If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor
Reviewed by Joy Ridley
Ordinary residents of an ordinary street in an ordinary English city are haunted by a mysterious event that has affected them all. Three years later a previous resident, facing a life changing situation, recalls the summer day that has altered their lives forever. Part of the Bloomsbury series of 21

The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Reviewed by Daniel Ward
'The Gunslinger' is the first installment of the Dark Tower series which takes its protagonist and main theme from the epic Robert Browning poem 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'. After reading the first few pages of this book one might mistake this book for a Western which may

The Pursuit of Happyness by starring Will Smith
Reviewed by Chris Guy-Jobson
My first impression about this film was that being a true story it would have trouble maintaining my interest, and not because I'm A.D.D or anything. To me real life events are very limited compared to that of the imagination, so I find it difficult to enjoy films that are

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
Reviewed by Helen Speed
This is one sequel which doesn’t disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed Son of a Witch more than Wicked for its adventure and intrigue and the fact that it stands up as its own story rather than as an adaptation of a classic book. The protagonist Liir, was last seen hiding

And the Ass saw the Angel by Nick Cave
Reviewed by Louise Robertson
With the weight of the almighty's secrets lining the crevaces of his mind, mute euchrid eucrow narrates a twisted tale of god-fearing society in a rich southern drawl and prison of insanity. The harshness of the language is matched only by its beauty, and as anyone familiar with the author

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Reviewed by
If you believe in fairies of the winged/sweet/granting wishes variety, you need to read this book for a new perspective. Mr Norrell is the most renowned magician in England, but when he takes on Jonathan Strange as his apprentice, he gains a rival he didn't expect and a world of

Kill Your Friends by John Niven
Reviewed by Louise Robertson
WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED Steven Stelfox is a young, cynical, arrogant A&R man whose career path is mapped by a plethora of sex, hard drugs and just a dash of the rock & roll his job title suggests. Brutal,

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
Reviewed by Helen Speed
Treasure comes in many forms, and as shepherd boy, Santiago, crosses North Africa to the Pyramids in search of his, he earns a wealth of knowledge and awareness and meets the love of his life. We hear Coelho's voice most in the mysterious Alchemist character, as he spins stories around

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime by Mark Haddon
Reviewed by Ben Baxter
After 15 year old christopher Boone discovers his neighbours dog dead, he sets off on a life changing journey. The journey, however, is not as simple for him as one might think, as he hates the colours yellow and brown and would rather not be touched. Christopher suffers from Asperger’s

Littlejohn's Britain by Richard Littlejohn
Reviewed by Ben Baxter
His bi-weekly columns have become an essential fix for millions of readers of the Daily Mail and the Sun over the past two decades. In "Littlejohn's Britain" he takes aim at the Blair years, lampooning New Labour with polemic, pastiche, parody, satire and savage social commentary. "Littlejohn" ridicules the country

Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
Reviewed by Martyn Williams
This book may appear heavy, but is very accessible as Klein follows up No Logo with this colossal condemnation of the contemporary world. In my opinion it does what all good books should – it makes you think, and it will make you look at the world in

Strangeland by Tracey Emin
Reviewed by Julie Hatch
Love her or hate her, you cannot ignore her. Tracey Emin bares all, as usual, in her liberating biography. Revealed is a troubled life of rape, abuse, hatred and neglect which has lead her to being one of the most notorious artists of the 21st century. Whether you find her

When and Where by Anita Shreve
Reviewed by Jon Glasper
Like all Anita Shreve's books I found this to be another gripping page turner. In adult life Charles Callahan chances upon a teenage love. In deciding to make contact, dillemmas of love, betrayal and other quandries arise which make compelling reading.......

Zodiac by Robert Graysmith
Reviewed by Dan Briggs
Zodiac is the chilling true story of one of America's most notorious serial killers. The Zodiac killer claimed to have taken over thirty-seven victims during the nineteen sixties and seventies, all the while taunting the police and the general public by sending letters and puzzles containing vital information to newspapers.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Reviewed by Andy Neil
An absolute gem of a novel, Temeraire, the first of Naomi Novik's brilliant series, is a compulsive read, full of action, adventure, dragons and great readable fantasy. Temeraire is an alternate history where dragons are used in addition to the ships in battle. When a dragon egg hatches abroad a

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
Reviewed by Steven Taylor
The father of modern latin fiction, Borges' work within the medium of the short story reinvigorated a dying form. His brief narratives combined parablesque tales with deep philosophical inquiry, genre fiction with factual distortions. "Labyrinths" ranks as one of his greatest achievments containing a wealth of spellbinding stories including "the

Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Reviewed by Helen Speed
Featuring stamp inventor, post-office champion and all round great con-artist Moist Von Lipwig, Making Money is an Ankh Morpork romp with attempted murder, mystery and, of course, golems. Although I enjoyed the book purely on its Pratchett credentials, I did get that deja vu feeling. I think I enjoyed Going

Paddington Here and Now by Michael Bond
Reviewed by Julie Hatch
Everbody's favourite sticky little bear is back! Paddington Bear returns in the long awaited novel 'Here & Now' from master storyteller Michael Bond. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Paddingtons first adventure 'A Bear Called Paddington' with the lastest and funniest installment for the modern age, complete

Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Reviewed by James Adams
Regularly voted as one of the nations top 100 reads, Magician is true epic fantasy in the tradition of Lord of the Rings. Easily as breathtaking in scope and filled with a cast of characters just as memorable as Tolkiens fellowship, Magician set the standard for many of the novels