Driving Big Davie (Dan Starkey #6) by Colin Bateman

Driving Big Davie

Dan Starkey #6

Colin Bateman

Front cover

Date read: 23 - 31 January 2021

Length: 357 pages

Published: 2004

After the death of Joe Strummer from The Clash, an old friend gets in touch with Dan. On the pretence of going with Davie on his honeymoon after his almost-wife leaves him, they spend 3 weeks in sunny Florida. But that's not the sole reason for their visit, Davie has something else in mind for Dan. Will he go through with it?

I'm glad that Dan and Patricia are back together. Things just seem better when they're together, especially for Dan. Without Patricia he loses focus and has very little motivation for anything.

This is the first book in the series where Dan doesn't sleep with someone else! Almost, but he didn't! He's clearly growing up and realising that even though his relationship with Patricia is far from perfect, on the most part it works for them and they do love each other.

Bateman clearly doesn't like village mentality. He portrays them as a bit mad and quite secluded. I know there must be some weird ones out there but I'm pretty sure they're not all like that!

Dan always manages to get himself in very tricky situations! Even when it just seems that he's going on holiday! I guess we should know by now that nothing is as it seems!

Bring on the next one!

Colin Bateman

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1) by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1

Lewis Carroll

Front cover

Date read: 19 - 22 January 2021

Length: 152 pages

Published: 1865

After Alice follows the white rabbit down the hole, she finds herself in a world where nothing makes sense. She can talk to animals, change her size, and plays the weirdest game of croquet of her life. A pack of cards are alive and the Queen of Hearts really likes beheading people. Can Alice keep her head?

This is a good children's story full of nonsense. There's so much imagination here, nothing is impossible!

I liked the songs and poems, especially the mouse tale. The formatting made it even better because it looked like a tail! The songs and poems were a nice way to break up the narrative too.

Alice is stubborn which is good in Wonderland. Many of the creatures are very bizarre and ask Alice to do some strange things, but because she has a pretty steady head she knows which thins are just ridiculous. She's not afraid to tell them no!

So many more creatures than I remember. It's been a while since I've read any version of Alice, or seen a cartoon or film. I just don't remember there being so many different creatures, so either they weren't included or I only remember the 'main' ones such as the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire cat.

I'm looking forward to the next one, which I'm pretty sure I've neither read nor seen any version of!

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time #2) by Robert Jordan

The Great Hunt

The Wheel of Time #2

Robert Jordan

Front cover

Date read: 1 - 18 January 2021

Length: 681 pages (721 including prologue and glossary)

Published: 1990

Rand is on a mission to find the Horn of Valere and return it to King Agelmar. Nynaeve and Egwene go to the White Tower to train to become Aes Sedai. But when they leave to help Rand, they find themselves trapped by Seanchan sul'dam. Will the Horn be reclaimed?

It's been a while since I read The Eye of the World but I was excited to get to this one! It took me a little while to remember some of the things from the first one but no time at all to get right back into it! 

This time I liked reading more about the girls than Rand. I was so drawn in to their story and just wanted to keep on reading about them!

I didn't like the Seanchan, and I felt angry for the girls but specifically Egwene. They were pretty much treated as slaves and it was an awful experience for them. They handled very well though!

Ingtar betrayed Rand, but died for a good cause. He knew he had done wrong and wanted to make amends.

I still like Mat and Perrin. They compliment Rand, and honestly, I think they make him a better person. When they're not round Rand can be a bit reckless, but when they're there he stops to actually think about things, and how his decisions will impact them.

I'm looking forward to the next one, even though I know it will be a while before I get to it!

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett

The Dark Side of the Sun

Terry Pratchett

Front cover

Date read: 28 - 31 December 2020

Length: 159 pages

Published: 1976

Dom sets out to find Jokers World, believed to be on the the Dark Side of the Sun. No one knows the exact location, only that because of probability mathematics, Dom will find it. Is the 'mathematics' correct?

This is very early Pratchett. There's lots of ideas floating around, but I feel the book isn't long enough to fully explore them all. I think the plot could have flowed better and that some things should have had more details. His writing certainly did get much better!

It was interesting to see the ideas that would later form some parts of the Discworld series, such as Hogswatch and Small Gods etc. There are a few and it made me smile reading them.

