Book Review: The Column of Burning Spices (Hildegard of Bingen #2) by P.K. Adams

The Column of Burning Spices by P.K. Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After thoroughly enjoying the first installment of this story, I was eager for the second.

It doesn’t disappoint. The author has done an outstanding job of research and writing throughout.

For a moment however, I thought dear Hildegard was about to turn into Ellis Peter’s infamous Cadfael!

But that aside, I have to confess I got so caught up in the characters written about so very well here, that I suffered some serious demolition of the upper lip by the time I reached the end.

Very well done. Exceptional work.

Entertaining and informative.

Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

If you have a Goodreads account please friend me!

Book Review: One Shot (Jack Reacher, #9) by Lee Child

One Shot by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first time reading one of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, having been somewhat fascinated by the film staring Tom Cruise.

This is the book the movie was based on, and I have to say the adaptation was very good. Mostly these things tend to suck between books and films, but this one didn’t.

My problem is that having read this now, I certainly don’t ‘see’ Tom Cruise in my head as Jack Reacher any more. I absolutely see another actor – Jim Caviezel – who could been far better in the role.

But, back to the book…

It was very good. Not hard to follow or digest. The writing broke up into strange small fragmentary sentences that were sometimes jarring and hard to flow through, but not in a debilitating way as far as reading itself goes.

I’m moving on to the book the second film was based on, and though I didn’t start this series at book 1, I feel that was in no way an impairment to enjoyment either.

I like Reacher. I like his attitude and his bluntness.

This makes for a good hearty distracting read on a quiet afternoon.

View all my reviews

If you have a Goodreads account please friend me!

Book Review: A Murder on the Appian Way by Steven Saylor

A Murder on the Appian Way by Steven Saylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was very hard trying to put this book down!

I do love how Steven Saylor weaves Gordianus into history, and makes dramatic sense of what were desperately dramatic times.

Great reading. Awesome research. Brilliantly enthralling.

Highly recommended!

View all my reviews

If you have a Goodreads account please friend me!

Book Review: The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault

The Alexander Trilogy by Mary Renault
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book in this trilogy ‘Fire From Heaven’ read like an absolute miracle. Beautiful flowing prose, the likes of which is rarely to be found these days, made the entire experience an exciting and insightful joy.

The second book ‘The Persian Boy’ started out interesting, moved to intriguing, and then became irritating. Actually it became increasingly irritating to the point of utterly unbelievable annoyance, and I couldn’t keep reading it without wanting to scream ‘are you completely f’ing kidding me with this?’.

I have rarely gone from such unfettered admiration for a writer, to being utterly disgusted in so short a time.

And in my life, I’m quite sure I’ve never before read such beautifully, eloquently, gorgeously constructed crap before.

Can’t finish this.

Not even curious about it.

Not recommending this past the first book.

View all my reviews

If you have a Goodreads account please friend me!