Middle class murder

This absorbing book is an examination of one of the most famous murder cases of the 19th century. Three year old Saville Kent was found horribly murdered in the outdoor privy of Road Hill House in June 1860. Jonathan Whicher, one of the first plain clothes detectives at Scotland Yard, is sent down two weeks after the murder, to help the local police. Whicher becomes convinced that one of the family is responsible for Saville's death. The case exposed the Kents to intrusive publicity, and the family's history was laid bare. Samuel Kent's first wife had died, some said of madness, some said because he was having an affair with the governess. When Samuel then married the governess, and started a second family, the older children were said to feel neglected and jealous. Saville was the favoured child of this second marriage. Had one of his half-siblings murdered him out of spite & jealousy? Had Saville seen his father in bed with the nursemaid and been killed to keep him quiet? Had a jealous neighbour or disgruntled former servant taken their revenge on Samuel by murdering his beloved child? All these theories were canvassed in the press, and Jonathan Whicher's investigation reached an inconclusive end. His career was damaged by his failure to bring the culprit to trial, although he was confident he knew who the murderer was. Five years later, the murderer was brought to trial after a dramatic confession. But was this the truth? Summerscale's recreation of the crime is masterly. She shows the influence of the murder on the sensation fiction of Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon which was so popular in the 1860s. The case exposed middle-class society's secrets and flaws.

The"SS Frappuccino"

It's great - easily readable and very funny. There's musings on everything from Rigsby to Kurt Cobain, Knut Hamsun's train surfing habits ["it cleared his cough..."], very perceptive comments on Burroughs and Ginsberg, why New Labour's election footage will be seen as future Nazi propaganda, Lindsay Anderson films, the differences between tarot and poker... oh, and lots of tales about being [in] The Fall. His telling of the New York incarceration incident and 9/11 is as scary as"Cropdust". <br />Dylan's Chronicles was one of those rare rock bio's that's worth reading; this is even better. <br />All in all, a good week for Fall fans, this, and Imperial Wax Solvet, both corkers!

I got this for christmas

I got this for christmas and thought it was absolutely hysterical.. it read as though Russell was in the room talking to you in his very funny and conversant manner. Even if you're not a fan of Russell Brand I recommend reading his book, even if only to understand why he is so crazy and where he is coming from!! I'd also recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet!!

If you loved Freakonomics or Fast Food Nation, read this book

If you've ever bought knocked off cigarettes or DVDs, taken recreational drugs or paid for sex then you're part of the problem. So says Misha Glenny as he takes us on a spellbinding tour from leafy suburban England where a housewife is mistakenly assassinated instead of her sister, through Bulgaria with its muscle men who would be funny if they weren't so scary, to the black market free for all created by sanctions in the Balkans, to Russia, Africa, India, Israel, Europe, Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, the US, Canada, Japan and China.<br />This is an amazing book that tells you how the fall of communism and the deregulation of the financial markets have coincided to create a crime bonanza; 20% of the world's GDP comes from illicit activity.<br />It's eye-poppingly good. Everyone should read it.

Gripping read.

I could not put this book down! I was shocked at what Tig Hague had to go through in Russia and amazed that places described in the book still exist. The horrifc conditions he was forced to live in/with throughout his terrible ordeal is shocking and unbelieveable. I have read many similar true life stories of drug smuggling and foreigners being imprisoned abroad (Damage done etc...) but this story trully is unbelieveable. A true story of determination, courage and strength that sees Tig Hague return home to his loving family and friends. A gripping read that will leave you shocked...you won't be able to stop reading!

Looks is deceiving

What impressed me as much as anything about Neil Strauss' lifting of the lid on the world of PUA's (pick up artists) is the quality of the writing. This is so much more than a how to manual (which it isn't really although along the way you learn a bunch of the techniques used by these guys). It's funny as hell, genuinely fascinating and above all a morality tale that is often dismissed by people who haven't read it as being some chauvinistic tract on how to use women to your own ends. It's much more complex that that even if it does paint a portrait of what it often a pretty seedy and vacuous world. Strauss knows this whilst at the same time finding it hard to resist - his reinvention himself as Style, ladies man extraordinaire and general guru to a whole bunch of desperate men, is something that he does not do without misgivings and this is what makes the book interesting and well worth a read. <br /><br />

Touching achievement

The story behind the book and author is touching. My wife rates this is one of the best books she has ever read, but I found it pretty average. I just did not learn enough about the actual author from the book. I completely understand that the effort required to"dictate" meant the book had to be short, but I still was left wanting alot more. The most moving section for me was the chapter describing the last moments before the stroke. My wife and I now plan to see the film when it is on DVD. It will be interested to see how the book transfers to film.

