https://www.stevedrice.net/ 2026-04-09T06:49:44+00:00 https://www.stevedrice.net/ https://www.stevedrice.net/_media/wiki/dokuwiki.svg text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/114 Review of 'Zero Time' Zero Time by John Anderson Uule Cameron's father stumbled across some secret and then mysteriously had a fatal acident. Uule is out to find out what exactly is going on and who is responsible for his father's death. He finds out more than he bargained for with a conspiracy involving terrorists and nuclear weapons hidden away in the mountains. A very light read but quite interesting story. As to the term text/html 2025-04-13T16:36:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/115 Review of 'Wilderness Tips' Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood Attwood turns her talents to writing a series of somewhat odd stories. Most are concerned with sex or human relationships though there are one or two that attempt to break out of this mold. The writing is quite fluid though the stories do tend to be a bit the same with the exception of a few: Hairball, Death by Landscape, Wilderness Tips, and Hack Wednesday. Hack Wednesday I found the most disturbing of them all, pschological… text/html 2025-04-13T16:36:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/116 Review of 'The Blind Assassin' The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood A fantastic story following the tragic life of a wealthy woman, Iris, whose sister, Laura, commits suicide. Through a tragic childhood in southern Ontario (Canada) then a disastrous marriage she eventually finds herself. The story is interspersed with interludes from the Science Fiction story text/html 2025-04-13T16:36:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/117 Review of 'The Robber Bride' The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood This is a book following the stories of three woman: Roz, Charis and Tony. They sit eating lunch and their world is brought to a sudden halt as the woman that ruined each of their lives walks in: Zenia. Each tells their story and describes how Zenia moved in to destroy all that they had built up in terms of relationships and family. It is amusing to read of the obsessiveness and blindness of each of the woman as they tell t… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/118 Review of 'The Clan of the Cave Bear' The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel 1st book in the 'Earth's Children' series The first in the “Earth's Children” series this award-winning novel takes place many thousands of years ago and follows the story of Ayla, one of the new race of humanity, who is adapted by a clan of an older race when her mother is killed in an earthquake. Ayla's physical and mental differences are a source of continual conflict within the clan as she attempts to adapt … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/119 Review of 'The Valley of Horses' The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel 2nd book in the 'Earth's Children' series Ayla, outcast from her clan is forced to make her own way in the world as she struggles north and comes across an idyllic valley that she makes her own. At the same time Jondalar and his younger brother Thonolan are on a quest to follow the path of the great mother river to the sea (conviently only a short distance from where Anyla has made her home). We follow the two stories as… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/120 Review of 'The Mammoth Hunters' The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel 3rd book in the 'Earth's Children' series This novel begins where “The Valley of the Horses” left off with Ayla and Jondalar being accepted into a camp of the Mamutoi -- The Mammoth Hunters text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/121 Review of 'The Plains of Passage' The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel 4th book in the 'Earth's Children' series This novel continues the tale of Ayla as she and Jondalar journey across ice age Europe to return to his home. Along the way they, along with their two horses and wolf encounter people both friendly and deadly as well as storms and other threatening acts of nature. Very little in terms of additional character development goes on here except for the on-going tension betweeen Ayl… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/122 Review of 'When you Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time To Go Home' When you Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time To Go Home by Erma Bombeck One of Bombeck's classic humour novels with numerous anecdotes about her travels and some “advice” on how to deal with some of travel's little annoyances. A bit dated now it still has a few funny moments though I found it a tedious read. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/123 Review of 'The Sheltering Sky' The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles A disturbing tale following a couple (Port and Kit) who travel with a friend (Tunner) to Tangiers in an attempt to re-discover themselves but in the process their true characters are exposed as is their slightly (perhaps more than text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/124 Review of 'Water Music' Water Music by T. Coraghessan Boyle A rather strange tale of two men living different lives in the late 18th century - one a swindler living in London the other an erstwhile explorer (Mungo Park) in Africa attempting to discover the Niger (and, subsequently, map it's path). The story makes a mockery of any of the history you may be familiar with of the time but is an enjoyable text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/129 Review of 'Microserfs' Microserfs by Douglas Coupland A quirky novel following a group of Microsoft “geeks” as they take a chance leaving the security of the Microsoft campus in Seattle to work on a project on their own based in California's Silicon Valley. The story is told from one of the geek's standpoint, Dan, as he interjects with thoughts on life and relationships as well as modern society. The book is interspersed with many amusing anecdotes while the story proceeds in fits and sta… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/131 Review of 'Airframe' Airframe by Michael Crichton This is a compelling page-turner of a book following the investigations of Casey Singleton of Norton Aircraft as she attempt to discover what happened to flight TPA 545 in the midst of growing tension with unions on the factory floor and a television reporter who is out for blood (never mind the internal questions regarding the sale of planes to China). A fast paced novel that never seems to let up with the imposed hurried time-frame of a w… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/132 Review of 'Foucault's Pendulum' Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco A group of editors cynically start the publication of some mystic and occult books by their “vanity press” clients which, by chance, leads them to a strange tale told to them by a colonel. This tale leads them to developing a story that describes how an incredible secret will be revealed after several hundreds of years. The story touches on most of the historical cults and major religions including (in great detail) the st… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/133 Review of 'On the Edge of Darkness' On the Edge of Darkness by Barbara Erskine Adam Craig as a young man comes across an ancient carved celtic stone in Scotland which inadvertantly gives him the ability to travel back in time. There is meets and falls in love with a beautiful celtic sorcerous (in training), Brid. He visits time and time again then moves away to Edinburugh for University only to discover his lost love is now not even stopping at murder to have him all to herself. Her obse… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/134 Review of 'Passage to India' Passage to