Book Reviews

Just to catch up on my summer reads....

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

If you are looking for a happy, carefree read... avoid this at all costs.  Gillian Flynn is now famous due to the huge success of Gone Girl - a book I liked a lot.  This earlier effort is well written but frankly beyond dark it is as black as black can be.  A reporter returns to her family town to write a story on two young girls who've been found murdered.  Not only is there the darkness around the murders but there is a lot of history in her own past and her families that is extremely dark...   And it doesn't stop there...   It is a good thriller, with some very disturbing themes and issues within including self harming, infanticide, drug taking, underage sex, rape to name a few.  A recommended read but I can't warn you enough, this is a very black book.

Two thumbs up on the FTUBRS*


Jackdaws - Ken Follett

I seem to often come back to Mr Follett's books when looking for something - he has been quiet prolific and I like how he writes from many eras with many different themes.  So this book is about a group of misfit ladies who are co-opted into the British Secret Service at the time of the Normandy invasion for a critical mission.  The characters are believable and likeable, even to a degree the main German adversary.  The story rattles along well with perils a plenty.  Enjoyable and believable read.

One thumb up on the FTUBRS*

Lay down with Lions - Ken Follett

As I say about another of Mr Follett's stand alone novels.  A good one set during the Afganistan Russian occupation.  There is a big romance under current to the thriller aspect of this one.. though you have to question the lady's choice in men as both the rivals are duplicitous, double agents!  Good story set in an interesting setting and time.

One thumb up on the FTUBRS*

Guy Martin - My Autobiography

Something a bit different.  I like Guy Martin, he talks straight and he clearly is one of the most egoless sportsmen around.  He is also very talented at what he does, he may not yet have won an Isle of Mann TT race but in road racing like that he's pretty much won everything else in that genre over the years... in between continuing to be a Truck Fitter and TV personality to boot.  If you like Guy I'd recommend this book, you don't need to understand bikes of bike racing either.  However my position on him did change as in the candid book there are some aspects of his life that he honestly portrays and you are left a bit speechless about how he could treat some people like that, esp his ex girlfriend and frankly how dumb he can be.  He assumed he was sacked by he Dad from the family truck fitting business over something so needed, he thought, a new vehicle to get about in as his Dad had repossessed the van he had.  He bought a clapped out old Astravan... however his TV production company had bought an Aston Martin that was sat in a barn at the time and he considered it to do with that part of his life so he left it there depreciating and driving it "never crossed my mind"... doh!  I still respect him as a racer and enjoy his tv work but this does expose him as not always the nicest bloke about.


One thumb up on the FTUBRS*

* Furtheron Thumbs Up Book Review Scale - 
lowest is both thumbs down with a frown
two thumbs down, 
one thumb down,
one thumb horizontal,
two thumbs horizontal, 
one thumb up, 
two thumbs up 
two thumbs up with a grin - very rarely awarded