My 2nd DCI Banks novel, and much like the first I read it's a solid crime mystery story. Super easy to read, fun to go through, and exactly what you'd expect. Characters are well rounded and relatable for the most part. As a series of recommend it, especially for those into this genre, as an individual book is good but not life changing. 

This is my third Harkaway novel, and though the world is less fantastical than others the book is as fantastic as ever. The real world vibe of these novels with just a touch of absurdity is like no other author I've read and I'm just sad I only have two more to go before I have to wait for more. I found it very easy to connect with the protagonist despite having very little in common with them, and all the side characters were exceptionally well done. Pacing was great with very little downtime. Not quite a 5 star review, I probably would have liked a slightly different, and maybe prolonged ending, it's also alot shorter than the other Harkaway novels and that's a bit of a shame. Definitely a good one to start with to get into his work though without committing 15 hours of read time. 

A book which hits hard, and quickly. A very short read, which I would guess clasifies if as a novellla. Obviously it's quite depressing, but the setting is interesting. Having not read books set during the depression before I enjoyed it and will try to find some more in this setting, and some more Steinbeck as well. The variety of characters is quite large, especially given the length of the book,and they all feel quite real. A very good book which I'd recommend. 

This was an interesting book, and I have to say I enjoyed the vast majority of it. Discovering the history of a family across generations and revealing secrets to past stories in since subsequent sections was a nice structure. A few times I found the book uncomfortable, but this is more a personal reading preference than anything against the writing itself. The ending, whilst I wasn't disappointed by, I would have preferred

less of a twist and something which gave some closure without making it seem somewhat pointless to have just read so much detailed family history.

This was the best non fiction book I've read so far. Going into it I want sure what to expect, the inside view of trading on the 80s given by Lewis is so interesting. The book keeps a good pace throughout, facts which by themselves could be boring were brought to life with humour and unique explanations of the context. I will definitely read more of his books in the future. 

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2nd Read Review

On the second read I still really enjoyed this book. I picked it up again because I couldn't remember why I rated it so highly and wanted to check I wasn't too naive at the time since I hadn't been reading much before. I wouldn't say it's the best non fiction book I've read anymore but it's still up there and I hover between 4.5 and 5 stars. I would appreciate more of the personal stories and slightly less about the goings on at Solomon but I still read this book very quickly, laughed a lot, and then watched the big short, moneyball, and margin call so I can't justify downgrading the rating.

As is often the case with collections this is a bit of a mixed bag. Given the nature of the work, unsurprisingly, slot of themes and plus are repeated. Random violent twists made me chuckle, as for times when the book really showed it's age. A solid 3 start reading, I probably could have skipped over half the book, but the few gems does throughout made it a worthwhile read. 

Having read Tale off Two Cities, and greatly enjoyed it, this is my second Dickens novel and unfortunately this was quite a step down for me. The last third of the book is quite enjoyable as everything comes together but even then the number of coincidences make the story harder to believe. I didn't particularly vibe with any of the characters finding them just a little flat except for a couple, Nancy being the standout character I would say. The overall plot of the story is enjoyable though, so I didn't find it boring or bad to read. I would give it a solid 3.5 rating but the striking level of antismetism through the first half of the book, which drew critisicm even when first published, was off-putting and it spoiled my enjoyment somewhat. 

This was my first DCI Banks book and out was exactly what I would expect from the genre. I enjoyed the 2 narratives of Banks and Zelda, even though I miss some of the back story having not read the previous books. Is a super easy read, it won't change your life but it is fun. I'll pick up another one from the series when I feel like something light. 

This book has a very different structure than any I have read before. The author is going through old letters and diary entries adding some context when needed to tell an old love story from his student days in France. It's an interesting approach but I couldn't get into it really. Whilst parts were interesting a lot of it felt like reading the same letters over and over again as the content was very similar. People have speculated that this is not a work of fiction and it truely is the authors letters and diary, and I would say that makes sense as of our were a truely fictional book I would expect a bit more plot and less repercussions. It's not a bad book though, and it's very short. Happy to have read it. 

I absolutley loved this book. Though not strictly necessary to have read Jane Eyre first it did make it a lot more fun to read. There're so many literary references I'm sure I could re read it tomorrow and find more. The whole world is somehow simultaneously absurd and believable. Really hoping the rest of the series lives up to this first installment.