book cuts through the blinding American optimism of the time. Though at the time he wrote The Great Gatsby he could not have foreseen the economic and cultural crisis approaching in 1929, he is clearly suspicious and wary of the culture surrounding him, and the tone of this book expresses that he expects evil will come of it. His excellently crafted characters put their faith and their trust in unstable things- wealth, social superiority, commercialism, the power of culture- and their typical American idealism and ambition makes them reach too far for things they don't have, and they end up losing what they did have. Fitzgerald's narrator, Nick Carraway, is ambitious, but is not blinded by the glamour and excess of the society surrounding him. He is the only character who is actually grieved by the tragedies which befall the others, because he alone values human compassion above society and ambition.

Gatsby's belief in the impossible dream - great wealth, first love - echoes the American dream itself and as such is a seductive one and one we all long to believe. I love reading this book and read it again every few years.

Author: Richard Wilkinson, Kate Pickett
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An important and well articulated book, 2010-08-26
Before I bought this I read the reviews, including those that mention a 'companion' or 'follow-up' book "The Spirit Level Delusion'. The terms 'companion' and 'follow-up' suggest some kind of formal link between these two volumes. This is very misleading of the reviewers concerned and is not, at all, the case; the Delusion book is an attack on 'The Sprit Level' by someone unconnected with the original; that's fair enough - the book deserves wide debate and is bound to be controversial, but let's keep the debate honest.....
Other reviewers have suggested that the book is either not well-researched, wouldn't pass an academic peer-review or doesn't provide enough mathematical analysis. This is a 'popular' book folks! For those who want them there are over 25 pages of references, the majority to peer reviewed papers and academic books. This includes many of the authors' own publications - so the academics among the readership have plenty of further reading to pursue.
As my title suggests, I think the book provides a clear and well-articulated (and well referenced) case for the need to move towards a more equal society and I hope that it has the impact it deserves on political thinking.

Author: Hans Fallada
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Outstanding novel, 2010-08-28
A welcome addition to the penguin bookrange that has also proved a huge seller. This outstanding novel looks at the nazi regime in Berlin in 1940 from the perspective of the citizens. A man who in his own way decides to fight back against the regime. The novel also looks at issues such as who can you really trust.

Author: Sue Townsend
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The best Sue Towsend book so far..., 2010-09-02
Sue Townsend is an amazing writer,but to be fair some books have been better than others and I have read them all ,some over and over again (and over different decades), and some I have now purchased three times as I have worn them out but this the best so far. I have 'grown' up with Adrian Mole and we have now reached our forties together. This is the most sophisticated in both storyline and humour and it wont disappoint any reader. Good books are like friends you can visit again and again and this would certainly apply to this one. I have read it twice already and still finding 'new humour' hidden away where you least expect it. Buy for yourself and your friends, I would like to start a book club just to be able to talk about this book I enjoyed it so much...

Author: Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
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Inspirational!, 2010-08-25
This is a truly inspirational book about a truly inspirational human being. I have never witten a comment on a site like this before however this book moved me to do so. Buy it! Read it! Be moved by it!

Author: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
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great numerical twists to everyday events, 2010-08-19
I really enjoyed the way the book turned everyday events into numerical measurements and applied economics to each situation. I would recommend reading this book, it was an easy to follow, interesting read and i hope there is a follow up book.

Author: Kathryn Stockett
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The Help, 2010-09-03
Utterly utterly brilliant, this book is one in million and destined to be a classic. To not read it would be a travesty. I laughed, and I cried oh my! you must read this book, it's a delight on so many levels with characters you love and some you'll hate. This should've been shortlisted for a host of prizes. Beautiful heartfelt, just lovely.

Author: J. D. Salinger
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A fantastically cynical teenage opinion of life, 2010-08-28
Considering the reputation that Cathcher in the Rye has garnered, I felt obliged to read it, and I was certainly not disappointed.

With regards to the actual story, the book concerns one teenage boy during two hectic days, filled with what is essentially a highly condensed version of teenage life, albeit an unhappy one, capturing it superbly.

On the whole, the narrator is very cynical, hypocritical and downright miserable, however, it provides a great level of humour, and Salinger is incredibly intelligent with his use of language and the overall "feel" of the novel, as it flows perfectly.

In my opinion, this is a genuine must-read, and a timeless classic.

Author: John Steinbeck
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Tell it again, George . . ., 2010-08-09
It's easy to see why Steinbeck's classic has been the subject of study for so many years; it's a master-class of literary form. Clean prose and simple storytelling, no added unnecessarys. Even the metaphor is unfussy.

But Steinbeck's true gift lies in characterisation and his understanding of dialogue. When his characters speak and act they betray themselves for who they are. The reader listens and sees, gleans a past from the characters' voices and gestures. The power of the novel comes from the intimacy the reader has with these characters, and it's a testament to Steinbeck that in such a short book he reveals so much.

Everyone should meet Lennie and George at least once, and if you do, you'll never forget them.

Author: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
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Freakonomics, 2010-08-24
I found the book interesting in it's approach to solving everyday questions by using data that is in the public domain. The part dealing with the sale of estate agents own property is worth the cost of the book on it's own.

A good read, it's American origin is obvious but it's content enjoyable and thought provoking nonetheless.