Bryson can do no wrong

One of Bill Bryson's strengths has always been his ability to digest a vast amount of material and regurgitate the relevant bits, revealing what we know and what we don't, exploding myths and picking out fascinating little-known details. If ever a subject needed that kind of treatment, it was Shakespeare. As Bryson says, the sum total of our actual knowledge about him comes from around 100 documents. All else is baseless legend, debatable interpretation of the plays and poetry, or plain guesswork.<br /><br />Rendered in Bryson's usual engaging, accessible and witty style, this is a concise guide which cuts through the legend and supposition to tell us the facts as we have them (and how we have them), not just about Shakespeare but the social, political and cultural landscape of England during his time. It is also an infectiously enthusiastic tribute from a professional wordsmith to the playwright who added so much to the English language.

Light Read, Deep Message

I felt like I was traveling along side Elizabeth Gilbert on her literal and spiritual journey through Italy, India and Indonesia. I was inspired by her search for pleasure, God, and love in these richly colorful places. Her stories are touching, amusing and brazenly personal. Her life is enriched by teachers she encounters along the way who show her how to stop"brooding over the past" or"worrying about the future". One of the gifts she receives is being present in her life. Another is knowing that being of service to others is the greatest gift of all. <br /><br />Another book of wisdom and personal adventure is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel and Shya Kane. This book of delightful stories illustrates an effortless and joyful way to a life of well being without traveling from your sofa. Both books are filled with compassion for ones self as well as for others. Whether I travel throughout the world for knowledge, or to my kitchen for a cup of coffee, it's the magic of being there for it that makes the difference.

Boring in the extreme

I like gossipy reads but this book is one of the most boring I have read in a long time. Maybe plastic enhanced Jordan didn't write it herself and it is ghost written, but with such a false, pointless and crass life no - one could make her book in the least interesting.

Absolutely Brilliant - a must read

This book came up on the Abe Books site (sorry Amazon) as a recommended read and i can endorse their comments completely. Once started I could not put it down - Mortersen has unbelievable determination and is able to convey this through the book so the reader feels his passion too . The way to promote peace and fight extremism of all kinds is surely through education and I agree it should be compulsory study at secondary school level. The book will give you a fantastic insight into the lives of people living in areas the west would consider hostile -reading it makes you re think your own views and want to open your mind to what is generally reported in the press. <br />

a fab read

I have been a midwife for 22 years and loved this book, the detail enthralled me I was amazed at how many practices we still use and some we deem revolutionary e.g the skin to skin Conchita used !!! It made me laugh out loud and cry openly. I didn't want it to end and raved on to all my colleagues about it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Don't go into the wild (but do read a really good book!)

A thought provoking book which had me hooked from the start. Its dark subject matter made it a very unsettling but fascinating read. Jon Krakauer knows how to write pretty harrowing tales of survival in tough conditions!

Life-affirming

Although the idea behind the book may sound a bit maudlin and miserable Didion is so lacking in self-pity and writes so eloquently and intelligently about the state of grief that it is anything but - if anything it is life-affirming. She has such dignity. Definitely worth a read, whether or not you are grieving yourself.

Fantastic Book, couldnt stop reading it

Its a great way to tell your life story, an intimate conversation between friends over a cup of tea and a biccie. Thats exactly what you get from this book and although I have never met the man I ended the book feeling as if we had been sharing tea in his front room. I dont read many biographys as they all tend to be tediously rigid in following time lines but this was the complete opposite. I laughed so hard at some parts I had stitches and tears in my eyes. Roll on act two!

Good missions, Nice stories

This book which is actually split into 2 smaller books in the US version is a great followup of Neils book The Game. For anyone wanting to overcome difficulties talking to women I completely advise this book. Do the missions one by one properly and you'll find yourself having a date soon (usually within the 30 missions range already otherwise quickly after it). The stories are a nice reading but they are also good for building your own confidence. Why? Because Neil Strauss wasnt a ladies man at all, he looked like a nerd, didnt get any female attention and was at a point that was even worst then most men are at. Now it is all different. This is a great book for anyone wanting to talk more with women and finding it hard to. It is for anyone wanting to improve his social skills and it is just fun reading.

