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The Joy of Re-Reading

“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.” — C.S. Lewis

Good old Jack. He was a wise man…

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Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (vol. 2)

It’s that time again! We’ve already had super snappy speed reviews for books, TV shows and films now it’s time to return for a second helping of super snappy book reviews. As before, the books I have reviewed here have been selected entirely at random from my ever-growing book collection and do not necessarily have anything in common apart from the fact that they are all books. They are not necessarily films that I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.

As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, sliced and diced into a few short sentences. So without further ado…

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7 Things I Hate In Fiction

No matter what genre of fiction or medium of story-telling you’re into (even if you’re into nearly all of them, like me!), we all have our own little things in fiction that we don’t like. Sometimes it’s the little things that can absolutely ruin an otherwise potentially good story for us and make us seriously think about leaving it unread/unwatched/unlistened to.

For your enjoyment, therefore, I have compiled a list of my own fiction bugbears with expositions. Maybe you won’t agree with them all. That’s okay. I’m not for one second suggesting any of these are hard and fast rules about what constitutes a bad story. These are just things that, for me, are a bit of a turn-off. So without further ado and in no particular order…

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Need Help Deciding What to Read?

Someone recently asked me how I decide what books I want to read. Good question, I thought. The truth is, I find choosing new books (and new TV shows, movies and everything else) exceptionally difficult. As a rule, I try never to immediately follow a sci-fi with another sci-fi or a mystery with another mystery but that still leaves me spoiled for choice….
As you might expect, the internet is ready and eager to try to help. Here’s a whistle-stop tour of three websites that give you customised book recommendations.

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8 Super Snappy Speed Reviews

Well this might be a great idea or it might not be, but I thought it might be fun to knock together a couple of two or three sentence book reviews based on a selection from my bookshelf. Who knows, if it’s a hit, I’ll maybe do it again… maybe with movies or TV shows. But for today, it’s books.

I selected the books for review entirely at random. They are not necessarily of the same genre, nor are they necessarily books I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.

What I have written about them are my entirely own impressions and opinions, compressed, squeezed and crammed into a few short sentences.

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Throwback Thursday: 5 Signs You Should Quit Reading That Novel

If you’re reading a novel you’re not too sure about, here’s a few warning signs that it might be time to abandon it altogether, randomly illustrated with Star Trek gifs.

#NewPost #amwriting #amreading #reading #fiction #stories #novels

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Super Snappy Speed Reviews: Children’s Edition (Vol. 4)

It’s time once more for another exciting edition of Super Snappy Speed Reviews: Children’s Edition!

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5 Reasons Why Writers Should Be Readers

I’ve seen an alarming increase in people (usually on social media; seldom in print) insisting that you can write well without reading but I, for one, absolutely agree with Stephen King and you should too. Here’s why:

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Throwback Thursday: The Well of Ascension: A Review

So, here we have it: my full scale review of The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson; the second book in the high fantasy Mistborn series.

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Super Snappy Speed Reviews: Children’s Edition (Vol. 3)

These reviews reflect nothing but my own personal opinions and impressions, reduced, flattened and shrink-rayed into a few short sentences. The books I have selected have nothing in common, save the fact that they are all fictional stories for very young children.

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