| Title: | Gut Symmetries |
| Author: | Jeanette Winterson |
| Genre: | Fiction/Magical Realism |
| Synopsis: | Tells the interweaving stories of a handful of characters and their parents across the change of centuries and life. |
| Verdict: | Beautiful language and imagery, a little confusing at times. Overall quite good. I shouldn’t have read so many Jeanette Winterson books in such a short time frame because I started getting a little frustrated without being certain of who was speaking or which time we were in. Even as cranky as I became I was still impressed with the writing. |
| Pages: | 219 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
30 March 2010
#55. Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson
#54. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
| Title: | Sandman Slim |
| Author: | Richard Kadrey |
| Genre: | Supernatural/Thriller |
| Synopsis: | A magician sent to Hell during a ritual claws his way back to Earth for revenge. |
| Verdict: | Fast-paced, fun and crazy. Seems quicker than normal but it works for Kadrey. He crams description in with action and just keeps it flipping along. Of all the things that could have bothered me in this book – descriptions of demons, sadistic rituals and fights – the thing that kept me shaking my head was the constant and almost persecutory demise of every piece of clothing the main character put on. Vengeance is tough on the old wardrobe. |
| Pages: | 388 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#53. Good News, Bad News by David Wolstencroft
| Title: | Good News, Bad News |
| Author: | David Wolstencroft |
| Genre: | Thriller/Spy Drama |
| Synopsis: | Co-workers in a boring job are stunned to find they’re both spies tasked with each other’s elimination and pursued by others when they don’t carry out this task. |
| Verdict: | Nicely balanced action, background and drama. Basic message, don’t become a spy! |
| Pages: | 414 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#52. Weight: The Myth Of Atlas And Heracles by Jeanette Winterson
| Title: | Weight: The Myth Of Atlas And Heracles |
| Author: | Jeanette Winterson |
| Genre: | Myth/Fiction |
| Synopsis: | A retelling of the myth that shows Atlas in a new light and offers more hope for the characters both divine and mortal. |
| Verdict: | A lovely gentle story, more thought than action, worth it just for Laika’s happy ending. |
| Pages: | 151 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#51. The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson
| Title: | The Stone Gods |
| Author: | Jeanette Winterson |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Synopsis: | A decadent society on a decaying planet has discovered a new world but will they make the same mistakes as they always have? |
| Verdict: | A social commentary and a love story across time and reality. I should be used to Jeanette Winterson’s shifts and shadings now but they take me by surprise each time. Very, very good. |
| Pages: | 207 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#50. The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
| Title: | The Strain |
| Author: | Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan |
| Genre: | Supernatural Thriller/Vampires |
| Synopsis: | A plane of unexplainably dead passengers sparks disaster and adventure in New York. |
| Verdict: | The vampires in this book share a lot of the characteristics of those in the Blade movies unsurprisingly and are all the more disconcerting for their intelligence and strength. No romance or angst here people. |
| Pages: | 401 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#49. Contact Zero by David Wolstencroft
| Title: | Contact Zero |
| Author: | David Wolstencroft |
| Genre: | Thriller/Spy Drama |
| Synopsis: | Across the world junior British agents are attacked out of the blue whilst on their first assignments, the survivors must find the sanctuary of Contact Zero or perish. |
| Verdict: | Exciting but also a bit detached, fun and with enough detail to convince without boring you with stats and pages of information. |
| Pages: | 433 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#48. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
| Title: | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit |
| Author: | Jeanette Winterson |
| Genre: | Fictional Biography (?) |
| Synopsis: | A young girl growing up in a strictly religious community wrestles with identity and morality. |
| Verdict: | An interesting read, dreamlike and vague in places. I’m sure I’ve read it before but can’t think when I would have – book déjà vu! |
| Pages: | 176 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
#47. The Year Of The Flood by Margaret Atwood
| Title: | The Year Of The Flood |
| Author: | Margaret Atwood |
| Genre: | Fiction/Post Apocalyptic |
| Synopsis: | We are introduced to members of the God’s Gardeners movement and follow their separate tales leading up to and following their survival of the disaster that decimated civilisation. |
| Verdict: | Fits in neatly with ‘Oryx and Crake’, showing more of the strange society and its people. The state to which corporations had evolved before the end is worryingly easy to see happening. An enjoyable, quick read. |
| Pages: | 431 |
| Read: | March 2010 |
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