Search results for: “present tense book review”

  • Present Tense Book Review – Lady Audley’s Secret: Part 3

    (Part Two of this Present Tense Book Review.) Lumme, the third quarter of this ‘ere book ain’t ‘alf draggin’ guvnor, and no mistake. It’s even caused me to lapse into the argot of my youth for no good reason. The book was originally published serially in magazines, and it feels like the author is stringing…

  • Present Tense Book Review – Lady Audley’s Secret: Part 2

    by

    in

    (Part One of this Present Tense Book Review.) Robert Audley is still assiduously trying to uncover the eponymous secret, and entertaining me while he does so. He’s a bit of an odd character, and he reminds me of myself, sometimes. He likes his idle pleasures, is phlegmatic (in a good sense), and looks after any…

  • Present Tense Book Review – Akira

    by

    in

    I was a big fan of the majestic film of the same name, directed by the author of the books (Katsuhiro Otomo), when I was a pimply youth. And if I’d ever been bored (boring?) enough to write a list of “X things to do before I’m Y”, reading the original comic books would certainly…

  • Present Tense Book Review – Lady Audley’s Secret

    This week I’ve been continuing my classic crime kick with Lady Audley’s Secret, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Written in 1862, it’s getting on for 150 years old. Which is one of those incredible things that seem perfectly reasonable on the face of it, but really, it’s sort of crazy that I’m sat here in my…

  • Present Tense Book Review – Case Histories: Part 2

    (Part One of this Present Tense Book Review.) I’ve rattled through this book, a testament to both the writing and the degree of traffic on Oxford Road this week (I do a lot of my reading on the bus…) On the whole it was enjoyable, and any book with a character called Binky is worth…

  • Present Tense Book Review – Case Histories

    One of the quiet pleasures of moving in with Mrs. Monkeyshines was the appearance of a bunch of new books on the bookcase. I’m halfway through one of these now, Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson. According to the cover it’s an international bestseller, but I started it with no idea what it was about –…

  • Present Tense Book Review – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Part 4

    (Part Three of this Present Tense Book Review.) The last quarter of the book flags somewhat, and although it has some very funny isolated scenes, it’s nowhere near as good as the rest of the book. For me, this has a lot to do with the appearance of Tom Sawyer, who is supposed to provide…

  • Present Tense Book Review – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Part 3

    (Part Two of this Present Tense Book Review.) Dern it, this book is blame’ long. Reckon it seems so b’kase I has to read the words slow-like, to git ther meanin’. Still entertaining, even though it’s more of the same, with a nice quote from the King: “Hain’t we got all the fools in town…

  • Present Tense Book Review – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Part 2

    by

    in

    (Part One of this Present Tense Book Review.) Another 10 chapters down, and Huck’s had an implausible number of exciting and life-threatening adventures. Fun, but shot through with darker themes, of childhood illness, and deadly feuds; and slavery, obviously. It’s hardly ground-breaking to state that Twain’s writing is brilliant, but it is – I enjoy…

  • Present Tense Book Review – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    I quite enjoyed writing my last present tense book review, and I think it made me consider the book with a more critical eye. So I’m doing it again with Huck Finn, by Mark Twain. I can very vaguely remember it being on TV, but all I can recall is Huck trying to get out…