India by E. M. Forster An interesting story of the racial tensions between the Indians and the occupying English of the early 20th century. The charming and successful Dr. Aziz is accused of impropriety against a visiting young Englishwoman while visiting the Marabar Caves. The case causes the city of Chandrapore erupts with the tensions between the two groups coming to a head. The book is interesting in that neither side is portrayed in a particul… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/135 Review of 'Memoirs of a Geisha' Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden A fascinating story of a woman ripped from her life as a child in a fishing village to be sold to a geisha house in Kyoto. We follow her life as she is initiated into becoming a geisha -- text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/136 Review of 'England Made Me' England Made Me by Graham Greene Anthony Farrant is a bit of a drifter -- unable to hold any particular job, always “I've resigned” where his sister knows that this is not true. She steps in to find him a job with her employer - Krogh, a Swedish financier. Anthony manages to get Krogh to text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/137 Review of 'A Time to Kill' A Time to Kill by John Grisham A young black girl is raped in small town Mississippi and her father takes revenge on the two white men that admit to the crime. Jack Brigance is assigned to defend the father in the trial which quickly becomes the focal point for civil protest and army occupation. A well written book with the end never really much in doubt. This book (especially the ending) raises a lot of questions, more than it answers. It is a difficult book … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/138 Review of 'The Firm' The Firm by John Grishom This is a terrific novel of one man's fight for survival when he learns that the law firm that has just hired him is not exactly legit. We follow Mitch as he is interviewed by the firm just before he finishes near the top of his class in law school. He is seduced by the attractive offer so he and his wife take it up and move into their new house with their new car. Very quickly he realises that it is not as it seems and he is quickly running … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/139 Review of 'The Pelican Brief' The Pelican Brief by John Grishom Darby Shaw has just penned a brief regarding a hypothetical reason behind the recent assasinations of two Supreme Court Justices. Though just a student, she unwitingly has fingered the correct person as the brief makes it's way all the way to the White House. When her professor is killed in an explosion that she was supposed to include her text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/140 Review of 'The Chamber' The Chamber by John Grishom Sam Cayhall only has a short period of time left before he is sent to the gas chamber for the murder of two children in the bombing of a jewish lawyer's offices in 1967. His grandson Adam Hall has made it his life's ambition to see that his grandfather is not sent to the chamber. He has a tough job ahead of him, only just out of law school and never having seen the inside of a jail he is now drawn into the life of a man that no one seems… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/141 Review of 'The Rainmaker' The Rainmaker by John Grishom Told from the viewpoint of a young law student, Rudy Baylor, who, at the beginning of the novel, is just about to graduate and take his bar exam. A series of misadventures befall the young man but hope is sparked with a charity visit to a retirement village where he comes across two cases that are with him for the rest of the novel: One of a woman who wants to revise her rather substantial will to cut out her children and the other of… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/142 Review of 'The Runaway Jury' The Runaway Jury by John Grisham One of the biggest jury trials of the century is under-way in Biloxi, Mississippi with a big tobacco company facing a law suit from the widow of a veteran smoker. Nicholas Easter and a woman known as Marlee seem to have the jury in their pocket text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/143 Review of 'The Street Lawyer' The Street Lawyer by John Grishom Michael has his life and career mapped out for him as a successful lawyer in a big law firm until one day he has an encouter with a desperate homeless man when his life is completely turned around. We follow him as he discovers there is more to practiciing law than just to make lots of money as he turns his backs on his potential millions to take up defending those that cannot defend themselves text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/144 Review of 'The Brethren' The Brethren by John Grishom Three judges in a minimum security prison dispense jail-house justice every week and in between these court sessions have found time to start a small mail scam involving an advertisement placed in gay magazines and preying on those that answer. Aaron Lake is a man who has been convinced that he can become president text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/145 Review of 'A Painted House' A Painted House by John Grishom This story follows a young boy as his family prepares to harvest the cotton in middle-America. The family have to hire a number of Mexican workers as well as some “poor white trash text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/146 Review of 'The Summons' The Summons by John Grishom Ray Atlee receives a summons to return to his small home town to meet with his father to discuss his will. Little did Ray expect that his father would be dead and that hidden behind the sofa would be a large quantity of money. In coming to grips with his mixed relationship with his father and his running around trying to hide the money Ray learns a lot about himself, his brother and his father. A great story that keeps the reader in sus… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/147 Review of 'Five Quarters of the Orange' Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris From the author of Chocolat Five Quarters of the Orange is the story of Framboise, a widow living in rural France. Having opened a restaurant her unfortunate history from another life is threatening to catch up with her. This is a story of a woman and her demons, the story is told as a series of flashbacks to the war and her involvement with the German occupiers. Very well written and a definite page tur… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/148 Review of 'Coastliners' Coastliners by Joanne Harris Harris has once again come up with a truly involving story of a woman returning to her home on the small island of Le Devin off the coast of France. Her small community are facing big problems with the tides and a local businessmen who seems to want the island for his own purposes. A newcomer to the island, Flynn, is willing to help the islanders but who is he and what is his true purpose? This is a novel with a lot of questions that a… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/149 Review of 'Enigma' Enigma by Robert Harris A novel set in the (not so fictional) second world war code breaking facility Bletchley Park (England). Bletchley was well known for it's code-breaking abilities particularly with regard to the german Engima (and all of its variants). Bletchley is also considered by many to be the birth-place of the modern computer. This story follows Thomas Jericho, a code-breaker from Bletchley, as he falls in love with Claire Romily, a clerk also with Bletch… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/150 Review of 'Red Dragon' Red Dragon by Thomas Harris In this prequel to “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Hannibal” the story finds Will Graham, the FBI man who captured Hannibal Lector -- suffering severe bodily harm in the process -- chasing after a new