I liked the Bank as the Godfather. Pratchett does have interesting ways of making things come to life that you would't have thought of! 

Dom's grandmother seems a bit controlling! She almost follows him about and pushes him in certain directions to try to make him do things. Dom seems to brush her off for the most part.

I quite enjoyed The Dark Side of the Sun but I didn't find myself getting as engrossed as I would of liked. Still, it was nice to read something from the early days of Pratchett!

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

The Horse with My Name (Dan Starkey #5) by Colin Bateman

The Horse with My Name

Dan Starkey #5

Colin Bateman

Front cover

Date read: 20 - 27 December 2020

Length: 333 pages

Published: 2002

Dan's life is going nowhere. He's given up work, and all he does is drink. Things between him and Patricia have fallen apart after the loss of Stevie. Then Dan is approached by ex-journalist Mark Corkery, AKA The Horse Whisperer, to investigate Geordie McClean. What could go wrong?

Dan Starkey - international man of inaction -

rides again. How far can he fall this time?

Dan always seems to meet strong willed females, and usually ends up sleeping with them! It's no different here, surprise surprise. And no less that Geordie McClean's daughter Mandy. Tsk tsk, naughty Dan.

I feel a little bit sorry for Dan because he didn't have all the facts. There were things he should have been told before he went to investigate, but he ended up having to figure things out for himself. Things might have been easier and he might have actually done the job more quickly if people were just honest with him from the start.

It wouldn't be a Dan Starkey novel without at least one death! Hilda, McClean's ex-wife and Mandy's mother, is the unfortunate victim this time.

I don't know anything about horse racing but I still enjoyed the story. It's the people that make a story, and that's certainly the case here. Not my favourite Starkey novel, but still a good addition.

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

Awaken (Abandon #3) by Meg Cabot

Awaken

Abandon #3

Meg Cabot

Front cover

Date read: 11 - 19 December 2020

Length: 343 pages 

Published: 2013

Just when Pierce thought the Underworld was safe, it gets over-run with the souls of the dead, and John is presumed dead. Can Pierce muster up the courage and strength to save not only her beloved, but the Underworld too?

DEATH HAS HER IN HIS CLUTCHES

It seems Pierce has really matured in this series finale. She takes the time to think about what she needs to do, but also the consequences of what she's doing. Before she would have just rushed in with an idea, and not considered the consequences. She thinks about what is best for everyone, and it's a level of maturity that I think suits her well.

I wish we knew why the diamond turns purple around Kayla. It's not properly explained and I guess it's up to us to make our own conclusions!

Glad Pierce made amends with her parents. It must be hard for them to know that they might not get to see their only child very often. It must he heartbreaking for them, but they're taking it very well, once they understand the full situation.

It was kind of an abrupt ending and I feel there could have been more. Maybe there will be a fourth book one day, or maybe not. 

Overall I really enjoyed the series. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it when I was a teenager, but even so it was still good.

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

Perfect Match

Jodi Picoult

Front cover

Date read: 2 - 10 December 2020

Length: 353 pages (368 with readers guide)

Published: 2002

Nina frost works as a prosecutor, specifically on child molestation cases, putting the abusers behind bars. But when her five year old son Nathaniel is sexually assaulted, she takes justice into her own hands. How will the Frost family cope?

What does it mean to be a good mother?

How far would you go in the name of love - and justice?

I didn't actually particularly like Nina. I found myself being annoyed by both her thoughts and actions most of the time! As much as she does do everything she can to protect her son, she gets a bit obsessive over a single idea at the time, without properly thinking things through.

Caleb, Nathaniel's father, is an odd character too. At times he seems unconcerned about everything and ready to just leave it all behind. I guess sometimes it seems as though he doesn't care.

Patrick, Nina's long time friend, is a bit pathetic. He's totally hung up on Nina, and acts like a love sick puppy dog. I think he makes a good decision at the end to move on with his life without her.

I was surprised by the twist near the beginning! I did not expect it at all and it changed how the whole book panned out. I was also surprised by the ending. I really thought it would go the other way! It worked out well for the family but Nina did a very bad thing, and it kinda feels like she didn't have to deal with the consequences of her actions.

Jodi Picoult

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist