Probably the best non fiction book I've read so far. The balance between commentary and extracts of articles is very well balanced. The whole book has a (mostly) feel good vibe. If you have any interest in aviation you have to read this book.

I'm trying to read this series in order so this is my third, the first 2 being good but not great, rating them both 3.5. This was a step up in my opinoin so I'm happy to give it 4 stars. The comedy in this book was rooted in overcoming adversity rather than incompetence as in the first 2,and as a result the plot was much better. The reoccurrence of secondary characters from the first 2 is very well done and sets up future books nicely. There're some problems though, otherwise it would be 5 stars. The first 3/4 of this book feel like the first book of a trilogy and in my opinoin should have been. The last section felt very rushed. When your main complaint is that it should have been longer you know it was a decent read. 

This is a disturbing book and not an easy read. First things first though the writing is great, characters are well formed through the vision of the main character and the whole book being consistently first person is great if not sometimes confusing. The problem that I find with this book is that, whilst it's a phenomenal literary work, it lacks some plot. Shock after shock without a lot of substance beyond what directly happens to the protagonist which I guess is the point. On balance I'll give it 3.5, the fact is I was absorbed into it while reading despite subjectively not enjoying the experience which is quite unique. It's a difficult one to recommend to people but I'm sure I will to some

This was a very interesting read but I can't help having mixed feelings. Given its written by Lionel you have to assume a heavy bias in the writing, and whilst I agree it seems his son was sick and insane, it's hard to say whether prison or a health institution would have been the way to go. He seems to be under the impression nature rather than nurture has driven Jeff to these terrible acts,and this stems from his acknowledgement of his own darkness and that his son genetically inherited this. I personally take a different view and based on his stories his darkness has impacted the way Jeff was brought up and a significant cause of his descent into madness. So whilst interesting I can't say I fully agree with the conclusions Lionel draws, and have conflicted feelings in supporting the work itself. From a purely literary point of view the writing was OK. Overall ill give it a 3, happy to have read it but wouldn't recommended it to others. 

This is my fourth Georgette Heyer novel, and it's one of my favourites. It's much more of an adventure story rather than romance, and maybe that appeals to me more. The writing style is classic Heyer, aka brilliant. Characters are beautifully written though there isn't a huge amount of development of them. The protagonist is exactly what you would expect, a noble person but with a good soul, in this case trying to discover what life is like for those beneath him. What really makes this book great is the plot, pacing perfect, conclusion both satisfying and humorous. As can be the case with Heyer I find the ending is very fast and lacks detail, an epilogue would go a long way to making this 5 stars. It has inspired me to keep reading her work though and I'll continue to pick up the books wherever I find them. 

Of anyone asks me what my favorite genre is I inevitably say dystopian fiction / Sci fi and this definitely comes under that heading. It's beautiful story telling with a great character arc. Is it the best example of the genre? No, unfortunately not but it's still a great read and sets up the universe nicely for what I hope to be a great series. Given the date of publication it's not surprising that not everything in it is pc, but I actually found it surprisingly progressive. The world itself is king of a near 1984 world but with space technology a few decades in advance in what we have now. The idea of advertising companies holding so much power is so on the nose of where it looks like we're going you can't fault the authors vision. I have the next in the series on a shelf in the office and I'll happily pick it up soon. 

As with a lot of sorry story collections this was a mixed bag. The writing style throughout was great and each story was easy to read. Given the title of the book and the aims of each story I feel it necessary to judge each by its ending and this where we find the mix. Some were a little predictable which were disappointing, some confusing and others confounding. Royal jelly and Mrs bixby were great, but not too surprising in their conclusion. William and Mary was particularly well done with a satisfying ending and neck was particularly disturbing. I'd love to read a whole novel of Dahls non children fiction if there is any, if not I'll pick up some more of his short stories in the future. 

This was my first Ann Cleeves novel and for the most part I enjoyed it. The writing is as good as any of the authors in this genre and like the vast majority of this genre I was ready to give 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the book, except for the last 2 chapters where the killer was revealed. The ending felt a little like the author wanted you to think it was someone else and then a twist. Whilst this was good the resulting culprit was very underwhelming and it could have been anyone. Given the ubiquitous nature of this genre in UK charity shops I probably won't buy another but if there's one by Cleeves in a house i'm visiting I'll pick it up knowing its safe bet for some light entertainment 

The writing on this book feels natural, easy to read, and is really well done. Personally I found the theme to be the protagonists desire to feel love, driven by the loss of his father at a young age. The search for both, the feeling of love, and his father, develops well throughout the book and reaches solid conclusions. Though quite fast paced, it has a smooth journey towards the conclusion without any jarring switches in plot. I was surprised the ending but definitely satisfied. To justify giving it 3.5 stars instead of higher I can only say why when comparing to other books. I didn't fully connect with any character in particular, and I was never on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter. Definitely a fun, easy to read, book and we'll worth the time. 

Reading this was a labour of love. I read one to five cantos at a time and the read some analysis of the corresponding cantos, which was a big help. My edition was a very literal translation and in the future I'd like to try to find a rhyming translation to try. The following review is broken down into each book. 

Inferno

Dante's journey through hell by far the most well known of the 3 parts of the comedy and it's inspiring to read. With the analysis as a guide I can't say I fully understood everything but I appreciated it alot more than otherwise. The contrepasso throughout was a great idea. Dante's personal journey from sorry to anger, with Virgils development alongside was masterful. 4 stars

Purgatory

The dynamic between Virgil and Dante shifts in purgatory as Virgil is now higher than he has ever been before. The contrepasso occurs again throughout purgatory as the sinners perform penitence for their sins. There's confusion as to the logic which results in some souls being in hell vs purgatory, some of this is answered in purgatory and others will have to wait till paradisso. I found this the hardest of the 3 to read, lacking the beauty of paradisso and the schadenfreude of inferno. 3 stars

Parradisio 

Despite what I anticipated from reviews I enjoyed parradisio. A lot of the theological questions raised before are answered and the imagery is well written, and well translated, in my edition. The wonder Dante feels towards god and his faith shines through. Even more contrepasso here, and there are strong links to the corresponding cantos in previous realms. 3.5 stars (but not as good as inferno)