Cathy Adams

Domestic gone wrong..

This book has resonances of your own life, or at least a life which you recognise. Set in the titular high-rise building, the residents are middle-class lawyers, bankers and doctors. Gradually however, this community breaks down around them in terrifying ways: dogs get eaten, women abused, people killed...the whole idea of convenience and materialism explodes around them. Often a bit eerie, a great novel which exposes society's increasing reliance on material goods as well as the overriding propensity of greed. Loved it, kept me interested right until the end.
Slow

I've read some of Raymond Williams' literary criticism, which is sharp and succint. This book, by contrast, is slow and at times a little dull. It tells the story of Harry Price, a railwayman in the town of Glynmawr, and his relationship with his son. When Harry suffers a heart attack, his son Will/Matthew (don't ask) makes his way back to his home town to 'recapture his past'. What a cliche. In short, the book doesn't have much of a plot and skips time frames quite obliquely. At over 400 pages, is not exactly an easy read...
death, death and more death

Just finished 'The Book Thief'...a great insight into lives of Germans during World War Two. The story is narrated by death, which is slightly disquieting, but does even give the idea of death a sort of human perspective. A great read, recommend it to anyone.
cinematic episodes

Wow, just started reading this and have read about 120 pages! It's fast-paced and plot driven, rather than character driven, with little cinematic episodes rather than actual chapters. It took me about 80 pages to completely understand what was happening: this adds to the mystery. I feel a little kept in the dark about the characters, but in a wholly good way. Really like it so far...
Empty as my bank account before payday

'Deadly Embrace' must step up and take the gong for my favourite Jackie Collins novel. Although why, I cannot explain. It's vapid, sordid, page-turning. I enjoyed it over 2 hours on a French beach...but now couldn't give any indication of plot line or characters involved. Celebrity, sex, power all written in Collins' unremarkable style. Kids, don't knock it until you've tried it.
Definitively Different

I loved the anthology! Each story was undeniably creative and often kept me guessing right until the end. I particularly enjoyed 'The Secret of the Perfect Vegetarian Risotto for One' - it was chilling to read such an impersonal account of murder but with an unusual domestic twist. Where these storytellers get their inspiration from is beyond me; it was really refreshing to read such a different collection of stories.