killer text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/151 Review of 'Catch 22' Catch 22 by Joseph Heller A classic of modern novels this follows the strange life of Yossarian, stationed in Pianosa during the second world war. A series of strange, bizzare events seem to occur in his life as he struggles to escape the war he loathes. It is amusing to see every effort he makes is thwarted by more absurdities than you previously thought imaginable (such as the ever-increasing number of missions that must be flown before you can be sent home or the c… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/152 Review of 'Pigs in Heaven' Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver A few years ago, Taylor found a child in her car and adopted her (through dubious methods). Now a lawyer representing the Cheroke people have expressed a desire to have Turtle back. Taylor, aided by her recently separated mother, Alice, panics and starts a trip around the US attempting to find a solution to this problem. An interesting exploration into Native American culture (both historic and contemporary) at odds (or is i… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/153 Review of 'Animal Dreams' Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver Codi Noline is experiencing a bit of a life-crisis as she returns to where she was born. Her sister has just gone to “save the world” in Nicaragua and her father is slowly losing his mind due to Alzheimer's. As she returns to the place of her birth she discovers the secret to why the trees seem to be dying, takes a job requiring talents she never knew she had and learns a lot about herself and her family. A journey of discove… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/154 Review of 'The Poisonwood Bible' The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Kingsolver's best novel by far. The Poisonwood Bible tells the story of the Price family whose baptist preacher father drags his wife and four daughters to a mission in the Belgian Congo in 1959. His complete lack of success and numerous trials are documented in excruciating details and the ultimate effects it has on his family. The blindness of Nathan Price (the father) to what is happening around him, both in t… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/155 Review of 'Circus' Circus by Alistair MacLean Bruno Wildermann is the best trapeze artist in the world -- to top it off he is also well known for his clairvoyant prowess. He is recruited by the CIA to perform a daring raid on an East European research facility to steal their anti-matter research. In the process the circus he is with is up-rooted and sent on a European tour where Bruno falls in love with Maria, the operative assigned to him. The prowse is certainly filled with the ephamis… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/157 Review of 'The Best a Man Can Get' The Best a Man Can Get by John John This story follows a young man leading a double life in London. While pretending to go to work every day Michael Adams leaves his wife Catherine to take care of their children while he goes to his apartment on the other side of the city to spend the day living what he believes to be the ultimate existance of sleeping, watching TV and generally doing nothing all the while making a bit of money writing jingles for commerc… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/158 Review of 'Tom Clancy's Power Plays: Bio-Strike' Tom Clancy's Power Plays: Bio-Strike by Jerome Preisler Well, quite a good (though not terrific) novel about the use a “designer virus” to target either an individual (in this case, Roger Gordian, head of UpLink Technologies) or a population. Quite disjointed and never terrifically exciting but not too bad. The writing is definitely NOT Tom Clancy. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/159 Review of 'The Moor's Last Sigh' The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie Moraes (“Moor”) Zogoiby is the only son of the marriage of a wealthy family's daughter (Aurora da Gama -- the famous artist and social elite) to an accountant (Abraham Zogoiby) employed by her family. This story follows the fantastic story of this family and it's inevitable fall text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/160 Review of 'The Golden Gate' The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth This is quite a change for novel having been written entirely in verse (leading me to wonder if this is a BIT of a gimmick since the dedication, chapter headings and author write-up in the back are all also in verse). It tells the story of a small group of text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/161 Review of 'The Stone Diaries' The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields A truly imaginative and troubling novel telling the fictional story of Daisy Goodwill from her traumatic birth in rural Canada to her not so dramatic death in Florida. Daisy's story is generally unremarkable but for the people her live touches and the tragedy she experiences. Her initial marriage cut short by her husband's death while they were on honeymoon then her more long-term second marriage to a much older man who care… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/163 Review of 'The Kitchen God's Wife' The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan A wonderfully crafted novel beginning with two perspectives: a mother and her daughter's. The novel takes the form of the mother confessing her life story, explaining in the process the reasons for her behaviour. The main part of the story is set in Los Angeles where they live but most of the story being told takes place in pre and post-war China. Very entertaining and often extremely touching. A great read. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/164 Review of 'The Bonesetter's Daughter' The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan A wonderful book telling the story of a woman who was forced to leave China because of the second world war -- but told from the viewpoint of her daughter who discovers these memoirs and has them translated. The story follows the mother as she is brought up in a small village in a family who made ink for calligraphy. Their traditional and simple lives are shattered with the coming of the war and her leaving for Bei… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/165 Review of 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (aged 13 3/4)' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (aged 13 3/4) by Sue Townsend A witty “diary” of Adrian Mole who is oblivious to the events that surround his rather humourous life. The novel spans one year (and a bit) of Adrian's life and in it we see the world through his eyes text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/181 Review of 'The King of Torts' The King of Torts by John Grishom Clay Carter is a young Public Defender in Washington who is given an offer he simply cannot refuse: To open his own office and go after the maker of a harmful drug -- in the process making large amounts of fees. The lure of money is too much for Clay as he throws his morals out the window and goes for it becoming, in the process, the King of Torts, much despised by so-called respectable lawyers yet envied at the same time. It… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/182 Review of 'The Bean Trees' The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Tyler has decide to move away from her somewhat staid lifestyle in Kentucky and drives down the highway into Arizona but unexpectedly is given a small child along the way who she comes to call “Turtle text/html 2025-04-13T16:36:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/186 Review of 'The Labrador Fiasco' The Labrador Fiasco by Margaret Atwood A brief story about a failed expedition into Labrador intersperced with the nararators story of his/her father tragic decline. A charming story from one of the masters of todays literary scene. