Category Archives: Book Reviews

Marie of the Cabin Club by Ann Petry

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Adam Randall

This was one of several books released digitally as part of the Reclaim Her Name movement, which was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Each of these book was written by a woman who … Continue reading →

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Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Adam Randall

The First World War is one of the greatest tragedies of modern history. In Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo tells the story of two boys, Charlie and Tommo, who find themselves in the trenches of France – highlighting the meaningless suffering … Continue reading →

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Doctor Who: Transit by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Adam Randall

Virgin’s Doctor Who New Adventures have a reputation for being too dark and edgy. Transit, the tenth book in the series, is perhaps the most infamous for this reason. In fact, it is generally regarded as being quite bad because … Continue reading →

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Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Adam Randall

This is one of the Charles Dickens books which is, perhaps, not quite so well remembered. I don’t think it’s entered popular culture quite as much as A Christmas Carol or Oliver Twist, for example – I certainly went into … Continue reading →

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A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Adam Randall

This is the third book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series. Here you can find my reviews for the first two: A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. I haven’t hated the … Continue reading →

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Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Adam Randall

I’m sure you’re probably familiar with the theory that the Earth was visited by advanced aliens in ancient times and that they guided the early civilisations who saw them as gods. It’s a fun concept for science fiction stories, but … Continue reading →

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The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Adam Randall

Pretty much everybody has heard of Santa Claus. The story of the man who delivers presents to children across the world every year on Christmas Eve is one which most of us will have been told as children… but have … Continue reading →

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The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Adam Randall

This children’s novel is written in a very clever style – the whole book takes the form of a diary which has been given to the titular Tracy Beaker so that she can record her thoughts and feelings to try … Continue reading →

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Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Adam Randall

As a writer, I love thinking about the English language (and other languages too, but less so, since I can’t write or speak them) and so it was really interesting to read Mother Tongue, because it gave a full history … Continue reading →

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Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Adam Randall

In Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup recounts the twelve years of his life in which he was forced into slavery in America. At times, it’s pretty horrible and difficult to read, but it’s important to read in order to … Continue reading →

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