Blood, Sweat and Tea - Tom Reynolds

I rated this 5/10

Tom is an Emergency Medical Technician who works for the London Ambulance Service in East London. He has kept a blog of his daily working life since 2003 and his award-winning writing is, by turn, moving, cynical, funny, heart-rending and compassionate. It is never less than compelling. From the tragic to the hilarious, from the heartwarming to the terrifying, the stories Tom tells give a fascinating - and at times alarming - picture of life in inner-city Britain, and the people who are paid to mop up after it. 

This is the second book that I have read in full on my iPhone, the first one being The War of the Worlds. I find it more difficult to concentrate when reading in this way, perhaps due to the small brightly lit screen. I think that I may just give in and purchase a Kindle.

'Blood Sweat & Tea' is a highly enjoyable and brutally honest quick read about one man's experiences on the front line of emergency healthcare. Though at times I'm not sure whether I actually like the guy or not, Tom Reynolds certainly taught me a thing or two, and I've already put ICE on my phone and checked that my house number is clear enough!!! 

If you're looking for something simple that isn't going to take too much brain power then this book will be a fabulous read and hugely entertaining.

An Idiot Abroad - Karl Pilkington

My Seven Wonders experience
started today with a trip to get
my injections.

Rated 5.5/10

What happens when a reluctant traveller is forced to visit the seven wonders of the world?

My Thoughts: I like Karl Pilkington. I've watched the tv series and I like to hear him moan and whinge about anything and everything. Some of the things he says, I would have been thinking myself but would not have had the guts to say. I like to see the grittier side of the majestic places often seen on travel programmes.

The book of An Idiot Abroad is okay. I liked it. It's quick and light and easy to read. There is absolutely no need to use your brain whatsoever and it doesn't really shed any light on anything not already included in the programmes. It's not particularly descriptive, not massively funny and definitely not enlightening. There is nothing much else to say about it!!!

There is certainly nothing special about this book, but if you like Karl (or his persona) then it's worth picking up. If you're not a fan or you don't know who he is then you should probably give it a miss.

The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

This is a story about madness.

Rated 9/10

This is a story about madness. It all starts when journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness.

My Thoughts: Jon Ronson has quickly become one of my favourite writers. His style is witty, interesting and tongue in cheek. I love the observations that he makes and the quirks from people that he picks up on. I love that his reporting style is a little gung-ho - not a huge amount of planning seems to be in place (at least that's how it comes across). And he's not afraid to rub people up the wrong way sometimes. 

Another brilliant read that I would highly recommend. I'm looking for yet more from Ronson, and can see myself with the full set of his books on my shelves fairly soon.

Lost At Sea - Jon Ronson

A young man called Bill
stands in the shadows behind
a curtain at a converted
paintworks factory in Bristol,
now a TV studio.

Rated 10/10

"The New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Psychopath Test," Jon Ronson writes about the dark, uncanny sides of humanity with clarity and humor. "Lost at Sea "reveals how deep our collective craziness lies, even in the most mundane circumstances. 

Reviewed on my iPhone. 

My thoughts: I had barely reached page 30 and had already been taken behind the scenes of Deal or No Deal and met the worlds most advanced humanoid robots!

This is a book of articles packed with so many interesting people, and Ronson's dry wit and sarcasm that had me thoroughly entertained. I love Ronson's writing style, and I am currently seeking out more of his books for my upcoming holiday.

There have been other less favourable reviews about Ronson not doing research and just showing up to interview people on a whim. I actually quite admire this approach - it makes each article a lot more personal and we can see his own viewpoints based on his observations. Whether we agree with them or not is a different matter; we could always do our own extensive research if the cold hard facts meant that much to us.

Readers should remember that a lot of Ronson's own feelings and emotions come through - it is of course going to be biased. I think that this gives the writing a touch of personal honesty and a bit of an insight into Ronson himself too. I find this connection important in anything I read, whether non fiction or otherwise.

This has actually inspired me to perhaps explore my own passion for writing and perhaps taking this love down a route that I haven't yet explored. Real people provide the most interesting of stories at times, and it takes the right kind of writer to get the best (or worst) out of them. 


An enjoyable and thought provoking collection!

Twitchhiker - Paul Smith

"It was quiet and still, the
very dead of night when the
dead themselves might consider
turning in, and I had no business
being awake."

Date Finished: 12th July 2012

There were five rules of Twitchhiker. I can only accept offers of travel and accommodation from people on Twitter. I can't make any travel plans further than three days in advance. I can only spend money on food, drink and anything that might fit in my suitcase. If there is more than one offer, I choose which I take. If there is only one, I have to take it within 48 hours. If I am unable to find a way to move on from a location within 48 hours, the challenge is over and I go home. 

My Thoughts: First impressions of this book were good - it seemed to have the dry wit and humour that the likes of 'Yes Man' entertained me with, and I was really looking forward to getting stuck in. It seems like a fascinating idea, to travel the world with nothing but the good-will of others to help you on your way.

And so you would expect really interesting cultural observations, crazy characters and heart-warming, funny tales. And you get very little of any of this. Paul Smith tells us mainly about him being drunk; waking up with hangover after hangover; complaining about being tired and far from home; crying a lot; and throwing up a lot.

I could forgive the drunkenness if there were some bizarre escapades and hilarious events that happened during these episodes. I could forgive the endless descriptions of hangovers if he didn't tell us that he sat around on his computer for the rest of the day. And of course he's tired and missing home - we don't need to be told this over and over. Too much vomit and too many tears.

