#GoodOmens by #TerryPratchett and #NeilGaiman mini spoiler free review

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everybody knows Good Omens by now, especially with the equally excellent BBC Radio Drama and Television Show. What reading this (finally) makes me think is how good those productions are at sticking to the source material.

It's a really funny, unique and twisted take on the end of the world scenario, and one that will have you laughing out loud throughout, and the writing is so easy to absorb you'll finish it in no time. Any fan of sci-fi/fantasy or comedic writing should have this one under their belt. Excellent.

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#DoctorWho #AdventuresInLockdown mini spoiler free book review

Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown by Chris Chibnall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice little collection of interesting short stories, with the theme of lockdown running through all of them.

A variety of styles and characters, all interesting and all extremely Doctor Who. Some really feel good and others quite sad. A great idea to raise money for Children In Need and a definite one for Doctor fans.

The artwork is lovely, I only wish there were more stories included. Would liked to have kept going!

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#TheThursdayMurderClub by #RichardOsman mini spoiler free book review

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A nice murder mystery. Is that an oxymoron? Well that's what The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is. Nice.

A cute story of a group of four pensioners living in a rather swanky retirement village, and who investigate murders in the jigsaw room when the schedule allows.

Without spoiling the plot, I can tell you this is a well written story, split between different perspectives and journal entries by Joyce, one of the 4 members of The Thursday Murder Club.
The chapters are fantastically short which keeps the pace up. There are lots of likeable characters and some we like to hate. The story, whilst witty and a bit daft, can be very poignant and emotional at times, and addresses lots of issues that retirees at a certain stage in life can be expected to be dealing with.

I'd hate to spoil the plot for anyone, so if you're a fan of murder mystery and want something easy going and to have a bit of a laugh, you could do far worse. Good fun.

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#BeforeTheCoffeeGetsCold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi min spoiler free book review

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful collection of four stories, translated from Japanese about a cafe in Tokyo. In this cafe, there is a special seat. A seat that allows the occupant to travel in time. They must stay in the seat; their journey will not change the present and they must return before their coffee becomes cold.

It's a really interesting collection of stories. The question is raised in the book as to why anyone would bother travelling in time if the present would not be altered? Although this is true, the characters we meet have their perspectives greatly changed by their experiences.

Each character featured in the four stories has their own agenda for wishing to travel through time, and all incredibly moving in different ways and the book had me welling a few times, with both happiness and sadness. To evoke such emotion in such short stories is definitely an accomplishment.

The setting, characters and the premise, with it's rules and restrictions make this a truly innovative creation that I really recommend. Different and compelling.

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#Mythos by #StephenFry mini spoiler free book review

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first in Fry's trilogy of books retelling the Greek Myths is the second I've read, but in the same vein as Heroes Fry sets out to make the Greek myths more accessible to a modern audience. His self appointed task is not to over analyse the stories and their possible meanings or symbolism, but just to retell them using a modern vernacular, topped with a good dollop of typical Fry humour. Which he does exceptionally well.

So, these stories go from the creation of the Gods pre-Zeus and goes through many origins stories of how Gods, characters and even everyday objects or animals came into being. In an effort to make things fit in a chronological narrative, Fry has done a little tweaking, but to get an overall feel for the sheer weird and inventive nature of Ancient Greek storytelling, Fry has really nailed it.

Some highlights for me are Hades and Persephone; Apollo and his son; the tale of Echo; King Midas and many more besides. It's a joy to read and incredibly accessible, probably from a secondary level up. Definitely a recommended read for those with an interested of Ancient Greek stories.

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#RemarkableGuideToHappiness by #BillBailey mini spoiler free book review

Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness by Bill Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bill Bailey can seemingly turn his hand to anything. In his second book, Bill writes a short guide to finding happiness.

This is definitely not a self help guide, rather a little bit of friendly advice from Bill about some of his life experiences that have made him feel what so many find elusive in these strange times - happy.

From Paddle-boarding to taking a walk; restraint to letter writing, Bill has written a series of short articles all about things in life that have made him happy, punctuated by his superb humour, and unusual graphics and illustrations. It's a nice, funny and well presented read that I really enjoyed and I'll hopefully try and take head of some of his advice to enrich my own life. Recommended.

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#TheBeastOfTheStapletons by James Lovegrove mini spoiler free book review

Sherlock Holmes and The Beast of the Stapletons by James Lovegrove
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 years on from the first Lovegrove Holmes book, "The Christmas Demon", and the demise of the Hound Of The Baskervilles, could Jack Stapleton really have survived and be executing his dastardly plans once again on the residence of Baskerville hall.

Sir Henry's wife Audrey murdered and a giant, bloodsucking moth on the loose. Who else should take on this case, but the legendary Holmes and Watson.

The characters are even more detailed than before, and the journey spanning many more varied locations this time has even more meat to it than before. It feel's completely believable as a Conan Doyle novel, just sightlier easier to digest in Lovegrove's modern tongue.

I found the story gripping - the pace of events seems to slowly increase right up until the climatic end, with many twists and turns.

Again, the physical copy is beautiful and will look amazing on the shelf, and the attention to detail and to the source material is second to none. A really enjoyable, modern Sherlock story.

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#AChristmasCarol by #CharlesDickens mini spoiler free book review

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first time actually reading A Christmas Carol, and not just watching the Muppets or George C Scott version, what I found is that these versions actually acknowledge the source material really well - besides from the colourful puppets...

It was a joy to read this tale, and despite it's age I found it easy to digest. What I did find is that the time spent with the third spectre seemed to go on for ages, and then when Scrooge finds his redemption that seemed to fly by and the books over before you get chance to revel in his new found joviality.

Still, an excellent read and one I've been meaning to for many Christmastimes! Glad I can tick this one off.

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