His Thoughts Made Pockets & the Plane Buckt - John Berryman

Advantages: Great story, lots of humour
Disadvantages: Sad ending

...He was one of our most legendary disc jockeys, not one of those DJ's that rabbled on insistently about things that are absolutely no interest to the listener, but a disc jockey that put the music first. John Peel was if anything quite a reserved character, down to earth & very endearing. I loved his dry wit & although some of the music he played on his late night radio shows left a lot to be desired, he won the hearts & minds of so many listeners over the years. There are many bands & individual artists that would never have made it in the music world if it hadn't been for John Peel, and that includes some household names. He was the latter day 'X' factor all in one, send it your tape recordings & if he thought it had potential it was played on his late night show. From there, who knows? Some were lucky, but many got there one & only... Read review

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Advantages: Full characters, interesting story line, fascinating writing
Disadvantages: You might cry at the end - not always a disadvantage

...After my recent review of Fourth Hand, I thought I would update this review a touch so you can understand that John Irving's books aren't all bad. I became a fan of John Irving after reading "Hotel New Hampshire" and have read everything he has written since. And while they are all enjoyable - to differing extents - none of his novels have touched me as much as "A Prayer for Owen Meany". Perhaps I felt a special closeness to the book since the two main characters are both flawed - both physically and emotionally. Owen is a dwarf and has having a feeling he is on a mission from God. Johnny Wheelwright is dyslexic (like myself) and is in a life-long search for his father. The relationship between these two boys as they become entwined and grow, is as growing and entwining as Irving's plot itself. The plot of this book takes us... Read review

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Advantages: Well written, great characterization of the coach
Disadvantages: Difficult to relate too as deals with American Football

...Background So many of my friends and family recommended I try a John Grisham novel, so I finally did. I saw this book in the market and at 50p so I thought I couldn't go wrong. About the Author John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas in the USA in 1955. His first book called 'A Time To Kill' was written in 1989.Since then he has become recognised as one of the Worlds best selling novelists. So far he has written 18 novels, including 'Bleachers', which was first published in 2004. About the book The 'Bleachers' is about an 'old high school hero' Neely Crenshaw. Who returns to his old home town of Messina with many other former players to bury and pay their respects to their old coach Eddie Rake. At the High School fifteen years before Crenshaw was treated like a super star by the school and the town as he... Read review

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