- The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet…”
- No Life for a Lady – Hannah Dolby
“It was hot, the night my mother disappeared. It was a Saturday, and she had been going out. I had wanted to go out with her, because I…”
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
“When he was 13, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play…”
- Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
“A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too…”
- The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”
- The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
“On the first Monday of the month of April, 1625, the bourg of Meung, in which the author of the Romance of the Rose was born…”
- Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
“I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful…”
- Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
“The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was…”
- Eragon – Christopher Paolini
“Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. A tall Shade lifted his head and sniffed the air. He looked…”
- The Colour of Magic – Terry Pratchett
“In a distant and secondhand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part…”
- Hourglass – Daniel James
“The Ilyushkin 72 ascended through the kingdom of clouds like a steel dragon, powerful and proud. It roared up and away from the snowy…”
- Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but…”
- Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
“’Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. ‘It’s so dreadful to be poor!’ sighed Meg, looking…”
- Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol.1 – Chris Grine
“Why can’t I go to summer camp, too? It’s not fair Willow gets to go have fun and I don’t.”
- Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
“My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more…”
- The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on…”
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
“I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East…”
- The Art of War – Sun Tzu
“Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”
- The Murder at the Vicarage – Agatha Christie
“It is difficult to know quite where to begin this story, but I have fixed my choice on a certain Wednesday at luncheon at the Vicarage.”
- Casino Royale – Ian Fleming
“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soul-erosion produced by high gambling…”
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.”
- Carry On – Rainbow Rowell
“I walk the Wood. I walk the fields. I cover the school grounds between classes, poking through empty buildings, opening long-closed…”
- Matilda – Roald Dahl
“It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine…”
- Good Omens – Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
“It was a nice day. All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn’t been invented yet…”
- Villainous – Stonie Williams & Jef Sadzinski
“We got an ID?” “Yea. Name’s Caleb Green. Moved here in 2015 accordin’ to the Coalition’s database. Hero ID: Archmage. Sidekick program…”
- Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
- Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
“You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil…”
- The Beautiful and the Damned – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“In 1913, when Anthony Patch was twenty-five, two years were already gone since irony, the Holy Ghost of this later day, had, theoretically at least, descended upon him.”
- Artemis – Andy Weir
“I bounded over the gray, dusty terrain toward the huge dome of Conrad Bubble. Its airlock, ringed with red lights, stood distressingly…”
- Cinderella Is Dead – Kalynn Bayron
“Cinderella has been dead for two hundred years. I’ve been in love with Erin for the better part of three years. And I am about two…”
- Not Alone – Sophocles Sapounas
“What would you call a pet goldfish?” – “‘Quiet'” – “That’s a stupid name” – “How about ‘Silence’?” – “You’re not even trying” – “Kill me”.
- Paper Towns – John Green
“The longest day of my life began tardily. I woke up late, took too long in the shower, and ended up having to enjoy my breakfast in the…”
- Mistborn: The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson
“Ash fell from the sky. Lord Tresting frowned, glancing up at the ruddy, mid-day sky as his servants scuttled forward, opening a parasol…”
- Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo
“The servants called them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke’s…”
- Moxie – Jennifer Mathieu
“My English teacher Mr Davies rubs a hand over his military buzz cut. There’s sweat beading at his hairline, and he puffs out his ruddy…”
- Live and Let Die – Ian Fleming
“There are moments of great luxury in the life of a secret agent. There are assignments on which he is required to act the part of a very…”
- The Last Wish – Andrzej Sapkowski
“She came to him towards morning. She entered very carefully, moving silently, floating through the chamber like a phantom; the only…”
- Cherry – Nico Walker
“Emily’s gone to take a shower. The room’s half-dark and I’m getting dressed, looking for a shirt with no blood on it, not having any luck.”
- Book Reviews by Mood
All of my book reviews by mood, from bittersweet-endings-that-punch-you-in-the-stomach to nostalgic-yearnings-that-you-just-can’t-explain!
- Raven: Némésis – Mathieu Lauffray
“The man you see here, tied up off the shore of tortuga, is called Raven. He is an infamous pirate. He can fight, he can sail, and he…”
- French Exit – Patrick deWitt
“’All good things must end,’ said Frances Price. She was a moneyed, striking woman of sixty-five years, easing her hands into black…”
- Skulduggery Pleasant – Derek Landy
“Gordon Edgley’s sudden death came as a shock to everyone – not least himself. One moment he was in his study, seven words into the…”
- Bridgerton: The Duke & I – Julia Quinn
“The birth of Simon Arthur Henry Fitzranulph Basset, Earl Clyvedon, was met with great celebration. Church bells rang for hours…”
- The Princess Bride – William Goldman
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. How is such a thing possible? I’ll do my best to explain.”
