Sunday, July 24, 2011

Flashman at the March

Just completed my next challenge book:  Flashman at the March.  A slow read, but that's only because I kept re-reading passages.  Full review here.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Biggles Works It Out

Biggles Works It Out isn't the best of the Biggles books, but it was a pleasure to revisit a childhood fictional hero after nearly thirty years.  In this adventure, Biggles and Co. take on an airborne gang of international gold hijackers.

Full review here.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Where The Sidewalk Ends

Where the sidewalk ends is a not really a story. It is a book of poems. There are exactly 166 pages in this book.

It is a very funny book to read it for the first time. If you had read it before you might have read the invitation (which is a poem).

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Completed Walter Miller's A Canticle For Leibowitz; a post-apocalyptic novel that follows a monastery in what used to be New Mexico as the world crawls painfully out of a new dark age toward a new civilisation for doomed to repeat the holocaust in a final act of Armageddon.  Though it's never been out of print since its publication in the 1950s and is recognised as one of the true classics of science fiction, it never sat very comfortably with the sci-fi readership.  This is not surprising, since the novel lacks the usual trappings of shiny machinery or romantic post-atomic adventure.  It's frank and sincere Christian (not to mention Roman Catholic) was also uncomfortable for the typical fan's more materialistic prejudices. However, the level of writing with its strong characters, wry humour, and insightful plots place it head and shoulders above the more common fare of the genre.

Full review here.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Diary of a Killer Cat

The Diary of a Killer Cat is a great book. It's about a cat named Tuffy. the author is Anne Fine who is the author of Four Babies and Madame Doubtfire. Well ,this story is where the killer cat has ate
a bird and the main victim is a rabbit named Thumber [who is very old]. He died of oldness, but you don't knew it until the end.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

1975: And the Changes to Come

Completed my second challenge book: 1975: And the Changes to Come by Arnold B Barach & the Kiplinger Washington Editors. (1962). 

It's a non-fiction work intended to take a look at how the world, and especially the United States, would change by 1975.  Unlike many such predictive books, many of its predictions are right on the money.  This isn't surprising since the book took such a restrained approach that one chapter was a very sober rundown on the safest investments over the next decade. 

It's also notable for many rare photos of architecture and technology of the future.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thea stilton and Dragon's Code

Thea stilton and Dragon's Code is my 2nd reading challenge book. From a scale to ten, I would say
#1.

Nicky is my favorite Thea sister . The others are Colette, Violet, Paulina, and Pamela. I love this
series.