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.Devil Bones
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by: Kathy Reichs

August 28, 2008

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.The Kite Runner
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by: Khaled Hosseini

June 07, 2004
Just a short review as there are so many already - BUT .... I was a bit disappointed by The Kite Runner, not least because I read A Thousand Splendid Suns first and expected this book to be as good - it wasn't.

Another reviewer said of The Kite Runner 'It's an adequate story, filled with parts that are designed to make the reader cry.' I agree with this. I did find it a little predictable and it lacked something which A Thousand Splendid Suns had (which I can't quite put my finger on) but that's not to say that it's not well written as Hosseini does have an incredible gift as an author.
Perhaps I wasn't compelled to turn the pages as quickly as I expected - this is all too often the case though with massively over-hyped books. ... Read More:
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.The Outcast
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by: Sadie Jones

June 16, 2008
I read this book in 1.5 days much to my wife's irritation since I was supposed to be helping look after the children while on holiday! Other reviewers have referred to the clautrophobia of the 1950s which I would entirely concur with, there is a fawning sense of hierarchy and keeping up appearances regardless of underlying realities.
A great novel dealing with hypocrisy, failed communication between father and son, failure of articulation of great distress and possible resolution.
I strongly recommend reading it.
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.Watchmen
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by: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons

October 01, 1987
Inevitably over-rated after all that has been said and written about it, and about Alan Moore, this remains a necessary touchstone for anyone interested in the overlap between traditional fiction and graphic novels (ok, comics). Not quite as compelling as From Hell in its attempt at the serious, this is richly peopled and paints an alternate world as convincing as any, and occassionally more convincing that the one we're actually stuck with. If you're interested in where and why the imperfect, even damaged, super-heros that now pop everywhere came from, this is as good a place as any to start.
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.East of the Sun
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by: Julia Gregson

June 12, 2008
I was looking forward to this book but was disappointed. I found it slow and a little dreary. Very little happens. Not even a great love story. So much of the book was taken up on the boat to India, I kept wondering if they were ever going to get there. After reading so many other gripping books recently, I felt hard done by. I perservered and although it had a pleasant ending, although somewhat predictable, I kept thinking "is that it?" Very easy to read but not at all exciting.
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.The Other Queen
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by: Philippa Gregory

August 21, 2008
I was looking forward to this book but was disappointed. I found it slow and a little dreary. Very little happens. Not even a great love story. So much of the book was taken up on the boat to India, I kept wondering if they were ever going to get there. After reading so many other gripping books recently, I felt hard done by. I perservered and although it had a pleasant ending, although somewhat predictable, I kept thinking "is that it?" Very easy to read but not at all exciting.
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.What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
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by: Haruki Murakami

August 07, 2008
Well I'm coming at this from he opposite direction from Emma (above), but I agree with her assessment of the book.

As a 50-something runner and lover of Murakami's novels I found this fascinating - read it in one sitting (well, lying - it was an overnight hospital stay).

Recmmended for runners and couch potatoes alike.
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.New Moon (Twilight Saga)
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by: Stephenie Meyer

September 06, 2007
An enjoyable read but follows a very similar pattern to the first book which makes it far too predictable and slightly repetitive. Having said that, I think the relationship between Bella and Jacob was far superior than Edward and Bella - how many people will shoot me down for that? :). I think this is because it's much more natural, the latter's relationship always seemed a bit superficial, what with Bella always being dazed by Edward's beauty. Then again, perhaps Jacob is too good for the likes of Bella. Her constant references to her metaphorical holes did irk me quite a bit. Also, the comparisons to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet were just a tad too corny.
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.The Private Patient (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery)
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by: P.D. James

August 28, 2008
If you love PD James you already know what to expect: the English countryside at its most mysterious and threatening; descriptions of London and its twistings and turnings; a strange, dysfunctional group of suspects bound together by professional ties, rivalries, jealousies and secrets; and most of all an intricately-constructed plot.

There's all of that on offer in this book. P.D.James is Britain's Great Grandma of Crime, and despite now being 88 has just turned out a new novel featuring the restrained and intellectual detective Adam Dalgleish. Dorset is the setting, amongst sinister standing stones that feature on the cover: it is midwinter and the trees are bare. Just the moment for a violent death in a private plastic surgery clinic. The murder victim ... Read More:
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.When Will There Be Good News?
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by: Kate Atkinson

August 14, 2008
I love Kate Atkinson's writing (I don't usually buy books in hardback!) and did enjoy this novel, finishing it in a matter of days.

However, I can't deny that it felt a little cluttered - too many perspectives; too many personal tragedies; too much drama and bloody violence. I felt that an awful lot had been packed in along the way and it began to feel unrealistic and unsubtle.

To my mind, the Needler story was unnecessary; Reggie's personal circumstances went from bad to unlikely; and all the key characters were a little too connected. A bit of coincidence is one thing, but this went too far. Perhaps it was meant to feel 'fateful' but it didn't quite work for me.

When writing from Jackson Brodie's perspective Kate Atkinson seems ... Read More:
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