***** This is the sixth book in the author’s collection of personal stories and is the second of his that I’ve bought. Having heard a lot of his work on BBC radio, I got the audio version of this one, read by the author himself and which also includes a selection of live recordings from…
Category: Audiobook
‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman
***** (Audiobook) Beneath London lies a different kind of city – one filled with monsters and angels, villains and rat-talkers. When businessman Richard Mayhew finds a young woman hurt and bleeding on the streets, he takes her back to his flat and soon discovers she is not all she seems. But if he is to…
‘Potholes and Magic Carpets’ by Joy Mutter
***** (Audiobook) Following the lives of four couples in Kent and London, Potholes and Magic Carpets appears to be a collection of short stories, but in fact interweaves and links each one as the author explores the actions and consequences of a group of very different people. From the detestable to the naïve, we see…
‘The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer’ by Brian Masters
***** A severed head in the refrigerator, two more in the freezer, skulls and a skeleton in a filing cabinet. These are among the items found in Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment when he was arrested in 1991. But Dahmer didn’t merely kill people – he also used their body parts for sexual gratification and as pieces…
‘Apropos of Nothing’ by Woody Allen
***** (Audiobook) Director, comedian, writer, and actor Woody Allen relates how a love of movies during his childhood in Brooklyn eventually took him down the path to making movies of his own. From his early work as a writer and stand-up comic, Allen talks about his career, his friends and his relationships. There didn’t seem…
‘So Anyway…’ by John Cleese
***** (Audiobook) From his earliest memories of school, to the Monty Python O2 show in 2014, John Cleese reveals the intricacies of his life and career, and how studying for a degree in law led him into such iconic shows as the Cambridge Footlights, TW3, At Last it’s the 1948 Show and of course, Fawlty…
‘The Mile End Murder’ by Sinclair McKay
***** (Audiobook) When wealthy and eccentric widow Mary Emsley is found dead at her home on 17th August 1860, the resulting murder inquiry grips the nation. Faced with several suspects, the police home in on two individuals, finally narrowing it down to one man – James Mullins. Convicted and hanged for the killing, the Mullins…
‘They All Love Jack’ by Bruce Robinson
They All Love Jack (Audiobook) Ever since a mysterious figure ripped his way through the East End of London in the late 1880s, writers and filmmakers have focused on the identity of the perpetrator. The mystery of Jack the Ripper still exudes a fascination to…
Amateur Sleuth, Animals, Audiobook, Book Reviews, Children's Books, Classic, Crime, detective, Indie Authors, murder, mystery, Psychological
Best Reads of 2019
Over the course of the last twelve months, I’ve read 97 books. This includes paperbacks, eBooks, hardbacks and a few audiobooks, but doesn’t include those where I gave up after the first couple of chapters. What follows is a list of some of the more memorable reads, though isn’t intended to be definitive or in…
‘I Talk Too Much’ by Francis Rossi
I Talk Too Much I’ve been a Status Quo fan since the early seventies, and while I haven’t seen them live since 1980, I’ve always loved their music. Having said that, I did feel a little sceptical about reading this book, as whenever I saw them interviewed, Rossi often came across as a bit aloof…
