Book reviews (part 2)

Here are a few more reviews of books I've recently been reading.

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith – 4.9 / 5.0

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency was a book which had never really appealed to me, but I eventually picked it up as the third book in a multi-book discount deal. I’m extremely glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be searching out the follow-up books in the series.

The book tells the story of Precious Ramotswe and her investigative adventures after she uses her inheritance to set up the first and only female detective agency in Botswana. Some of the chapters could almost be read individually as self-contained short stories, but there are also a few ongoing story-lines and themes running throughout the book. Its style will appeal to a wide audience and several moments in the book will bring a smile to your face. Overall, the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a thoroughly enjoyable and heart-warming book which I would enthusiastically recommend.

It’s OK, I’m Wearing Really Big Knickers by Louise Rennison – 4.7 / 5.0

Not quite as funny as Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, but that’s more a reflection of the high standard of the first book, rather than a criticism of this follow-up. All said and done, 'It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers' is still a very funny book which once again had me laughing out loud on occasions.

Basically, anyone who enjoyed the first 'Angus' book will pretty much love this follow-up as well.

Meltdown by Ben Elton – 4.3 / 5.0

Like many of Ben Elton’s books, Meltdown covers a topical subject of the moment, in this case the sky high salaries and bonuses of city traders and the effect on the economy that their short term profit-motivated behaviour leads to. My overwhelming reading preference is towards comedy books and although I think of Ben Elton in that genre, this isn’t an all-out hilarious book by any means. It would be more accurately described as mildly amusing and for the most part contains just the right amount of gentle humour to ensure you don’t become too deflated by all the doom and gloom of the effects of the credit crunch covered in the story.

Overall, if you’re a Ben Elton fan then you pretty much know the drill by now and in truth Meltdown doesn’t deviate too much from that standard tried and tested successful Ben Elton formula. 

Cartoon City by Ferdia MacAnna - 3.9 / 5.0

This is a crime story set in Dublin which tells the story of a regular everyday journalist who one day decides to pretend to be a gangster in order to impress a girl. At times the crime can be quite violent and extreme, so it might not be a book that appeals to everyone, but it also features a lot of humorous moments which generally help prevent things from getting too heavy.

While the opening chapters of Cartoon City don’t really grab you by the scruff of the neck, things nevertheless get more and more interesting as the story progresses, with the final third featuring quite a few unexpected twists. Worth a read providing you don’t mind a few violent scenes towards the end.

Playing For Pizza by John Grisham – 4.2 / 5.0

I have to admit I have very little interest in ever visiting Italy and even less interest in American Football, so although I’m a big John Grisham fan I wasn’t expecting much from Playing For Pizza. It is credit to John Grisham therefore that he was able to create a story focusing on these two subjects and yet despite my low expectations I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

One speech in particular towards the end given by Rick Dockery, the star quarterback of the Parma Panthers, made a big impression on me and is very good advice for anyone in the process of making important decisions in life.


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The above reviews are the opinions of Charles Fudgemuffin. Charles is the author of 'How To Poison Your Husband And Get Away With It, and Other Short Stories' which is available for kindle from Amazon.

You can find more book reviews below:
Book reviews (part 10)
Book reviews (part 11)

Please note, all promotional images used on this blog remain the copyright of the respective publishers and are used in accordance with 'Fair Use' legislation for review purposes.