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#BooksRead2025 18: Pagans, by James Alistair Henry. Interesting take on a crime novel - set in an alternative modern-day UK, where it is divided between the Saxons, the Norse and the Celts. Is it entirely successful? No, but it’s a decent enough read that I’d pick up a follow-up.

submitted 14 hours ago • 1 comment

Tomorrow: My 11th Brighton Half Marathon. Hopefully can drag this ageing body round the course again:

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 17: Gardens Of The Moon, by Steven Erikson. The great Malazan re-read begins. And made all the better by the Broken Binding beautiful editions. Which I’m not going to include a picture of, because it’s late at night and no time to be taking photos.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 16: Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi. Enjoyed this. It feels fairly light hearted sci-fi, with some interesting ideas but also good humour. The aliens do feel a bit like background scenery though, and hopefully follow-up books will flesh them out a bit more beyond “fighty-fighty”.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Unless France decide to take a breather for 30 mins, you feel like they might have a chance at hitting 80 pts, 1 per minute. And I don’t even think Italy are playing that badly, they’re just getting steamrollered.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 15: Dallergut Dream Department Store, by Miye Lee (translated by Sandy Joosun Lee). Cosy story about a store that sells dreams to sleepers. It reads like a series of mini-stories rather than a single flowing narrative building to a climax. Works well here.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 14: Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman. It’s okay. Expected more, given all I’ve heard about it. I’m not rushing out to get the next book, but I would probably still pick it up if on sale.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 13: Those Who Dwell In Darkness, by Steve McHugh. Decent read, but the vampiric urban fantasy doesn’t grab me in the same way as his Hellequin or Riftborn books.

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

Just downloaded Fallout 4 to play through again. Returning to some cheerful post-apocalyptic times.

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Interviewer:So, how do you manage to actually finish a book? Author: Write the first draft. If you’re struggling with a scene, leave yourself a note and come back to it in second draft. “Roses are red [Insert rest of poem later]” #AmWriting

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 12: The City And Its Uncertain Walls, by Murakami. I feel this is a rare miss from Murakami. I usually love his books, but this feels…lacking. A shame. The characters, the story, the setting…I hoped I’d enjoy all of them more than I did.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 11: Smoke and Whispers, by Mick Herron. An okay read, but ultimately I’d probably have preferred to re-read his Slow Horses series again.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 9&10: The Last Voice You Hear Why We Die Both by Mick Herron. Enjoyed these, but not up to his Slow Horses series. Zoe’s a good character, the mysteries are interesting, but it does lack Jackson Lamb. Most books do, to be fair, but there’s always going to be that comparison.

submitted 26 days ago • 0 comments

Not sure what Finn Russell is doing today. He seems to be throwing the ball all over the place, except to a Scottish player. Fair play Italy to pull level.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

C’mon Wales…put something on the board at least.

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Malazan!! It has arrived! #Broken_Binding

submitted 32 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 8: Locklands, by Robert J Bennett. Final book in the Founders trilogy. It’s decent. But not as good as the first book. I feel it suffered from “going too big”. The characters and the magic system were set up for something interesting at the end of the first book. And then we ended up

submitted 32 days ago • 1 comment

If you see this post, post a pic from your device without an explanation

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 7: Somewhere Beyond The Sea, by TJ Klune. Follow up to The House In The Cerulean Sea. It’s a nice story, and it tries to send out a positive message. Unfortunately, it also reflects a lot of the cruelty happening in the world at the moment (need some baddies to defeat) and the fact

submitted 35 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2025 6: Northern Wrath, by Thilde Kold Holdt. This is an author which clearly knows a lot about Vikings. Lots of touches which tie back to the Viking history book I just read. However, I don’t really understand what her characters are doing a lot of the time. It feels we jump from one POV

submitted 36 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2025 5: Embers Of The Hands, by Eleanor Barraclough. Hidden histories about Viking. Some interesting info in here. However, it felt like a lot of the commentary assumed a certain level of knowledge beforehand. And secondly, the stories were quite forgettable. They lacked that compelling

submitted 40 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2025 4: Shorefall, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Yes, I know, I know, I’ve been lax on my reading at the start of this year. I’ll catch up, just as soon as the marathon training is done. Second book in the Founders trilogy. Most enjoyed, looking forward to the third. Well worth picking up.

submitted 45 days ago • 0 comments

“Ack! The Purple! Why The Purple?” Grage flew past us, screaming. “I thought you were going to talk to Ankar about him?” “I did.” Bear replied. “I said he was a fucking maniac and could I have his boots? He wouldn’t notice if I nicked them.” “Fucks’ sake, Bear.” “Hey! They’re really good boots.”

submitted 52 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2025 3: The Last Hour Between Worlds, by Melissa Caruso. Enjoyed this. An interesting premise, and although got tired of the “I can’t tell you but I’m angry at you for not knowing” that was going on to stop Rika and Kembral working together for the early echoes, the rest worked well.

submitted 54 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2025 2: Death At The Sign Of A Rook, by Kate Atkinson. Eeep. This author really didn’t like the advice, “show, don’t tell”. We’re subjected to info dump after info dump to deliver various characters backstory, in a stream of consciousness style. Some people might like that, but I just…

submitted 58 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2025 1: Foundryside, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Following how much I enjoyed The Tainted Cup last year (and previous trilogies) I’ve finally returned to the Founders Trilogy to read. Enjoyed this, and a nice way to start the year in books.

submitted 60 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2024 103: You’d Look Better As A Ghost, by Joanna Wallace. I liked the title, and it had some funny moments as we saw Claire murder her way through various people who annoyed her (or blackmailed her). But overall, not much of a fan.

submitted 68 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2024 102: The Hexologists, by Josiah Bancroft. There’s an interesting story here, and Isolde and Warren make for some good protagonists. However, there is a lot which feels like needed a bit more explanation. It’s trying to mix the surreal in as everyday and normal but this, combined

submitted 70 days ago • 1 comment

#BooksRead2024 101: Blood Over Bright Haven, by M L Wang. Enjoyable read. Not sure I quite understand the title. Probably missed something. The “baddies” felt a little cliched and one-dimensional. (sexist, racist, religious bigots, no redeeming qualities). But otherwise a fair decent book.

submitted 71 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2024 100: The Republic Of Thieves, by Scott Lynch. Over a decade since this was released. And still no fourth book. Enjoyed reading through Locke’s adventures again, but do wonder where he would have gone next. Also, hundredth book of the year. A good book to reach that milestone upon.

submitted 72 days ago • 0 comments

#BooksRead2024 99: Grave Expectations, by Alex Bell. Okay mystery, but a number of the characters and interactions felt off. Unlikely to continue with the series.

submitted 79 days ago • 0 comments