Another rollercoaster ride through morals and ethics in twisting reality that stirs the imagination few can reach. The concepts and ideas that Dick constructs are consistently amazing. Has he foreseen the coming of the microtransaction here?

I first read this about 15 years ago. I thought about it recently when I finished playing a game called Disco Elysium (check it out if you like this kind of stuff!) I set out to find it, at the bottom of a box, and boy am I glad i did. Every bit as good as I remember, insane and depraved and hilarious in parts, Thompson manages to nail a few home truths about friendship, drugs, Vegas, and humanity itself. A rollercoaster ride, no doubt!

This is the second book ive read by Cussler and it hits the same levels as the last. Dirk Pitt (a diving James Bond wannabe) returns in another totally unbelievable and yet thoroughly entertaining adventure that stretches across North America. This time the President has been kidnapped and everyone's blaming the Russians but is there someone else involved in the plot? Cussler has a great knack of weaving different characters together. Enjoyed it!

I love the cities Motter styles in his books, with crazy architecture ideas. However, some of the art doesn't quite reach a high enough standard here for my liking. I was hoping there would be more about Mister X himself but the stories are mainly about the lesser characters. Its still enjoyable and I really liked some of the ideas used, I'm just left feeling slightly disappointed.

At first I thought this was going to be similar to Andy McNabs Nick Stone books but it actually comes from a different angle. Tom works in groups in surveillance rather than on his own, and it goes into the day to day workings of that, the operations they have to go on and how he trained to get there. He has a unique set of skills that are good for this line of work but that tests the limit of what a man can endure.

Been meaning to read this for way too long, and i wasn't disappointed. It was in no way what I expected which was probably why I enjoyed it so much. Holden really isn't the full ticket and his frenetic changes of thought don't lead to a really coherent story, but surely that's the point here, he can't maintain a normal life and his actions lead him into crazy situations and relationships. I can relate to his problems, anyway.

The idea of a ship inside an iceberg is a bit unbelievable, and alot of what happens in this story is far fetched. However, Major Dirk Pitt is such a swashbuckling smartass scallywag that i found his escapades thoroughly enjoyable. I'll be looking out for more of his adventures.

I've always had an interest in the Mafia, from movies I grew up watching, I'm sure. This book tells the history of Sicilian mafia, from Garibaldis unification of Italy, through fascism under Mussolini, the exodus to America, internal wars, mass killings, corruption, heroin and right up to the maxi trials held in a bunker and beyond. The book reads more like a giant essay with a huge amount of info and names and I found it hard to take it all in...

Picked this up randomly because I liked the title and cover. Auster effortlessly describes the thoughts of a solitary man and the madness he can create, the webs that can be weaved, a life that can spiral into insanity. I found the first and last stories particularly great, but especially the first, City of Glass, I have my own theory on what was really going on in this story, but in the end, it doesn't matter and that's what's so great about it.

I've been struggling to read lately and this book didn't help. It has great reviews and it's not terrible but i felt it just meandered along. The thing I would say is that Osman knows his target audience, in a retired housewife who watches reruns of murder she wrote all day, kind of way...

Really enjoyed it. Poses alot of interesting questions about what would happen if there was proof of the existence of God. Couldn't put it down once it got going but its not perfect and the ending was a let down as i thought there was still 50 pages to go (there wasn't, it was an excerpt from one of James' other books) still worth reading, especially if you liked The Da Vinci Code

"Now Nick The Greek is not what you would call a heavy criminal.He is, in fact, a nitwit. He was a western suburbs drugs dealer. Sure I burnt his house down, so what?"

Read has an uncanny ability to turn mindless violence into a comedic exercise. An insight into a seemingly perennial prison inmate in Australia who sheds light on the murky underworld he thrives in. I found it interesting how he notes the change in mentality of the career criminal through the decades and how he finally sees the sense to go straight after years spent looking over his shoulder.

"Jim glanced at the people around him, the clerks and the coolies and peasant women, well aware of what they were thinking. One day China would punish the rest of the world, and take a frightening revenge."

Amazing story of WW2 in China, seen through the eyes of a boy called Jim. Interesting in that theres often a war in Jims mind about whos side hes on, who he should trust, where he should go, is the war actually over? He sees so much and understands so little, like any child would in wartime, and yet his desire to survive is seemingly neverending.

Four stories in this book but it doesnt really hit the highs that King can reach. The highlight for me is Secret Window, Secret Garden, it has that real building sinister edge King can do so well. The other highlight for me was in the last story, The Sun Dog, a return to Castle Rock, the setting for a number of great King books (Cujo, The Dark Half).

I picked this book up many years ago, because i thought the title was cool. Its nothing like what i expected. The title is how the authors father explains how he feels spending another night on the streets, but the story is really about how the writer struggles with the actions of his dad. Homelessness, alcoholism, violence, death, drugs, kindness, love, its all in this memoir and its told in a genuine heartfelt way.

A real tour de force from King. Easily one of his best books, pulls you in by the spine and never lets go.

Freshly reissued and slightly updated for 2020. I was a bit hesitant to get this but the author done a grand job. He spoke to enough of the right people to correctly gauge the ever changing sound and culture of jungle music through the nineties. If you went raving to jungle back then, then this book will scratch that nostalgic itch, being very informative but not excessively wordy.

Im glad i got through the heavy scottish accent this book is mainly written in. I liked Trainspotting since its cinematic release so didnt hesitate to try this and it didnt disappoint. It is similar in ways to Trainspotting and offers all the scallywag behaviour you want. It is laugh out loud hilarious in many ways, especially the charcter Terry Lawson, but theres always a stark realism that hits in the end as the boys move through their lives.

My daughter was reading this and i realised i had never actually read it. Its well worth a read, especially if you grew up in the 70s or 80s in working class Britain. Its laugh out loud funny, at times its sad but it paints a picture of the mundane worries of a 14 year old boy who is struggling with life. A year in the life of a not very bright intellectual!

First Stephen Leather book i have read. Bit of a page turner and the characters of Spider and Harper are really interesting, but i was slightly let down by the ending and the tying up of all the sub stories. Just expected a bit more but id try another Spider Shepherd book, probably.

Thoroughly interesting read. I didnt think this book could ever be this interesting, and way surpassed my expectations. Bryston's witty take on personalities and past discoveries is a real joy.

"He was a mess. His right eye blazed like a baleful sapphire. The left was gone. His left cheek had been vaporized; you could watch his jaw work on that side as he talked. Most of his teeth were gone over there, too. His shirt was soaked with blood. When you got right down to it, Poke was sort of a mess."