Yearly Archive: 2010

Books

Nicholas Dane by

This is the sort of book I don’t usually read. You know the ones, from the “sad story” section of the bookshop. The misery-books as I call them. But a few years ago I’d heard of Melvin Burgess as an author to look out for. I’ve read his Lady : My life as a Bitch and to be honest I wasn’t all that impressed, but I’ll always give an author a second go. So I tried this one.

In the 1980’s Nick Dane is growing up as an average, if bright kid. He comes from a single parent family, and his mother has a secret. She never got off the drugs, not completely. And in the course of having a “taste” she accidentally overdoses and Nick is left all alone in the world. Soon he finds himself carted off to a “home” for boys, and soon learns that the violence and random beatings are not the worse this place has to offer.

1 November 2010
Books

RIP v round-up

Happy Hallowe’en everybody. Unfortunately this year I didn’t get to dress up & party. I had my costume, all ready to rock and roll, but on the day I just wasn’t...

31 October 2010
Books

Blameless by

ISBN: 9781841499734 An Alexia Tarabotti novel, The Parasol Protectorate: Book the Third Read for RIP challenge If you haven’t yet read Soulless and Changeless then I am afraid that this review...

31 October 2010
Books

Changeless by

ISBN: 9781841499741 An Alexia Tarabotti novel, The Parasol Protectorate: Book the Second Read for RIP challenge If you haven’t yet read Soulless then I am afraid that this review will contain...

30 October 2010
Moving Pictures / Reviews

Alien dir. by

Can you believe that this film is 31 years old? Thirty one years old. That’s as old as I am. And yet it is still as effective as ever. And perfect...

26 October 2010
Books

The Fall by ,

by Guillarmo de Toro & Chuck Hogan

After the events of cite>The Strain New York is in chaos, and the rest of the world is following in a downward spiral. Ephraim Goodweather is trying to keep his son out of the clutches of his vampiric ex-wife, these vampires feel a real need to turn their “Dear Ones”, human love turned into hunger. And Abraham Setrakian is busy trying to track down The Master, as he learns that the events happening are even worse than he could have suspected. Along with Fet, the rat exterminator turned vampire-hunter, they are attempting the impossible, to stop the vampire contagion spreading across the world.

26 October 2010
Books

Myths about suicide by

ISBN: 9780674048225 What do you think when you hear that someone has committed suicide? Many probably wonder why? and then begin to speculate. Some will accuse the suicide victim of being...

21 October 2010
Books

Tooth and claw by

Bon Agornin has led a successful life in many ways. He has improved his status, and his elder children are well on their way in life. But his three youngest need additional help. The two younger daughters need dowries if they are to marry well, and his youngest son needs in the city. And so Bon Agornin has decided that his wealth is to go to them, with the rest of his family merely taking a token, for remembrance and tradition. And by his wealth he means his treasure and his body, for in dragon society it is practice to eat the dead. But his son-in-law does not agree, believing that Bon Agornin meant only his gold. He and his family take much much more of the dead dragon’s body than one token bite.

17 October 2010
Sport

Rugby rugby rugby

Yes, once more it is that time of the year. Rugby has returned with a vengeance. The Magners League has been on for a few weeks, and now it is the...

16 October 2010
Books

The small hand by

by Susan Hill

Coming home one evening from meeting with a client, rare books dealer Adam Snow takes a wrong turn and ends up outside a derelict Edwardian house. For some strange reason he is drawn to this building and its wilderness of gardens and finds himself wandering through the overgrown weeds. And, standing all alone, he feels the strangest of sensations. A small hand, in his. As though he were a father taking hold of a son’s hand. But he is not a father. And there is no child.

14 October 2010
Books

Soulless by

An Alexia Tarabotti novel, The Parasol Protectorate: Book the first Read for RIP challenge And the reason for Miss Tarabotti’s lack of enjoyment it that she was promised refreshment at a...

13 October 2010
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