John dies at the end - David Wong

Whoops, forgot to write this review when I finished this book a few weeks ago.

First let me say that this book starts with a couple of major disadvantages when it comes to me writing a review of it.  Firstly, its a product of the modern world.  Which is to say that the author clearly loves films.  Nothing wrong with that, but I dislike books that are written with the author thinking about the movie adaptation.  Probably a little bit snobbish of me but I feel it undermines the value of books in general when an author does this.  However, in this case I don't think that was what was going on.  I think the author had a story to tell and likes films....so its easy to picture this being made into a film.  And indeed that is happening right at the moment.

Secondly, and more importantly, I'm a wuss.  I will not watch horror films or read horror stories.  This is a bit of a horror story.  Small problem for me then.

But I managed to put my snobbery and wussery aside and get on with the book.  And by and large I did get on with the book.  It clips along at a good pace and is generally entertaining while it does so.

I wont try to explain the book....because I'm not sure I could.  But suffice to say its definitely worth a read.  In fact if you're a fan of horror in film or literature then I'd recommend this one heartily.

Earth Abides - George R Stewart

I'm a big fan of novels set in dystopian worlds so was looking forward to this book.  The story is set in a world where a particularly nasty virus has wiped out most of humanity.  The handful of survivors are forced to carve an existence in what is left of the world.

The book follows one of these survivors, Ish, as he first seeks to come to terms with what has happened and then sets about forging his new life in the post apocalyptic world.

I wont go into a lot of detail about the book itself, read it to find out.  But will say that I think the author has created a compelling and believable scenario....a little hard to believe at times but I was more than happy to suspend my disbelief in these moments.  When I'd finished the book I felt a genuine sense of loss for the characters....and that's always a good test for me as to whether a book has really grabbed my attention or not.  A really good book.

A race for Madmen: A History of the Tour de France - Chris Sidwells

The Tour de France is one of those annual sporting occasions that totally grips the world.  Like Wimbledon, The US Open at Augusta or the Superbowl.  The difference with the TDF is that it could only have been created in France.  The whole race is a product of the country that it tours every year and I for one, love it.

This excellent book by Chris Sidwell chronicles the race from its beginnings as a marketing tool for a cycling magazine through to the multi national sporting jamboree we know today.  He takes in some of the key racers and duels that have been fought over the years.

I would have liked a few more anecdotal stories from the riders themselves, but there are plenty of other books for that.  This book does exactly what it says it will do and is engaging throughout.  A good read for any fan of cycling or the TDF.

Surface detail - Iain M Banks

I'm a bit of a closet sci fi geek and for me Iain M Banks (in particular the culture novels) is up there with the the best of the genre.

The richly populated universe he has created along with his fertile imagination has created a vast array of stories with a hugely diverse range of characters.  the novels have been endlessly inventive and this one doesn't disappoint.

Once again I got lost in the universe of the culture and its cast of minds, ships, agents, aliens and pan human entities.  Once again the story had me turning pages in a way few other authors can.

A good read and for the uninitiated an author definitely worth discovering.

Tinker tailor soldier spy - John le Carre

Another classic.  And another happy reader.

This is the first Le Carre I've read (minor lie, half read the tailor of panama years ago but perhaps I was a little young for it at the time and didn't finish it) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I wont go into the plot of the book as so many people have read it and the recent film adaptation should mop up the remainder.  But suffice to say the book is a real treat and one not to be missed.

Mother tongue: The story of the English language - Bill Bryson

I've read a few of Bill Bryson books before and always found them gently amusing, informing and irreverent.  So I was looking forward to his look at the English language.  Unfortunately the book wasn't quite what I was hoping for, to be fair to the author I think it was one of his earlier books so perhaps I was expecting a style that he hadn't yet developed from this book.

Having said that this is excellently researched and it would be churlish not to point out that its incredibly informative.  There are glimpses of the sense of humour so apparent in his later books just not as much as I was expecting / hoping for.

All in all I did enjoy the book and had I not begun the book with my own set of preconceptions then I imagine I would have enjoyed it a good deal more....so in the end that's the lesson of this one.  Judge a book on its merits and not you own set of preconceived ideas.....if only someone could come up with a pithy saying about how to judge a book.