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/193 Review of 'Lanark' Lanark by Alasdair Gray Gray's semi-autobiographical Lanark (“A Life in Four Books”) has been hailed by many as a modern classic of British literature. It is essentially two stories intertwined into one -- The story of Lanark who is trapped in the surreal Unthank where life is unexpectedly harsh and bizare to say the least. This is also the tale of Duncan Thaw who is continually beset with personal problems despite his being allowed to pursue whatever profession he want… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/194 Review of 'The Joy Luck Club' The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan This is Tan's first novel and is a fantastic one at that. The Joy Luck Club tells the story of four mothers originally from China (having moved to the US) and their American daughters. The chapters alternate between the eight of them with the core narrative focused on Jing-Mei (June) Woo whose mother passes away before the book begins yet whose story is the essence of what the novel is about: self-sacrifice and promises of the fut… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/197 Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Christopher is an extremely intelligent 15-year old young man suffering from autism. This novel is written by him as a “murder-mystery text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/201 Review of 'The Da Vinci Code' The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown A fascinating tale of a man who is dragged into a conspiracy and race of truly incredible proportions: shaking the very foundations of the Christian faith. It all starts out with the unusual murder of the curator of the Louvre museum in Paris which then leads to the discovery of a secret cult and their purpose. A gripping narrative that never lets up from the first few chapters with believable characters (though with a few rathe… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/210 Review of 'Angels and Demons' Angels and Demons by Dan Brown This “prequel” to The Da Vinci Code finds Robert Langdon thrown into the middle of things as a murder is committed in the highly secretive CERN facility in Switzerland (near Geneva). We learn that it seems as though the secret society of Illuminatus has come out of hiding to complete it's main goal: The toppling of the Catholic church. Langdon and the daughter of the murdered man are conducted to Rome where they find the Illumin… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/214 Review of 'The Leaky Establishment' The Leaky Establishment by David Langford An amusing romp through life working in a nuclear research facility in England telling the story of Reo Tappen once he accidentily removes a piece of the British nuclear establishment. The problem was not getting it out text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/242 Review of 'Life of Pi' Life of Pi by Yann Martel Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) is a sixteen-year old boy who, survives the tragic sinking of a cargo ship while traveling to Canada with his parents and the animals from their zoo. On board the lifeboat is a hyena, zebra, orangutan and a Bengal tiger (called Richard Parker). The story follows their trip (with a very quickly diminished character count) as they are cast adrift in the ocean. Pi's quick descent from vegetarian to carnivore is dram… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/246 Review of 'The Wasp Factory' The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks This is the first work of fiction published by Iain Banks (who also writes Science Fiction under the pen name “Iain M. Banks”) and it definitely shows Banks' excellent skills as an author. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/247 Review of 'Cell' Cell by Stephen King Clayton Riddell is just minding his own business walking down the street one day and wouldn't you know it, armageddon breaks out around him. In this case a “pulse” is transmitted over cellular phones with anyone using one becoming infected instantly becoming mindless killing machines. Obviously, things get out of hand very quickly as Clay (thankfully, cell-less) tries to make it back to see his wife and child quite some distance away. Civilization ha… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/279 Review of 'IQ84: Books 1 and 2' IQ84: Books 1 and 2 by Haruki Murakami As an innovative and exciting Japanese author I have been anxious to read Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 novel right after I read what it was about. I was not disappointed. I took the opportunity to also try out reading something fairly serious (the hard cover is truly a door-stop) on my new Kindle device. I could not really put this down. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/282 Review of 'IQ84: Book 3' IQ84: Book 3 by Haruki Murakami It took me a bit of time to get to finally completing the tale begun by Murakami in Books 1 and 2 (the tale separated into two books for the western market) but I picked up reading this while traveling to Abu Dhabi and, much like the first book, found I could not put it down. I had to find out what would happen to Aomame and Tengo would finally meet each other and what, exactly, was going on. Of course, one shouldn't expect to get a… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/288 Review of 'reamde' reamde by Neal Stephenson Another stormer from Neal Stephenson. A young woman Zula, employee of the on-line gaming company T'Rain, is kidnapped by the Russian mafia when a computer virus causes them some problems. Zula manages to trace the source of the virus to China where things get complicated as they find not only the virus writers that are extorting their victims but also jihadists looking for a way into the United States. Zula falls into the hands of the terror… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/293 Review of 'Arthur & George' Arthur & George by Julian Barnes George Edalji is a quiet young man living with his family in rural England at the turn of the 20th century who wants nothing more than a simple life as a solicitor when he and his family are subjected to a campaign of hate mail and psychological attacks. He is inexplicably accused of a series of cattle mutilations by the local police. He is eventually found guilty of the crime and serves his time in jail. Arthur Conan Doyle is,… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/294 Review of 'Solar' Solar by Ian McEwan Not really my cup of tea, but here goes: Michael Beard is a Nobel prize-winning physicist who is involved in clean energy. At the beginning of the novel he is heading up a group, in a half-hearted way, that are working on a super-efficient wind turbine. His personal life is a bit of a mess as he gets married, cheats, gets divorced and gets married again (repeat throughout the story). A chance accident allows him to pin the accidental death of his wi… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/319 Review of 'A Suitable Boy' A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth Ostensibly, this book is about a young Indian woman who seeks a “suitable boy” to marry, however, this is more the story of a young India freshly independent from the English in the 1950s. Lata Mehra has three potential suitors: Kabir - the successful cricketer and son of a university math professor, Haresh - an ambitious shoe maker who has come to the attention of Lata's mother, and Amit - poet and eldest son of a prominent judge.… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/325 Review of 'Freedom' Freedom by Jonathan Franzen “Freedom” tells the story of the somewhat dysfunctional - yet strangely relatable - Berglund family whose freedom to chose leads them down unintended paths in the destruction of all they hold dear. Early in the story their son Joey moves in with the free-thinking neighbour's daughter to escape his overly cautious and overbearing mother. The father, Walter, has a long-time friend from his school days, Richard Katz, an on-again, off-again musi… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/327 Review of 'Midnight's Children' Midnight's Children by Salmon Rushdie Any book by Rushdie is going to take me some time to finish and Midnight's Children was no exception. The writing is so dense that you have to slowly read and digest it like a fine meal - To skip ahead is to risk being quickly lost at what is going on with key plot elements disseminated between the florid prose. text/html 2025-02-02T15:06:04+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/332 Review of '44 Scotland Street' 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith 1st book in the '44 Scotland Street' series Pat has just moved into a flat on 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh which she shares with the narcissistic rugby player Bruce. She takes a liking to her neighbour Domenica who gives her the inside story on 44 Scotland Street and her flatmate. Another neighbour, Irene, is an overbearing mother that wants only the best for her precocious five-year-old son who is now in therap… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/334 Review of 'The Kite Runner' The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir is a privileged young Pashtun man living with his aloof and often distant father in Kabul. This is the story of his relationship with Hassan, a member of the ethnic Hazara group and the son of the family living in the garden who serve Amir and his father. The relationship is a complicated one but at best can be described as text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/338 Review of 'The Cobweb' The Cobweb by Neal Stephenson, and George J. Frederick Published before 9/11, Cobweb takes place immediately prior to the Gulf War. Deputy County Sheriff Clyde Banks is just a small-town policeman but has been around and knows when something is not right. While investigating the discovery of a body in the local reservoir he notes some oddness going on at the East Iowa University with their enrolment of students from Iraq who seem to have taken a keen interest in chemi… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/339 Review of 'A Tiny Bit Marvellous' A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French The Battles are an unusual family with a teenager, Dora, who is just about to reach 18 hating (deeply) her mother Mo who, is reaching 50 herself is finding the thrill of being attracted to a man from work who seems to feel the same way text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/342 Review of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Mariam was born as the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Jalil but raised by her mother Nana in a cottage in the hills. When Nana commits suicide due to Mariam's continual desire to spend time with her doting father she returns to live with Jalil but this is an impossible situation so his wives marry her off to the wealthy Rasheed in Kabul despite Mariam being only 15 years old. After the initial thrill of… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/343 Review of 'And the Mountains Echoed' And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Abdullah, 10, and his sister Pari, live together in the small village of Shadbagh in Afghanistan in 1952. The two children are inseparable playing together and spending all their time together despite the age difference. When their parents fall on hard times an extremely difficult decision is made to text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/344 Review of 'Slaughterhouse 5' Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut “Billy Pilgram” is a man who has become unstuck in time moving backwards and forwards in his life in a matter of moments. From his time as a prisoner of war in World War 2 to his successful life as an optometrist in the years that followed. Billy is exposed to the work of the obscure Science Fiction writer Kilgore Trout when recovering in a vetran's hospital after an emotional breakdown during the war. After the war Billy is … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/358 Review of 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami Toru Okada is a young man living with his wife in a Tokyo apartment who has recently quit his job “for no particular reason”. After their cat, named after his brother-in-law ( text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/369 Review of 'The Business' The Business by Iain Banks Kate Telman works as a executive officer (level 3 - level 1 being the most senior) specialising in high-tech in a mysterious organisation known only as “the business”, with it's links to numerous commercial endeavours over the millennia. As a precocious young woman she was effectively adopted by Mrs Elizabeth Telman (level 2) and introduced into the business. The wealth of the Company is incredible along with the political power that com… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/373 Review of 'Emperor' Emperor by Stephen Baxter 1st book in the 'Time's Tapestry' series I picked up this book as I am a fan of Stephen Baxter with his hard Science Fiction stories thinking that this would be another, perhaps involving time travel. I was mistaken. It is not. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/375 Review of 'The Broker' The Broker by John Grisham If I am looking for a good, easy, and exciting, read there are only a few authors I look to, one being Stephen King but another is John Grisham. Always dependable. Joel Backman is a notorious power broker in Washington DC who is sent to prison accused of murder related to a scandal about the selling of satellite surveillance technology to the highest bidder. In his final moments in office an outgoing president under tremendous pressure fr… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/378 Review of 'The Bazaar of Bad Dreams' The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King A collection of 21 short stories from the master of American popular literature ranging from the expected horror pieces (“Mile 81” and “Bad Little Kid”) all the way to humour ( text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/384 Review of 'Vinyl Cafe Unplugged' Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean Another collection of stories from the host of CBC Radio Series “The Vinyl Cafe” following the lives of Dave, who runs a record store, his wife Morley and their children Sam and Stephanie. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/398 Review of 'The Quarry' The Quarry by Iain Banks Kit is an 18 year old borderline autistic boy taking care of his bitter, terminally ill father Guy in a large, decaying, country house beside a large quarry. A group of Guy's friends who studied film at university together visit the house for one last visit: Hol is a film critic and has always been very close to Kit; Paul is an opinionated media lawyer with a bit of a grudge with Hol; Rob and Ali are corporate; Pris is a single mother and; Ha… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/409 Review of 'The Haunting of Henry Twist' The Haunting of Henry Twist by Rebecca F. John It is 1926 in London and Henry's Twist heavily pregnant wife dies though the child survives. Henry is devastated and takes the child home concerned she will be taken from him. He soon finds he is being watched by a mysterious man. Confronted he strikes up an immediate friendship with the man, Jack, which turns into something more serious as he sees so much of his wife in this mysterious stranger. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/410 Review of 'Gone Girl' Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Normally I like to read the book before the film when that film is based on the book but in this case I read the book a long time after I saw the movie (see here for that review). Was it any better? Absolutely. The confusion I had when I watched the film is very much cleared up in reading of the book though I still think all the characters are unlikable particularly Nick Dunne and his missing wife Amy. Not liking the main characters is a … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/411 Review of 'One Day' One Day by David Nicholls On 15th of July 1988 Emma and Dexter on the night of their graduation strike up a relationship that would change their lives forever. Each chapter is on the same day, July 15th, every year as we follow their story. Dexter's rise to fame (or infamy) as a television personality and his eventual fall from public failure. Emma's unsatisfying employment at a fast food restaurant leading to an unhappy marriage followed by eventual satisfaction in a… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/414 Review of 'The God of Small Things' The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy “The God of Small Things” tells the fall from grace of a family living in Ayemenem (India) who own a successful business whose pride is ultimately the cause of their fall from grace. We follow the story leading up to the visit of Sophie Mol from England, daughter of Chacko, a former Oxford Rhodes Scholar. The family has had somewhat colourful history, Sophie Mol is the daughter of Chacko's former wife Margaret wh… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/415 Review of 'Blackberry Wine' Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris Jay Mackintosh is obsessed with his childhood relationship with Joe an enigmatic old man that taught him much about life and, er, gardening. So much so that Jay has become a famous author of a book detailing this relationship. Chasing the ghost of the man he once knew Jay one day decides to leave his wife and life in London to move to a house in the small community of Lansquenet in rural France. While there he is intrigued by h… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/417 Review of 'man and wife' man and wife by Tony Parsons Part of the way through this book I realised (yes, I am sometimes a bit slow on the up-take) that this was a sequel to Parsons' best seller “man and boy”. Of course, I am not completely ignorant and have seen Parsons' books before but never had a chance to read. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/418 Review of 'Sophie's World' Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner One day fourteen-year old Sophie receives a rather odd letter containing a single sheet of paper reading “Who are you?” So begins a rather unusual correspondence with a reclusive teacher of philosophical history beginning with myths through the Greeks and into the (relatively) modern day. As the teacher and the student progress through their course they realise there is a more fundamental force driving their lives that threaten… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/420 Review of 'The Quiet American' The Quiet American by Graham Greene Set during the French war in Vietnam the war-hardened, cynical newspaper correspondent Thomas Fowler meets the youthful, idealistic American CIA agent Alden Pyle. Fowler is happy -- or at least complacent text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/421 Review of 'Oh Dear Silvia' Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French Silvia Shute is in a coma lying in a hospital bed visited by friends and family cared for with a great deal of tenderness by nurse “Winnie” who suffers through their odd behaviour. Ed, her insecure ex-husband who starts to regret leaving Silvia. Silvia's rather eccentric sister text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:47+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/430 Review of 'Fragile Things' Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman A collection of Gaiman's short stories published previously elsewhere “Fragile Things” sticks to fiction and poetry with a treat for fans of American Gods with the inclusion of novella “The Monarch of the Glen text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/439 Review of 'Einstein's Dreams' Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman “Einstein's Dreams” is a cute little book (literally) imagining the dreams the famous physicist Albert Einstein had while coming up his theories of time. Amongst the chapters of his every day existence are short chapters relating the dreams he had about worlds where the rules of time work differently - Time moving backwards, time moving at a different speed for different towns, a world where no one has any memories text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/440 Review of 'Small Great Things' Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult Ruth Jefferson is a neonatal nurse who has been in the job for many years...and is black. When a white supremacist couple object to her involvement in the delivery of their child a note is placed on the hospital record: text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/442 Review of 'Good Me Bad Me' Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land Annie, a young girl, is sent to live with a foster family having turned her mother into the police. Annie's mother is a serial killer who forced Annie to participate in the torture and murder of children she brought home. As the months go by Annie, now text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/445 Review of 'An Equal Music' An Equal Music by Vikram Seth Vikram Seth has a very poetic way of writing (perhaps literally the case in works such as The Golden Gate) with “An Equal Music” no exception. I sort of find him an easier-to-read version of Salmon Rushdie -- text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/452 Review of 'The Travelling Cat Chronicles' The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa Satoru, a single man living in Tokyo, adapts a stray, rather independent, cat who he names Nana (the cat's tale is shaped like a “7” which, in Japanese, is “nana text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/458 Review of 'If Cats Disappeared from the World' If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura A wonderfully touching short novel from Genki Kawamura who may be better known in Japan for his involvement in Japanese Animation. A young man working as a postman and living with a cat called text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/459 Review of 'The Tenderness of Wolves' The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney 1867 in the northern Canada community of Dove River sees the brutal, mysterious murder of a local trapper while sleeping in his cabin followed by the equally mysterious disappearance of a local youth. Are the two connected? Is the youth the killer? Where has he gone? His mother is determined to find out despite her husband's seeming indifference. A group of men from the Hudson's Bay Company are dispatched to h… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/460 Review of 'The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)' The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singer Or, more completely (!) “The Reduced Shakespeare Co. presents The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged)”, this book contains the script of the popular two act theatre show of the same name along with various (humorous) prefaces and appendices. text/html 2024-02-25T15:03:24+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/465 Review of 'Uncommon Type' Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks A collection of short stories from the famous actor, “Uncommon Type” has the general theme of typewriters which make an appearance in all of the stories. Here Hanks talks about the human condition taking in everything from an imaginative return to the moon in text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/466 Review of 