|
A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin |
The dragons are long dead but in the kingdom of Westeros, where seasons can last a decade, tensions are rising. Intrigue and violence abound as the noble families aim for the Iron Throne. Unlike many stories of its kind there are no heroes and villains, just a huge number of beautifully drawn characters. Feeling like the War of the Roses in a mythical setting, this is just the first chapter of an epic fantasy series.
(bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
|
|
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman |
Ove is tired after a lifetime of railing against the world's irritations - from people who don't know how to do DIY properly to those who park in a pedestrian area. He only wants to join his late wife but fate, interfering neighbours and an annoying cat keep getting in the way. Achingly sad and laugh out loud funny in turn, this book leaves you wondering if maybe there's something more behind the grumpy people we come across in our lives.
(bwl 79 Winter 2016) |
|
|
Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant |
Given current portrayals of the Borgias, from TV series to computer games, what else can this book bring? Nothing new in terms of plot but its magic is in its depiction of this complex family as more than temptresses, venal priests and Machiavellian schemers. With an exquisite eye for detail, the author plunges you into Renaissance Italy - so much so that you might even forget you know how the story goes.
(bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
|
|
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury |
A future of gigantic TV screens and constant entertainment; a conformist society where books are banned (and burned) for enabling people to think for themselves. And the story of the gradual awakening of a fireman to the value of the knowledge that he has destroyed. This love letter to literature is one of the greatest dystopian novels of all time, despite its brevity, and an essential read for all bibliophiles.
(bwl 68 Spring 2013) |
|
|
Foundation by Isaac Asimov |
Psychohistory, the mathematics of predicting the future of human actions, has calculated the fall of the Galactic Empire. Its creator, Hari Seldon, resolves to limit the destruction by creating a Foundation - ostensibly to preserve the knowledge of humanity. Excellent in its own right, this short book also sets the scene for the legendary series that follows. Epic in concept and scale, this is one of the great science fiction tales.
(bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
|
|
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae |
Andreae is perhaps better known by his pseudonym Edward Monckton, author of offbeat philosophical cards and books. Giraffes Can't Dance is written for children but it maintains this combination of whimsy and deeper meaning. On the surface it's about an ungainly giraffe who gains the confidence to dance. But it's also a tale of diversity, exclusion and self-belief to rival many a more worthy novel. "Sometimes when you're different, you just need a different song" - indeed.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
|
|
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier |
Philip Ashley is bewitched by his cousin Ambrose's widow Rachel. But is she only after his money and did she cause Ambrose's death? This chick-lit description doesn't do justice to a novel drenched in imagery and mystery. It's not hard to see in Rachel a shadow of du Maurier's famous protagonist Rebecca. But Rachel is more complex and elusive - just when you think you have her figured out, she slips through your fingers like smoke.
(bwl 66 Autumn 2012) |
|
|
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman |
A dark wonderland for the modern world. But down this rabbit hole is London Below, where all those who slip through the cracks end up. By helping a lady called Door, Richard - a hapless everyman - accidentally gets drawn in to this world and tags along to help her avenge her family's murder. Blending mythology with Tube names (it's no surprise there's an angel called Islington), this story conjures up a mystical place underneath our feet.
(bwl 72 Spring 2014) |
|
|
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett |
If you combined the barricades from Les Miserables, a time-travelling policeman and observational comedy, you'd probably end up with something like this book. Night Watch is a gem in Pratchett's ever popular but often dismissed Discworld series. Sam Vimes, a police commander stuck in the past and attempting to save both his younger self and the future, is his best heroic but flawed character and the book deftly combines humour with pathos.
(bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
|
|
Nobody Told Me by Hollie McNish |
This collection of poems and diary entries follows McNish's journey from an unexpected pregnancy through the birth and first three years of her daughter's life. Raw, unpolished and most definitely unflinching, it covers all the things that, as a new mum, you think but might never say. From breastfeeding in public to the struggles of looking after this tiny new life, the poems made me cry with joy, ache with sadness and smile with recognition.
(bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
|
|
Orkney by Amy Sackville |
An ageing literature professor takes his unfathomable young bride (and former student) to the islands of her birth on their honeymoon. In their isolation, he tries to unravel who she is and how she is part of this bleak and mythical land and seascape. Vividly painted in a palette of blues and greys, the islands play almost as important a role as the characters, and ultimately remain as much of a mystery.
