Very short but very good. Ideal for if you're starting a blog or a website, in how to create it, market it and what content to include. This book really inspired me to get out there on the web.

I've not seen the film but I really enjoyed the book. The premise is very unique and leads to extremely tense scenes where there might be nothing going on or there might actually be extreme danger... You can't tell blind. I like how the characters have no actual idea what is going on rather than everything being spelt out. Keeps with the theme of the fear of the unknown. Also horribly violent at times but not in a cheap way.

Watching LOTR trilogy for the first time since reading the books and now I can be the guy that says "That didn't happen in the books"!

Picked this up at the library as the blurb compared the writing style to Steinbeck. The prose was very similar, with wonderful descriptions of the countryside and the simple lives lived in the South. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters... until the ending. Ruined the book for me sadly. Will read more of Rash's work despite how its conclusion left me feeling.

Decided to read my first Shakespeare play since I was at uni. First time read and now I want to see this on the stage. I thought I'd struggle with the language but not too difficult. Richard is a classic chatacter and it built up so well to that final scene. With the whole of Shakespeare's work for free on Kindle it's a great opportunity to enjoy these plays.

I found this extremely useful. Despite being written in the 30's I think the ideas still work - all the ideas are positive which is timeless really. A short book but full of great ideas of how to motivate people and also connect with them.

4 novellas from Mr King. Shawshank is fantastic and led to possibly the greatest film of all time. Apt Pupil is a great study of evil and what horrors we're capable of. The Body (Stand by Me) was my personal fav - King really captures the feeling of youth and I saw possible influences for his later massive novel It. And The Breathing Method is a cool macabre story with a twisted twist! Great collection.

Wil (Wesley Crusher) recaps the troubled 1st season of TNG with humourous episode narrations and frank views on the bad and good of working on the show. Its a story of how a great cast persevered with bad scripts to turn TNG into a classic. But we also see how tough this 15 YO had it as a child actor and playing a despised character. For a show that's about a better future some fans can be jerks. Even if you didn't like Wesley, you'll like Wil.

@Litsy Can the character limit on posts be increased? I often have to trim my reviews and choose shorter words as my review has gone over 450 characters. An extra 100 characters would be beautiful! Please!

This was Herbert's 1st novel. Whether that's the reason but this felt amateurish. The characters were hollow & the plot quite silly (the MC, an art teacher, somehow knows better than all the experts and scientists and is given government secrets because he seems trustworthy). There's a lot of gory fun in here (the train chapter was intense) but the rats featured so much, after 100 pages it got a bit repetitive. Fun but too silly.

The final part of the trilogy. Beckett for me is the best sci-fi writer currently around. He's created this incredible world exploring how stories, civilisations and religions form and its full of drama. The first half I wasn't sure where the story was heading but then... wow! It was a fantastic ending to the trilogy. I won't forget the world of Eden.

Lot of hate for this these days but it really helped me understand women better and I've avoided a number of arguments as a result. It taught me to really listen when my GF is upset rather than try to fix it. Not everyone will fit into the gender roles but that's like any self help book and the author does repeat himself a lot but as a man this has helped so much. Men and women are equal but we're different and there's nothing wrong with that.

Last read this when I was a teenager. I've always loved the show and this first novel captures the feel perfectly. There's a few chapters around the middle where it jusy feels like they've slapped the scripts in which gives it a lazy feel. But most of the book either features original material or takes scenes from the show and builds on them. The novel gives more depth to Lister's feelings of loneliness and Rimmer's near insanity. Very funny.

Roger Moore truly was an English legend. His spin on Bond was very different but I loved the guy. His character shines through the book with his wit and his tendency to mock himself and praise others as he mostly focusses on the actors and directors he met over the years, rather than blowing his own trumpet. An easy read by a very much missed English gent.

