sarahrwray

Big Brother – Lionel Shriver – 04.02.21

I have a strange relationship with Lionel Shriver books, because they are often pretty dark and cynical in their outlook and world view, and yet I keep coming back to them because they are in many ways such true mirrors to real human experiences. For me, this book is like two books in one. AtContinue reading “Big Brother – Lionel Shriver – 04.02.21”

The Magnus Archives Series Three (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 28.02.21

I’m starting to get a little bit fed up with The Magnus Archives (I know, I should be ashamed!). Maybe because I’ve listened to nothing else for so long, or maybe because I seem to have endless problems with my Spotify playlist insisting on shuffling episodes when I’m out for a run so I keepContinue reading “The Magnus Archives Series Three (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 28.02.21”

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow – Natasha Pulley – 26.02.21

This is a sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, which I loved, and follows the same characters, but this time, instead of a Steampunk Victorian London, the action takes place in an historical Japanese setting with the backdrop of growing Japan/Russian tensions and threats of war. I loved the Japanese elements, since while myContinue reading “The Lost Future of Pepperharrow – Natasha Pulley – 26.02.21”

Piranesi – Susanna Clarke – 16.02.21

I didn’t know much about the plot of this book when I started, which is good because a lot of the fun is in figuring out what is going on and who to trust. I loved Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, (although it’s years since I’ve read it) and so I was excited to readContinue reading “Piranesi – Susanna Clarke – 16.02.21”

The City of Mirrors – Justin Cronin – 13.02.21

I enjoyed this third part of the trilogy better than book two. There was a lot of back story on the character ‘zero’ who was the first person to carry the virus that started the whole vampire viral apocalypse. There was also quite a lot of magical realism type stuff in this book, which anyoneContinue reading “The City of Mirrors – Justin Cronin – 13.02.21”

The Magnus Archives Series Two (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 07.02.21

Series two is episodes 41 – 80 of the horror anthology series. Each episode lasts about 25 minutes. The Magnus Archive is an old institute in London (I think) where they keep records of sinister supernatural happenings. The archivists seem to read out written statements to record them on cassette tape (as any more sophisticatedContinue reading “The Magnus Archives Series Two (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 07.02.21”

The Twelve – Justin Cronin – 03.02.21

When I read the first part of this post-viral-apocalyptic trilogy (The Passage) I was completely blown away and loved it, but this second book, I have to say, I didn’t love so much. A lot of new characters were introduced, and it was quite some time before we met up with some of our oldContinue reading “The Twelve – Justin Cronin – 03.02.21”

The Magnus Archives Series One (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 01.02.21

My son, Christy recommended this podcast series to me as an alternative to the audiobooks I usually listen to. It’s an anthology series of one off horror stories, but with an ever growing interconnectivity. At first the stories all seem spooky but stand alone, but then little patterns or names or details show up inContinue reading “The Magnus Archives Series One (Podcast Series) – Jonathan Sims – 01.02.21”

The Passage – Justin Cronin – 26.01.21

I bought this book in 2016 but hadn’t got around to reading it until it popped up as a kindle daily deal recently and the premise intrigued me. It’s a post-apocalyptic novel set in a near (and distant) future in a world decimated by a virus (!) Lol. It’s actually a good one to readContinue reading “The Passage – Justin Cronin – 26.01.21”

Agent to the Stars (AUDIOBOOK) – John Scalzi (Narrated by: Wil Wheaton) – 19.01.21

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It is an example of a sci-fi comedy that doesn’t resort to ‘lowest common denominator’ slapstick or just stupid schoolboy humour (like the awful Elvenquest). This is a thoughtful and engaging story of an American agent who usually works with actors, but is given the secret task of putting aContinue reading “Agent to the Stars (AUDIOBOOK) – John Scalzi (Narrated by: Wil Wheaton) – 19.01.21”