Advantages: Extremely funny
Disadvantages: Make sure you buy the longer version

..."The Meaning of Liff" was co-written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, and was the result of a remembered childhood game, giving definitions to place names. Such jokes were often found in children's books, but the difference here is that the pair were rarely interested in the sound of the word itself - merely in identifying humorous but unnamed concepts with which we are all familiar, and nailing them down with a word that sounds likely. Thus the experience of wanting to go the toilet but being unable because you can't decide which book to bring is defined as Great Wakering. The book works because Adams and Lloyd are both enormously perceptive in their concepts and are able to use their definitions to great satirical effect. The result is an oddity, but an extremely funny one.... Read review

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Advantages: A good read
Disadvantages: Too much legal jargon

...I’ve read 4 or 5 of John Grisham’s books, and the more I read the more I like his style of writing. Being a lawyer himself, the books can go a little overboard on the laws of America, but then it does help to understand some of the intricacies of the stories. The two main characters in the book are Sam Cayhall and Adam Hall. Sam Cayhall ^^^^^^^^^^^ Sam is a 70 year old man who is on Death Row in Mississippi for killing 2 Jewish boys in a bombing in the 1960s. He was a member of the Klu Klux Klan and carried out the bombing as a vendetta against the Jews, who were sympathetic to the cause of the Blacks in the Deep South. There was a whole series of bombings, but he was only convicted of the one which killed the boys and it took 3 trials to convict him even then. Adam Hall ^^^^^^^^^^ Adam is a newly qualified lawyer who takes on Sam... Read review

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Advantages: Their back and the first episode is a classic.
Disadvantages: The quality starts to slip as the series progresses.

...of extreme sports videos, tacky daytime shows and satirical comedies. Living in the Eighties is a spoof of the "1900 House" programme where a family from the year 2000 has to live like a family from the nineties. This involves them dressing in garish clothes and listening to dire music. It probably had the funniest line of the programme, "John the Father, works on Wall Street, which means for breakfast he snorts a line of cocaine and washes it down with champagne. Then he drives off to work in his Sinclair C5" The show has already been on E4 which is where I've seen it and they are repeating it again. In the first episode Adam & Joe were on top form. Unfortunatly this doesn't quite continue for the rest of the series. Still it's good to see them again. The Adam & Joe Show C4 Wednesday nights at 23.05pm E4 (analogue and digital channel... Read review

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Advantages: Bitesize entries that can be read over time.
Disadvantages: You'll never be able to remember the words!

...locales around the globe,) Adams gives us a set of words to which the definitions can be attached. Thus we have such things as: 'Quabbs' - The substances which emerge when you squeeze a blackhead. 'Whassets' - Business cards in your wallet belonging to someone whom you have no recollection of meeting. and "Kalami" - The ancient Eastern art of being able to fold road-maps properly. Aside from spotting all your best-loved experiences, the book offers a unique insight into the mind of Adams and co-writer John Lloyd; what makes them tick, what they notice about the world, and all the tiny nuances in life which they pick up on that the average person simply doesn't see. Be warned, though, it is a very short book, and there is an extended version available. ("The Deeper Meaning of Liff," which contains this book PLUS a load of new definitions... Read review

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Advantages: A great collection of live recordings
Disadvantages: All but the last 3 tracks have already been released on the Peel Sessions CD

...After a few years of no releases from Adam Ant, there seems to be something of a revival at the moment. With the Antbox boxed set released in december and now this excellANT CD. The Complete Radio 1 Sessions is exactly what it says on the cover. The tracks are taken from four recording sessions at Radio 1. Tracks 1-4 recorded for John Peel 23/1/78, tracks 5-8 recorded for John Peel 10/7/78, tracks 9-12 recorded for John Peel 26/3/79 and tracks 13-15 recorded for Simon Mayo 13/1/95 16 years later. The tracks on the CD are..... 1. Deutscher Girls 2. Puerto-Rican 3. It Doesn't Matter 4. LOU 5. You're So Physical 6. Cleopatra 7. Friends 8. Zerox 9. Tabletalk 10. Ligotage 11. Animals and Men 12. Never Trust a Man (with egg on his face) 13. Wonderful 14. Antmusic 15. Gotta Be A Sin The first recording session brings a version of Deutscher... Read review

