February
6 years ago
Monday, 30 August 2010
Review - Aubrey MALONE - "Literary Trivia"
Year Published: - 2004
Where the book was from:- Helen's (Helen originally got it from me - I recognised the pencil marks in it!)
ISBN: - 1 85375 474 9
Pages: - 304pp
Genre: - Trivia, literature
Location: - -
How I came across it: - Meandering around Helen's bookshelves
Rating: - ***** *****
One sentence summary:- An excellent book of literary trivia and the weird and wonderful behaviour of the world's wordsmiths.
General comments:- Having commented about poor indices in other trivia books the first point I should make is that this has an excellent one.
There are lists of every type imaginable and some that you could never have imagined!
An ideal book for both dipping into or reading from cover to cover.
AUTHOR Notes:- Aubrey Malone has published a number of humorous volumes including The Cynic’s Dictionary.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Review:- Vivian COOK - "Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary"
Year Published: - 2004
Where the book was from:- Helen's
ISBN: - 1 86197 623 2
Pages: - pp
Genre: - Orthography
Location: - British and American English
How I came across it: - Browsing Helen and Ian's bookshelves
Rating: - ***** ****
One sentence summary:- A great book for those who want to learn to spell better or who think they already know how (and may be proved wrong).
General comments:- A book that can either be dipped into or read cover to cover. As well as covering many of the rules of spelling, the differences between American and British English and word games this book has a wide variety of miscellaneous trivia related to spelling.
Annoyingly there is no index. What is it about these dip-into, trivia type books that they are either not indexed or poorly indexed. They are just the sort of book one wants to check things in.
Quotes:-
"It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word."
US President Andrew Jackson
AUTHOR Notes:- Vivian Cook is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University.
Where the book was from:- Helen's
ISBN: - 1 86197 623 2
Pages: - pp
Genre: - Orthography
Location: - British and American English
How I came across it: - Browsing Helen and Ian's bookshelves
Rating: - ***** ****
One sentence summary:- A great book for those who want to learn to spell better or who think they already know how (and may be proved wrong).
General comments:- A book that can either be dipped into or read cover to cover. As well as covering many of the rules of spelling, the differences between American and British English and word games this book has a wide variety of miscellaneous trivia related to spelling.
Annoyingly there is no index. What is it about these dip-into, trivia type books that they are either not indexed or poorly indexed. They are just the sort of book one wants to check things in.
Quotes:-
"It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word."
US President Andrew Jackson
AUTHOR Notes:- Vivian Cook is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Review:- James McClintock - "The Stonehenge Companion"
Year Published: - 2006
Where the book was from:- Helen's
ISBN: - 10 1 90562 408 5
Pages: - 157pp
Genre: - Non-fiction; Antiquities; Miscellanea and trivia
Location: - Stonehnge
How I came across it: - Browsing Helen and Ian's bookshelves
Rating: - ***** ****
One sentence summary:- A miscellany of myths, theories, trivia and facts about Stonehenge and other antiquities.
General comments:- The index is annoyingly poor but that apart this is a great book to dip into or browse through at leisure.
AUTHOR Notes:- -
Where the book was from:- Helen's
ISBN: - 10 1 90562 408 5
Pages: - 157pp
Genre: - Non-fiction; Antiquities; Miscellanea and trivia
Location: - Stonehnge
How I came across it: - Browsing Helen and Ian's bookshelves
Rating: - ***** ****
One sentence summary:- A miscellany of myths, theories, trivia and facts about Stonehenge and other antiquities.
General comments:- The index is annoyingly poor but that apart this is a great book to dip into or browse through at leisure.
AUTHOR Notes:- -
Monday, 23 August 2010
Review:- Lin ANDERSON – “Final Cut”
Year Published: - 2009
Where the book was from:- Pensby Library
ISBN: - 978 0 340 92244 6
Pages: - 344pp
Genre: - Crime
Location:- Glasgow and surrounding area
How I came across it: - Serendipity
Rating: - ***** **
One sentence summary:- Lost in a snow storm after her mother’s car crashed, a young girl is found in woods clutching a skull; thereby distracting forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod from investigating a body in a burned skip.
General comments:- This is the sixth Rhona MacLeod book.
I don't like the cover - which shows a damaged doll. A skull would have been acceptable but the damaged doll makes it seem like a horror story - it nearly put me off reading it.
AUTHOR Notes:- Lin Anderson was born in Greenock of Scottish and Irish parents. A graduate of both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities, she has lived in many different parts of Scotland and also spent five years working in the African bush. A teacher of Mathematics and Computing, she began her writing career four years ago. Her first film, Small Love, which was broadcast on STV, was nominated for TAPS writer of the year award 2001. Her African short stories have been published in the 10th Anniversary Macallan collection and broadcast on BBC Radio Four.
Where the book was from:- Pensby Library
ISBN: - 978 0 340 92244 6
Pages: - 344pp
Genre: - Crime
Location:- Glasgow and surrounding area
How I came across it: - Serendipity
Rating: - ***** **
One sentence summary:- Lost in a snow storm after her mother’s car crashed, a young girl is found in woods clutching a skull; thereby distracting forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod from investigating a body in a burned skip.
General comments:- This is the sixth Rhona MacLeod book.
I don't like the cover - which shows a damaged doll. A skull would have been acceptable but the damaged doll makes it seem like a horror story - it nearly put me off reading it.
AUTHOR Notes:- Lin Anderson was born in Greenock of Scottish and Irish parents. A graduate of both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities, she has lived in many different parts of Scotland and also spent five years working in the African bush. A teacher of Mathematics and Computing, she began her writing career four years ago. Her first film, Small Love, which was broadcast on STV, was nominated for TAPS writer of the year award 2001. Her African short stories have been published in the 10th Anniversary Macallan collection and broadcast on BBC Radio Four.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Review:- David ARMSTRONG – “A Kind of Acquaintance”
Year Published: - 2007
Where the book was from:- Pensby Library
ISBN: - 978-0-7278-6579-3
Pages: - 214pp
Genre: - Cosy Crime
Location:- English Midlands
How I came across it: - Serendipity
Rating: - ***** *
One sentence summary:- D I Frank Kavanagh and his girlfriend DC Jane Salt hunt for the killer of an author who lived on a houseboat on the canal and in so doing find themselves involved in the decades old disappearance of a paper boy.
General comments:- This is the fourth Kavanagh and Salt novel.
AUTHOR Notes:- David ARMSTRONG, born 1946, held various jobs before going back to college and reading English at university. He then taught English in Shropshire where he still lives.
Where the book was from:- Pensby Library
ISBN: - 978-0-7278-6579-3
Pages: - 214pp
Genre: - Cosy Crime
Location:- English Midlands
How I came across it: - Serendipity
Rating: - ***** *
One sentence summary:- D I Frank Kavanagh and his girlfriend DC Jane Salt hunt for the killer of an author who lived on a houseboat on the canal and in so doing find themselves involved in the decades old disappearance of a paper boy.
General comments:- This is the fourth Kavanagh and Salt novel.
AUTHOR Notes:- David ARMSTRONG, born 1946, held various jobs before going back to college and reading English at university. He then taught English in Shropshire where he still lives.
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