Bought as a joke and read for the same reason, Werepuffer was just as awfully hilarious I thought an erotic novel about a werepufferfish would be.

- The grammar is poor, the writing is awful and the premise of the book is dubious at best. Yet for 99p it provided a good laugh for my colleagues and me on a rainy Monday.

- I never realised the potential, especially in the bedroom department, of partial shift transformations. Werepuffer has opened my eyes to such possibilities. I'm not sure I'm grateful for that.

Not to be read as a serious book, definitely a good laugh and if you enjoy (in whatever capacity) alternative erotica then Werepuffer is worthy the twenty minutes it takes to read.

After I read Jurassic Park for the first time, back in 2020, a good friend lent me the sequel. Now, after only a year and three months, I have finished it and can return it! The Lost World has the same dinosaur related mayhem as the first with a slightly different premise.

- Crichton is great at building suspense. The plot starts slow, building with snippets, until the action starts happening. Then things really take off and you are thrown straight into the action. 

- There were some inconsistencies between this book and the first including quite a major one which did annoy me. Also some of the plot events seemed a little too convenient and there just to advance the story.

- The dinosaurs and the wonder and terror they inspire was excellent though not quite as much as the original book. Who doesn't love raptors?

- The ending felt rushed and abrupt, like the author got bored and just wanted to be finished. A little more effort and it would have been brilliant. 

If you enjoyed Jurassic Park then The Lost World is a worthwhile sequel and enjoyable in its own right. Whilst not totally on par with the original, it engages the reader well and provides the dinosaur related issues one would expect. 

I was recommended this book by a friend in my search for good kids books for when my little one is bigger. As a child, I read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson books but never Glubbslyme and thought I would give it a go.

- A simple and fun tale of an old witch's familiar met by a kid in the 80s. Not particularly nuanced or deep and you can tell it's one of Wilson's earlier works.

- The magic elements would be fun for children without being scary. Would be a good conversation started on witchcraft and the historical treatment of witches.

Not exemplary but enjoyable. For hardcore Jacqueline Wilson fans but by no means an essential.

Audiobook narrated by the author.

Far from the hulking idiot depictions in modern media, Kindred sheds some light on what life, society and the deep ancient world was like for some of our closest hominid cousins: the neanderthals.

- The amount of ratifiable and theoretical information in this book is astounding. Wragg Sykes has definitely researched this book extremely well and provides references for her thoughts, findings and conclusions. Sometimes this amount of detail becomes challenging, especially in audio format, but it is very comprehensive. The author also acknowledges the limitations of both the science and the books interpretations and how due to the depth of time ago these people lived, it is hard to know much for definite.

- Each chapter begins with an imagined scene from neanderthal life and I love how this helped connect me to the subject matter. As a mother, I definitely connected to the snippets involving children and birth and it made me want to know more and empathise with these long ago women.

- As I mentioned in my first point Wragg Sykes does not hold back on describing the limitations of science and work around neanderthals. However, I did like the ending of the book which focused a lot on biases and homo sapiens' societal problems which have impacted our knowledge, research, our own society and possibly our futures.

- My favourite fact from this book is that we share approximately 2-3% of our DNA with neanderthals due to prehistoric interbreeding. Knowing inside me somewhere might be an ancient neanderthal ancestor made my heart happy to be associated with these people, even if on an only genetic level.

A fascinating insight into a world homo sapiens have long forgotten. For anyone interested in precivilisation humanity, ancient life, natural history or even exploring what it means to be human, this would be an in-depth and occasionally very technical but enjoyable read.

Audiobook narrated by Ray Porter.

An interesting concept conveyed in a fun but mildly disjointed way. A bunch of American college students discover how to build portals to parallel dimensions which becomes unexpectedly handy when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts.

- I loved to concept of the portals and how the story as a whole was built around science and not just physics but  geology, zoology and engineering too.

- The characters were fun if occasionally a little one dimensional. I didn't feel overly attached to the main protagonists and none of them were very fleshed out.

- The story felt a little stuttered. The narrative would be following a particular chain of events and then would switch abruptly to something else. Whilst the story overall made sense, this was jarring and took me out of the story sometimes. I heard this was an updated version of Taylor's first novel and you can tell it's an early piece of work for an author.

- As with the Bobiverse, Ray Porter does an excellent job of narration, bringing to life the bravado, sarcasm and personalities of the characters well.

Despite a couple of issues, Outland was a fun and interesting sci-fi novel with its core idea having potential beyond this story. Perfect for portal sci-fi fans and those who enjoy a concept progressing the plot rather than the characters.

Audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis.