Torn on my opinion of the sequel to Ring. It picks up right from when Ring ended but with a new protagonist. Like Ring the book takes us on a journey of horror and almost detective work as Ando explores what is causing the deaths. However at times it focusses too much on the science which makes the supernatural elements then seem ridiculous. Spiral takes a very different route to the films at the end and provides a dramatic twist conclusion.

Finished the trilogy. When I watched the films TBH I didn't get the hype. Now after reading the books I do! The last novel for me is the best. The battle is the first part of the book is incredible, my favourite part of the trilogy. The second half is also great. I worried that the book would take too long to wrap up but I really enjoyed it all. I worried I wouldn't finish the trilogy, now I'm sad its over.

Been meaning to read this for ages, saw the film is out so read it so I can watch it next week. Had a few issues with it - bit too much techno babble and would be really be that obsessed with the 80s who'd never witnessed it? Also I felt the peril could have been introduced earlier but once it was I really got into it. Enjoyed the nostalgia and its a great concept. The chat rooms reminded me of my younger internet days... so many hours wasted!

I really enjoyed this and prefered it to the first. The first part is fantastic - lots of action and loved the Ents. Second half was enjoyable but things slowed down. However I loved the dialogue between Frodo, Sam and Gollum and the last two chapters were fantastic.

Tolkien (well Sam) showing great wisdom.

Whilst most in Britain know the grim details sensationalised by the press this is a mature and balanced look at the murder of James Bulger and the trial and media treatment of the ten year old killers. Hard to read but gets the reader to consider if the young killers were simply freaks or if they were two young boys from difficult backgrounds who found themselves in a situation that escalated further than either could have imagined. Truly tragic.

Finished this last week, you might have heard of it? I can see why its so loved. The characters live with you and its lovely fantasy. I did struggle with the Tom Bombadil bit but the rest was hugely enjoyable. I've gone against everyone's advice and I'm currenyly reading another book before reading the next part but I will return!

Finally started LOTR for the first time this week. Gandalf really is a wise bloke.

Awful. Stefanovitch is put in a wheelchair by a crimelord who then kills his wife. 2 years later he's still working as a cop. Patterson tells us he's struggling but he barely thinks about his ex, akways suceeds and is still able to win a shoot out against 2 guys and chase a 3rd down a street with 2 bullet wounds and kill him. Add to this a ludicrous twist with barely an explanation and you've got a farce of book with flat unbelievable characters.

This was a struggle. At the heart of this novel is a classic story - Ahab and the whale. However amidst the adventure chapters are numerous chapters detailing whaling, whales and sailing. Some of these chapters are of interest but many slow the story down and are incredibly boring. I almost gave up a few times. Ahab is an incredible character and his obsession is one of literature's greatest tales. But the book itself is incredibly hard work.

Love this window display! Using Trump's own words to sell this book he hates and also helping him sound, like, really dumb.

Got the full collection last week and really love these editions. I've only ever read The Hobbit so its a new adventure for me. My girlfriend said I should read them all continously but I think I'll take a break between books... she wasn't impressed with that suggestion!

As a Bond fan, seeing this on offer for £4 I could no way say no to this bargain today. Moore was a true legend. Looking forward to reading this at some point.

Ok I'm a bit late with this but this was the last book I read last year, finished on NYE. Not much I can say new about this that hasn't been said before. My first taste of Dickens, I will be reading more of his work. I never realised how accessible his work is. However for the first quarter of the book I couldn't help but visualise the streets full of Muppets!

Finished this late last year. I bought it simply because I loved the cover and wanted to try some Japanese fiction having only ever read Ring. Some parts of it went over my head though. After reading about the author's fate I realised that he was a very deep man and I would like to read more of his work but whilst I did quite enjoy this I didn't love it - I'd have preferred to have witnessed the aftermath of the ending. Dark and philosophical.

Finally getting round to reviewing the last few books I read last year. This was my first Agatha Christie book and I really enjoyed it. A classic old school mystery with a fantastic ending.

