My rating: 5 of 5 stars The dual combination of being both short and one of those books which appears on more or less every ‘Must Read’ list meant I finally picked up this slender volume recently. Having seen the book quoted innumerable times in various forms across social media, I took a little time… Read More Book Review: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m unashamedly a Terry Pratchett fan and, bar his initial prototype discworld novel from long ago, have never found any of his books to be anything other than wonderful. ‘Witches Abroad’ is no exception. As Pratchett so often does, he starts with inverting an idea we all take for… Read More Book Review: Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars For once, here is a book I’m not quite decided about. Is it good, or is it a pile of shite? I’m dodging between 3 stars and 4 for this review but certain parts are more like a 2 and others up at 5. It’s a very confusing book.… Read More Book review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari My rating: 4 of 5 stars The four stars I’ve given this book are, I’ll admit from the start, somewhat out of respect for this brilliant author rather than wholly deserved with this ‘sequel’ to his superb ‘Sapiens’. There are many passages which frankly… Read More Book Review – Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari My rating: 5 of 5 stars There are some books which are so breathtakingly clear, honest and courageous that they instantly leap into the canon of ‘must-reads’ which will abide for decades to come. Peter Frankopan’s history book ‘The Silk Roads’ is one such example.… Read More Book Review – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho My rating: 4 of 5 stars This, arguably the most famous book of Coelho’s, is the second I’ve read of this author (the first being ‘Eleven Minutes‘). The novel is truly beautiful, simple and imbued with peace as seems to be the trademark of Coelho’s style. It deserves the fame… Read More Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the first book I’ve read by Paulo Coelho and, I suspect, it won’t be my last. The whole novel is, in many ways, a contradiction in motion and, true to that spirit, much of what I think of it is contradiction too.… Read More Book Review: Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera My rating: 4 of 5 stars My introduction to Milan Kundera was ‘Slowness‘ and it was chosen entirely for pragmatic reasons – it was short. I wasn’t impressed, I have to say, and took my time to read his bestselling classic ‘The unbearable Lightness of Being’. My… Read More Book Review: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Slowness by Milan Kundera My rating: 3 of 5 stars This short ‘novelette’ was my introduction to an author whose works I’ve wanted to read for some time but never got around to it. I have three books of his after a recommendation from a friend and this was the shortest so…what could go wrong?… Read More Book Review: Slowness by Milan Kundera
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand My rating: 5 of 5 stars Reading “The Fountainhead” might just be one of the most contradictory experiences of my life. It has been fascinating, annoying, illuminating, depressing and uplifting all at the same time and will be one of the few books I’ve read in over 30 years which… Read More Book Review: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
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