- The Spy Who Raised Me – Ted Anderson & Gianna Meola
“Josie! Time to wake up! Good morning, sweetie. Did you finish your English essay?” “Uh… I started it.” “Well, I’ll help you with it…”
- The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux
“It was the evening on which MM Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a farewell gala performance to make their…”
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Brontë
“To J. Halford, Esq. Dear Halford, When we were together last, you gave me a very particular and interesting account of the most…”
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – Agatha Christie
“Stephen pulled up the collar of his coat as he walked briskly along the platform. Overhead a dim fog clouded the station. Large engines…”
- The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
“When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special…”
- Skipping Christmas – John Grisham
“The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic…”
- Humour
All of my Humour book reviews, from Douglas Adams to Sally Rooney to John Kennedy Toole!
- Stardust – Neil Gaiman
“The tale started, as many tales have started, in Wall. Immediately to the east of Wall is a high grey rock wall, from which the town…”
- A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk…”
- Comics/Graphic Novels
All of my Comics/Graphic Novels reviews, from Jack Kirby to Chris Grine to Noelle Stevenson!
- Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz
“When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news. Alex Rider was woken by the first chime. His eyes flickered open…”
- Romance
All of my Romance book reviews, from Jane Austen to Charlotte Brontë to Louisa May Alcott!
- Book Reviews by Rating
All of my book reviews by rating, from the worst of one-star books to average three-star stories to the best five-star novels!
- 3/5 Star
All of my 3/5 star book reviews for novels that aren’t brilliant, but still worth the read! Read more book reviews here!
- Storm Front – Jim Butcher
“The mailman walked towards my office door, half an hour earlier than usual. He didn’t sound right. His footsteps fell more heavily…”
- Young Adult
All of my Young Adult book reviews, from Markus Zusack to Rainbow Rowell to Patrick Ness!
- Book Reviews by Genre
All of my book reviews by genre, from romance and classics to political satire and science fiction to fantasy and thrillers!
- Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the the…”
- 1984 – George Orwell
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort…”
- Political
All of my Political book reviews, from George Orwell to Margaret Atwood to Joseph Heller!
- Animal Farm – George Orwell
“Mr Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes.”
- The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood…”
- Science Fiction
All of my Science Fiction book reviews, from H. G. Wells to Ray Bradbury to Mary Shelley!
- The War of the Worlds – H. G. Wells
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by…”
- Children
All of my Children book reviews, from Markus Zusack to Rainbow Rowell to Patrick Ness!
- Mystery
All of my Mystery book reviews, from Agatha Christie to Arthur Conan Doyle to Edgar Allan Poe!
- Fantasy
All of my Fantasy book reviews, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin!
- 2/5 Star
All of my 2/5 star book reviews for sort of okay-ish novels!
- 4/5 Star
All of my 4/5 star book reviews for brilliant novels with minor drawbacks!
- Adventure
All of my Adventure book reviews, from Vicor Hugo to Robert Louis Stevenson to Alexandre Dumas!
- 1/5 Star
All of my 1/5 star book reviews for my least favourite novels!
- Classics
All of my Classics book reviews, from Emily Brontë to F. Scott Fitzgerald to William Golding!
- 5/5 Star
All of my 5/5 star book reviews for the best novels that I have ever read!
- Thriller
All of my Thriller book reviews, from Ian Fleming to John Le Carré to Anthony Horowitz!
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet…”
“It was hot, the night my mother disappeared. It was a Saturday, and she had been going out. I had wanted to go out with her, because I…”
“When he was 13, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play…”
“A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too…”
“In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”
“On the first Monday of the month of April, 1625, the bourg of Meung, in which the author of the Romance of the Rose was born…”
“I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful…”
“The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was…”
“Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. A tall Shade lifted his head and sniffed the air. He looked…”
“In a distant and secondhand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part…”
“The Ilyushkin 72 ascended through the kingdom of clouds like a steel dragon, powerful and proud. It roared up and away from the snowy…”
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but…”
“’Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. ‘It’s so dreadful to be poor!’ sighed Meg, looking…”
“Why can’t I go to summer camp, too? It’s not fair Willow gets to go have fun and I don’t.”
“My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more…”
“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on…”
“I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods. For instance, there is a brownstone in the East…”
“Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”
“It is difficult to know quite where to begin this story, but I have fixed my choice on a certain Wednesday at luncheon at the Vicarage.”
“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soul-erosion produced by high gambling…”
“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.”
