Books read in February 2010

See John Run - Kevin Joslin. A Naughty but hilarious parody of children’s stories as read on Terry Wogan’s breakfast show. In the style of children's stories of yesteryear, John gets up to all sorts. Then he tells Janet all about his day, by which time every perfectly innocent big end, back passage and stiff one acquires a whole new meaning. Loved it 5 Stars.

Caligula – Douglas Jackson. Douglas Jackson is a new writer that caused a sensation when he secured a six-figure deal with his publisher; a deal that includes his debut Caligula and a sequel titled Claudius. The story of Caligula is set in Ancient Rome and unfortunately I cannot find any positive qualities in this novel. Caligula is a very bad piece of writing, so bad that I am puzzled as to why has been deemed worthy of publication. It is one of the worst books that I have recently read which is impressive considering my reading habits. 0 Stars.

The Advocate –Bill Mesce. In spite of its title and the Advocate cannot be termed a whodunit, it is a whydidhedoit. The killer is known from the opening scene, but the motives behind the shooting are revealed over the course of the story. For some confusing reason there is a superfluous narrator. Supposedly the story is told in the first person, however the majority of the story is written in the third person. This inconsistent use of point of view is to me confusing. This narrative problem prevents the book from receiving more stars, but it is an acceptable World War II-era suspense novel. 2 Stars.

Dynasty – Paul Tomkins. A book for the fans, but not of the American soap but of Liverpool FC. It compares the merits of the 8 managers Liverpool have had since 1959. Starting with Bill Shankly and going up to the first years of Rafa Benitez. The comparison is novel and well thought out with lots of detail on the club, the managers, the players, the victories and the losses. As I say a fans book. By the way the winner is…. No read the book or email me! 4 Stars.

The Colored Cadet at West Point.  Henry O. Flipper. Written in 1878 by the first black cadet to graduate from West Point. I can’t remember why I picked up this book, however, I enjoyed it, even though it is written 130 years ago and in the writing style of that age. It relates, mostly, in his own words what Flipper did, how he was treated and what it was like to be a black man at West Point. Parts of the book are wholesale excerpts from newspapers, speeches and letters he received; that to my mind spoilt it as good read. Not for everybody but 3 stars from me.