This book is centred on a near-future city environment where powers of protection are inscribed in various tattoos that citizens choose to have drawn on them. But these powers can sometimes be used for raising the dead and this battle forms the basis of the plot. Personally I am not a big fan of the supernatural in novels but I did enjoy the fact it was set in a place and time that felt familiar. And I enjoyed the writing style of the author.

An odd format, described as a novel but containing much biography and thoughts on the life of a writer. Thoroughly enjoyable mostly but the literary critical segments sometimes get a little convoluted. Definite pick though.

Pretty good yarn. Not sure how quickly I‘d bother to pick up another though.

A fond journey through indie music and the once great NME.

A good attempt at explaining fundamental physics for thickos like me. Still too many equations though 🙂

Great little summary and snapshot of the Uk beer scene in 2011. Long live CAMRA !

Quite hard going and very convoluted descriptions. You can see how with a bit of refinement it could have been great. Don‘t pick it up for a comfort read 🙂

Essential reading. Should replace the Bible in every hotel room.

Worth a read but never quite caught alight for me.

Stella line up of circa 20 writers discussing the impact of Dawkins‘s work. Really good.

A gentle distraction for a couple of hours, always a comforting joy in AB‘s hands.

An important and powerful collection of essays that provides a much needed counterbalance to the biased and racist mainstream treatment of Palestine, and the apartheid and murderous Israeli state. Oh, and it‘s free from the Verso website. 🇵🇸✡️

I think this is my first pan. Picked this up on the strength of the connection with my birthplace. But the writing is clunky, the plot not terribly exciting, and the descriptions of the characters of colour are a bit dodgy. Also the main character does something at the end which they would never have done, and isn‘t justified at all. End of this author for me !

Challenging at times without explanatory notes but interesting nonetheless especially with some of his letters for context.

The wanton Boy that kills the Fly
Shall feel the Spider‘s enmity.

🪰🕷️

An easy read, and certainly worth giving it a go. It‘s a bit stunted though with very stop start chapters. Didn‘t quite reach the Gerard Woodward heights.

Another tour de force from Des

First read this 30 years ago at school. A classic, and a stark reminder that the war wasn‘t just fought in Europe.

#realbooksarebest

Tremendous overview of the history of fascism in the US.

A rather silly book, rarely humorous. Not even convinced the Stewart Lee blurb on the cover is genuine. Comes across as if the author has a bit of a vendetta.

Tremendous jaunt through the last 120 or so years of the great British pub. If you love pubs then you‘ll love this 🍻

Mmm, experimental ! Good for Ballard that he doesn‘t give a monkey‘s. Written in the 70s too, wow. Not for the fainthearted.

One for the hoarders 🙂📚

#TBR #bookpoem

Essential reading to help correct the nonsense spouted by mainstream media and those with power.

A bit clunky and clumsy, and far fetched. Page turner though.

Mildly amusing, can be read in a few sittings.

Very good, especially the concluding part of Rian Malan‘s piece

Very interesting depictions of South America just before the millennium. Also good if you like motorcycles.

Granta 25. Not on Litsy, have suggested it but I don‘t know how long that takes to be reviewed.

An interesting set of stories, from the gripping account of the Gibraltar killings to a murder tale in South Africa which annoyingly continues in the next issue !

Very informative and eye opening history

The premise and the plot, and scene setting, are great, but then it gets a bit waylaid and the ending is a bit weak. Also, he seems to have an odd way of writing about women and non-white people.

Ebook. Thought provoking, and although not right on all fronts this a must read for the historical interpretations and alternative views that most are blinkered to.

Quick read, pleasant enough. Mildly thoughtful. His trilogy was amazing.

👍🏼

The only time a bookcase makes me sad. #MovingHome

I felt the author could have used better analogies to get across complex ideas. Books like these should be read and reviewed by lay people rather than peers.

A joy to read, effortless 600 pages. Not what I was expecting, a pleasant surprise.

A tremendous overview of the key scientific topics of life in the universe despite some of the theoretical explanations not really being suitable for the general reader.

Not bad, not sure what all the fuss is about. Solidarity with the author. If you don‘t like it, don‘t read it.

Too many non-book posts on Litsy now 😢

Acres of facts

Very interesting, informative, serious yet casual review of the history of the first 21 years (1971-1992) of the UK‘s Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) - ‘Europe‘s most successful consumer organisation.‘ Now for the 40, and 50, year histories !

Counterpoint

Nicely written

Very small book - bit stingy if you‘d bought it !

Although a little flat in the closing chapters it‘s a rip roaring read and a very good evocation of wartime

Whistle stop tour of a convoluted history.

Delightful

A tour de force. Should be mandatory reading for all.

Tremendous