Tag Archives: 4 stars

Review: 52 Times Britain was a Bellend by James Felton

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52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught At School52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught At School by James Felton
My rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
[Audiobook, Narrated by Mathew Baynton]

This book may be short, but it very effectively highlights just some of the many (many, many) times throughout history when Britain and the British were, indeed, complete and utter fecking bellends. It’s told with pointed dark humour, and Mathew Baynton (of Horrible Histories, etc) is the perfect narrator for the tone of the book.

I thought it was pretty accessible as a history book – quite the opposite of dry and dull. The only caveat is that there’s a LOT of swearing, so if you’re not into that, and the title didn’t already give you a clue, best steer clear. Not one for the younger kids either, of course, despite the Horrible Histories link!

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Review: My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh

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My Fake Rake (Union of the Rakes, #1)My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh
(Union of Rakes #1)
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

Oh, those oblivious nerds-in-love. Their dorkiness made me grin, I enjoyed their chemistry, and I even liked their obstinate insistence on sticking to the plan and thus making themselves miserable. It seemed in character.

I think what I liked most about this book was the equal weight it seemed to put on the various friendships, alongside the romance. It was that more than anything that would make me pick up another one of this series.

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“Jane looped her arm through Grace’s. “Come. Let us seek out two things that never fall short of our expectations.”
“Books and cakes?”
“Precisely.”

– My Fake Rake, Ch 10

Review: WTF? by Robert Peston

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WTF: What have we done? Why did it happen? How do we take back control?WTF: What have we done? Why did it happen? How do we take back control? by Robert Peston
[Audiobook]
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

A really interesting listen, and I think reading (/listening to) it now in Feb 2020 with knowledge of what’s happened since the book concluded – changes in party leaderships, for eg – makes it more so. It’s a great analysis of all the WTF-ery that’s been going on in British and international politics and economics recently, and I enjoyed the bits of behind-the-scenes commentary.

I did have some trouble engaging with the Peston-narrated letter to his father in the first chapter, to start with. I think it took me a while to tune-in to his rapid seeming narration style, which was pretty much as he reports on broadcast media. It didn’t bother me on the final chapter though, and the narration for the bulk of the book is great.

All in all, I found it thought-provoking and informative. Worth a read!

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Review: Lady Sparrow by Barbara Metzger

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Lady SparrowLady Sparrow by Barbara Metzger
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

This was a fun read. It has plenty of those little tongue-in-cheek moments and wry asides that I like about Barbara Metzger’s books. It’s not all fluffy braincandy, but even the more serious subjects are kept fairly light. Not so much that it glosses over them, though.
Will probably read again one day.

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Review: Training Daze (Kris Longknife #3.5)

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Kris Longknife: Training Daze: A Companion Novella to the Kris Longknife Series: (A Penguin Especial from Ace)Kris Longknife: Training Daze: A Companion Novella to the Kris Longknife Series: by Mike Shepherd
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

That was fun – I hadn’t read this one before, so it was good to get some fresh material in between re-reading the first few books of the series. Resolute (KL #4) does fill you in on the essentials enough that it doesn’t matter if you have missed this, but I did like learning the extra details, and especially getting that look inside Jack’s head.

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Review: Winning the Wallflower

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Winning the WallflowerWinning the Wallflower by Eloisa James
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

This was a lovely fun little novella with some great one-liners. I did have a déjà vu moment where it suddenly seemed very familiar, but I think I must’ve read the preview on EJ’s website at some point! Anyway, well worth a read, especially for the price.

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Review: Basil Brush and a Dragon

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Basil Brush And A DragonBasil Brush And A Dragon by Peter Firmin
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

Basil Brush, his friend Harry the mole, and Alfred the dog go on a make-believe dragon hunt.

This was the first book I picked up by myself, aged 5, because I was looking for something to do and decided that I’d read. It had been a favourite bedtime story for Mum or Dad to read to me, and I already knew it off by heart, but I discovered that reading to myself (“in my head”) was a whole new world of fun! I’ve had my nose in a book just about constantly ever since.

“Forward Alfred!!”

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Review: An Angel for the Earl

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An Angel for the Earl
An Angel for the Earl by Barbara Metzger
My rating: 0.0 out of 5.0 stars

Lovely light-hearted fluff with a slightly unusual angle in that the heroine is in a coma / almost-ghost-state for the majority of the book. Her mission, should she choose to accept it, is to reform the hero’s lifestyle. Fun and games ensues!

I enjoyed this one, and it was a definite change from the more usual Regency formula.

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