#7goodthings

1. East of Eden
2. Charles Dickens
3. East of Eden
4. I didn't read a full series but continued a few. Favourite being the Montalbano books.
5. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea.
6. The Stand
7. A Monster Calls

My #firstbook for 2018 will be this. I know it's a classic but opinions on it seem to be mixed. Really hope I like it and it's not going to be a difficult read. But if Captain Picard likes it then it must be good!

I don't want to sound preachy but this is just something to keep in mind. If you are doing a reading challenge I wish you luck 😊 Happy reading for all next year 😊

All for £5... bargain!

The train station in Marple has a great dedication to Miss Marple herself

I've not bailed on a novel in about 4 years but for some reason I just can't get into this and I thought I'd love it to. A novel about a dystopian future is normally right up my street. Maybe it's just me. I might try it again at some point but for now I'm calling it a day.

It took seven weeks but I've finally finished this. No one tells a tale like King and with around 1300 pages to play with he tells a truly epic tale. A story of good vs evil, fate and religion but as always what makes it so good are his characters. If you can cope with the word count read it.

Finished this the other day. Another hilarious Partridge book however not quite as good as We Need to Talk About Alan. It really captured how mentally unbalanced his character is, showing just how jealous and petty he can be. If he was a real person this would be tragic. It's just as good as the TV show and whilst it does mention events from the film and series, it doesn't rehash them but expands on them.

Birthday present from my girlfriend. She knows me very well! Can't wait to start this. Going to be an epic journey.

Since finishing this the other day I've read about King's big regret over something that happens in this book but I loved it regardless. I wasn't sure how you could write a full novel about a rabid dog on a killing spree but it worked. Realistic, tense, brutal and tragic. I'm very glad I read it.

Question for night readers! I've always read in bed before going to sleep but I've recently moved in with my girlfriend so I've just been reading on my Kindle Paperwhite so as not to keep her awake. However I've got a number of paperbacks I'd like to read. Does anyone know of any reading lights that are not too bright. I did try one bit we ended up doing shadow animals on the wall! I really want to read For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Currently reading this and as with any Stephen King novel I'm really enjoying it. He builds his characters so well. And now Cujo looks like he's set to start causing a lot of trouble.

#LitsyTips

Post about books! We're here to make friends and talk about books but sometimes I feel that the books are either forgotten or weakly used just to post about yourself. I hate Facebook but sometimes my newsfeed looks very similar. Let's talk about books! And to keep it books I've tagged a book I don't feel gets enough credit... check it out!

I enjoyed this. The characters and story were both fun. But I'm not going to write a detailed review as enough have done that already. What I will do is ask what draws people to these books? Yes I liked it but not to the point where I can understand why people rate it amongst literature's best work. It read like a child's book, presumably because that's who it was originally written for, but do the other books feel more adult?

I've finally gave in and decided to read Harry Potter. I've never really thought it was my cup of tea but I'm 2 chapters in and actually enjoying it. Also I visited John Rylands library in Manchester today which has a Harry Potter feel about it as you might be able to see from the picture.

The third Montalbano book is another fantastic novel telling a fun tale seasoned with quirky individuals and Italian characteristics that make these books so unique. Loved it.

Camilleri uses some fantastic similies. I don't know if it's an Italian thing or just him, either way it makes the Montalbano novels very unique and fun!

I absolutely love the Montalbano novels. Started this one the other day and the detective's blunt remarks have made me laugh out loud several times already. Always a nice humorous escape to Italy.

Really enjoyed this. A tense novel about a newly graduated lawyer who takes a job that seems to good to be true. The main character is finds himself in a very tricky situation, stuck between the mob and three FBI. Good read!

#itsallamystery #sizzlinsummerreads

This arrived in the post today. I love the Montalbano books. Fantastic mystery novels, filled with quirky characters whilst set in my favourite country. I always tend to eat extra Italian meals when reading these books!