2012 Summing up and list of favourites.

OK even though I didn't quite hit 52 books in 52 weeks I am happy to have had some great reads and the following is a list of my favourites from the year. They are in no particular order but S.J Watson's superb book has to top the list.

1 Before I go to sleep by S.J Watson.

2 Room by Emma Donoghue

3 The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stievater

4 The Diary of Anne Frank

5 Heroes by Robert Cormier

6 The Black House by Peter May

7 Instant Confidence by Paul McKenna

8 Tollesbury Time Forever by Stuart Ayris

An honourary mention must go to the late John Blackburn, author of the highly amusing and thought provoking 'Keeping your sense of tumour' who finally lost his battle against Multiple Myeloma last year. I was fortunate enough to meet him and he was lovely enough to let me interview him for this blog. He was an inspiration and I have learned a lot from him. Goodnight and god bless John x

Book One - Away with the fairies by Jenny Twist

Ok it's a new year and I fell short of the 52 book target in 2012 but that's ok, 47 is still a good amount of books! Had a few life traumas over the last few months and this is my first read of the year!

It is a small children's book but it is still a book, even though it is short! I enjoyed this quick little read and it brought out the child in me. It is a cool tale about a young girl who disappears into a crack in her wallpaper and finds her very own fairyland. It is well written and enjoyable to read, funny and entertaining. It kept my interest and I think any kid (or big kid in my case) would love it. It would make a brilliant bed time book for any child, young or old. Must keep a look out for this author.

4/5 Enjoyed

Happy belated new year and I am hoping this year is going to be fun as far as my reading and my own writing is concerned. I am working on various fiction projects as well as a few interesting non fiction ideas. It seems if I am to get near 52 book in 52 weeks I had better get reading! Hopefully I can read a whole host of different genres.

Take Five by Renee Pawlish

This is a collection of five short stories by Renee Pawlish that I have had on my kindle for a good while now. I am not sure but it may have been a freebie so I am loathe to give a negative review but I have to be totally honest about how I feel about it.

On a positive note this book is well presented and well edited which you can't always say about other books on the indie market. However I found these small crime stories lacked something vitally important, maybe something extra that could get me on the edge of my seat.A hook or a clever plot twist or two? The stories are average at best and my main problem was just that.A couple of the stories had disappointing endings ( including one It was all a dream ending) that made me feel short changed. At least one of the stories had a bit of action in it which I thought was handled well and I do think the last story in the collection hints that Renee Pawlish may be be more suited to writing with a little bit of humour. I really liked the idea of a grown up man dancing in his living room with a mannequin!

An average 2/5.

46 The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I read this on my kindle while I was taking a family holiday on the East Coast of England and it was a brilliant read. When my wife asked me what I was reading I told her it was about a man and a boy who are walking around on a dead world after there has been some kind of a catastrophic event and that people are going around eating other people to stay alive! That made me smile but is the general gist of the book!

I don't know how I came to have this book on my kindle but I remember that it was recommended to me from someone or other but I don't know who. The book is beautifully devastating and gritty and terrifyingly horrific. There's nothing funny about finding a corpse in the middle of a roadside but this book is beautifully written. In fact I don't know if I have read a more beautifully or skillfully written book this year. This guy certainly knows how to write and any aspiring writer only needs to read this book to learn what he needs to aspire too. This is a true artist at work and will have to look out for more from Cormac McCarthy.

I gave it a 4 out of 5 rather than a 5 merely because although it is beautifully written I have read more exciting books and perhaps it needed more of a plot or a twist or two for me to give it a 5.

The Girl in the Glass by Zoe Brooks

In the short time that I have been doing reviews for this blog I have learned that indie books are very much hit and miss. This one was pretty much a miss as far as I am concerned. It took me a few weeks to read and I read even a few books inbetween due to the fact that I found it tedious!

The story starts off in a promising way and literally fizzes out as it goes along. The premise of the book is a girl called Anya who lives in a house with a cruel stepmother who spends most days locked in a broom cupboard. Eventually she escapes and the story kind of loses the plot in more ways than one. My main problem with the book is that it is too confusing and there are too many gaps. Never at any point are we told where this story takes place, it could be in a mythical land or on the far side of the galaxy. We also have a strange character who is Anya's shadow. What or whom a shadow is is never mentioned or stated clearly. I found this confusing and frustrating. I do like the idea that we all have a shadow but I feel this idea wasn't explained or plotted properly.

I eventually read this book because I am determined to finish all the books I started but it was a pain to be honest. A boring and frustrating 1/5.

43 Introducing NLP: A Practical guide by Neil Shah

After reading two books on body language it felt like a natural progression for me to be introduced to the subject of N.L.P or Neuro Linguistic Programming. It actually goes hand in hand with body language and body language is an element of NLP.

At first this book hits you like a brick and it comes across as being a little bit convoluted and after reading the first few pages I thought I was inducing a nice juicy migraine. But each chapter slowly makes sense and makes fascinating reading. NLP is an amazing tool in any area of life whether it is business, financial, family or personal growth. There's a lot to get your head around in this book and it's not something you can just read and put on the backburner for a while. NLP techniques need to be remembered and practiced on a daily basis in order for them to be become a part and parcel of your life. I was particularly fascinated by the concepts of mirroring and visualisation, embedded commands and anchoring; I really want to learn more about NLP and perhaps see where it takes me.

Anyone who is interested in self help and body language could find this subject helpful. I did and am hoping to learn more on the subject.


Food for thought. I give it a 5/5.

41 and 42 Two Books on Body language

Body Language of Love by Allan and Barbara Pease

Body Language ( Collins Need to Know) by Carolyn Boyes


I have recently become fascinated with the whole idea of Body Language and found these two books to be amazingly interesting. The first and possibly the shorter of the two focuses on the body language of Love. To tell you the truth it was an eye opener and I didn't realise courtship was so complicated and that womens body language was so complicated.Seriously it's like a whole new secret decoded language! I only wish I had a book like this when I was younger and in full possession of a good head of hair! It is a funny and engrossing introduction to body language and it has definitely given me a few pointers when it comes to reading women.I think any young and single bloke would do well to read this and maybe this old goat can learn a few things.


The second book by Carolyn Boyes was just as interesting and takes a broader look at body language and moves on from the previous book. It's really funny when you learn a little about this subject and put some of it into practice and it can be quite helpful to read and use body language too! The first book gave me a good introduction and helped me to understand this one even better. Will I ever become a body language expert? Probably not but it will be fun trying. This book features photographs which are helpful and hilarious at times and there is something for everyone whether you are searching for a soulmate or trying to sell carpets. The only issue I had was a small one. The book very much focuses on being confident and strong but I still think there is a lot to be said about the more introvert and shy amongst us. Sometimes shyness is better than over confidence.


Fascinating books. May give the Body Language of Love 5/5 and the second one 4/5.