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Continue reading →: Book Review: Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
I’ll be blunt and say ‘Tales of the City’ is not the kind of book I would normally bother to read; and having now read it, it’s not a classic, I should warn you. I got hold of it because it is a favourite book of a very special friend…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: The Butterfly Effect by Jon Ronson
The Butterfly Effect by Jon Ronson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I often find myself championing strange, even unpopular, causes. Prostitution, for instance, is something I’d like to see un-demonized. Not because of some perverse predilection of mine (I’ve simply never found the idea of ‘stranger sex’ appealing) but…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ll confess that I have only come to read this classic sci-fi novel because of the movie Bladerunner. My love for that film has been rekindled because of the sequel newly released. Those of…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is proving to be a most annoying author, to say the least. For much of this story, her second novel, I frowned. The sense that Roy is actually a bit of a loony hasn’t left me since reading her classic ‘The God of Small Things’. ‘The Ministry of…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I have become accustomed to disappointment when picking up a relatively new book (as in, written with the last 15 years) which everyone tells me is ‘a classic’. I can think of several such books I’ve read where, at best, they are good – but certainly not worthy of the…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Talking Heads by Alan Bennett
Talking Heads by Alan Bennett My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m late to the Alan Bennett fan club, I’ll admit. I’m also not ashamed to say that a more urgent interest in him has directly arisen from watching the film “The Lady in the Van” which I thought was…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent
Five Go Gluten Free by Bruno Vincent My rating: 4 of 5 stars I never read reviews of books before I write one myself. I’d rather give my own thoughts and find I’m a lone voice than be influenced by the opinions of the masses. However, after writing a review…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: Five on Brexit Island by Bruno Vincent
Sometimes, you just want a book to chill out with rather than tax your heart or your mind. For that reason I picked up my two ‘Enid Blyton for adults’ books, bought for me as a Christmas gift, and decided to plough through them. They were obviously going to be…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan My rating: 5 of 5 stars It is not normal to say this about a book of history but: ‘The Silks Roads’ is one of the most exciting and illuminating books I’ve ever read. By ‘exciting’ I mean…
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Continue reading →: Book Review: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
This was a novel I was looking forward to reading. There’s something lovely about period novels (this one set in 17th century Amsterdam) because they are usually well-researched and details are accurate. In today’s internet-ready global village, an author can’t get away with ‘winging it’ any longer. There’s always some…
Hello, I’m Ken.
Welcome to Write Out Loud, my blog dedicated to all sorts of things to do with writing.
This page will be updated constantly every week with book reviews and writing-related stuff.
The blog is the baby sister of my personal blog kenthinksaloud where I write ‘Monday Murmurings’—insights into life and philosophy. Get a clever take on politics with ‘Wednesday Banker,’ and ‘Future Friday’ for the latest in psychology, environment, and tech.
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Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing) 