Not bad overall

Not a bad book overall. I don't really have an interest in reading about busines men with Casinos. Anyone can make a lot of money with a casinos as you will have gamblers addicted to it so what has this got to do with running a business successfully? You're making money from addicts. Easy money! I am actually a Dragon's Den addict. Sure, they're all millionaires and arrogant and the try to show it and can be quite contrasending times. Duncan however seems quite level headed although probably one of the most hesitan in terms of investing in any ideas. I enjoyed the book overall though and was not disappointed. This is a man that made his own luck. He started off seeling ice cream from an ice cream truck n had to build his businesses and that's hard work.

Barnes sheds light on Death

"I may be dead by the time you are reading this sentence."<br /><br />Julian Barnes gets all his thoughts on death down on paper before his doctor gets to him in the future to deliver the, Mr Barnes - I'm afraid it's not good news.<br /><br />So the book is like a will drawn up in preparation for his inevitable death, by whatever form it takes. Although by all accounts Barnes is in good health and has many more years before him, he's written this book now as insurance against a rushed job as his draws his final breath.<br /><br />So instead of a thinned narrative of a dying man, we get the literary genius of Barnes saying in full health ...<br /><br />"Let's get this death thing straight."<br /><br />And for us this is good news.<br />The book is thought provoking and demonstrates the ability of Barnes to intelligently consider a taboo subject. And far from being macabre, you feel like you are being invited to chat with Julian over an after dinner cigar. It's all very english:<br /><br />"My fear of death is low-level, reasonable, practical."<br /><br />Some would run around screaming,"We are all going to die!" in the face of death. Julian in effect says, calm down stop running around like a headless chicken, or worse still sticking your head in the sand like an ostrich and let's talk about it calmly over port and cheese.<br />He brings death out into the light, where it is less frightening.<br />Leaving it in the dark, is never a good idea - it's far scary. Julian flicks the light on for us and attempts to dispel the lurking beast from under the bed.<br /><br />Julian also brings a good dose of humour in to wash down the bitter pill.<br /><br />"Sometimes (I) find life an overrated way of passing the time."<br /><br />Into the mix then are thrown God, Barnes' brother, French writer Jules Renard and some Barnes family memoir ( although he says"this is not my autobiography." )<br />So, for example, we get Barnes giving account as to how he let go of a possibility of religion as an adolescent,<br /><br />"hunched over some book or magazine in the family bathroom, I used to tell myself that God couldn't possibly exist because the notion that He might be watching me while I masturbated was absurd."<br /><br />and<br /><br />"I don't believe in God, but I miss him."<br /><br />Hmm - so God was there in the bathroom, until Julian couldn't bear the thought and banished him?!<br /><br />Barnes' stance now? An agnostic -<br /><br />"How can we be sure that we know enough to know?"<br /><br />One of Barnes' recent books was called The lemon Table - a collection of short stories - The lemon being the Chinese symbol for death.<br />What Barnes does in Nothing to be Frightened of, is invite us in around his own lemon table and opens the discussion.<br /><br />It feels like he really hopes he won't have the last word.

Random thoughts of Chairman Humph

The title says it all - this is a collection of thoughts and memories and definitely NOT an autobiography. On the first page Humph desribes it as"a hotchpotch of thought and memories and this is exactly what it is. <br />The book is a wonderful encapsulation of the wit and considerable wisdom of the inimitable Humph, with at least one laugh per page and frequently more as Humph seamlessly elides from the consideration of 3 a.m. transport caff meals to the subject of crimes against the decent pronunciation of English within the space of about 30 words. Devoting six hilarious pages to this, he moves, with his own brand of logic to school days at Eton and and thence to dispense a cornucopia of stories and anecdotes about eccentric relations, jazz greats and his own life.<br />In no particular order we are treated to a wondrous sequence of cameos from the very full and fully-lived life of a man whose humour never conceals his innate wisdom and humanity.<br />If you enjoy the lunatic humour of"I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue" or if you have an interest in jazz or if you just want a good read, this is it!<br />