(bwl 82 Autumn 2016) |
|
|
Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town by Mary Beard |
By focusing not on its famous citizens but rather its ordinary ones, Mary Beard brings the Roman Empire to life. Vesuvius' eruption barely gets a mention; instead we hear tales of bakers, garum makers and slaves. It's not a sanitised version of Roman life - smutty graffiti, lewd frescoes and filthy streets are all covered in Mary's irreverent style. So forget the guide books (they're probably wrong); take this to Pompeii and prepare to see it a new light.
(bwl 70 Autumn 2013) |
|
|
Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict by Max Brook - edited by |
What can Star Wars tell us about conflict? Originally conceived as a teaching tool, the idea that we can learn lessons from a galaxy far far away is turned into this series of essays by officers, strategists and researchers. They're a mixed bag; although aimed at those with no prior military knowledge, some are overly technical. But most are enlightening: Han shot first - that's a preventive strike. Entertaining too - where else would the Battle of Endor be described as Agincourt with teddy bears? Not just for military buffs.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
|
|
The Crow Road by Iain Banks |
Prentice McHoan lives the life of a normal young adult - arguing with his parents and thinking about sex, drugs and passing his exams. But his moderately dysfunctional family has a secret or two; when his grandmother asks him to look into the disappearance of his Uncle Rory he gets sucked into a tale of betrayal, death and writer's block which has repercussions for all those around him. Utterly compelling and darkly humorous.
(bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
|
|
The Death of Grass by John Christopher |
Although written in the 1950s, this novel's theme of food security is remarkably prescient. A viral pandemic is killing all grasses, thus destroying agriculture. As order breaks down in Britain, John and his family try to make it across the country to the safety of his brother's farm. Foreshadowing books such as The Road, the only wrong note is the regressive view of women - the single sign that it's not as modern as it seems.
(bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
|
|
The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and politics by Roger Pielke Jr |
What's the difference between tornado politics and abortion politics? And how do we know when to rely on evidence? Written with a focus on policies and politics, it's just as appropriate for thinking about how we as society use science to inform our decisions, and what roles scientists might and could play in this. With almost no assumptions about prior knowledge, it's a fascinating read for those who've wondered about how big decisions are made.
(bwl 72 Spring 2014) |
|
|
The Martian by Andy Weir |
If the recent film of this book is designed to seem like the dramatisation of a real event, then this would be the technical transcript (including all the amusing unofficial parts). If you're looking for grand heroics or epic planetary vistas, you're in the wrong place. But instead you get an extremely detailed and realistic account of exactly what knowledge, ingenuity and resilience it would take to survive being left behind on Mars.
(bwl 79 Winter 2016) |
|
|
The Testament of Jessie Lamb
by Jane Rogers |
A virus has infected the entire human race, making every woman die in childbirth. People blame terrorists, nature or God. Society reels at the thought of its imminent extinction, while scientists work on ever more desperate ideas. A great premise, but the author's skill in telling the story through the eyes of a 16 year old proves to be a hindrance - Jessie's self-absorption and teenage invulnerability make it hard to do more than scratch the surface.
(bwl 70 Autumn 2013) |
|
|
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll |
"Still she haunts me, phantomwise
Alice moving under skies"
It's been many years since I first read this book but it never ceases to enchant. Alice's journey, as a pawn through a giant chess game, is populated by fantastical creatures and outlandish characters, from the hapless White Knight to a verbose Humpty Dumpty. Poems practically spill from the pages. And besides, who hasn't wanted to know what's beyond the mirror?
(bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
|
|
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer |
A teenage girl falls hopelessly in love with an immortal vampire trying to redeem himself - novelty is not this book's strength. It also lacks the complex characterisation and issues of identity and security present in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (a TV series but far superior). But its redeeming feature is its depiction of teenage angst and the damage that obsessive love can cause. A candyfloss Wuthering Heights for the 21st century, perhaps?
(bwl 68 Spring 2013) |
|
|
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin |
In a regimented future society, where everything from sex to your free time is controlled, a man is subverted from the path of orthodoxy by an unconventional woman. If it sounds like 1984, then it's no surprise - Orwell was inspired by this book which was written over 20 years earlier. Whilst glass skyscrapers and mathematical efficiency replace the dinginess and Newspeak drudgery, you can almost imagine these two parallel universes playing out side by side.
(bwl 82 Autumn 2016) |
|
