Illiterarty.com Book reviews and blogs by Bridget

With the gentle, undulating flow of many Italian or Spanish stories, The Olive Sisters also walks the well-worn path of bittersweet romance and wistful hark-back to the past that seem to be the hallmark of Mediterranean fiction.

With almost text-book precision, Jonathan Tel captures the essence of the perfect short story in this loosely woven collection of heartbreaks, secrets, humanities and mundanities, backdropped by the mysterious Beijing.

A light-hearted romp through the big boys of serious topics - Whom God Would Destroy examines the subjects of religion, psychiatry, the mentally ill, and alien conspiracies in a sniggeringly hilarious meander through some cunning plot twists and a whole new understanding of the universe as it is.

If this was lunch, it would be a Wendy's hot dog with everything.

What if Joss Whedon wrote like an 8 yr old, Buffy was a petulant, crying moron and Angel was her self flagellating bitch? Stephanie Meyer would be $70 million poorer, that’s what.

There was something about her; wild, lawless, smoldering.

Mildly disappointing, but only compared to the insanely high standards I have come to expect from Mr de Berniéres and his extreme awesomeness as an author.

If this was fused with a grim, dystopian sci-fi blockbuster in some of Godawful teleporter accident it would be the film 'Brazil'.

Swaying, shaking, bright lights tight skirt tall heels.

McLaughlin and Kraus are back - and in my opinion, even better than before. Dedication is the quintessential girl's fantasy, with an unexpected happily ever after - where the girl makes the rules.

Each day, the architect strides into his penthouse office with two hundred and seventy degree panoramic views and a large oak display table.

Feeling like you just haven't had enough spy/CIA conspiracy in your life lately? Lacking in running, gun fights, car chases, and general confusion and accusations about the CIA? Might be time to read Panic...

The assembly look smart; boots that glisten, bayonettes that gleam, hats sitting regally as even their feathers stay firm in the gentle breeze.

If this was written before anyone had heard of the author, it would get a pretty patchy reception.

If cleanliness and orderliness are next to Godliness I would already be in heaven. A place for everything and everything in it's place; my place is among dusted shelves, knick-knacks lined up with military precision, coffee tables that have never been within spitting distance of coffee.

I do not have an addictive personality. Really. Look at me - I'm nearly twenty-eight, I don't smoke, I drink only on occasion, and I have chocolate consumption down to about once a week. On the other hand - I'm a quitter - I can give up just about anything, including university, hard work, and replying to my emails. Where am I going with this? Enough of the boring bits, onto this quasi-review of the Sims!

Public policy, budget restrictions, pandering to the moral majority, funding eccentricities, a hodgepodge of papers, politicians, tight organisation, paternalism, ignorance, apathy.