7th in the series, not one you can realistically pick up without going back and reading the others first. Another solid entry in the Rivers collection, slightly tangled plot lines, some satisfying resolutions, genuine dread when characters I like are placed in harms way(always a sign of investment) not the best but one of the better entries- for Lesley‘s involvement if nothing else.

Back to form after a few OK entries, things really ramp up in this book. As always, I enjoyed the little nods to ancient london wrapped into the plot, as fantastical as ever and Im a little bit in love with Nightingale and his casual badassery. Also, i stole the kids crayons and drew a picture of a tree worthy of a primary school art project. If the kids ask, the circles are apples. : )

Yay all caught up on Litsy reviews, sorry for spamming, not read much in the last few months, so trying to catch up on logging the books Ive read. Another rivers of london entry, a novella this time. Compelling beginning but flat conclusion. Image of one of the smallest station in the world. Bus stop at the end of my road is bigger I think.

I didnt enjoy this installment quite as much as some of the others. In fact I had to check the back page to remember what happened. Weakest in the series so far.

Really enjoying the world BA is building and spend a lot of time during this read looking at brutalist architecture as a result of some of the locations included.

Strong finish to a great trilogy, loved it all the way through. Personally preferred it to the farseer trilogy.

The second of the Trilogy is a long but rewarding read. So difficult to say anything without spoiling it for others but theres some amazing character development, plot pieces falling so smoothly into place, genuine peril for all your favourite characters and of course, pirates. Such a gripping read, enjoyed every chapter and looking forward to finishing the trilogy off. Can‘t recommend it enough if you like fantasy and haven‘t read the series yet.

A comedy take on the hardy boys books written and published by Youtubers The Gamegrumps (by Arins supposed uncle). The book was enjoyable to read, but that was based on knowing the sense of humour of the channel. The writing is juvenile and not appropriate for younger kids. I‘d recommend this book to anyone who knows and likes the Gamegrumps but the writing was patchy, probably give it a miss if you‘re not familiar with their other work.

I enjoyed this from the first chapter to the last. From the colourful cast to the beautiful setting to the story threads to be pulled in book two, it had me engrossed. Arguably a better start than the Farseer trilogy I felt like I was watching some kind off strategy game where I can‘t see the whole board, but every players move seems integral to the end point, which is admittedly, a long way off yet. Pic is the Mary Rose in case you‘re curious!

TBF has 100 positive feedback on Litsy and for good reason. I really felt for M as we went through a whistle stop tour of his early years and his struggles of trying to identify with any particular group and the feelings that then generates when we are introduced to the titular character. Some characters fall off the map early on and I‘d love to have seen them grow too but it was a quick read that really made me feel something. Uncle B is so sweet

Started off dull, rapidly improved with the introduction of negan and finished on a high (or perhaps a low for the characters.) Rinsed it in two days- negan is such a strong villian- completely psychopathic which made the storyline so compelling. I prefer the art of invincible but its still so well drawn and the writing is supeb. Ill keep my eyes open for a copy of compendium 4 but will read somthing a little less violent in the meantime.

I‘ve a soft spot for the world building in PPs Dark Materials and the first of the new trilogy doesn‘t disappoint. I was wondering how you could top the end of the amber spyglass and a prequel is the way to do it. Mal is such a likeable character and his relationship with Alice grows so naturally of the course of events. PP knows how to write a menacing villain too although I wish Hannah had played a more pivotal role. Maybe in the next book...

Hated the characters; not because they were badly written but because they were so abhorrent... but I guess that‘s partially the point. Rachel was a blank slate. Im guessing an avatar for the reader to reflect our feelings about the ultra rich snobs but it meant she never really developed any personality and her love interest Nick was so clueless it felt unbelievable. That made the book a little stilted but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Nicely paced but frustrating at times. A horrific glimpse at a dystopian patriarchal society where there are few winners and none of them are women. I felt some degree of Stockholm syndrome being radiated by Offred which I felt compelled to sympathise with even as it galled me. This is clever writing. I also felt some similarities in the world building with George Orwells 1984, maybe coincidence, maybe inspired. Either way, a gripping read.

