Elinor’s Bookshelf

My rating: ★★★★☆ Wow - this was good! Ender’s a small boy when he gets recruited for the Battle School, an international fleet school for training children for the third “bugger” war. It looks like Ender may be their only hope – it’s all just a game, but a sometimes dangerous one. Will Ender manage the pressure his teacher’s keep putting him under? There were a couple of twists, one of which caught me completely by surprise. There’s also a deeper vein to the book throughout that builds to a meaningful closing chapter: a reflection on what it means to be human, the harmfulness of deceit, and how much more love we could be sharing - that makes it sound preachy, but it really isn’t, it’s simply moving as well as entertaining. Loved it! View all my reviews I read this book as part of the UNO-2021 Challenge on GoodReads (team Mystic Pizza).

My rating: ★★☆☆☆ « London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood. » I expected Arrowood to have a Lupin gentleman-style about him. He doesn’t - in fact his assistant Barnett is far more respectable. The miserly backstreets of 19th century London are well described, and the political backdrop is obviously well-documented. It felt like all the ingredients for a super mystery read were brought together, but it simply didn’t work for me - I found it convoluted, and the pacing was off - so it made for a long read that wasn’t truly enjoyable. View all my reviews I read this book as part of the UNO-2021 Challenge on GoodReads (team Mystic Pizza).

My rating: ★★★★★ In this fourth instalment, (and I won’t be spoiling much by saying this), Arthur Dent miraculously finds his way home after 8 years in the confines of space. But was it really 8 years? And, was Earth really destroyed or was it all just an illusion (or is THIS all a delusion)? Contrary to most reviews I’ve read, this is definitely my favourite of the series so far (despite the Krikkit reference in #3). It’s wacky and full of wit and wordplay, generously sprinkled with Douglas Adams’ humour and astute views. It’s also, in my opinion, the deepest in the series with very descriptive, almost poetic passages, and cleverly interwoven truths and metaphors. In a nutshell, I thoroughly enjoyed this, and the pictures evoked were so vivid they are still crystal clear in my mind: Rob McKenna the Rain God, Wonko the Sane and his improbable house, not to mention of course Fenchurch, and dear old Marvin. View all my reviews I read this book as part of the UNO-2021 Challenge on G

My rating: ★★★☆☆ « You have your ego or you have your dreams » There are some great quotes and great stories in this book. I did bring it down a star for inaccuracies and because it felt repetitive towards the end. It may be the point though: drill, drill, drill. Having said all that : - the messages are clear, and the writing funny - there are hands-on exercises to help you question your beliefs after each chapter If you’re stuck in a rut feeling money is « bad » or rich people are to be despised, and you know you aren’t realising your full potential, this book is for you - wait no more! All in all, and insightful and generally humorous read, and there is something to be said about what Jen Sincero calls the « Universe ». Food for thought... View all my reviews I read this book as part of the UNO-2021 Challenge on GoodReads (team Mystic Pizza).