“I walk the Wood. I walk the fields. I cover the school grounds between classes, poking through empty buildings, opening long-closed…”
“It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine…”
“It was a nice day. All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn’t been invented yet…”
“We got an ID?” “Yea. Name’s Caleb Green. Moved here in 2015 accordin’ to the Coalition’s database. Hero ID: Archmage. Sidekick program…”
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
“You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil…”
“In 1913, when Anthony Patch was twenty-five, two years were already gone since irony, the Holy Ghost of this later day, had, theoretically at least, descended upon him.”
“I bounded over the gray, dusty terrain toward the huge dome of Conrad Bubble. Its airlock, ringed with red lights, stood distressingly…”
“Cinderella has been dead for two hundred years. I’ve been in love with Erin for the better part of three years. And I am about two…”
“What would you call a pet goldfish?” – “‘Quiet'” – “That’s a stupid name” – “How about ‘Silence’?” – “You’re not even trying” – “Kill me”.
“The longest day of my life began tardily. I woke up late, took too long in the shower, and ended up having to enjoy my breakfast in the…”
“Ash fell from the sky. Lord Tresting frowned, glancing up at the ruddy, mid-day sky as his servants scuttled forward, opening a parasol…”
“The servants called them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke’s…”
“My English teacher Mr Davies rubs a hand over his military buzz cut. There’s sweat beading at his hairline, and he puffs out his ruddy…”
“There are moments of great luxury in the life of a secret agent. There are assignments on which he is required to act the part of a very…”
“She came to him towards morning. She entered very carefully, moving silently, floating through the chamber like a phantom; the only…”
“Emily’s gone to take a shower. The room’s half-dark and I’m getting dressed, looking for a shirt with no blood on it, not having any luck.”
All of my book reviews by mood, from bittersweet-endings-that-punch-you-in-the-stomach to nostalgic-yearnings-that-you-just-can’t-explain!
“The man you see here, tied up off the shore of tortuga, is called Raven. He is an infamous pirate. He can fight, he can sail, and he…”
“’All good things must end,’ said Frances Price. She was a moneyed, striking woman of sixty-five years, easing her hands into black…”
“Gordon Edgley’s sudden death came as a shock to everyone – not least himself. One moment he was in his study, seven words into the…”
“The birth of Simon Arthur Henry Fitzranulph Basset, Earl Clyvedon, was met with great celebration. Church bells rang for hours…”
“This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. How is such a thing possible? I’ll do my best to explain.”
“Josie! Time to wake up! Good morning, sweetie. Did you finish your English essay?” “Uh… I started it.” “Well, I’ll help you with it…”
“It was the evening on which MM Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a farewell gala performance to make their…”
“To J. Halford, Esq. Dear Halford, When we were together last, you gave me a very particular and interesting account of the most…”
“Stephen pulled up the collar of his coat as he walked briskly along the platform. Overhead a dim fog clouded the station. Large engines…”
“When Mr Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special…”
“The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic…”
All of my Humour book reviews, from Douglas Adams to Sally Rooney to John Kennedy Toole!
“The tale started, as many tales have started, in Wall. Immediately to the east of Wall is a high grey rock wall, from which the town…”
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk…”
All of my Comics/Graphic Novels reviews, from Jack Kirby to Chris Grine to Noelle Stevenson!
“When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news. Alex Rider was woken by the first chime. His eyes flickered open…”
All of my Romance book reviews, from Jane Austen to Charlotte Brontë to Louisa May Alcott!
All of my book reviews by rating, from the worst of one-star books to average three-star stories to the best five-star novels!
All of my 3/5 star book reviews for novels that aren’t brilliant, but still worth the read! Read more book reviews here!
“The mailman walked towards my office door, half an hour earlier than usual. He didn’t sound right. His footsteps fell more heavily…”
All of my Young Adult book reviews, from Markus Zusack to Rainbow Rowell to Patrick Ness!
All of my book reviews by genre, from romance and classics to political satire and science fiction to fantasy and thrillers!
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the the…”
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort…”
All of my Political book reviews, from George Orwell to Margaret Atwood to Joseph Heller!
“Mr Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes.”
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood…”
All of my Science Fiction book reviews, from H. G. Wells to Ray Bradbury to Mary Shelley!
“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by…”
All of my Children book reviews, from Markus Zusack to Rainbow Rowell to Patrick Ness!
All of my Mystery book reviews, from Agatha Christie to Arthur Conan Doyle to Edgar Allan Poe!
All of my Fantasy book reviews, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin!
All of my Adventure book reviews, from Vicor Hugo to Robert Louis Stevenson to Alexandre Dumas!
All of my Classics book reviews, from Emily Brontë to F. Scott Fitzgerald to William Golding!
All of my Thriller book reviews, from Ian Fleming to John Le Carré to Anthony Horowitz!