Ok. So I had heard of Barbara Kingsolver (Yes, even in the Antipodes she’s a star) but I had never read anything. I was suspicious that she was a ‘should read’ – you know. Worthy etc. But OH WOW this book (cliche warning) blew my mind!! So wonderful! I learned things from this book. About people, about animals about wilderness and it didn’t hurt one bit. This is not greenie didacticism, (it’s as much about love and loving) but you will learn and you will be amazed.

If you’ve read “Shanghai Baby” you’ll be familiar with Hui’s self-indulgent style of prose. She refers to herself in this book as a “Shanghai Princess” and certainly, you get the feeling that her literary persona (trendy but warm glamour-author) doesn’t quite reflect the intricacy of her egoism. The interesting parts of this book, such as where she mentions a suicide attempt in the past, are glossed in favour of average-written sex scenes and indulgent waffle. Hui does not let you past her mirror-shiny surface and in the end, though worth reading, this is a shallow book from someone whom I think could actually be quite intersting, if she let herself.

(I really hate that “Write and entry. I dare you!” prompt…) A thoroughly good read. Grim, depressing, confusing and ultimately a sad indictment on humanity in general “Emergency Sex” is nonetheless a ripping yarn about three avergage folk working in various guises for the UN in 1990s disaster zones. The emergency sex of the title is one of the workers response to a particulalry close encounter with snipers. It is not in general a saucy book, though it certainly deals with “Adult Themes”: death, sex, drugs. Yipeee! This book left me with a dual yearning to be of use in this fucked up world and relief that I am cosily ensconced in my safe, posession-laden home likely never to be on a forensic detection mission in Bosnia.

Damn, this is a fabulous book! I absolutely adored this story, it completely sucked me in, and I must admit, a little unwillinginly as the first chapter didn’t really grab me. But this is a subtle story. Stick with it, and prepare to be amazed!

A very funny book that gets sort of confusing. It twists around a lot and there is no doubt Foer can write, but this is kind of self-conscious literary. A bit puffed. Still, it is certainly unique and deserves a look see.

yeah, long winded – but I did enjoy. lee is very irritating, but probablky quite realistic. Painful revist of teen angst if you’re up for it…

I love Michael Frayn – and this is one of his early works and has quite a different style to the famous books like Headlong, or Spies. It’s humourous for a start, in an overt but also somewhat try-hard way. It’s not as tight as his other books, and feels like a play that got diverted to a book. I think it is a book because it has too many characters to be a play, and it feels unwieldy and loose, but not even this faint criticism diminishes the particular quality all his books have. The man can write, damnit!