'The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters' The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain The Amir family live in modern England with four sisters and a son. The youngest daughter, Mae, is obsessed with social media while twins Farah is married to Mustafa (from Bangladesh), and Bubblee, attempting to distance herself from the family by living as an artist in London. The oldest daughter Fatima has a bit of a problem not only with her weight (fuelled by squeezable cheese and p… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/481 Review of 'The Institute' The Institute by Stephen King Say what you like about Stephen King: Populist, Commercial, Shock-Jock, etc, but you have to admit he writes very well and writes what people want to read. “The Institute” is another very readable and compelling novel by the master. text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/482 Review of 'Family Matters' Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry In 1990s Bombay Nariman Vikeel is a 79-year-old man suffering from Parkinson's disease living with his step-children Coomy and Jal in their large apartment. After insisting on regular walks on the dangerous streets of Bombay one day Nariman suffers a fall resulting in his being confined to bed. Unable to deal with the burden (notably including emptying his bedpan), Coomy and Jal hatch a scheme to force Nariman's daughter Roxanna… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/484 Review of 'When the Wind Blows' When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs A retired couple go about their everyday lives until they learn that there is a nuclear war on it's way. Luckily they have the leaflets from the council they picked up from the local library that guides them in preparing for the upcoming disaster. After the inevitable the two emerge to find live irrevocably change text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/500 Review of 'Disobedience' Disobedience by Naomi Alderman Now living in New York, Ronit returns to the small suburb of Hendon in north London following the death of her father, a respected Rabbi. In Hendon she discovers her childhood girlfriend Esti has married another childhood friend Dovid who is in line to replace her father at the synagogue. Esti and Dovid live a orthodox Jewish life that is now alien to Ronit. So when Esti and Ronit rekindle their childhood romance the scandal quickly… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/501 Review of 'Because of You' Because of You by Dawn French This is a story of two sets of parents: One who give birth on New Years Day 2020 to a healthy daughter while the other is hit by tragedy when their daughter is still-born. In a blind fit of grief the bereft mother, Hope, takes the surviving daughter from it's sleeping parents and gives her the name of the daughter she lost: Minnie. Hope's mate, wracked with guilt returns to his birthplace in Africa leaving Hope to raise Minnie and k… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/502 Review of 'The Outsider' The Outsider by Stephen King In the town of Flint City the body of Frank Peterson is found in the woods having been brutally attacked. There is incontrovertible proof that much loved Coach Terry Maitland has committed the crime: Eye-witnesses that spotted him helping the boy into the van with his bicycle, the same van found to contain DNA matching Maitland as well as more DNA on the body also matching the coach. On this evidence and fear for the other children of … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/508 Review of 'The Other Hand' The Other Hand by Chris Cleave “Little Bee” is a refugee from Nigeria who leaves a detention facility in England seeking out the couple, Sarah and Andrew, she met on a fateful day on a beach in her country where life changing events took place. Sarah and Andrew have a pleasant life in Kingston with their son Charlie, or, as he prefers to be known text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/515 Review of 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine...except she really isn't. She lives a simple life working in an office during the week and drinking herself to oblivion with vodka every weekend. This is not helped by the conversations she has every week with her cynical mother. One day Eleanor spots the lead singer of a rock band and falls head over heals for him. Convinced that when he meets her he… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/532 Review of 'The Girl Before' The Girl Before by JP Delaney Jane is a young woman mourning her child who was stillborn. Looking for a place to live in London she is about to give up hope when her estate agent finds a minimalist, modern house in a nice area standing out like a sore thumb in the more traditional houses of the neighbourhood. She is told the house is available at a very reasonable rate text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/533 Review of 'Number One Chinese Restaurant' Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li Jimmy Han owns and operates his family's restaurant the “Duck House” with staff that have been with him for years. Jimmy is in the process of opening a new restaurant, hoping to shrug free from the yoke of familial expectations, taking out a loan from Uncle Pang, a local mobster. When Jimmy tries to pay off Peng, the mobster resolves to teach him a lesson. Ah-Jack and Nan have a banter that fills their … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/544 Review of 'Our House' Our House by Louise Candlish Fi returns to her home on a wealthy street in London on a Friday only to discover a removals van parked outside with a couple moving their belongings in. This is news to her as she was not aware her house was even on the market. As the novel unfolds we learn that Fi's estranged husband Bram has had his driver's licence suspended but driving anyway eventually causing a fatal accident where he flees the scene unable to accept the repercussi… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/545 Review of 'Into the Water' Into the Water by Paula Hawkins Jules Abbott has returned to Beckford following the death of her estranged sister Nel to take care of Nel's rebellious, troubled daughter Lena. Lena is herself still upset at the loss of her friend Katie Wittaker who died only a few months before Nel. Both Nel and Katie have died in the text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/547 Review of 'Origin' Origin by Dan Brown Harvard professor Robert Langdon, familiar to readers of Dan Brown's books, attends a presentation at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao by the Billionaire Edmond Kirsch (a la Elton Musk). In the presentation Kirsch reveals he has found the secret to the origin of the human race and, critically, has determined what it's future is. But before his secrets can be revealed Kirsch is killed and Langdon flees the scene along with the museum's director Ambra V… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/548 Review of 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” is based on the true story of Lale Sokolov who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp just outside of Krakow, Poland by taking on the role of tattooing prisoner's ID numbers onto their arms as they arrived, apologizing humbly to many as he did so. That this was not incredible enough he also managed to find love with a fellow prisoner while he was at it. This is his amazing s… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/549 Review of 'Cilka's Journey' Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris In “Cilka's Journey”, a follow-up to Morris' hit novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz, we follow the story of Cilka, a young woman who helped Lale when he was in Auschwitz. On arriving in the camp the attractive Cilka was taken to be the sex slave of the camp Commandant and so managed to survive her experience. In