A personal review of books, the only link between them is that there is NO LINK!
by Wu Cheng'en ISBN: 978-0-241-75240-1 First published: 16th Century 104 pages Translated by Julia Lovell Publisher: Penguin Archive part of http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com 6 / 5 Stars A wonderful short extract from the longer work "Monkey King : Journey to the West". It has been compared to both Don Quixote and the Canterbury Tales. What makes the… Continue reading Monkey King Makes Havoc in Heaven
by B. J. Novak ISBN: 978-0-141-36179-6 First published 2014 45 pages Publisher: puffinbooks.com 6 / 5 Stars Ha ha! A well deserved 6 stars out of 5 for such a great idea. Not just for being a picture book without pictures.... B J Novak realised that when you read a book outload - you read… Continue reading The Book With No Pictures
by Jean-Yves FERRI and Didier CONRAD ISBN: 978-1-5101-0500-3 First published 2017 46 pages Publisher: http://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk Cover by Didier Conrad Translation by Adriana Hunter 5 / 5 Stars A really great Asterix book, with a new country (Italy) to explore, a mission, great escapades, friends and enemies and suspense. The suspense is not who will win… Continue reading Asterix and the Chariot Race
by Ben Aaronovitch ISBN: 978-0-575-09758-2 First published 2011 390 pages Publisher: http://www.gollancz.co.uk Cover illustration: Stephen Walter Cover design: http://www.patrickknowlesdesign.com 3.5 Stars An enjoyable 'holiday' read of a Constable investigating supernatural crimes. Loosely based on the old 'Punch and Judy' puppet shows, it is a fast paced dash through London. Each of the rivers of London… Continue reading Rivers of London
by Honoré de Balzac ISBN: 978-0-19-955589-5 192 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press / http://www.oup.com/worldclassics Cover illustration: detail from A Girl Seated outside a House, 1867 by Jacob Maris 4/5 Stars "One of the earliest and most famous novels in Balzac's great Comédie humaine" begins the blurb on the back cover. The characters are well drawn and… Continue reading Eugénie Grandet
By Eve Garnett ISBN: 978-0-141-35550-4 303 Pages Publisher: puffinbooks.com Cover illustration by Eve Garnett 5/5 Stars A wonderful book of the Rosie and Josiah Ruggles and their 7 children. A dustman and a laundry woman making a life and a family among the working class of England. Each chapter concentrates on an adventure of one… Continue reading The Family From One End Street
By Stella Gibbons ISBN: 0-14-118265-2 First published 1932 233 pages Cover image: Tony Stone Images Publisher: Penguin Classics 7 / 5 Stars A beautiful, beautiful book. There are eight happy endings within it. In Flora Poste, the heroine, Stella Gibbons has created a comic character full of charm and sympathy. She rivals the greatest comic… Continue reading Cold Comfort Farm
Texte: R. Goscinny Dessins: A. Uderzo ISBN: 2-86497-121-6 First published 1952 47 pages Publisher: Les Editions Albert René Language: French 3.5 / 5 Stars Before Asterix and Obelix, before Oumpah-Pah, came Jehan Pistolet. One of the first collaborations between René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Jehan Pistolet lives in a small seas-side village and dreams of… Continue reading Jehan Pistolet – Corsaire Prodigieux
by Jean-Yves Ferri ISBN: 978-1-5101-0401-3 First published 2017 46 pages Illustrated by Didier Conrad Publisher: Orion / hachettechildrens.co.uk Translated by Adriana Hunter 3/5 Stars A new Asterix adventure that is as fun as the old ones. The slapstick comedy, the dry humor, the witticisms and the references to popular culture are all firmly in… Continue reading Asterix and the Chariot Race
by William Goldman ISBN: 9-780747-590583 First published 1973 317 pages Cover illustration: Gino D'Achille Cover design: John Fordham Publisher: Bloomsbury 4/5 Stars The book of the film, or rather, the book that the film was made from. William Goldman also wrote the screenplay for his own novel. The film follows the book very closely. The… Continue reading The Princess Bride
by Muriel Spark ISBN: 978-0-241-95677-9 First published 1961 128 pages Cover design: Sarah Watts 4/5 Stars A wonderful book with a wonderful comedic creation of Miss Jean Brodie. Together with her 'girls', Monica Douglas, Rose Stanley, Eunice Gardiner, Sandy Stranger, Jenny Gray and Mary Macgregor, Miss Brodie teaches them about art, love, history, the classics… Continue reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Eclectic Book Review 