The conclusion of this series is definitely satisfying and overall the book is an enjoyable read. The year of the flood and this book were quite different from the first installment which was by far my favourite of the three. I feel I expected Jimmy to be the main character throughout the series and it's very much not the case, he barely appears in the last 2 books and as a result I struggled a bit more with the last books. I thought this was the weakest on the trilogy but really it just comes down to which characters you like as each book focuses on a different person. The arc of the whole trilogy was really good and it's nicely tied up here. The writing is impeccable and a nice balance between humour and darkness just like the others. 

I grew up loving Eddie Izzards stand up so was very happy to have the chance to read his memoirs. As far as autobiographies go it was decent. Generally full of humour, inspirational throughout, never dry, and well structured. It does ramble quite a lot though, making it not always the easiest thing to read. I'm happy to have read it but get the feeling it would be better as an audiobook.

 

I absolutely loved Oryx and Crake and so couldn't wait to start the 2nd installment. It has quite a different feel to it than the original, both because as the reader you know where the overall story of this installment is going already, and there's just more characters than in the first. In isolation it's a great book, hard to put down, and a lot of funny parts throughout with some extreme darkness as well. It's obvious I liked it since I've already started the final installment. However, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. The backstories of the characters were very engaging, however the parts in the present lacked a little. The main problem I had was the suspension of disbelief required, as the coincidences required for all these characters to be coming together and to have survived when so many had died is a bit much. That being said, when stopping poking holes it's just such a cool world I can't wait to see how it ends.

 

This is definitely not for me. I don't disagree with the philosophy itself too much, though I also don't share all of his views for sure, I can get on board with a lot of it. What I can't get on board with is this style of writing. This has been one of the most tedious books I've ever read. Written in the style of a religious text there're glimpses of decent poetry but not much. I have 2 more books by the same author, which look a lot more academic, that I think I might actually enjoy and find interesting, rather than searching for meaning in, at best, mediocre poetry. This seems to have some die hard fans, so imagine there is something in it but it's not for me. 

This was a enjoyable as all the other culture novels but quite different. As always Banks brings his universe to life with brilliantly developed characters, and the interactions between them is really what makes this novel brilliant. It's a lot slower than others in the series and a lot more solemn. 

Its primary theme is the various attitudes towards death across different levels of civilizations, the newly involved, the culture, the sublimed and some of the longest living creatures in the galaxy. The whole series is just brilliant and I'm sad I only have 2 left that I haven't read, even after rationing them over several years. It's a series which every Sci Fi fan should have on their collection and Look to Windward is a reality nice entry that delivers something unique. 

It's another classic police procedural by Robinson.  I've read quite a few of the series now, somewhat out of order, and they're always fun and easy to read. This one had some darker notes throughout which I didn't enjoy per se but appreciated. There's the reintroduction of some old characters and the gradual development of some new ones so you know you can expect some nice character interactions in coming installments as always. The plot line itself is clean if not a little predictable at points but still engaging and I read the whole thing in a couple of days. The consistency of the series is impressive, I'd love to be surprised one day and be blown away, but I can rest easy knowing I have more of these on the shelf waiting when I know I want a nice easy read.

I really enjoyed this books style of writing, but I can definitely see why it's not for everyone. Beyond the obvious fact the whole thing is written in glasweigan, which I can imagine being hard for some, the stream of consciousness style is probably not for everyone but I found it very engaging. I wanted to give this 4 stars to give it a little boost but although I enjoyed it I didn't love it. It's a "slice of life" type of plot and feels a little lacking in substance. There were points where I thought it might be building to a dramatic ending, some potentially mid read hints, but it didn't quite get there. Knowing I really like the writing though means I'll be happy to try more of the authors well known works in the future. 

This is certainly one of the best mathematics books I've read whet the target audience would be those who have an interest but don't work in the maths or physics world. The entire history of zero is covered and I really enjoyed the whole thing. It does get more complicated as the book progresses but that does make sense since the maths also gets more complicated with time. It does mean though that depending on you're pre existing knowledge you may hit a point where you dotter to struggle to follow. It definitely took me longer to read each page as I went on. It's a neat perfect example of a book of this genre and I'm sure I'll read it again as it's so interesting, especially the ancient history art the start of the book. 

This has tobe one of the hardest books I've written a review for. There's no doubt this is a brilliant literary work. The characters, of which there are many are distinct and deep. Told from many perspectives by the end one's left contemplating all the different, yet connected, stories you've just read. I went on a journey reading this, 100 pages in I really disliked the style, struggled to follow what was going on and found the language difficult. Not "language" due to profanity, though of that is an issue for you run away now, but just the syntax and slang. By page 200 it was getting easier but still a slog and still not clear for me what was happening. After 300 pages I was pretty much there and enjoying the story. Post 400 pages I'm struggling to put it down,and suddenly it's 5 stars. I'm going with 4 in the end just because I found the first half so hard to get through,but I suspect I'd enjoy it alot on a 2nd read so this might change later. 

To summarise this books takes a lot of work, if I weren't given out by a friend whom I trust in these matters telling me it was brilliant I'm not sure if have got beyond the 100 pages, but if your willing to suffer those first few hours the payoff is well worth it. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who loves reading, but if someone's more into quick light reads they should probably avoid this one

Like a lot of the genre it's a light and easy read. The plot is a little different than others, though can be somewhat predictable at times. The writing is quite good but not amazing, characters are quite well rounded and as such relatively easy to empathise with. The epilogue left me a little deflated though, would have preferred the book without it. The sections on the Berlin wall I'm sure we're supposed to represent something but for me it didn't really add anything. If it's your preferred genre you'll enjoy it, for me it's definitely an average read.