Book Review: Drinking My Way Through 14 Dating Websites by Tiffany Peon

One of the best things about owning a Kindle is that you can get these cheap little books that otherwise I probably wouldn't stumble across, like this one. Peon is in her early 20s, living in New York and reeling from a recent break up, but decides to buck herself up by starting a social …

Top 10 Books I Read in 2013

So, it's the end of the year so I'm looking back, here are my top 10 books of the year, divided into fiction and non-fiction. Fiction 5. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald A wonderfully evocative tale of lost love and obsession, written with real lyrical beauty and a pleasantly quick read. Full review. …

Book Review: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

This is the novel where Harris introduced his most famous creation Hannibal Lecter to the world, and it's been adapted twice for the big screen, the first time as Manhunter in the '80s and with the original title about 10 years ago. I've seen both versions, but when given the option to buy the novel …

Book Review: The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs

I borrowed this from one of my religious family, I think as part of their continuing hope that I will "see the light" and return to the Christian faith. The premise is simple, journalist AJ Jacobs decides to try and follow as many of the Bible's laws, commandments and rules for an entire year. He's …

Book Review: Vertigo aka The Living and the Dead by Boileau and Narcejac

I've always found it quite interesting to read a book after you've seen the film adaption and this is the case with this book, which provided the inspiration for the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo, which is a magnificent story of obsession and it's destructive power. Similar to the movie it follows an ex-cop who's resigned …

Book Review: Chronicles Volume 1 by Bob Dylan

Aside from The Beatles and Elvis, probably one of the most iconic and legendary musicians is singer songwriter Bob Dylan. Or so I thought, until one of the freshers asked me "Who's Bob Dylan?" Dylan was a phenomenon in the '60s when he was labelled the voice of a generation and his distinctive (some might …

Book Review: A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

The word "epic" has tended to be overused in recent years, but it definitely implies to this book, the fifth installment of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga, which has taken me about a month to read. I was super keen to read this book because as much as I enjoyed part four, …

Book Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And other concerns) by Mindy Kaling

One of the shows I've loved recently is The Mindy Project, which follows the exploits of Mindy a New York doctor who's obsessed with romantic comedies and her dating life. The show is extremely funny and cute, like it's protagonist the slightly awkward, ditzy Mindy, played by the actress Mindy Kaling. Kaling writes for the …

Book Review: Everyone’s Reading Bastard by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby's opening brace of novels, High Fidelity and About A Boy, remain among my favourite books, especially High Fidelity which outside of the books I studied at school and Roald Dahl, is the book I've re-read the most. In those two books Hornby did a good job of capturing masculine obsessions and insecurities in …

Book Review: One Night in Turin aka All Played Out by Pete Davies

I have a dim recollection of the 1990 World Cup, so vague and murky that I sometimes wonder if it's a fake memory. The memory is of being five years old and uninterested in football, sat on my grandparents' carpet as my Dad and Bampa watched the match. I knew none of the players, or …