8/10 A great run. The last 47 volumes tie everything up to bring the story to a close. My intrest did begin to wain at around 120 and the art changes slightly througout these volumes but I'd pick this over standard DC/Marvel fodder any day... plus im a sucker for RKs storytelling.

Third in the rivers books, the series returns to form with a fantastic quick read, full of action and weird fable-esque goings on. Really enjoyed it- great world building, fantastic characters and gripping plot line I can‘t wait to read the next instalment. P.s is the last chapter title, morning crescent a subtle nod to BBC Radio 4s “I‘m sorry I haven‘t a clue?” Probably not but it made me chuckle all the same.

The second book in the rivers series finds wizard-cop-in-training Peter Grant bouncing between crime scenes to a jazz theme tune. I didn‘t enjoy this novel as much as the first but that doesn‘t mean it wasn‘t enjoyable. Lesley and Nightingale take a back seat but there some nice character development in this book for Nightingale. Too many loose ends to make it a satisfying read though, I‘m hoping for some recurring themes in the next novel.

3/10 This book is so badly written. Its fanfic with a fancy cover. I stuck with it because I wanted SO badly to like it as I'm totally the key demographic for it but i couldnt get over the writing. Chracters were two dimensional and it draws so heavily on 80s culture that a wholly original idea becomes bogged down in a game of 80s trivia top trumps. I'm now going to vanish into my own virtual world to help me erase the memory of this book.

More diary entries from a doctor-gone-comedian Adam Kay, just as funny and more light hearted than his other book. Super easy read, fully recommended for a chuckle. Still glad I'm not a doctor though.

9/10 A comedy, supporting powerful moral. Funny throughout although some diary entries made me actually gag. It‘s an easy, fun read that makes me appreciate the NHS that little bit more. The fact it is funny on most entries gives so much more impact to the few serious entries peppered within. I‘ll make a mental note to thank the staff next time I find myself stuck in hospital, that‘s for sure. So good, I‘m moving straight on to AKs follow up.

In summary, the book amounts to a 219 page scene by scene review of 1993s cinematic romcom fodder, ‘View from the Top‘. Well written, quick read. Made me chuckle at times but it‘s tough to engage fully when the material is based on the authors feeling about a film that I know absolutely nothing about.

A strong finish to an excellent trilogy. Difficult to review without spoilers but it‘s gripping all the way to the end, everything ties up nicely with a number of flourishing twists to keep you guessing and I really grew to love Fitz and Nighteyes. I felt like Fitz‘s personality develops nicely in this book without losing key character flaws, which really humanises him as a character. On to the live ship trader trilogy I go!

Thoroughly enjoyable read. The second book in the Farseer trilogy picks up where the first book finished and has good pacing and a well developed world with a likeable (yet somewhat naive) protagonist in the shape of Fitz. Looking forward to polishing the trilogy off.

My first ever Robin Hobb book, this was a slow burner but well worth the read. RH has a very distinct writing style that took me a few chapters to get my head in gear but by the end was thoroughly enjoying. Characters and world were well built and the story was engaging. Look forward to reading the second in the trilogy. Photo is unrelated but couldn‘t go without one, This is the family‘s attempt to draw Rousseau the dog.

Love the art style, I would say this collection is much more graphically violent than the first 48 odd issues, more akin to Kirkmans other work. Enjoyed flicking though it an issue at a time over a few weeks.

A social commentary covering the rise of populism and disillusionment of the “somwhere” class. It argues for a shift in political classification from the traditional left-right to a more cross cultural divide which does help shift my worldview to accept a more broad spectrum of ideas. However this book is reliant so heavily on statistics to support its arguments, I found my mind wandering frequently, almost didn‘t finish. Not an enjoyable read.

A good introduction to a complex topic. Bite size facts bolstered with supporting images covering the development of the feminist movement globally from the 17th Century up to the present day.

It covers all aspects from radical to liberal feminism and introduces important figures in the movement as well as recommending some continued reading. Will be saving this as a read for my daughter for when she‘s old enough to understand the concepts.