The locations he visited during the course of his travelling must have been amazing, and they would have been brilliant to read about. But Paul doesn't really get chance to explore until the very end. This might not have been his fault, but as a reader I want to be captivated by the locations and entertained by amazing sights and the awesome things that happen. Even just a bit of down to Earth reflection on his deeper thoughts would have sufficed.

As for the other people in the book, Paul doesn't really do them much justice. A brief (and usually quite shallow) physical description and an outline of their personalities - and they are each just another sentence on another piece of paper. Don't get me wrong, he might be a lovely fellow when he isn't being moody and tired, but I really don't like Paul as a person in this book.

In short, although this Twitchhiking business might have been an amazing adventure for Paul and the others involved, and the journey did raise a lot of money for charity (good for him!), as an entertaining read it failed. I'm not quite sure whether the critics on the book cover were reading the same book as me to be honest.

Recommendation: I would be quite reluctant to recommend this to anyone really. Perhaps somebody who is an avid reader of travel literature might be good to give this a go. Or anybody fascinated with Twitter and its social implications. It's not a terrible read after all, just not a particularly good one. 

I RATED THIS 4/10

Click here to grab this at Waterstones.com

Yes Man - Danny Wallace

Date Read: July 2011

Recently single, Danny Wallace was falling into loneliness and isolation. When a stranger on a bus advises, "Say yes more," Wallace vows to say yes to every offer, invitation, challenge, and chance.

My Thoughts: Brilliant! Danny Wallace is an absolute legend! This was a big, bold and hilarious read that had me thinking about it long after finishing the last page. It's nothing like the film starring a certain Jim Carey - it is so much more than that!

An honest and entertaining account of one man's struggle to come to terms with his own philosophies. A definite winner that should be on everyone's reading list.

I RATED IT 10/10

Snuff - Chuck Palahniuk

Date Read: January 2011

Cassie Wright, porn priestess, intends to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication. On camera. With six hundred men. Snuff unfolds from the perspectives of Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room. This wild, lethally funny, and thoroughly researched novel brings the huge yet underacknowledged presence of pornography in contemporary life into the realm of literary fiction at last. Who else but Chuck Palahniuk would dare do such a thing? Who else could do it so well, so unflinchingly, and with such an incendiary (you might say) climax?

My Thoughts: From the author of 'Fight Club' comes 'Snuff' - occasionally amusing, very seedy, dark and gritty novel that will take a day to read. It's easy and quick paced - and is actually tricky to put down once you pick it up.

The events are pretty raw and the three guys in it are laid bare (literally and metaphorically) with some crazy back stories. Events get more and more bizarre as the book goes along and a few secrets are revealed - the ending is completely strange and ruined the book for me a little bit.

Palahniuk's characters are brilliant and the plotline is definitely very brave. But it is the absurdity of the last, say, quarter of the book that sends it into a downwards spiral for me. Still - definitely worth a read (but not by kids!!!)...

Recommendations: If you liked 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'Fight Club - you'll like this.

I RATED IT 7/10

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Date Read: November 2010

Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

My Thoughts: I picked this up on recommendation from a work colleague of mine and I wasn't overly impressed really. It was funny in parts - a humour that was quite bizarre and made me smile a little. However, quite a lot of it seemed to just ramble on without actually amounting to anything in particular.

It was a fairly good read - worth a go and quite witty, but the characters weren't likeable and the plotline wasn't brilliant.

I RATED THIS 6/10

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

Date Read: June 2010

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.

My Thoughts:  I thought this was great! I worked with children who have Special Needs for 8 years before working in the book store and I can honestly say that one of the kids I worked with could have written a book in almost the exact same style. I love the way that Haddon has Christopher describing the holes in a man's shoes rather than his face... it was so very well written.

There were one or two little bits of Christopher's personality that seemed to clash however, and I caught him thinking hypothetically and metaphorically once or twice even though he had explained that he doesn't do that just the chapter before. Near the end - I wasn't keen on the relationship between Christopher and his dad and was willing them to make up quickly.

I loved the descriptions that Christopher gives and the bits of humour that break the tension perfectly. I especially liked the items that he finds under his dad's bed - funny stuff...

Recommendation: This one is for anyone (young or old) who appreciates a good story and will love the intrigue that Mark Haddon conjures up through Christopher.
I RATED THIS 8/10

Pride and Pejudice and Zombies - Seth Grahame Smith + Jane Austen

Date Read: January 2009

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life!

My Thoughts: This book, after reading the first few pages, seemed to me to be a little flat. The idea of zombies appeared as merely a side-story, an afterthought. I have never read the original Pride and Prejudice, but you could put the words 'And Zombies' at the end of any book title and I'd pick it up.

My first impressions, in hindsight, took a huge smack in the face as I became drawn into the plot, the tongue-in-cheek humour and occasional innuendo that laced the story. Along with the odd bit of violence and diversion from reality, the characters are well written and very likeable. Elizabeth appears as a ninjaesque heroine alongside her zombieslaying sisters. This novel really did not put a foot wrong and merged the idea of a classic tale with a twist almost seamlessly. PPZ has everything you're going to need - comedy, action, romance and ZOMBIES!!!!

P.S: Although I am not one to be drawn into tale of romance usually, I definitely want my own Mr Darcy.

Recommendation: If you are willing to read something that needs a little more concentration and attention than some other books, love zombies, or haven't read Pride and Prejudice yet - you might be pleasently surprised.

I RATED THIS 10/10

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Date Read: Unknown

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.
My Thoughts: Well, what can you say about the master of sci-fi comedy? His books are hilarious. I was grinning right from the outset at the absurdity of the situations that the characters find themselves in, the banter back and forth and the general madness that you find yourself plonked right at the centre of.

It's the characters that truly make this series so well-loved - a set of books that will always put a smile on my face.

I RATED IT 10/10