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Continue reading →: Book Review: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars Sometimes, I’m left bewildered by the gullibility of the general public. I don’t mean this cruelly, but, you know, I get a little upset when I see certain books become ‘bestsellers’ because these books are, frankly, pandering to the whims of readers and peddling…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am not the greatest of Arthur C. Clarke’s fans. Even in my youth, when I devoured classic sci-fi while other kids my age were discovering their dad’s not-so-secret stash of porn magazines, I was reading things like ‘Rendezvous with Rama’, ‘Imperial Earth’ and…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Paper Heart by Boomie Bol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars This collection of poetry is one I have been awaiting for a very long time. I will disclaim here that I have a vested interest in the book – but that interest is a key part of the importance of this review. I have…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: How Britain Really Works: Understanding the Ideas and Institutions of a Nation by Stig Abell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Stig Abell is quite a fascinating chap and that comes across very much in this book. Almost a contemporary of mine (we both grew up in the Midlands around the same time, and he went to the same school in Loughborough as a friend…
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Continue reading →: Book review: My Adopted Life: The Adopted Mother’s Story by A.H.M. Beattie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars As with my review of the first book in this series (‘My adopted life: A birth mothers story’), my copy of this book was given to me to review and I do so freely and without compulsion. Likewise, this was a book I specifically…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars So, I need to make apparent the bleeding obvious disclosure, right from the beginning, that I am white, male, of the professional class, very firmly heterosexual and (regrettably) pushing too close to 50. All of which, more or less, disqualify me as a (stereo)typical…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Love for Lydia by H. E. Bates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars H. E. Bates is a deceptive writer. He wouldn’t, I should think, have known this at the time when he was writing his classic stories back in the 50s; but reading his works today takes some careful work. This is because books such as…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Strata by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars So…I should immediately confess, for those who are not regular readers of my reviews, that I am a big Terry Pratchett fan and simply adore his Discworld novels. I’m not going to be completely unbiased then when it comes to his work. And what…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: My adopted life: A birth mothers story by A.H.M. Beattie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was provided with a copy of this book by the author but, as always, this review is freely and independently written. Indeed, I actually expressed an interest in the book after reading an interview with the author on her Facebook page. ‘My Adopted…