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Advantages: an interesting and thought provoking story
Disadvantages: doesn't flow as well as other grisham novels

...is one of John Grisham’s first novels and if you’re a fan of his later works you can tell. It still is excellently written, but the flow seems to stutter and start at some points rather than be continuous in his later novels as he hadn’t had time yet to develop as much as a writer. The book starts with description of the crime back in 1967 and then the trials of Sam Cayhall and the changing mood of the south and the effects of the crime not only on the victims family, but it is hinted at some of the problems of the Cayhall family, which are fully described later in the book. You don’t meet Adam Hall until the fourth chapter of the book, and its through him that most of the other characters personalities come through, though sometimes you also see things from the prospective of Sam Cayhall. The story is basically to put across the moral... Read review

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Advantages: Very readable
Disadvantages: It is extremely long

...East of Eden written by John Steinbeck is one of the most exciting stories I have ever read. The 2 main characters are Adam and Cathy. The story is set in California at the turn of the century. I think Steinbeck's purpose when writing East of Eden was to explore the concept of original sin. Some of the issues raised including murder, domestic violence, corruption and prostitution, were unmentionable at the time, so this novel caused shock to its readers. Adam Trask was mistreated by his jealous half-brother, abondoned by his wife, and left to raise twin sons from birth. He later has to decide whether to tell his sons about their mother who is now a madam at the local brothel. Adam discovers they may not even be his sons, but this makes no difference as he loves them unconditionally. At the beginning of the novel Adam is weak and naiive... Read review

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Advantages: Interesting story, well acted, funny in parts, price
Disadvantages: poorly produced, too long for me and disappointing ending

...As an Adam Sandler fan i didn't get around to seeing this film for a long time, the reason being that the opinions and revies i had seen and heard of it were not the best. In the end i decided to buy the dvd and give it a go, if nothing else it completed my Adam Sandler collection lol. I must say after watching the film, my opinions are still mixed, it is not the usual Adam Sandler film and although funny in parts, i would necessarily call it a comedy. The story behind the film is a Mexican mother, Flor (Paz Vega) moves to America with her daughter Christina (Shelbie Bruce) to search for a better life. She gets a job as housekeeper for the Clasky Family, John Clasky (Adam Sandler), Deborah Clasky (Tea Leoni), Bernice (Sarah Steele), Georgie (Ian Hyland) and Deborah's mum Evelyn (Cloris Leachman) (surprisingly one of the more comicial... Read review

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Advantages: Well scripted and very well acted
Disadvantages: Can't think of any...

...The wit and charm of Jimmy Nesbitt coupled with the droll, dry sense of humour displayed by John Thompson would make the show good enough to watch anyway. But an hour of the gorgeous Helen Baxendale justs completes the picture. Cold Feet is currently in its third series and is the hugely successful comedy at 9pm on Sunday nights. Some criticised it prematurely for cashing in on the Friends 3 guys and 3 girls theme. It does however stand extremely well in this TV catergory without falling to the feet of our American counterparts. Adam loves Rachel, Pete loves Jenny, Jenny loves Robert, Karen is married to David, but David is having an affair. Oh yeah, Jenny kissed Adam too. The show is set in Manchester and will appeal to the twenty-something and thirty-somethings amongst us. The three lesser known actors, Fay Ripley, Robert Bathurst... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent show, getting to know the characters
Disadvantages: none

...The second series of Cold Feet continues a few months after the first series ends. All of the main 6 characters return and we pick up their lives in Manchester again. CAST ++++ Rachel - Helen Baxindale Adam - James Nesbitt Jenny - Fay Ripley Pete - John Thompson David - Robert Bathurst Karen - Hermione Norris Episode 1 ++++++++ It is six months since Rachel went to London when she was pregnant and did not know if it was Adam's or her ex-husband's. Jenny starts to fall for Adam after spending so much time supporting him, but she also sets him up on a date with Pete's colleague Amy. Adam is missing Rachel and wondering what her baby looks like. Episode 2 +++++++++ David is made redundant, so he decides he'd rather stay at home and care for his son than get a new job. This drives Karen mad. Rachel returns - without a baby... Read review

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