this book we learn that after the camp was liberated by the Russians at the end of the war she was branded as a collabo… text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/550 Review of 'The Midnight Library' The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Nora's life is not going well so she begins making plans to end it. On her last day on earth she is unexpectedly transported to the “Midnight Library” where a helpful librarian informs her that the books that surround her contain alternative versions of her life that she can pick from, living the life they represent for a short period of time to decide whether she wants to live it or not. Aided by her literal text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/562 Review of 'How to Stop Time' How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Tom Howard, now teaching History in a London school was actually born in France 1581. He has an affliction that causes him to age extremely slowly so while not immortal he will live for many hundreds of years, very slowing getting old and then, eventually, dying. He is not the only one. The Albatross Society - text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/566 Review of 'Go Set a Watchman' Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee To say this sequel of “To Kill a Mockingbird” caused a bit of a stir when published in 2015 would be a bit of an understatement. It's author had, up that point, only the original book to her name which was published more than 50 years earlier and was made into a classic film staring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, the white lawyer tasked with defending a young black man accused of rape. The story is told from the perspective of … text/html 2023-04-30T18:21:48+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/568 Review of 'About a Boy' About a Boy by Nick Hornby Will is a thirty-six year old man that acts like a child who meets, through slightly dubious dating methods, Marcus, a twelve year old boy who is far more an adult than Will. Will lives off family royalty income so does nothing all day except read Time Out and watch Countdown on TV. Marcus lives with his depressed and suicidal mother. After being introduced Marcus finds Will interesting, dropping in on him every day after school to just … text/html 2023-06-17T15:16:14+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/576 Review of 'The Great Fire of London' The Great Fire of London by Peter Ackroyd You could be forgiven for thinking that this would be another historical non-fiction book by Peter Ackroyd, who is particularly well known for his weighty tome “London: The Biography text/html 2025-04-13T16:17:53+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/618 Review of 'The Sun Also Rises' The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway Hemmingway's first novel, “The Sun Also Rises” follows the story of journalist Jake Barnes living in Paris, and his relationship promiscuous divorcée Lady Brett Ashley. Also featuring is Jake's Princeton friend Robert Cohn, American Bill Gorton, and Brett's fiancé Mike Campbell. Jake and Bill travel to Pamplona (Spain) for a fishing trip to nearby Burguete, hoping to be joined by Mike and Brett but this never happens. … text/html 2025-04-13T16:17:53+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/625 Review of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway Englishman Robert Jordan is a Spanish-speaking explosives specialist in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) tasked with blowing up a bridge by the republican forces. Over the course of the days leading up to the demolition Jordan spends time with a group of fighters headed by guerrilla leader Pablo camping in the nearby hills. In the camp he establishes a romantic relationship with María, a young woman whose pa… text/html 2025-04-13T16:17:54+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/627 Review of 'A Farewell to Arms' A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway Set in World War 1, Lieutenant Frederic Henry is an Italian-speaking American serving a relatively easy life in the Italian Army as an officer directing ambulance drivers. Frederic meets an attractive English nurse Catherine who becomes attracted to him but a short time later while eating dinner with other drivers he is wounded in a mortar attack. Recovering at a hospital in Milan, he requests Catherine as a nurse and … text/html 2025-04-13T16:36:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/628 Review of 'Old Babes in the Wood' Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood A collection of short stories from the amazing Margaret Atwood running the gamut from General Fiction, Non-Fiction (?) to Science Fiction (ok, “Speculative Fiction” or whatever she is comfortable calling it these days). The stories are divided into text/html 2025-05-04T15:49:20+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/629 Review of 'The Help' The Help by Kathryn Stockett In the vanished world of Jackson, Mississippi 1962 black maids raise white children but experience continual and systemic racism by the wives and husbands of the community. It is in this setting that we meet aspiring author Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan who comes up with the idea of compiling the maids' stories into a book. An older maid, Aibileen, is raising her seventeenth white child and is the first to volunteer to come forward with her st… text/html 2026-02-22T17:11:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/644 Review of 'Kim' Kim by Rudyard Kipling Living on the streets of Lahore orphaned Kim, though white, been raised among Indians and moves effortlessly between cultures, languages, and religions. His only link to his parentage is amulet hanging around his neck that contains documents from his father. Kim befriends a wandering Tibetan lama who is searching for the legendary text/html 2026-01-25T17:15:20+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/650 Review of 'The Cat Who Caught A Killer' The Cat Who Caught A Killer by L. T. Shearer Mourning the loss of her husband Simon, Lulu Lewis is unexpectedly joined on her narrowboat “The Lark” by an unusual cat, Conrad - Unusual, in that he talks, albeit, only to Lulu. When her mother-in-law Emily dies in mysterious circumstances at a local seniors home Lulu looks into the matter using her contacts from her career in the police and, of course, Conrad. Her brother Richard and his wife are quick… text/html 2026-01-25T17:32:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/651 Review of 'Chicken With Plums' Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi From the author of Persepolis comes a fictionalized version of a family story featuring Nasser Ali Khan, one of Iran's most celebrated tar (a musical instrument) players. When his tar is destroyed by his angry wife, he searches for a replacement but is unsatisfied, going to bed and vowing to die there. The graphic novel is the story of the 8 days leading up to his bed-bound death. Over the days we learn of his life and … text/html 2026-02-22T17:11:49+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/655 Review of 'The Jungle Book' The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Many people will be familiar with “The Jungle Book” having seen the original Disney animated film of 1967 or the live action remake in 1994 (see my review here) but this original story is worth reading. text/html 2026-02-22T16:55:11+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/introduction Fiction I always find it frustrating finding good fiction to read but, having said that, my pile of fiction to read is still pretty high with worth-while reading. As long as it is interesting, well written, and not like reading a soap opera I am there. text/html 2026-02-22T16:55:11+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://www.stevedrice.net/reviews/books/fiction/list List (by Author)