h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Intrepid Bookworm's, I need your help. I simply do not seem to be reading enough different books to be able to write the column, and it's been a bit of a struggle these past couple of weeks to get the review out.

If anyone else would like to contribute a review, I would be hugely grateful!

Pearl x

I might not have the time/inspiration for it right now, or for the next couple of days, or even weeks... ...but I'd be interested in writing a review of Jason Webster's 'Duende' (I think I started a thread about it here, but only one person responded) at same time. Sorry to not be able to be more specific as to when...

No problem, it's my fault for leaving it all to you, I'll do my best to write one this week..

I need reviews to be in by the Saturday of each week, so I can put them in the right place for Shazz to collect.

Right so that leaves today or tomorrow, given that I'm wasting my weekend p**ing around on an airfield instead of revising.

I'm thinking of writing something on the Point series, or just teenage trashy fiction in general..

I'm just off home now, which gives me an hour of public transport to think it over - and I'm very close already...

Ah, yes, that was a bit short notice!

Currently reading a travel book about bread, and food and travel seem to make up a lot of the column.

I haven't visited h2g2 in a while but this sounds intriguing. Are there specific guidelines for book reviews? And was it just the one week where you needed a review or is it ongoing?

I'm currently reading the BNF section on antibiotics, and MCQs on Clinical Medicine.

Hummm not really review material...

But I was lounging around on hootoo, definately not revising when I came across this journal entry - which is an excellent book review in itself F123227?thread=390439 ..

So here it is.. A2461934 the authors ok with it. I'm going to stand on a mountain for a weekend from tomorrow, after uni, so I won't be able to get online for a couple of days - so if she doesn't like it or wants bits changing could you possiblly oblige

Every Thursday, a new edition of the Post is put online. It contains a Book Review. You can review whatever book you like, as long as you think it would either benefit people to read it, because it's fab, or because it's really best avoided. I tend to pick a particular element of the book and discuss that, but I've never stipulated a set style for other people's. If you go into the archive on our page in the Post, you can read all the reviews so far (my favourite of my own reviews is High Society).

Right, lets have a look at what Z's got for me...

Utterly brilliant find! Right, I'll send that off to Shazz.

Not really sure how to do this, but here is another one for you:

Dead Air by Iain Banks

Dead Air was something of a revelation to this researcher. Iain Banks has been writing extremely popular books for some time and has a huge fan base. However, I found one of his most widely acclaimed books, The Wasp Factory, extremely difficult to get in to. As a result I never bothered to try any of his other novels until I was stuck in a hotel with no reading material. Somebody lent me Dead Air and I reluctantly started to read. Several hours later I was still thoroughly engrossed.

The book begins at a party being held on the roof of a block of loft apartments. We are introduced to the main protagonist, Ken Nott, a grouchy, militantly left-wing shock-jock, who in his boredom begins to launch first ice-cubes and then fruit into the car park below. Soon everyone has joined in and most of the contents of the flat are crashing to the ground. Suddenly everyone’s mobile phones begin to ring. The world has changed - a plane has hit the World Trade Centre in New York. The attack is not commented on except as something to be talked about on his radio show, and could be seen as something incidental to place the book at a specific point in time, however, I believe the author has used this scene as a parallel with Ken’s personal life – unsuspecting and slightly bored, he is fairly happy until a woman smashes into his life and things can never be the same again.

Ken is an engaging, believable character, likeable but flawed, and definitely not your typical ‘hero’. He drinks too much, uses drugs, is extremely anti-establishment, with a deep moral streak that he tries (and sometimes fails) to live up to. There is a nice contrast between his social and personal morality when it comes to relationships – he could fairly be described as a bit of a cad with the ladies. The supporting cast are interesting and varied, and we learn a little more about Ken through all his significant relationships.

To back up the excellent characterisation, the plot is simple but licks along at a fair pace as Ken’s life is threatened and his chaotic existence is shaken up further. This is superb storytelling and has encouraged this researcher to try more of Iain Bank’s work in the future.

Oooops, just read that horribly lengthy sentence again, and have re-jigged it a bit. I *did* preview, honest!

The attack is not commented on except as a topic for discussion on Ken's radio show, so it could be seen as something incidental to place the book at a specific point in time. However, I believe the author has used this scene as a parallel with Ken’s personal life – unsuspecting and slightly bored, he is fairly happy until a woman smashes into his life and things can never be the same again.

Thanks Kelli, this is fantastic.

Saturday is deadline day, so no way I will get one in for this week, but I will try to get one for next Saturday, either for Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" or Jose Saramago's "All the Names." Neither of those are in the archives and I think I can find one particular element to focus on for both of them. And I should post the review here, in the conversation area?

I "threatened" to write a review of Steven King's non-fiction tome entitled "On Writing" which I found of enormous help to me personally when struggling with a near-terminal dose of 'Writer's Block' late last year.
No sooner had I said this than I got no less than THREE invitations for Job Interview which required me to travel from the UK to SWEDEN where I sit at this very moment and write after completing 2 of the 3 interviews, with the "Ace in the Hole" of the most desirable of the three possibilities still to come on Monday
Hope to have time to write a review when I get home on Tuesday, but I doubt it will be finished for a deadline of Saturday next - will try for Saturday 10 April instead
How about Film Reviews? Anyone going to do a "Cat in the Hat" Review in honour of Dr. Seuss' anniversary and the new film out next Saturday (3rd April)?

Another excellent review. I'll pop it on the Rough Writing page in a mo'.

Currently reading Paperweight by Stephen Fry and shall probably review that.

When I'm finished my exams I'll start reviewing fiction, so unless anyone fancies a review of Clinical Medicine, or Crash Course in Major Trauma, I'll just float around being encouraging...

I had a similar problem. Was reading Stephen Berkoff's (theatre director/actor/playwright) autobiography, wich was excellent, but didn't think it would really appeal to a mass audience.

Hey PP, I've written another one for you F123546?thread=406606&post=5157950

Hope you like it.



Z

LOvely review. I've written one on 'The Parrot's Theorem' for next week. Have a read next Thursday, I think you might like it.(The book, obviously, you might think the reviews terrible)