Thursday, February 28, 2013

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Second: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Second: The Reptile Room
Lemony Snicket
1999, HarperCollins, New York
0064407675
190p.

The second instalment of the Series of Unfortunate Events.  The Baudelaire orphans go to live with their herpetologist uncle, but the evil Count Olaf is still after their fortune.

Some of the literary devices which made the first book so awesome get a little repetitive in this one, but I am not the target audience, so perhaps children would be more forgiving. 


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Pox by Richard Reinking

Pox
Richard Reinking
2011, Amazon Kindle
9781463547219
unnumbered

 A group of terrorists infect themselves with a strain of the small pox virus and then go on to spread it in four major cities of America.

This was a quick read - a solid medical thriller.  I am fascinated by the small pox virus and I thought this was a fairly credible telling of how it could be potentially used as a bioterrorist attack and how the virus would react in modern society.  Yes it was full of clichés but heck, that makes it easier to read and sometimes I'm after something a little silly.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Under the Garden by Graham Greene

Under the Garden
Graham Greene
1957, 1995, Penguin 60s, London
0146000579
87p.

A short story by Graham Greene published as a Penguin 60s.  A man named Wilditch learns he is dying and returns to his childhood home to revisit a dream he had as a boy.

This was a well crafted short story.  It had a mellow feel to it, a feeling of that faraway dreamland of childhood, where reality merges with fiction.  I'm not sure if it was supposed to be an allegory with the biblical holy trinity, but it sometimes seemed as though it was. 

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
2003, Corgi, London
0552149519
593p.

Robert Langdon is a historian specialising in religious iconography.  When the curator of the Louvre is murdered, Langdon gets dragged into a mystery involving a secret society and the search for the holy grail.

I am an admitted book snob, so when I came to read this, I didn't have high expectations.  It was a nice surprise - I actually enjoyed it!  Sure, towards the middle/end, it did get a little slow and repetitive, but overall it was a solid story.

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