Not since Iain M Banks have I been so taken with an author. In fact I'm annoyed that writing this review is delaying me starting the second novel. That's how good it is.
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Novels, lit fic, sf/fantasy, YA, (trying to give up crime fiction) Full non-fiction range below
I'm a retired agricultural research scientist cum academic librarian cum IT tutor working on my allotment and writing novels in the hut when not helping with the washing up or visiting our three children and their growing families (seven grandkids).
I have shelves of books encompassing religion* ancient and modern, natural history, farming, ecology, geography, gardening, poetry, philosophy, literary criticism, Kent, Wales, Northumberland, history and archaeology, especially Romano-British archaeology.
I borrow novels from the village library. Favourite authors include Richard Powers, DE Stevenson, Joanna Trollope, and ... erm ... that other person whose name I can't remember.
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pagetwoandsix's books
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pagetwoandsix wants to read On the origin of stories by Boyd, Brian
pagetwoandsix wants to read Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu
garrettc reviewed Three-Body Problem Series by Cixin Liu
Simon Scarfe reviewed Wool by Hugh Howey (duplicate)
Dystopia Done Right
5 stars
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort food.
To …
I’m an absolute sucker for fictional dystopia. It's the perfect arena to discuss complex real world issues and hypothesise what the extremes of those might look like. Hugh Howey's 'Wool' does all of this brilliantly, scratching an itch for me that’s not been touched since 2016’s The Power.
I discovered Wool through its engrossing television adaptation, 'Silo', on Apple TV. While it excels at character development and gives it an intriguing detective noir spin, I found myself needing to know what happens next. So, when I saw book two in the series on offer, it was a great excuse to get the first two to see how the source material compares.
I'm pretty sure it's a bit trite - I've come across a lot of the ideas and tropes before. But I expect that that’s what I needed at this point in time - fast paced, gripping, comfort food.
To sum it up, 'Wool' is a well-crafted tale that had me hooked, made me think, and left me wanting more. So much so, that the only thing stopping me from starting on the second book, 'Shift', is writing this.
pagetwoandsix wants to read What If We Stopped Pretending? by Jonathan Franzen
What If We Stopped Pretending? by Jonathan Franzen
The climate change is coming. To prepare for it, we need to admit that we can’t prevent it.
‘If you …
pagetwoandsix wants to read The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers
The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers
Jonah, Ruth and Joseph are the children of mixed-race parents determined to raise them beyond time, beyond identity, steeped in …
pagetwoandsix wants to read Kingdom of the blind by Louise Penny (A Chief Inspector Gamache mystery -- [14])
Kingdom of the blind by Louise Penny (A Chief Inspector Gamache mystery -- [14])
"When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec …
pagetwoandsix rated One Summer in Italy: 5 stars
One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft
When Sofia Bianchi’s father Aldo dies, it makes her stop and look at things afresh. Having been his carer for …
pagetwoandsix reviewed One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft
A summer read
It's a romance. It's easy reading. The characters are engaging and the storytelling is well paced and, all in all, it is very enjoyable.
I'm still thinking about them, those folk, wondering how they're getting on. That's the sign of a good book.
pagetwoandsix finished reading One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft
pagetwoandsix wants to read A Slipping-Down Life by Anne Tyler
pagetwoandsix wants to read The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Remembrance of Earth's Past, #1)
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Remembrance of Earth's Past, #1)
1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape …
pagetwoandsix wants to read Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer
Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer
Unfolding over four tumultuous weeks in present-day Washington, D.C., Here I Am is the story of a fracturing family in …
pagetwoandsix commented on The map of salt and stars by Zeyn Joukhadar
This is such a great book. Haven't finished it yet but I'm almost there. Two tales woven together; one mediaeval, mythical and fantastic, the other an unflinching, brutal, contemporary story of war and displacement. Beautiful writing. Heart-rending