A classic and a comfort read. Definitely hit the spot when I needed a familiar and fun adventure and Serkis's narration was amazing. A hobbit gets reluctantly dragged on an adventure to help some dwarves regain their ancestral home and wealth from a dragon. Chaos ensues. 

- Although aimed at younger readers, The Hobbit is a quintessential adventure story that anyone can enjoy. It is episodic but slowly builds to a memorable and satisfying conclusion.

- As with Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is very atmospheric. you feel each scene like you are there and it is engrossing. I particularly enjoyed the more comfortable sections where you can almost feel the heat of the fire, taste the food and hear the songs of merriment.

- Serkis did an absolutely stunning job on the narration and really added to the immersion. In particular, Riddles in the Dark was so enjoyable with his Golem voice.

A book every child should read/have read to them and every adult should know. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

Audiobook narrated by Jennifer Saunders.

A cosy, Victorian Christmas tale, reminiscent of A Christmas Carol and other similar tales. Having lost both his daughters, Sir John Penlyon has resigned himself to dull and charmless Christmases until he is persuaded by a friend to hire some children to come and stay for Christmas.

- Very typical of Victorian literature and shows a wonderful version of how the upper class enjoyed the festive period in those times. The descriptions where beautiful and really brought the prose to life. 

- The characters we well portrayed and their interactions were heartwarming.

- As expected of a Victorian Christmas story, the ending is satisfying and happy and embodies those Christmas feelings of joy and contentment.

A different Christmas tale from the obvious offerings and one I think should be more prominent and read. If you're looking for a short and cosy read this December, The Christmas Hirelings should hit the spot.

As a person who is both fond of the Norse myths and respects them as a pagan, this book was an interesting take on the story of Angrboda, her children and their parts in the end of the world. As a mother, this book made me cry many times.

- Although obviously adapted for the story, The Witch's Heart remains faithful to the original legends and the author also discusses the Eddas and has a glossary at the back to help those less familiar with the mythology.

- The emotions that Angrboda feels and that are transferred to the reader are so very raw. As a mother, I felt her fear, her pride, her determination to do anything she could as I would do for my own child. There are several points in this book where those feelings became quite overwhelming and, in a good way, I had to take a step back from the book and ponder for a while.

- Loki, one of my favourite gods, was portrayed extremely well, his characteristics and flaws on full show. His children with Angrboda were well characterised and Gornichec did an amazing job of bringing them to life and making them relatable.

Perfect for Norse mythology fans as a take on Loki, Angrboda and Ragnarok though I would suggest those less familiar with the subject matter to do a little background reading first. An emotional but rewarding book.

After a meandering two months I've finally finished this chonker of a book and I've really enjoyed being immersed in this world Rowe has created. Sufficiently Advanced Magic follows Corin, a young noble who ascends a magical tower to obtain magical boons and attempt to find his missing brother. Along the way he and his friends become mixed up in something far bigger than he expected.

- The magic system was fresh and interesting. I liked the well defined levels and how adjustments and enhancements are made to an individual's skills. The classes were a nice touch and i hope in future books to learn more about the different attunements from other towers.

- Corin is just a wonder teenage protagonist. He is smart but naïve and I particularly loved his complete lack of awareness of anything romantic. I picked up asexual/aromatic vibes from him and I think if that was the author's intent, that the representation is very good.

- The setting was engaging and varied and the tower particularly intruiged me. Everything was well described and the puzzles were good and occasionally funny.

The ending of the book has left me keen to read on and hopefully I will be able to return to Valia soon and see how Corin and his companions fair in their next challenges.

Audiobook narrated by Suzy Jackson.

As a long time fan of both The Legend of Zelda and TTRPGs, this book tickled my nostalgia in exactly the right way. A parody of the above things, the story follows Yui, an aspiring adventurer who sadly was not born the Hero of Legend but sets out to defeat the Demon King anyway.

- Funny, endearing and deeply nostalgic. The references sprinkled throughout this book and the sarcasm with which they are delivered made me laugh so much.

- I loved the idea of a hero who isn't The Hero but through pluck, intelligence and some helpful companions goes out to do their best anyway. Some of the twists from this I really enjoyed and have inspired me to add elements to my D&D game.

- A very niche part of the book but Bag Magic. I absolutely love Bag Magic! Something that is so innocuous but integral to almost every video game RPG and TTRPG plays such a special role in this story and I love how cleverly it was used.

If you grew up helping Link through the water temple being badgered by a persistent fairy or spend your weekends aspiring to save some fantasy land from a scourge of undead, check out this book and enjoy hours of nostalgia and amusement.