As Lord Acton said, “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and this is very much the moral of the story here. Like watching a car crash in slow motion, I couldn‘t put the book down. It wasn‘t an enjoyable read but it was a valuable one. It made me think a lot about gender based power dynamics and also reflect on real attitudes toward women in the wake of the “me too” movement and genuinely how I might feel if those roles were reversed.

A quick read with easy to love characters (especially Raymond) with a feel good factor that will leave you wanting to go out in the street and do good deeds, to make some else‘s day a little brighter. Only comment against it was that the plot twist is not well hidden. I picked it up too quick, making the ending somewhat inevitable.

Thoroughly enjoyed Good Omens, it was giving me some real Douglas Adams vibes. Very funny and loved the Horsemen. Only complaint would be it was too short. Image unrelated but designed by my wife- I was reading whilst she was busy with this.

I enjoyed it to a large degree. Good character development and Katsu was super cute but some odd plot points that I found a little jarring and I am left with so many unanswered questions. So frustrating.

Really really enjoyed this book, down to earth modern thinking feminism wrapped up in tales of a life being well lived with little pearls of wisdom throughout. A lot of what Caitlin Moran has to say resonates strongly with me and I think she has an important message that is well worth taking some time to digest. Wish I‘d read it sooner.

A collection of Charlie Brookers articles from the Guardian between 2007 - 2009 discussing everything from politics to the Apprentice TV show. Not recommended if you‘re easily offended since the humour is often fairly self deprecating towards everyone including the reader, often explicit. Can see a lot of inspiration in here that went into the Black Mirror series he now works on. Enjoyable read on lunch breaks.

TV drama rarely deals with authentically frightening subjects. Except murder, which has been so overdone it‘s almost ceased to seem like a real or scary phenomenon. If I died at the hands of a serial killer I‘d probably just think ‘Ooh, how exciting, it‘s like something off the telly‘ before enjoying a nice lie down and a bleed. - Charlie Brooker

I don‘t really know what to say about this book but I found it amusing to pick up and flick through. Kind of reminded me of my old workbooks from school, full of doodles and conversations with friends before the advent of mobile phones.

First line - “I went to a fashionable London nightclub on Saturday. Not the sort of sentence I get to write very often, because I enjoy nightclubs less than I enjoy eating wool.” - this is going to be a fun read.

The concept was interesting and it starts out strong but the writing style and sentence repetition was so irritating. The level of description at times was unbearable and completely pointless. The book could have been condensed down from 800 to about 200 pages without losing anything. It also contains an unsettling eroticism about it which is carried throughout the book, which feels again like it adds little to nothing to the story.

A biased review, having massively enjoyed Scott pilgrim before this. Well drawn as always, interesting, original story but not quite as funny as the pilgrim books. Worth picking up for the artwork alone.

An interesting read with some amusing anecdotes about one of the most iconic clubs of the early 90s. Littered with grammatical errors and more of a memoir from ‘Hooky‘ than a clear account of what actually happened at the club though.

Enjoyed it immensely, good character development, I like the world that BA has created and am always drawn in by anecdotal tales from history and am always suckered into stories of magic, fables and myths. Ticks a lot of my boxes. Feel like there is a lot more to explore here.

A fresh look at an oversaturated market- thoroughly enjoyed this, read an issue every weekend so I could make the most of it. Well drawn with story arcs nicely laced together.

Interesting read, well written but an odd book with only one character and everyday objects being the star of the show.

Worth a read but not mind blowing. Felt like a regular “what if” type scenario but from the context of the “what.”

Oof, a difficult read- may be down t translation issues but I struggled to get invested enough to finish it.

A great quick read, laugh out loud funny at points - just a collection of negative reviews but well written and easy to pick up at any point.

It provides a well though out explanation of the illness and why what is happening, is happening. The photo album analogy is massively useful and the golden rules are now incorporated into our care treatment plan.

However, it feels like it‘s written for those who haven‘t dealt with the issues yet, but not so practical at the point most would pick up this book.

Full of great concepts and ideas, perhaps a little too idealistic.