The Game by Neil Strauss

One of the benefits of having a flatmate employed by a good publishing house is the stream of books available to borrow. The most recent of these which I have taken advantage of is "The Game" by Neil Strauss [Amazon...

The Wisdom of Crowds

I have recently finished reading The Wisdom of Crowds by New Yorker columnist James Surowiecki. I heard a bit of chatter about this book a few months ago and meant to order it but forgot. So I only got it...

The Bridges of Madison County: a book by Robert Waller

I picked up this book the other night at home, thought it might help me sleep. Obviously I'd heard of it but I knew nothing more about it. Like that it is the best selling fiction book of all time...

Sideways by Rex Pickett

A friend left Sideways (Amazon, £8.99) here at New Year and I've been meaning to read it since then. A couple of days ago I delved in and read it in a couple of days. It is the story...

Snobs by Julian Fellowes

I read Snobs (Amazon £5.59) on the plane back from the US. The NYT said of it, "When you read a book, you're lost in time. All the more reason to read Snobs. It will distract you pleasantly. It's...

A Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Brautigan

While I'm thinking about Books, I must tell you about "A Confederate General from Big Sur" which I read in the space of one journey up the A9 just before Christmas (it is only 150 pages, but still represents amazing...

The Broker by John Grisham

Oh, oh, a new John Grisham Book - The Broker is out. Now I know that these are kinda trashy but... can I resist buying it!? I'm kind of stuck bored in the middle of John Fante's "Ask the Dust"...

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young

I recently finished reading Toby Young's 'How to Lose Friends and Alienate People' [Amazon UK|US] - an autobiographical account of what happens when journalist Toby Young uproots his life in London to go and work as a contributing editor for...

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Recently my friend Michael told me about a book called 'The Da Vinci Code', a thriller which so inspired him he booked a trip to Paris to check out the details. Not many books have that effect on people and...