Anita

Author - Keith Roberts

Genre - Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 4

May 2013

Fine, fun short stories. Sixties witch, a bit of a wild child, is this Anita. But good. Breezy read. 

The City and The City

Author - China Miéville

Genre - Science Fiction, Detective, Society, Cops

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 5

April 2013

I am lucky in that I have read quite a few extraordinary books this year. This is certainly one of them. A masterpiece of the genre. Miéville is the superstar of the genre, and I was intrigued to find out why. Now I know. His acclaim is well deserved - This is top notch social commentary, a breakneck, hurtling detective story, and the best sci-fi novel I have read in a long, long time. Please read. Highly recommended.

Netherland

Author - Joseph O'Neill

Genre - Cricket, New York, Society

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 5

March 2013

This is incredible. This book tells me that I am relevant. Best book I read this year.

Pride and Prejudice

Author - Jane Austen

Genre - Romance, Classic, Society

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 5

March 2013

Beautiful. I read (listened to) this with a lot of apprensions - I don't like classics per se - but really, this is beautiful. It did not move me, it did not embrace me with its language; but all that is trivia. It engaged me. It was 14 and a half hours well spent.

Eye Of The Needle

Author - Ken Follett
Genre - Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Spy, WW2

Source - Audiobook
Rating - 5

Feb 2013

Everyone should stop bothering to write thrillers after this book. Robert, yes. Fred, John G, yes, all of you. This is the definitive thriller.  

Norwegian Wood

Author - Haruki Murakami
Genre - Fiction
Source - Audiobook
Rating - 4 (skewered towards 3. A 3.8-ish 4)
Feb 2013

 

Not crazy about it. It was nice, wonderful even, to visit the world of Toru Watanabe. But it didn't evoke great feelings either way. Little aftertaste.

The Brotherhood of the Rose

Author - David Morrell
Genre - Fiction, Thriller
Source - Audiobook
Rating - 4
Feb 2013

As Ludlum-esque as a non-Ludlum book can get. And one of the top 5 thrillers read, all time. Slightly unsatisfactory ending, though.