I enjoyed some articles in this immensely. Others I found quite dreary. Generally, the ones where she’s talking about anything (even loosely) political or individual celebrities are brillant and fascinating respectively. The Celebrity Watch and facetious rant ones I find dull.

There’s no doubt that Moran is a fantastic writer but I’d say that this is a book to dip into from time to time rather than immerse yourself in.

I had meant to read this for some time as several people I know recommended it. I was happy when it was chosen as this month’s reading group book. But, disappointingly, it’s a thumbs down from me.

I found roughly the first third quite boring. There are many characters introduced and they all seem very two-dimensional and indistinguishable from one another. The style of the novel reminds me of Dan Brown, but without being quite as sensational and with far less description. I found the solution to the central mystery quite ridiculous. Another aspect I didn’t enjoy was the product placement sprinkled all over the place.

The only part of this book I really enjoyed was the confrontation between the hero and the villain. That was pretty exciting and would be a fantastic on screen. I haven’t seen either of the films that have been made of the book but I’m sure they could be very good indeed; there’s a reasonably engaging plot once it picks up. However, it falls short as a book because there’s nothing there to make the reader sympathise with any of the characters because he/she just doesn’t get to know them. There’s more written about what people eat than about what they are really like.

I don’t know how much of this is down to translation but the style of the writing is very dull and wooden. The book tells you a lot about what happened and what people said but not how they said it or what they felt. Perhaps it’s because SL was a journalist so was used to writing in that style? Whatever the reason, this book just didn’t make its mark on me.

This is brilliant; it’s scathing, farcical, satirical and ultimately satisying. Such a well woven tale. I can’t put it better than John Mullan, who spotted way more connections and hints than I did when the book was discussed for the Guardian Book Club.

This is the reading group book for this month. It’s a short book but packed with drama, action and emotion. It evokes childhood memories very well. The central theme of the book is the power of friendship. It reminds me very much of the Stephen King story Stand By Me, right down to the group of friends running away and a vomiting child who sets off several other vomiters.

Some parts of the plot seemed a little far-fetched, for example, the real identity of Tony’s Polish stepfather. Everyone always seemed to be crying, even some of the men. The book doesn’t paint a very appealing picture of life in a small Scottish village in the late 60s. But the pace of the book and the amount packed into it kept me turning the pages. Spit Against the Wind is a very enjoyable read.

Just finished listening to this. I enjoyed it, especially because it was read by Jason Manford himself. When I read Peter Kaye’s and Michael Macintyre’s autobiographies I could hear their voices in my head. With this audiobook I actually could hear his voice and it was fantastic.

I can’t think of any criticisms really. This is a warm, friendly book with several laugh out loud moments. There are a couple of sad parts which are handled well. Something that surprised me was the amount of support he got from Peter Kaye. I think he deserved it; his Live At Manchester Apollo is the funniest show I’ve seen in recent years.

This is one of the first books I downloaded for my Kindle app and I’ve finally got around to reading it. I read it the majority of it in one sitting as it’s quite short and well written too. It mostly reads like a rant but a hilarious (think Tom Sharpe) and eloquent one. I can identify with some of it, what with working in the hospitality industry and all.

Many of the stories of his encounters with customers are unbelievable. It’s very funny and yet tragic at the same time. In the line of work that I’m in I find that I ask myself the same questions of myself as the author does: Is it all worth it? etc. Fortunately my situation is much better than the one depicted in the book. In many ways I am very lucky.

This is a good book: short, humourous, easy to read and plenty to think about.

(52nd in 2012)

I picked this book up last night and I could not stop reading it until I got to the climax which is, unusually, halfway through. By that time it was 2.30am. I finished it today in what seemed like no time at all.

This book is very good indeed: original, urgent and convincing. It’s obviously based on the Elisabeth Fritzl case but this tale is told through the eyes of a 5 year old boy who has grown up knowing nothing other than ‘Room’. The book is not as horrific as the subject matter, in fact it has a rather positive message. Recommended.

(51st in 2012)

I think I reserved this book because it was recommended on some childfree website or article. Anyway, I just finished reading it. It reminded me a LOT of Sex and the City because it features a cast of good looking, smart women, it’s set in NYC and it’s just fun. It’s an easy read which is sassy and romantic in equal measure. The only thing that disappointed me a little is the heroine’s change of heart at the end, but not enough to spoil it for me. I didn’t expect to say this about something that must surely be classed at chick lit but it’s actually quite good.

(50th in 2012)

I love the film of this and I’ve watched it twice. I thought I’d read the comic to see how it compares. The book is good but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the film. I was expecting something like Maus but the illustrations weren’t as striking and occasionally I couldn’t figure out what was going on from the pictures. Also I was expecting the pages to be glossy but they weren’t.

The annoying thing about V is, while is it without doubt very striking, that I don’t entirely understand what it’s about. There are loads of ideas thrown into it but, unless I am missing quite a lot, not much is tied up by the end. I comprehended the film better but even that left me baffled at times.

In spite of my confusion, I think this is a fine piece of work: very thought-provoking and absorbing.

(49th in 2012)